Welcome to Gaia! ::

River took a few steps back from the ball, then ran and gave it a good solid kick. She had obviously kicked a ball before, because it went straight for Amalirahc - and just over his head. He ducked instinctively to avoid it, yelping a bit. "Hey!"

River blushed. "Well, you said to kick it at you but get it past you!" she hollered back at him.

Jess laughed. "That counts as a goal!" he grinned at her. "As long as the ball doesn't go above where he can't reach with his finger tips if he jumps, it counts! I've seen places where they have bars all around to show where the goal is, but that's how we play since we don't have that."

"Oh," River smiled back at him. "Okay." She turned to Amalirahc and hollered, "Jess says it's a goal!" as Amalirahc turned to fetch the ball back again.

Jess nodded at Miyuki. "On the other side of town, but that's where the bigger kids play. Darren sometimes plays there with the other boys, but they're bigger than me. Mother says I'm small for my age, and it makes sense. I'm the same age as all of them, but they're all taller than me. And stronger."

River made a pfft noise. "What does that matter? Amalirahc is right. It's what's on the inside that counts, and from what I know about you, you're worth a hundred of those other guys!"

Jess's face turned a bright shade of red, and he turned his eyes to the ground, shuffling his feet awkwardly.

"Thanks," Jess mumbled in embarrassment.

He was saved when Amalirahc threw the ball back to them, and it was his turn once more to try to score a goal.

They kept taking turns, with Jess even taking a turn in the goal so that Amalirahc could try, until at last Miyuki's parents and River's grandparents arrived.

Earendil, who was carrying Andarien in his sling, took a seat on the bench with Leyenda and Kelirahc. "I thought there were going to be more children here," he commented in surprise.

"There was a fight," Kelirahc told Lin and Earendil, watching the children with a smile on his face.

Earendil started. "A fight? Is that common?"

"Not really, no," Kelirahc murmured. "At least, not that I know of."

Leyenda looked over at Lin and Earendil. "At first the children didn't want to let Miyuki play, because she's not of elven blood," she explained quietly. "Amalirahc forced the others to apologize ... physically. The boy that is still with them, he's the only one who didn't care that MIyuki isn't an elf."

Leyenda pursed her lips thoughtfully. "It didn't seem to me as if Miyuki even really cared what they were saying," she mused. "I mean, she didn't really react ... maybe she would have eventually if Amalirahc hadn't jumped the boy, but ... I don't know."

"I am just glad that Amalirahc knows when it is worth starting a fight," Kelirahc said proudly. "He is a good fighter. He will be a good fighter when he grows up."

Leyenda smiled. "Yeah ... Jess came back after it all. He hadn't agreed with the other boys in the first place. He's so cute, he's so shy but River's just being herself and she keeps making him blush." She giggled.

Kelirahc chuckled softly. "I think he needs friends that are not awful to him," he said in his calm way. "He is different as well, and mistreated for it. It is good for him to have friends like these."

Kelirahc and Leyenda exchanged a glance. "Well ... sort of," Leyenda answered finally. "We haven't really interacted with them ourselves. Amalirahc wants to stand on his own feet, and we don't want to hold him back. He tells us all about them, though, so we at least know about them."

"Somewhat," Kelirahc added. "We have left him on his own with them before, but this is the first time something bad has happened."

"Darren is just trouble all around," Leyenda frowned. "He treated Amalirahc like a slave the first time we came here, and he still doesn't treat Amalirahc well - though he does like to have him on his team for their game. Amalirahc is much younger than all of them, but he's their size - or bigger - and he has quite a bit of skill, considering he doesn't play the game when he's not here."