Welcome to Gaia! ::

Earendil smiled again, but his smile was sad. "Unfortunately," he murmured softly, "she has always been a wild, impetuous girl ... and very proud. It was only a matter of time before something like this happened with her ..."

He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Don't worry, her father knew it would come one day as well," he assured her. "He knows that I do not hold it against him."

Earendil smiled warmly down at her. "For the moment," he agreed. "Now, let's go visit my great-grandparents and take our minds off of this, shall we?"

He picked up the pace and led her down the street towards the inn at the end.

The inn was the same as it had ever been - the same ivy growing over its face, the same staff working there, the same decorations, the same smiles and atmosphere. The place had a carefree air to it, which to Earendil was a welcome relief after the fiasco at the sweetshop.

The first room of the inn was nearly empty, since it wasn't the usual time of day for meals, and only one customer sat at a table in the far corner. Starr, the same person who had been there the first time Elnara had returned to the Four Lands so many years ago, was busy wiping down the tables whilst a little boy, no more than five years old, followed after her and rearranged the clean dishware on the tables.

"Welcome to the Autumnglow Inn," she said cheerfully, brushing her long black hair away from her face and bowing to Earendil and Lin. "It has been a while since we have seen you, my Lord. Can I be of service? Or do you wish to visit Rigel and Soronume?"

"A visit," Earendil smiled warmly at the woman. "Can you tell me where they are, please?"

Starr nodded and smiled back, pointing off towards a door in the back wall. "Soronume is tending the garden, and Rigel is attending to his paperwork," she explained.

Earendil grinned. "Thank you very much," he said with a polite nod.

Starr smiled at Lin, a warm smile full of cheerfulness and even affection. The boy followed her gaze and smiled shyly, his shoulder-length black hair falling into his eyes, and then turned away to follow after Starr.

Earendil chuckled softly and nudged Lin towards the door in the back of the room. "She knows all about your visits, I'm sure," he grinned at her. "Ninako loves to talk about us, and Starr has been with the family since Nako was a child."

Earendil chuckled at Lin. "Well, you could always ask Ninako, I'm sure she would be able to tell you," he grinned, opening the door for her and allowing her to lead the way outside. "She loves to talk about all of us ... children, grandchildren, and greatgrandchildren alike - and beyond, but I shan't bore you with that."

He laughed again. "She hasn't changed a bit from my first memories of her."

"Oh, she definitely will," Earendil laughed as they reached the outdoors yet again.

Soronume was kneeling in the middle of the garden, which had grown in the years that had passed. Beside her was a basket half full of the vegetables she had been picking, but at the sound of the voices she looked up to see who it was, and smiled widely when she saw her great grandson.

"As I live and breathe," she laughed, rising to her feet and dusting off her skirt. "Why does it always take you so long to visit me, Earendil? You should come far more often than you do!"

She moved carefully out of the garden and smiled brightly at Lin. "And you, Lin. It's been too long for you as well. Really, now come, come sit on the swing and tell me everything that's been happening with you and with your family!"

Soronume waved her hand dismissively as Earendil sat next to Lin and leaned back comfortably.

"Your father should give you more time to yourself," she told Lin flatly, though there was a twinkle in her eye that suggested that she was also teasing. "Honestly, what do you do to have fun?"