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After the fiasco with baking, Justin finally had a loaf suitable for eating. He thought; he hoped. He had made it as a sort of thank you for Henry listening to all of his questions, his repetitive questions. Plus, this would be a good opportunity for Aadhira to meet another raevan. He worried about Aadi's tendency to be happy just glued to the television, even though he was clearly so social.

Aadhira was quite happy to meet someone new. He liked new things, new people, new places. When Justin drove, he nearly pressed his face against the window, watching the houses and stores go by. And this trip was special. Justin had told him a little bit - especially about Ethiriel. Well, as much as Justin knew, which to Aadhira had painted her like some sort of princess. Interesting.

Soon, they were there. Justin knocked smartly three times.

Justin ran a hand through his hair. Maybe this had been a bad idea.... he hadn't even called or anything. He felt like an utter tool, lost in his own excitement and need to say thanks that he hadn't even considered how he might imposing on them. If this had happened even a year previously, Justin would have shoved the loaf into Henry's hands and bolted like a startled deer. As it was, he shifted anxiously.

"Yeah, this is Aadhira." Despite his anxious nature, there was a bit of pride injected into his voice. Aadhira was wonderful, even if he was a handful. The raevan took Henry's extended hand and simply held it for a moment, deciding what to do. He gave the nurse's fingers a squeeze and released them. "It is wonderful to meet you as well. Justin has told me about you." It seemed an adequate response, surely. Justin had not really told Aadhira much about Henry, other than that the man had helped Justin with some questions. It was all very vague, but Henry was gregarious, excessively so, perhaps. Aadhira decided it was that strange line between dismissable egregarity and a dangerous cover-up. He drifted into Henry's house, looking around curiously.

"Ethiriel," he said softly, eyes going to the raevan on the couch. He floated over near her and waited for her to notice him.

"Books are always a good thing to get into," Justin said absently, following Aadi. Once inside, he paused and swung around towards Henry. "Oh! I... made you a thing. Y'know, as thanks."

What a charming blush, Aadhira thought. His eyes flicked briefly from Ethiriel to Henry and back to the raevan. Slowly, he drifted even closer, mouth quirking up into a smile at her form of address. "I think," he said, reaching forward to tap the back of her hand gently, If she allowed him, he would take it, drawing it up to his mouth for a courtly kiss. "-the pleasure is mine. You are the second raeven I've met, Lady Ethiriel - or is it princess?" He had decided, in the manner of snap judgments he was used to making, that he liked her and her gentle manner. She was fairytales.

Justin watched them interact, interested. He had hoped Aadhira would not do anything too boisterous or say something half-scathing as he sometimes did. Instead, Aadi seemed charmed. Well, that was good, he thought. "I've seen her a few times, but it's always good to see the both of you again. I thought it might be nice to drop by. I-I'm sorry if we've interrupted your normal schedule."

Aadhira held very still as her hands traced lightly on his skin. Not a through exploration it seemed, just enough to find out where her lips should go. His smile had stretched as she kissed him lightly on both cheeks. That was a first for him, but not unwelcome. "Princess it must be, then." For the next part, he wasn't sure exactly how to offer, but he thought it was something that needed to be done.

"If you wish and it is something you feel comfortable with, princess, you can of course feel more closely." Justin had told him that Ethiriel could not see, and so, as preparation, he had read up a little on things. It would not have been smart to not do so, he thought. Aadi believed in having all of hi arsenal at his disposal and preparation was certainly a part of that. He'd read that sometimes people who could not see preferred to feel other's face's with meticulous care. He didn't know if she'd take him up on the offer, but it was there.

"Yeah, I'm trying to take Aadi out on the rounds, you could say." Justin watched Aadhira, but it was quite clear that the boy was ignoring both Justin and Henry. "Ahhhh, I feel like a lowly peon," he joked. "Oh! Where do you want this? I, uh.... I made banana bread." The steam ran out of his voice at the end.

He closed his eyes as Ethiriel feathered her fingers against his cheekbones. This was how she saw and it seemed right to give it as much attention as she did. So he closed his eyes and imagined waht he must look like to her. Ethiriel couldn't feel his freckles or the way they glowed or how his hair sparkled. But she could feel the planes of his face, the texture of his skin, and that was something not many could get close enough for. The feel of it was strange, though Aadhira didn't flinch, even when her hands went to his shoulders unexpectedly.

"Handsome? Somehow that seems over-generous in comparison." He felt a little vulnerable, somehow, as though she could use her fingers to see more than the average person did of him. It was.... not a comfortable feeling, but not something he was violently opposed to. "Would you mind if I did the same? It's not the same, but yet..." He wondered if he would offend her by asking, but had clearly already decided to voice his request. Aadhira thought it was only fair (it wasn't) if he felt her skin too. Sort of. Maybe. He also wanted to ask what she was reading, but carefully shuffled his questions aside for now.

Justin stopped staring at the raevans long enough to scoot over to the dining table and set his burden down. So many bananas had lost their lives to making this loaf. He unwrapped it partly from the foil, revealing its second layer of plastic wrap. "I just wanted to say thanks for helping me out before Aadi came. He's, um, a handful, and you were very patient even though you hadn't been a guardian for long." He stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged. "What kind of books do you read?"

Ethiriel's surprise intrigued Aadhira - it was as though this were a new thing for her. Perhaps it was, he thought, and smiled, pleased to believe that he had this first bit of someone. The way she lifted her chin, open and trusting, was cute in its own way, Aadhira thought. He didn't know why it appealed to him, but it did nonetheless. This was a moment like in the movies, when the main guy would trick the girl as she waited, open to him, and steal a kiss. Aadhira did not, aware of many things, including the fact that Justin and Henry were watching.

Instead, his dark hands settled heavily on her shoulders, sweeping down her arms in a continuous motion. They only paused at her fingers, to interlace his with hers, palm-to-palm. Even then, it was a brief moment, not lingered over, but quick, just to get the feel of this. Aadhira closed his eyes. Although he would have liked to watch her as his fingers slid across her face, he reminded himself that this was an exercise to understand. And then meant he didn't get the luxury of watching her mouth move, or seeing her blush fade. Aadi moved his hands back up, feeling how delicate her neck was, her jawline, that mouth that had just minutes ago hung open in shock. He wondered if he was painting a picture of her in his head, or merely affirming what he'd seen. He knew how her cheekbones looked and now he felt them. He feathered his thumbs across her eyelids, cheekbones, pressing back until he could feel the soft shell of her ears.

Aadhira hummed as he went, softly, and it was the tune of a soap opera, but he added bits and took out bits until it was a melody, though not necessarily the same melody it began as. Finally he stopped, resting his hands on her cheeks. Opening his eyes, he looked at her for a second. "Did that feel strange?"

"I feel like we need to buy tickets," Justin muttered at Henry. Justin was content, however, to let Aadihira pursue his own interests, even if they were a little strange. Still, he kept more than one eye peeled on the two of them, wholly unsure as to when Aadi would say something untoward.

He shook his head. "At least they aren't making out. And I read typically fiction - like scifi. I like getting caught up. It's like living a double life." He grinned.

"No, thank you. I'm imposing on you, after all." It was odd for her to thank him for touching her, Aadi thought. Perhaps all princesses, while gentle, were a bit odd. He could roll with it, he decided. Slowly, he slid his hands free from her face, the thumb of his right hand stopping briefly to press on her bottom lip. Aadhira couldn't say why he did it - like most things, it was simply on impulse. He didn't often think in terms of 'reasons why' and would be hard pressed to explain himself if ever asked.

Slowly, he drifted to the sofa before draping himself on it like a cat. After a moment, he patted the seat next to him, aware she could not see it, but that she might recognize the sound. Curiosity made him want to reach out and tug her ribbon, to feel how silky it was, but he had an image to maintain. "Princess, won't you sit? I find I'm interested. What were you listening to when I arrived?" She had startled up so interestingly; it must be diverting.

----

Justin laughed. "Man, even I've kissed Cruz. He's a sweet boy. Aadi, on the other hand." He leaned closer to Henry so that Aadhira could not hear. "He is a handful, and normally not this nice. I think he likes her."He leaned back and shrugged, the movement deliberately exaggerated.

"Henry, have you ever seen Lord of the Rings?"

He flicked his ribbon out of her way. It felt odd to have someone touch it, even in passing and by accident. Somehow it was more intimate than her hands ghosting down his face. He wondered how she'd react if he tugged hers. However... Aadhira recognized that such a thing was Not Done in polite company, so he heroically refrained. It was not easy for him.

For a moment, he studied the way her hand folded neatly in her lap, oddly reminded of the overlap of a flower's petals. "The Last Unicorn," he said thoughtfully. "It sounds sad. What do you like about the book?" Aadhira did not ask what it was about - he thought that the reactions generated by the book's readers were far more important than the content itself. He had turned toward her, his body language attentive, even if she could not see it.


"She's not named after it?" Justin said, surprised. While it was true that he could think of no elf by that name in any Tolkein book, the name was so distinctly elven that he'd thought... "I could've sworn she was."