Welcome to Gaia! ::

Jasmine smiled at Lin. "Serenity taught me when I was young," she explained in a soft voice. "Beren says that she is so good, she used to beat him even when she was blind."

Earendil lifted Miyuki a bit higher so that she couldn't reach the board. "No," he said firmly. "No touch, Miyuki. No."

Earendil smiled and patted her gently on the head. "Too small for you," he murmured. "When you're bigger."

He turned to Ulrich. "I don't suppose there's something here she can play with?" he asked.

Ulrich smiled. "I can get one of Aliya's old dolls," he offered. "They're one of the few things that aren't packed away."

"That's because River likes to play with them when she visits," Jasmine smiled.

"Toys for her age?" Earendil asked as Ulrich headed off to get the promised doll. He tried to keep Miyuki's attention away from the chess set. Unlike the ranch house, this house was not at all childproof.

Earendil smiled softly. "I don't really remember much about when I was that young," he murmured. "I remember ... a bit about play armies, small carved soldiers maybe ... but that's about it."

When he thought back on it, his toys had probably been modeled after things he would have had to learn later on in his life.

Earendil chuckled. "Sounds like it would have been fun," he grinned. "I want my children to grow up like that, having fun and having memories of it. Not just things that are lessons. I mean ... I don't begrudge my parents my upbringing," he added, not wanting to sound as if he hadn't had a good childhood, "but when I listen to the sorts of things you did, or when I see Amalirahc and Miyuki ... I just feel as if there was so much more I could have done."

"Me?" Earendil blinked at her, truly not understanding what she was getting at. "I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about ..."

Ulrich returned just then with a doll in one hand. It was essentially a ragdoll, with a blue dress and blond hair, and pointy ears just like the elves.

"Here it is," he announced, holding it out to Lin for inspection. "Bit old, but in good shape. Will that do?"

Earendil chuckled and set Miyuki on the floor to play with the doll. "Indeed?" he murmured, slightly embarrassed. "I recall watching it for hours on end, but not playing in it."

Though he did recall a certain fondness for water, though he had never learned to swim until recently.

Earendil chuckled, and his face turned a light shade of pink.

"Now that you bring that up," he murmured, "I vaguely recall getting stuck to something ..."

Well fair was fair, and after all he didn't mind bringing up some things that Lin found embarrassing as well.