Welcome to Gaia! ::

Rhea's eyes grew wider. "Only a year?" she breathed. "But you knew my Papa when he was littler than I am! That's - that's - that's a lot of years ago!"

As they approached Ulani and Ulrich's house, she hefted her staff into her hands once more. Her enthusiasm had curbed slightly, taken over by her thoughts of the time difference between her world and Cindy's.

"And that means," she murmured softly, "that ... you're going to be here with me for a long time maybe, but at your home ... it's ... not going to be long at all?"

Rhea giggled. "Me? Married? Don't be silly! When I grow up, I'm going to help people!"

Still, she couldn't help but feel that time was a strange thing, if she would grow up before a single year passed in Cindy's world. She shrugged. There were more confusing things that she could think about. Like Aragost, for example.

Which brought her back to the staff in her hands.

"Can you open the door?" she asked Cindy. "My hands are still full ..."

Rhea giggled again and headed into the house, carrying her staff carefully.

"Nako!" she called out once she was inside. "Cindy sejt ich veoh machier han ich gardret!"

There was a burst of laughter from the direction of the kitchen, and Ulani appeared suddenly in the doorway, obviously trying very hard not to laugh.

"Well, I would hope so, eventually," she giggled. "Hello, Cindy." She looked at the staff in Rhea's hands. "What's that from?"

Rhea looked up at Cindy, then ran over to her grandmother, holding the staff out to her. "It's from Aragost so that I don't hurt myself or other people with my magic but so that I can still help them! Isn't that thoughtful of him?"

"I see," Ulani grinned down at Rhea. "And you thought of me right away, right?"

There was another chuckle from the kitchen.

"No," Rhea admitted sheepishly, "first I thought of Neko ... but then I remembered that you're stronger and faster, and a lot better fighter, so then I thought of you!"

She looked up at Ulani, her eyes wide and pleading. "Will you teach me? Please?" she begged.

Ulani giggled. "Of course I will," she murmured, kneeling down and hugging her granddaughter close. She smiled up at Cindy. "Aragost was here earlier this morning. He explained the situation ... though he neglected to mention the staff. Only that I would probably be the best person to help her out with whatever it was she was going to be getting."

Ulani shook her head and smiled. "If you had met him the way I had," she murmured, "his infinite knowledge would not be frightening. To the world outside this ranch, he is feared ... they say that only those whom he kills have ever seen him. He is quite possibly the most powerful being in this world, save for the Valar themselves ... it is easier just to trust him, and don't think too hard about how he knows everything."

"He knew me before he even saw me," Rhea confided to her grandmother. "It was weird."

Ulani laughed and straightened up again. "That's just the way he is," she winked. "Best get used to it." She smiled at both of her guests. "Would you like a snack? Ulrich and I were just enjoying a small brunch, but there are cookies and ci-"

"Told you!" Rhea grinned triumphantly at Cindy, referring to the cookies, completely oblivious that she had just interrupted her grandmother.

Ulani wasn't at all bothered. She knew what children were like - she had five of her own, after all, and six grandchildren - and she knew that children often prized sweets above all else.

"And there are lots of them," she grinned. "Come on. Rhea, leave your staff here for now, we can work with it later, all right?"

Rhea nodded and lay her staff carefully on the couch, then grinned up at Cindy and reached for her hand. "Come on," she said brightly. "We'll go to the kitchen for cookies, okay?"

Ulrich was sitting at the kitchen table, enjoying eggs on toast with sliced fried meat on the side. His eyes were bright and his cheeks flushed a bright red as if he had just come in from outside.

"Welcome back, Cindy," he greeted her warmly. "Rhea, you're still as excitable as ever."

Rhea giggled and hopped up onto her grandfather's lap. "That's because I have lots of fun with Cindy!" she beamed. "Can I have a bite?"

Ulrich chuckled and held out his toast for Rhea.

Ulani smiled. "Come on in and take a seat," she invited Cindy, heading to the counter and picking up a small wooden jar in the shape of an ale barrel. "Would you like some food? Or just a snack? Anything to drink?"

Ulani smiled. "Some hot cider, then," she murmured. "Of course."

And she headed down to the cellar to get the promised drink.

Ulrich grinned at Cindy. "A very long while indeed," he agreed. "Decades, if memory serves. Forty years, perhaps? Something like that. Adonijah was younger than Rhea is now ... sure you visited since then, but not here."