Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Lin!" Halmir beamed when he saw Lin approaching them. "To what do we owe this pleasure? You're always so busy nowadays."

Arthael threw a fork at him. "She's got two kids," she pointed out. "She's got reason to be busy. We've got one with us, and she can just about look after herself."

Halmir picked the fork up from the ground, where it fell after hitting his shoulder. "Still," he grinned.

The two exchanged a glance, and then Arthael looked back at Lin. "Packing up?" she suggested. "Cleaning up? As soon as everything is ready, we're going to start traveling again. Despite Alassëa's reassurances, we're not entirely convinced that it's safe for us to stay here indefinitely, and since she's determined to come along with us ... there's no reason for us to hesitate any longer."

"Weather looks like it will hold for a few more days, at least," Halmir added. "We should try to make as much progress as we can, if storm season is starting up, I would much rather be in or near a village or some other form of shelter, rather than be out in the open."

Arthael nodded. "You might ask Alassëa just to be sure, but that's my impression," she affirmed. "She's talking with the men over there, if you do want to ask her."

"Otherwise you might want to start packing up all your things," Halmir added. "We're a bit anxious to get going. I know Leyenda wants to see her brother again as soon as she can."

Arthael laughed. "I'm sure Miyuki would love to help, too, if it means stopping her training for now," she quipped with a grin.

It was no secret that Miyuki wasn't fond of training, and it was a source of amusement to many - considering her parents.

"I'm sure it does," Arthael chuckled. "Now go on, the sooner everyone's ready the sooner we're gone. I think we're all anxious to continue."

For civilization, to see Haldia and the baby, to reintroduce Alassëa to the world. For all of it.

Earendil was trying to be patient with Miyuki, but the fact that she didn't want to be learning the blade was showing in her work, and he knew that one of the reasons she wasn't getting better was because she just plain didn't want to. Despite his frustration, however, he couldn't bring himself to be hard on her - the same problem Donovan had had with Lin, and why he hadn't trained her. Still, when Lin came over to talk to him and Miyuki, he didn't know if he felt relieved not to be putting Miyuki through something she really didn't want to do, or annoyed because she was getting out of something that she really did have to do.

Not that he would ever be annoyed with Lin for something like that.

"Hold on a moment," he told Miyuki, raising one hand to pause their workout. He turned to Lin. "What's the word?" he asked her.

"It doesn't surprise me from the comments she was making yesterday," Earendil admitted. "She's fighting hard to regain her ability to speak, and to get to know all of us. I really don't think she has any intention of being alone longer than she has to."

He turned to Miyuki and motioned for her to put her blade away. "Come on, we need to pack, we're leaving again," he told her.

"Maybe," Earendil agreed, sighing and putting one arm around Lin's shoulders. "It might help that River loves it so much. She could even help teach Miyuki, perhaps. I know she's helping Amalirahc learn. I just ..."

He trailed off, shaking his head slowly, and then murmured again softly, "I just thought that after that attack outside the first human city we visited, she would realize the importance of learning how to use the blade. I know she doesn't want to, but doesn't she at least understand that it's necessary to learn a weapon? Her life could very well depend on it someday - especially if we're going to be traveling for the foreseeable future."