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"Me either," Amalirahc muttered to Miyuki.

Haldia smiled at Lin. "It is fine, I deserve it. I used to tease him mercilessly for the women who hounded him. It was only upon my return that I realized that without him, I was doomed to the same fate."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Celeb spoke up, stepping forward. He had a small box in his hand, something he had been clutching since land had first been sighted, and now he held it out to her. "I have a gift for you, if you will accept it," he said seriously. "I really hope you will ..."

His dark eyes were perfectly serious. He knew what he was doing, the implications of it. There was a purpose in his actions.

Earendil shifted uncomfortably. "Well ... I have to say, I suspected something," he murmured softly to Lin. "But then, I was able to recognize the symptoms."

"Caught me off guard," Leyenda put in. She looked at Kelirahc, who blinked at her.

"He asked me for advice," he said quietly, defensively. "Who was I to say no?"

Haldia, meanwhile, looked just as floored as any of them. The last time she had seen Celeb, he had been ... well, young. A child, really ...

Leyenda bit her lip anxiously. To be fair, Celeb still wasn't an adult ... she wasn't sure what he was thinking, doing this so ... suddenly.

Haldia still wasn't replying, but Celeb wouldn't let her look away. His gaze was fixed on hers, anxious and eager. She licked her lips slowly, trying to buy time as she thought of how she might reply.

Earendil put one hand on Miyuki's head. "Here, in this place, when a person gives someone else a gift, it means that they are in love with that person ... and if that person accepts it, then it means that they love them back."

He knelt so that he could murmur in her ear. "Celeb is telling Haldia that he loves her ... but I think she's too surprised to answer him yet."

Earendil smiled at Miyuki and ruffled her hair affectionately. She was a bright child.

Haldia took a deep breath and looked at Celeb, then reached out with both her hands. For a moment, Celeb's eyes lit up with hope, but it was quickly replaced with disappointment and confusion when instead of taking the box from him, Haldia closed his hands around it, hiding it from view.

"Not now," she murmured softly. "Celeb, we need to talk first, before anything ..."

Celeb nodded, trying to hide his hurt. He jammed the box into his pocket and looked away from her. "Sure. Whatever."

"Yes, that is a good idea," Kelirahc agreed, reaching for his wife's and son's hands. "Haldia?"

He turned to his friend and smiled at her, trying not to make it seem awkward.

Haldia looked at him, then at Celeb, who was looking resolutely away from her. "I would like to, if Celeb would like me to come," she replied.

Celeb looked at her sharply. "What does it matter what I think?" he asked her bitterly. "Do what you like."

Leyenda frowned darkly at her brother. "Celeb," she snapped, "that is no way to behave! I can understand how you might feel," she added, switching to High Elven so that Haldia wouldn't be able to understand her, "but that's no excuse. She's been polite, and you're being incredibly rude to her! She hasn't turned you down any more than she's accepted you, she's just said she'd like to talk to you! Now come on, let us have a good day together."

Celeb looked away again. "Whatever." But his scowl did disappear, and he didn't look angry anymore.

Amalirahc looked up at his father, who was holding his right hand, then looked over at Haldia, who looked confused and hurt. He let go of his father's hand and ran over to Haldia, slipping his hand into hers.

"I'll walk with you!" he beamed up at her. "And you can tell me all about this place, because I don't know anything about it!"

Haldia smiled, and with that the group set off with Haldia and Amalirahc in the lead.

Earendil held Miyuki's hand as they walked, but he looked over her head at Lin. "That was ... close," he murmured softly, hoping that Celeb, taking up the rear, wouldn't hear.

"Well, I'm sure once he and Haldia talk it out, things will be fine," Earendil smiled at him. "He's just a child, he's impatient is all. Expecting too much. He doesn't think that the last time Haldia saw him he was barely ten years old. And I'm sure the fact that there are men here competing for her doesn't help. Even if Celeb were older and she did have feelings for him, she probably wouldn't be able to accept anything from him right away. Not with so many others to answer to as well."

He smiled, watching Amalirahc and Haldia. The boy was very much like his father - empathetic and always eager to make others feel better.