Welcome to Gaia! ::

The woman smiled at her and motioned for all of them to come inside. "Hurry in, it's getting windier again," she urged them. As they headed into the warmth, she introduced herself. "I'm Amara, and this is my husband, Fletcher."

Inside, the living room was the first room, and there was a warm fire in the fireplace. A blond elven man was sitting next to it on the floor, whittling at a piece of wood. He nodded at the strangers politely in greeting.

Amara closed the door behind them. "Though I'm sure you already knew that, of course."

She turned to Earendil. "Alrich, eh? Related to Ulani or Serenity?"

"Serenity is my grandmother," Earendil explained.

Amara nodded. "I see. Well, take a seat." She motioned towards the couch and chairs. "What brings you up here?" she questioned. "I don't think we've had visitors in ..."

"Seventy years," Fletcher spoke up. "Not since Aliya was born."

Amara smiled warmly and nodded. "Understandable. From what I hear, she's as attached to Earendil as if he were her father. Of course that would be a little awkward ... take a seat, take a seat," she urged them all.

Earendil blinked and did as he was told, sitting on the couch so that he could set Miyuki next to him. Haldia sat in one of the chairs near the fire. She was colder than the others, having endured the cold in her own body but also in that of her roc.

Amara turned and spoke rapidly to her husband, and he got up and headed off to the kitchen. As he went, she turned back to Lin.

"So," she smiled, sitting across from her, "tell me. What sort of doll would you like for your daughter?"

Amara nodded and made a mental note of it.

"Stuffed solid? Or more like a ragdoll?" she asked. "Usually the stuffed ones last a bit longer, and are better for comfort, since they have more substance to hug."

Amara closed her eyes and nodded to herself. "And -"

She was interrupted by her husband's return with a tray of steaming mugs.

"Cider?" he offered, holding the tray out to Lin first of all.

Earendil accepted a mug from Fletcher and sipped at it carefully. It was too hot to drink just yet, and he set it aside on a side table.

"Just wait a bit," he murmured to Miyuki. "I'll give you some once it's cooled down some."

Fletcher gave Haldia a mug as well, then gave one to Amara, taking the last one for himself before setting the tray down.

Amara took a slow sip before turning back to Lin. "And what would you like the doll to look like?" she asked, going back to the question she had been about to ask before.

"Well," Amara said slowly, thoughtfully, trying to be helpful, "what do you think Miyuki would like best? I mean, you're going to be trying to distract her from something with it, aren't you?"

She raised one eyebrow as if to drive her point home.

Earendil wasn't paying too much attention to Lin and Amara, he was too busy with Miyuki. He chuckled at her and nibbled on her fingertip. It was just too adorable when she tried to say his name, even if she couldn't do it just yet. Still, it was a start.

"Hot," he repeated to her. "You'll burn yourself. Not good. Wait."

Amara laughed softly at the expression on Lin's face. "I don't know if that's a repetition of thought or if it's actually a request," she grinned. "If you would like a doll that resembles Earendil, I could do that for you. It may take a week or so, however."