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Amalirahc was having fun telling Haldia anything and everything, and very soon the two of them were laughing together as if they had been friends just as long as she and Kelirahc had been.

Things were going so well, in fact, that Earendil almost managed to forget about the incident. This was probably helped by the fact that Celeb was lagging behind the others and keeping to himself, but 'out of sight, out of mind' as the saying went, and so things remained pleasant.

Suddenly, Amalirahc turned to face the others. "I'm hungry," he called back to his parents. "Can we stop for some lunch?"

A startled look crossed Earendil's face. "We didn't bring anything ..."

Haldia laughed at the look on Earendil's face. "Where do you think we are? There is no need to bring food anywhere when you are surrounded by it!"

She motioned at the trees around them. Oranges, bananas, mangoes, and many other tropical fruit trees surrounded them, inviting them to a veritable feast.

Earendil smiled at Miyuki and put one hand on her head. "What are you thinking, Miyuki?" he asked her slowly so that she could understand better.

Amalirahc meanwhile had roped Haldia into lifting him up so that he could pick his own fruit for lunch, and Leyenda and Kelirahc were also already busy picking some. Even Celeb was helping out.

Earendil pursed his lips thoughtfully. "Well ... the fish would be in the river, which is ... as I recall, quite a distance from here," he murmured. "So why don't you have fruit for now, and we'll see if Haldia doesn't mind taking us to the river for fish for dinner? How does that sound?"

Haldia, still holding Amalirahc up to the tree branches, looked over at Earendil and Miyuki. "Did I hear my name?" she called to them. "Something about me?"

Haldia smiled. "That would be fine. Fish makes a good meal, especially when I have the time to make it the way I like it."

Earendil chuckled at Miyuki and picked the mango for her. "Would you like me to peel it for you?" he asked her warmly. "Or do you like to eat the peels?"

Earendil sat down and pulled a small knife from his belt, and slowly and carefully peeled the mango in a single long peel.

"Here you are," he grinned, handing Miyuki the peeled fruit. "Eat up."

He saved the peel for himself. That after all was where the best vitamins were.

Haldia smiled at Lin. "I like to fillet it and fry it in juice from the lemons and oranges. You do not have to add anything afterwards, but it gives it a wonderful taste in itself."

Haldia smiled at Lin. "I will make dinner for everyone tonight," she decided. "We can have fish and fruit and berries, and I will see if I can prepare it how I like."

She lowered Amalirahc to the ground (the boy had quite the armload of fruit by this time) and mused aloud, "I do not think I have made food for any of you yet ..."

"Or the first time you were here for almost two years," Haldia added, her tone sheepish, "I was too busy being a terrible person to even consider it."

She sat down on the ground, and Amalirahc crawled into her lap and held an orange up to her, grinning. She smiled and took it from him. He was being sweet and very innocent, and she couldn't refuse the food from his hand because of that. Besides, he was too young for anyone, even her own people, to take meaning from it.

"Ada was right," the boy grinned up at her. "You are really nice."

Haldia giggled and ruffled his hair. "Thanks to him and your mother, and all of your friends," she grinned back.

"A very long time ago," Haldia agreed. She tilted her head slightly. "And speaking of which ... has Earendil spoken to you? About ..."

She eyed Lin meaningfully. She had noted that Earendil and Miyuki had been spending a lot of time together, but Earendil had spoiled Miyuki even when Lin had been clueless.