Welcome to Gaia! ::

Lin looked up for a moment before setting her doll on the table beside her, she would put her back later before she went out. After all dollies couldn't go out on real adventures, they might get hurt or lost.

"It sounds like home," she commented making her doll sit.


Donovan mused on this, Lin was right, it wasn't so different from home at all, which was kind of weird since they weren't home at all.

"To be fair," Elrohir smiled as he began to set the table, "most of the children are saved as they're on their way to becoming slaves, so they're not quite as bad off as the children like Shael were. Shael had been with them for at least two years, possibly more, so thei children of her group took far longer to adjust."

"And there are times when I wonder exactly how much she's adjusted," Haradhel added as she rubbed her hands together. "For the most part, she's like any other young woman ... but on the other hand, there are times ... once in a while ... when we still see the odd slavish habit coming out in her."

Shael laughed at Ryu's comment as she set the pan in the middle of the table.

"Even without it," she replied with an impish grin. "The children know better than to ever knock me down. I believe Ulani has threatened them with harm if they ever do so again."

As she motioned for Feng and Ryu to take a seat, Amdir chuckled and sat beside Adan. "They nearly broke her leg the first time they knocked her down," he explained, "and even though it's far better than it was originally, Ulani still fears that it is weaker than the other and will break more easily."

"On the one hand," Shael commented as she began to serve the food, "I think she's right, that it may break more easily since it still isn't whole, like anyone else's legs are ... but on the other hand, I feel that it is quite strong ... it has been a long time since I have used a crutch at all. Yet I can't help but get the feeling that Ulani will try to fix it entirely if it ever breaks again - an experience I'm not eager to have."

"Morning Celebor, Triton," Lin smiled from where she sat.

She looked up at the two, her nephew (though it was so weird to think of him as such now) and her brother.

"I don't mind at all," Donovan replied, "It'll probably be easier than two."

Personally he liked the idea of three people instead of the usual two, and since they could spare it why not? Besides, this is what Celebor so far wanted to do, he wasn't going to deny the boy that.

"I'm sure Shael would love if you did," Haradhel assured Kara warmly. "It has been a while, after all, and she doesn't come out here much anymore, not since Sir Leith started taking care of the horses for her."

"He's been a real blessing, Sir Leith has," Elrohir agreed, "but it does tend to mean that now Amdir is the only one from the valley that has any business out here, though now even he doesn't come out quite as much."

"But you should make sure to see Adonijah when you're there," Haradhel put in brightly. "Aliya and Amdir as so proud of him ... as they are of all of their children."

"Come to think of it," Elrohir added thoughtfully, "weren't the twins just babies the last time you were here? They're what, four now? You'd be amazed at how much they've grown."

Amdir laughed heartily. "Indeed," he chuckled. "I understand that some people can have violent tendencies, but when Ulani threatened to flay them alive I could hardly believe my ears."

"I'm sure she would never do such a thing," Shael laughed, "but she would indeed punish them."

Adan reached across the table and poked Ryu on the shoulder. "What's flay mean?" he asked in a whisper.

"You did say you want to do this, so you might as well when you ask to," Donovan replied.

His attention though was momentarily taken away by a name he did not recongize. Of course he realized only after the fact that there were probably new fighters hired by now. Mentally he cursed himself for forgetting, it looked like Arwen was going to have her wish. Staying for a few more days was the only way he was going to be able to meet them now.

"Who's Sir Leith?" Lin asked, voicing the question that Donovan had not.

She sounded interested, but then again Lin spent most of her time on the Ranch rather than visit Ulani and Ulrich, for it was the ranch where she learnt everything and had her interests in.