Welcome to Gaia! ::

The six who were coming down the hallway were not making nearly such a fuss as the others were, and as they approached the group, Shiro couldn't help but chuckle.

"Mama," an almost two-year-old Garrick said, looking up at Elnara as he plodded alongside her, "G'ampa g'umpy."

"Not grumpy," Elnara corrected her little boy, balancing Hana on one hip and smiling down at Garrick. "Worried."

She had also been worried about her sons for a while, but they had been living on their own for a long time already, and she knew that they were quite capable of taking care of themselves. And she was used to people of their age going off on journeys - had she not done the same, and at a younger age? And they were going in a large group. They would be safe. No, she wasn't worried about them.

Shiro smiled at his little brother. "We'll be fine, Garrick," he grinned, reaching down to ruffle the little boy's thick, dark hair. "You just be sure to be a good boy for Mother, won't you?"

Garrick grinned crookedly, showing off his four front teeth. "Goo' boy!"

Kaito was rummaging through his bag, and, seeming to be satisfied that he had everything, he turned to look at Lin. One ear flickered as he watched the scene, and he wondered how long it would be before they would be able to go.

The three nekos nodded together, all of them somewhat the same, and yet very different, and it was Ura who stepped forward and smiled at Lin.

"We are ready," he said softly, an eager note in his voice. "We have been waiting for this ..."

"Indeed," Shiro smiled warmly. He turned to Elnara and gave her a tight, one-armed hug. "Fare well, Mother. We will be back before you know it."

Hana pouted as Elnara hugged Shiro back. "Thiwo!" she frowned. "Not go bye!"

Shiro chuckled and poked Hana lightly on the tip of her nose. "We won't even be gone long enough to miss me," he winked at her. "You just make sure Papa takes care of my library."

Hana's eyes grew bright at the mention of the library where her brothers lived. "Bookth!"

Kaito grinned cattily. "Yes, Hana, books," he purred. "You take good care of them." He turned to Shiro and nodded towards the door. "Come on," he muttered. "It's time for us to leave."

Shiro nodded, and after all three of them had hugged Elnara and the young twins one more time, they bid their grandparents and uncles farewell and turned towards the portal. A moment later, they were gone.

As they traveled through the labyrinth, Shiro couldn't help but look at Lin's new pet curiously. "Where did you pick her up?" he asked. "I don't believe I've seen her before."

Come to think of it, it had to be the first time in a very long time that he had seen her without her quartet of foxy butterflies. Had something happened to them?

Kaito gawked at Lin. "You put up with this?" he asked, jerking a thumb at the cat. "It doesn't drive you nuts?"

He knew that Lin could have quite the temper if she was pushed, and he was amazed that she would let anyone talk to her like that - especially when that someone was insulting some of the creatures that Lin loved most.

"You have to admit," Ura put in with a faint smile, "it is ridiculous for someone with no fish to keep a cat. No matter how rare she might appear to be."

Shiro was just wondering who it was who had the fluff for brains ... his money was on the cat.

"I've learned to ignore it," Lin replied rolling her eyes at the muffled 'Hey!' that was the given response.

She never understood until now how or why her mother put up with certain pets, but she sort of understood a bit now.

"Besides she only means a portion of what she says, she's just possessive.... like a real house cat."
"I'm not anything like those dull house cats!"

Lin shrugged knowing what Kaito meant, Senka was like a typical house cat feline with the ego to go with it, but unlike normal feline's she would listen. Probably because all you needed to do was stroke her ego a bit.

"Like such a little thing would bother me," Senka replied a bit miffed at her owner's companions as she moved to climb back on top of Lin's head.
Lin rolled her eyes, "If only the quartet weren't put off by the Eastland. Remember Senka, you are to be polite, not possessive and if I need to check something for me you do it. Or no fish flakes."
"You forgot to add protect you!"
"You're not Wish."

Lin blinked remembering something as she tilted her head slightly, mindful of Senka towards Shiro.

"Which reminds me, when we get back home you might want to consider a visit to the Eastland. Amora, Lothiriel and Pen's eldest is apparently a practical researcher, she experiments rather learn from books but she likes reading books a lot too."

"Pretty much," Lin replied, "Not that it would matter besides minor differences like tanning or hair growing longer or... even a change of clothes. Being who we are time really doesn't carry a lot of weight in terms of age."

It was weird when one thought about it, they were like elves in that regard only they came from all walks of life. Well except for her father, now there was a troubling thought.

"Actually I think the same goes with the fluffy cats," Lin poked Senka much to the kitten (cat's) dismay, "Saki has to be... way over forty by now."

The door was coming up, good she was always nervous about what had changed. Even if elves didn't age, circumstances could always change.