Welcome to Gaia! ::

Soronume smiled. "Well, that's good at least," she murmured. "And I trust they're well taken care of. Oh, I'll just ask Elnara and Lore when I see them. Tell me, Lin - how have you been keeping yourself? You didn't really say."

She smiled warmly and folded her hands in her lap.

Earendil choked on his breath and looked at Lin in utter disbelief. "Lady lessons?" he repeated, aghast. "You're kidding, right? I mean ... that's something Tinuviel had to take when she was young ..."

"Oh, come now, Earendil," Soronume smiled warmly. "I think it's a wonderful idea. So many of the girls nowadays don't know how to be a real lady ... saying what they please, when they please ... no sense of propriety at all. None at all."

"Sounds like you're getting into the politics that you hate so much," Earendil couldn't help but grin. "Careful, they might make a diplomat out of you yet."

"Well that at least is a good profession," Soronume nodded her approval. "What about you, Earendil, when are you going to start going places besides just the city here? Not that I want to see you go, but people are starting to wonder about you. You're the only one of your entire family, every generation, who voluntarily stays at the castle and never leaves!"

Earendil flushed. "I'll travel someday, Ninako," he said quietly. "You know that."

Earendil grinned and nodded at Lin. "Hopefully," he repeated. "And what about Shiro and Ura and Kaito? They're still planning on coming with? As I recall, Shiro was excited about the prospect of making living books like Sir Valdemar has, to show everyone what we see ..."

He hoped that they were still coming, they would be good companions, he thought.

"Well, energy is good," Earendil nodded. "You might ask Shiro to research ships and sailing while we're waiting to be able to go, though, just so that when the time comes he'll be prepared and know what to do. Who knows, maybe the others will know by then, too - they seem to know everything Shiro does."

He had no idea how, but that was just the way it seemed.

Soronume smiled. "Everyone grows at their own pace," she murmured. "Even Tinuviel was nearly two and a half years old before she began to talk ... though admittedly she was an early walker."

Earendil had to fight the urge to roll his eyes. There she goes again ... going on about her grandchildren.

"Hana and Garrick are nearly at the age where they're starting to walk," he put in before she could get going. "Garrick especially ... Hana I think only walks a bit along furniture, Aunt Elnara says that Garrick might be taking his first steps on his own soon."

"I can't wait to meet them both," Soronume smiled excitedly. "Oh, how I wish we could head up the castle and see them all right now ... but we have to get dinner going, so that's out of the question."

She shook her head and stood up, picking up her basket at the same time. "And on that note," she smiled sadly, "I'm afraid I must bid you farewell for the moment ... our busiest time of day is coming up shortly, and we have to be ready for it."

Earendil rose from the swing and gave his great grandmother a one-armed hug. "We'll be back," he grinned at her. "Eventually."