Welcome to Gaia! ::

Adonai sat down in the chair where Shael had been sitting earlier and motioned for her to sit with him - which she did without hesitation.

"I mentioned a few days ago to Adwin that I had found a falcon's nest up in the mountain," he explained. "Falcons are the fastest birds there are, and if he can manage to train one up to hunt, or send letters, or whatever have you, then it would be quite a handy pet to have."

"Aragost says that he's done it before," Shael added, "so I don't think there would be any problems with it."

"Except the part where he showed up at breakfast this morning with his face rather mauled, as Ryu put it," Aliya frowned.

"Oh, come on, Aliya," Haradhel laughed. "Boys will be boys, no matter their age. Just look at your father!"

"Hardly reassuring," Aliya frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "I would actually feel better if he had been alone ... because then I wouldn't have to know exactly how many people supported his lunacy."

Alyse giggled. "Don't be silly, Mother," she said brightly. "Come winter when game is scarce, you'll be glad to have her hunting for us. Now, if you'll all excuse me ..."

Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I'm going to raid Uncle Adonai's library." And she rose from her seat and headed towards the library.

"Don't be so sure," Shael giggled from her seat on Adonai's lap. "Falcons after all are far from immortal - and if this one turns out to be all that Adwin hopes, it will only be a matter of years before he's up there again and doing the same thing."

"And if he falls and breaks his neck, or gets his eyes gouged out, it's his own problem," Aliya frowned.

"Aliya," Adonai chuckled, "don't be such a pessimist. Honestly, when did we change? I used to be the one afraid of everything, and you were so careless ..."

Aliya glared at her brother. "Just you wait until Rhea gets a bit older," she warned him. "And especially if she learns to fly. She'll be just the same, mark my words."

"I can hear you're talking about me!" Rhea's voice came from the library.

Aliya nodded. "And I was the same," she agreed. "So in order to feel safe, I just have to wait until he finds a girl, marries and settles down ... do you realize how rare it is to have adults around here? Roydon and Rose's presence is a fluke: Arwen ran into Roydon in Tor Karad when they were there, and he came out here specifically for her - anyone else is ... well ... it never happens."

"You could always let some of them come with us when we go to visit Rayna and Reuven," Shael suggested quietly. "We were planning on going next summer, and I'm sure Adwin would enjoy the opportunity to travel. And Alyse, my brother and sister have quite a library of books as well."

"And it would give them both the opportunity not only to meet other elves," Adonai added with a warm smile, "but they can also visit Lothiriel and Pen and their daughter."

Even Aliya had to giggle at Naida's enthusiasm. Her bluntness was sweet, and it was just what Aliya needed to calm down again.

"I'll suggest it to them," she agreed.

"And I get to come too, right?" Rhea's voice came again from the library.

Shael raised one eyebrow. "Are you paying any attention to your guests, or are you just eavesdropping?" she called to her daughter.

Rhea appeared in the doorway, smiling innocently, her hands clasped behind her back. "We were talking and then I heard you talking about me, so we started listening instead."

Even Alyse had come out to re-join herself into the conversation.

"I would be more than willing to help him meet people," she grinned, her eyes sparkling impishly. "I can just imagine the fun we could have ..."

"Or the other way around," Shael smiled innocently. "Don't forget, Alyse, you are the same age as your twin ..."

Alyse giggled. "Well then I hope the men there are interested in books like I am," she winked, "because otherwise they might have a hard time getting my attention."

Aliya didn't know anymore whether to be amused or uncomfortable at the change in topic. To her, her children were still ... her children ...

Aliya blinked at Kara. "Alyse? To settle down? She could hardly be calmer than she is ..."

A slow, sad smile spread over her face. "Though if she did manage to find a man who could interest her more than her books do, I would be most grateful."

Alyse rolled her eyes. "You say that like it's a bad thing," she commented. "You don't want Adwin to be so wild, but you don't want me to be so calm ... you just want to marry us both off so that we become more neutral."

"I didn't-" Aliya began to protest - but when she looked at her daughter, she could see that Alyse had been teasing her, and she calmed down again, even giggling a little bit. "Smart mouth."