Welcome to Gaia! ::

Soronume smiled warmly. "Then until we meet again," she said cheerfully, ushering them towards the house. "Off you go, I have dinner to prepare and rooms to clean. Safe journey back to the castle - and Earendil you make sure you take good care of Lin now, you hear?"

Earendil chuckled. "Yes, Ninako," he grinned. He was quite certain that nothing would happen, and that even if something did that Lin would be more than able to take care of herself. "See you later."

He put one hand on the small of Lin's back and nudged her towards the door.

Meanwhile, back at the palace, Elnara and Lore and the children had spent a delightful afternoon with Luthien, getting caught up on what had been going on at the palace in the ten years since their marriage. Eventually, Luthien had excused herself, saying that she had to track down Tinuviel, and she had left Elnara and Lore alone for the remainder of the afternoon.

Elnara had suggested a stroll through the gardens, and now that was where they were, alone together (with the twins of course) in the maze of hedges and flowers, lost in the beauty which hardly seemed possible in the middle of a desert.

"You know," Elnara mused softly to Lore as they walked along, "I'm starting to get the feeling that there's something else going on in the Southland that no one seems to want to talk about. Nako especially seemed distant, but even Luthien ... I don't know, something just seems a bit off."

Garrick kept fidgeting to go down to the ground, so Elnara knelt and held his hands, allowing him to walk.

"I think what makes it hard to figure it out on our own," she said thoughtfully, "is the fact that ... it's pretty much impossible to know how much time has passed. I mean, we know it's been ten years since our wedding ... even though it's been a year and a half for us, and even less for those still in Gaia ... but before that, how long had it been since our previous visit? Or the one before that? How much time it was could greatly affect the possibilities ..."

She looked up at Lore. "And yet how to ask without sounding as if we're accusing them of hiding something?"

"Maybe we should just find someone who's willing to talk about everything," Elnara suggested, inching forward as Garrick took a few stumbling steps. "If Nako doesn't want to tell us, maybe there's someone else who will ..."

Perhaps someone who was frustrated with the way things were going and wanted to talk?

"Earendil disappeared pretty fast with Lin," Elnara mused. "I wonder where they went. Or if Earendil told her about what's going on. Maybe in the end she might be the one to ask."

She laughed softly. "Still," she smiled as Garrick let go of her fingers, reaching for a flower that was just out of his reach, "I think that talking to one or even both of them would be a good idea. And we do have time now ..."

She watched Garrick as he strained his tiny fingers for the flower, his eyes and mouth wide in anticipation of reaching it. Suddenly her heart beat faster - Garrick was trying to step towards it, she could see his muscles working ...

But then he fell to his hands and knees and crawled to it instead.

"So close," Elnara murmured, picking him up before he could stuff the flower in his mouth. "Soon."

"They'll be at dinner," Elnara smiled, watching Lore. "Dinner is the one meal that absolutely everyone attends, unless there's an emergency or they're not in the city. We wouldn't be able to talk to them at dinner, perhaps, but we could at least ask if they're free for a talk after dinner."

She wasn't sure about Lore, but she thought he might be as anxious as her to know what was going on. After all, if they knew what was going on, they would be able to better talk with her grandparents, understand their worries, relate to what they were saying.

They arrived at the center of the garden, which was a few steps lower than the rest of the garden. The flowers were held back by marble walls that were about knee-high, perfect for the children to play without having to worry about them eating the flowers.

Elnara set Garrick on the ground once again and took a seat on the bench that was next to the steps, then patted the seat next to her for Lore to join her.

"And what else shall we do while we're here?" she asked him with a warm smile, putting on a cheerful face and trying not to think about what was troubling her grandparents.

"What about visits?" Elnara suggested, slipping her hand into Lore's. "My mother's parents are so close after all ..."

Hana seemed more interested in the coolness of the marble ground itself rather than exploring the area, and she slapped her palm against the stone before looking up at her parents.

Garrick on the other hand knew exactly what he wanted. The moment he was free, he got to his hands and knees and crawled to the walls to try to reach for the flowers again.