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Feng's eyes brighten under that prospect of being able to look after Adonijah, "Do you think Adonijah would mind too much if I watched him, Ryu can help and if all else fails we can take him outside to play with Tao."

Which seemed to be the few living beings he wasn't scared of to death, as far as she could tell.

Feng understood that, after all the little boy was so shy, "Don't worry, I'm sure everything will be okay. We'll be here a while, so he'll have plenty of time to get use to us."

She giggled and then added.

"Though I noticed about him and Tao, Ryu I think caught him under Tao's wing as we were coming in."

"Tao must enjoy that," Feng giggled with a soft sigh, "Kind of reminds me when she first came here and Adonijah was only a baby. Does she still try to give him feathers?"

Since that was the earliest memory that Feng had of the two together, though Adonijah probably didn't remember.


Meanwhile back at the Ranch, Miyu was hopping down the stairs, her grandmother was already down helping breakfast. Her long wavy hair undone, since she hadn't braided it yet.

Aliya giggled. "It wouldn't surprise me, but if she does then I don't know about it. Still, Adonijah does have his hiding places, and as I said it wouldn't surprise me. He gives her gifts, and she loves to gift in return."

Amdir and Adonijah came into the dining room then, the boy still atop his father's shoulders. He had been smiling and giggling until they entered the room, but as soon as he spotted Feng and Ryu sitting at the table his eyes grew wide and his fists closed tightly around handfuls of his father's hair.

Amdir blinked. "Um ... ow?"



Lothiriel was also already in the kitchen, trying to help out Kara and Haradhel, but she was the first to admit that she was probably more of a hindrance than a help. She had never worked in a real kitchen before, having done all of her cooking over an open fire in the wilderness, and she wasn't used to the orderliness of it all.

In the end, Haradhel had politely asked her to leave, and so now she was wandering around the enormous dining room, looking around, her hands clasped neatly behind her back.

Adonijah released Amdir's hair and leaned forward over his head instead, hiding his face and wrapping his arms around his father's chin.

Amdir sighed. "If you wouldn't mind, Ryu," he murmured, stopping in his tracks. "I can't see a thing now. Just ... mind the hair ..."



Lothiriel giggled and hugged Miyu back. "Good morning," she said brightly. "Pen's outside, I believe ... exercising. He does it every morning. Sometimes I encourage it, but sometimes I wish he would just wake up and travel."

She ran her fingers through the girl's hair. "I love your hair," she murmured warmly. "It's so soft ... would you like me to braid it for you? I've always wanted a sister whose hair I could braid."

She giggled. "Mine's too curly, I can't do a thing with it."

Adonijah's grip only tightened around Amdir's chin, his legs also pressing tighter against his father's neck as he tried to stay where he was. He made no other indication that he had heard Ryu's words - not even the shake of his head or a cry or a whimper.

"Adonijah," Amdir murmured softly, "you're hurting Papa ..."



Lothiriel smiled and took the tie from Miyu. "It must be wonderful, having them braid it for you," she said warmly. "My mother used to try, but she gave up once I became a teenager, because my hair was wavy before but now ..."

She laughed and tugged at one of the ringlets. She released it, and it sprung back into place.

"Now, it would be impossible."

She smiled again. "Do you have a brush with you?" she asked softly, thinking that if she didn't then she could just use her fingers.

"That's all right," Lothiriel smiled warmly, putting her hands on Miyu's shoulders. She gently directed the girl to the nearest bench. "Go on and take a seat ... you really do have such lovely hair ... I'll use my fingers to brush it for you ..."



Adonijah's arms slipped from Amdir's chin, and through instinct more than anything he grabbed Ryu's arms instead and clung to them very very tightly. His head lifted from his father's, and, his eyes tightly shut, he pressed his face against Ryu's hand, hiding his eyes once more.

And now it was just his legs that were clamped around Amdir's neck ...

Aliya giggled softly. "I think I'm just going to watch," she told Feng mischievously.