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A worried expression crossed Elnara's face, and she stammered, "I ... I don't need to bathe," in a soft voice. Then she cleared her throat and her smile returned, and her voice went back to being smooth and calm. "I mean ... I showered this morning, I'm all right."

She paused. "But Idhril ..."

Idhril had been about to ask Joruri what he was thinking about when she heard Elnara say her name, and she looked over at everyone else curiously.

"What, Mama?" she asked.

Elnara smiled faintly. "The children need baths, do you want to go along and bathe with Niyana and the girls?"

Idhril thought about it for a moment, then looked up at Joruri. If she did go, she would have to leave him ... but she wasn't really dirty, after all Elnara and Niyana had pretty much given her a sponge bath not that long ago.

"No," she decided with a smile. "I'll stay with Joruri and wait."

Aras was too exhausted to make any decisions herself, and she decided that whatever her parents decided for her would be okay. Her tummy was starting to hurt a bit though ... perhaps she had drunk her water a little too quickly ...

Celebor could see the pain in Aras's eyes, and he rubbed her stomach gently with his thumb.

"Perhaps you should just take Ruque and wash him up," he suggested softly to Niyana. "I don't think it would be a good idea to take Aras to the water yet ... and Ruque really is the only one who needs a bath."

He smiled warmly at her, his eyes speaking for him: And later you and I can slip away for a private one.

Idhril smiled at Niyana. "Well ... I would still have to leave him," she murmured, squeezing Joruri's hand tightly. "So it's okay. I'll take a shower when I go home again."

Ruque climbed up onto Niyana's hand, trying not to faceplant this time, since it would make her sticky as well.

"Wait, Mama!" he called, tugging on her thumb as they started away. "Kanis wants to come too!" And he pointed at where his sister was looking eagerly at them.

Celebor blinked, half surprised and half disappointed. Well, he would just have to see what he could do to change her mind, he supposed.

He smiled to himself. Another challenge.

Celebor's eyes flashed as he passed Kanis over to Niyana, looking at his mate and smiling challengingly. She was teasing him again ... and he liked it. Still, he said nothing but simply let Kanis cross from his hand to her mother's.

Ruque grinned at Kanis from Niyana's other hand. "We're gonna get all cleaned up!" he said enthusiastically. "That's good because I think I still have food in my hair."

He blushed faintly, but he was still smiling widely, happy to be doing something else with his family, even if it was just half of them.

"And then when we get back we can paint, right Mama?" he asked brightly, looking up at Niyana, his green eyes shining excitedly.

Elnara smiled. "And I'll help take care of everyone with Celebor while you're gone," she told Niyana. "Don't worry about a thing."

"Ruran," Celebor called out, watching his son trying to disappear, "where are you going?"

His voice was perhaps a little harsher than he had intended, but he didn't need his son to get lost on his first day, and especially the first time Niyana left him in charge of the kids.

Idhril smiled at Joruri. "You're going to love it at the inn where we live," she told him excitedly. "Maybe you can even share a room with me, but it will be kind of crowded, Xue sleeps with me too, she's my little dragonlet."

Aras had recuperated from her run while her mother, sister and brother had been gone, and she jumped up from where she was sitting and ran to greet them.

"Welcome back!" she called brightly, tackling Niyana's ankle and hugging it tightly.

Celebor chuckled softly from where he was sitting with his mother and brother. "We've just been catching up," he grinned at her. "Though I think Jair was starting to get a little impatient. He wants that dragon you promised him."

Jair wasn't at all embarrassed; he slapped his tail against the ground excitedly and clapped his hands. "You promised!" he giggled at Niyana.

Aras giggled and ran back over to join her siblings.

Ruque looked down at himself, his wet hair plastered to his face and back, then looked up at Niyana.

"Will it still work on me if I'm a little bit wet, Mama?" he asked her anxiously. "Because my hair's kind of still dripping ..."

And his clothes were getting wet too.

Idhril had been distracted by Niyana and the children's return, but now she turned her attention back to Joruri and smiled warmly at him. "Of course you don't have to sleep in a box ... Joruri?"

She saw that he had looked away and that his face was slightly red, and it worried her. She squeezed his hand and put her other hand on his shoulder tenderly. "Joruri? Are you okay?"

Jair grinned and slapped his belly with his hands. "Right here!" he laughed, sticking his chest out proudly. "Just like where Celebor has them handprints! I think it would be neat to have it on my back, too, but my wings might be in the way and then I can't see it."

Celebor chuckled softly. "I'll just be watching this time," he smiled, "though Idhril did say she was going to paint something on me. Other than that, I'll sit out. I'm not much of a painter anyways."

Though he would make an exception for Niyana, later when they were alone. He looked at her lovingly, and he couldn't help but wonder if his eyes were giving away his thoughts.

Idhril wasn't sure what to make of Joruri's reply. He seemed to be nervous for some reason, and he hadn't been only a few short minutes before ... she wondered if something had happened, but she couldn't think of anything ...

"No, I don't go to an all girl school," she smiled at him reassuringly, wondering if perhaps that had been what had been bothering him. "There's lots of boys at my school ... actually, I think it's mostly boys ... it's a school for fighting and magic, so there's a bunch of girls in the magic class ... my class ... but the fighting class is mostly boys."

She paused. "Did you want to come with me to school? Maybe Grandma will let you come ... she's the headmistress, so we would have to ask her, but have to ask Mama first ..."

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Ruran heading over, and she smiled and waved at him.

Ruque grinned and sat down, then took off his cloak and started to rub his hair dry. He didn't know where he was going to be painted on, but he didn't want his hair to drip and make wherever it was wet again.

Jair's eyes lit up brightly at Niyana's suggestion, and he nodded eagerly. "That would be so cool!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together excitedly.

Elnara laughed. "All I can say is, good luck in trying to get him to sit still for that long," she told Niyana cheerfully. "Jair's got the most energy of anyone I've ever seen ... the only reason he's even staying in one place is because it's too hard for him to move around on his own yet."

Celebor turned his eyes to Kanis and smiled warmly, then reached down and ruffled her blue hair affectionately.

"You're quite observant," he complimented her with a proud grin. "I'm just looking forward to seeing how all of this turns out. It's exciting, being able to see all of you try this for the first time - and I can't help but wonder if any of you might have gotten your mother's natural talent."

Celebor laughed heartily. What a curious child he had! But he liked it. After all, curiosity meant she wanted to learn, and education was a wonderful thing.

"A natural talent means that it's something you're good at, that you can do naturally, without being taught," he explained, "like you being so helpful and caring. Your mother can paint the most beautiful things on people, and she didn't have anyone to teach her, so it's natural talent."

He turned a bit to show her the two dragons on his back. "Like this," he smiled warmly. "Your mother did that."

Jair nodded eagerly and sat up as straight as he could. "That's just like my tail!" he beamed. "That's perfect!"

He wiggled excitedly. "This is gonna be so ... so ... cool!"

Elnara laughed. "Well then sit still so that she can paint," she giggled at her son.

Idhril smiled at Joruri. She was sure he wouldn't cause trouble, but she wasn't going to push the matter. She would just make sure to spend lots of time with him when she came home every day.

When he sat closer to her, all she thought was that he was trying to make up for not being able to go to school with her, and she patted him on the knee and smiled at him. "It's all right," she told him softly.

She smiled at Ruran. "Sure, I'll paint you!" she agreed cheerfully. "Maybe your back would be best, you're right ... what would you like me to paint? I can't do much, just simple things ..."