Welcome to Gaia! ::

"At any rate," Ulrich put in before Elberon could go off again, "we should continue. After all, there is lots to prepare before the evening comes, and the next few weeks are going to be busy."

He nodded. "Elberon." And with that he turned and left the stable once again.

"Vanya?" Ulrich repeated thoughtfully. "This time of year she's between the garden and the field, constantly ... checking and rechecking the seeds, water levels, quality of the soil, adding fertilizer ... always something that needs to be done. She's probably in the field at the moment, she usually checks the garden in the morning."

He glanced over at Donovan. "I assume then that she's the one that you want to see next?"

Ulrich nodded and smiled. "It's always nice to talk to her," he agreed softly, "especially after speaking with Elberon. She's got a good, strong head on her shoulders, perhaps with the most common sense of most of the people here, save perhaps Celeborn and Elros."

He paused. "Of the hired help, I mean," he added.

Ulrich looked at Donovan through half-lidded eyes. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again," he remarked flatly. "Kara's special. I don't now of many others who would put up with him like that."

He waved to Amdir as they passed by the training pen on their way to the field.

"With him there is no perspective," Ulrich replied shortly. "You heard him ... he's always barraging Shael with questions, even when she tells him flat out that it's not his business. He just doesn't get it."

He pointed out into the nearly empty field. "There she is."

Vanya was about ten rows in, stepping gingerly between the rows of tiny green sprouts, kneeling every few steps to touch the ground.

Vanya was humming softly to herself as she worked, but she could feel it in her spine when Ulrich and Donovan stopped behind her, and she straightened and turned to face them. Her long, golden hair was braided down her back, but several strands were loose, and she brushed them back from her face, leaving streaks of dirt on her cheeks.

"Good afternoon," she greeted the two men with a smile. "What brings you out here today?"

And she made her way carefully out of the field, out to where the two of them were standing.

"Ah," Vanya smiled. "That is indeed a good reason to be searching me out. Or anyone else for that matter. For a while, I have to admit, it seemed as though there was too much time passing between rescues, but now that Elros and Celeborn are going out on their own when you're not here, I feel a lot better. I understand that it isn't your fault, but as fast as time seems to pass here for you, it seems to go incredibly slow for us sometimes."