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Soronume's eyes were bright. "Well, at least you don't spend all your time working, unlike some people I know."

She raised one eyebrow and looked at Earendil, who raised his hands defensively.

"Hey, no," Earendil protested, "Ninako, look, I'm here, I'm out for the day with Lin, I'm not working!"

"It is work," Soronume chided Lin. "He spends all his time on that mountaintop training the young men ... never comes to the city anymore, and if he does he never comes to visit us ..."

"Ninako," Earendil protested again.

Soronume's eyes grew wide, and her hands flew to her mouth in excitement. "Really?" she squealed, sounding very much like a little child who had just received an unexpected present. "Oh, we'll have to go see them ... not today anymore, it's nearly dinner hour and then is the busiest time for the inn, but tomorrow perhaps - do you know if they plan on coming to the city at all while they're here?"

Earendil laughed. "I'm sure they will, Ninako," he assured her. "Just calm down, they're going to be here for the next month ... perhaps even longer. I'm sure you can see them more than once."

"You should come see them at the castle," Earendil added. "I'm sure the others would love to see you as well."

Soronume laughed. "Perhaps we'll put Starr in charge of the inn tomorrow and head up then ... no, tomorrow is delivery day ... the day after, then." She nodded to herself, smiling widely. "Yes, that would work ..."

She sat down on the ground then, her hair shining almost copper in the sunlight. "So, Lin. Tell me. How has your family been since the last time I saw all of you?"

Soronume giggled. "Everyone's growing up," she beamed. "That's so wonderful! And how is Triton doing? It's been a very long time since I've seen him, and he was such a delightful boy! Such a good friend to Elnara, to come all the way out here just for her ..."

His uniqueness notwithstanding, she was fond of Triton.

Soronume laughed. "Ah, yes, she is quite an impish child, as I recall," she grinned. "I'm still not sure how she managed not to get lost in the palace when everyone was visiting ... she was always running amok!"

Earendil snorted. "I'm still not sure how we managed going the entire visit without losing any of them," he retorted. "Some of them were so mischievous ... or adventurous, I suppose, depending on how you want to look at it."

"As I recall," Earendil mused, "Jair tried to figure out where the water from the baths went when it wasn't needed anymore. He spent so much time looking for what he called a drain ... I didn't have the heart to tell him it was all done by magic, both the filling and the emptying."

Soronume giggled. "The boy would have been either dreadfully disappointed, or excited. It's hard to tell with him."

"I wonder if Aunt Elnara ever explained it to him," Earendil chuckled thoughtfully.

"Sounds like fun," Earendil winked, which set his great grandmother off yet again.

"Oh of course it does," she lectured him, "until you break an arm or a leg, and then we'll see how fun you think it is! Honestly, you may be fifty four years old, Earendil, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if you ever grew up!"

Earendil laughed and held up one hand defensively. "Ninako, did you not hear her say that they were mini waterfalls? How big could they be?"

"Big enough!" Soronume retorted, though she did calm down somewhat.