Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alassea and Aethos were still in sight from the dining hall, mostly because they were in no particular hurry. Alassea was trying to coax her bird onto Aethos's shoulder, and she was quite amused by the fact that the bird seemed to want to have nothing to do with the sola.

Andarien was excited with the description. "You mean I can learn to be strong like Ada?" he squealed. Not that he had seen his father in action, but he knew Earendil was capable of fighting quite well.

Alassëa and Aethos both turned to look when Miyuki called Alassëa's name, and both of them had smiles on their faces. The falcon ruffled its feathers and climbed around Alassëa's neck and hair to the shoulder that was further away from Aethos.

"Time for a lesson, Miyuki?" Alassëa asked, reaching up and gently stroking her falcon's head. "Or do you have a message for me?"

Andarien giggled at Lin and reached for his parents' hands so that he could walk between them. "Then let's go!" he beamed. "One, two, one, two, one, two ..."

He counted their footsteps as if leading them in a march as he tugged them to the door of the dining hall.

Alassëa smiled at Miyuki. "I do," she agreed. She tilted her head slightly. "Aethos, would you care to join us? Or did you want to find Lord Elwin to talk to?"

"I did want to talk to Lord Elwin," Aethos admitted. "Shall I find River, then? Or Amalirahc?"

"If you see them, I think it would be wise for them to train," Alassëa nodded, "but if they are busy then they can wait. Everyone is on a different schedule now, after all."

"I think the courtyard would be a good idea," Alassëa replied thoughtfully as Aethos headed off. "My bird needs a good flight, and it would be safe to blindfold you. I think it's time we really begin to focus on you sensing things without seeing them."

She started off accordingly, her footsteps sure, as if she knew exactly how to get to the courtyard in this maze of a palace.

Alassëa frowned slightly and reached out and tapped Miyuki lightly on the top of her head. "I think I've told you before," she said firmly, because she had told Miyuki this before. "It's all about attitude. Anything that you have not done before will be hard the first time, but the more you practice, the easier it will become."

If anyone knew about something being hard, it was her, and it frustrated her that people who had homes, families, and all five senses would call things hard without even giving them a try. Still, she was usually able to keep it to herself, and even now, when she mini-lectured Miyuki, she kept her tone soft and kind.

"Good." Alassëa continued onward, turning at just the right point to go down the next corridor. "Just remember, if you're afraid of something before going into it, you've already defeated yourself. You have to believe that you'll be able to do it, or else you never will."

She paused, suddenly realizing that the only tapping in the corridor was from her own staff. "You don't have your staff with you, do you?" she asked Miyuki softly.

Alassëa had no idea what "Gomen" meant, but she gathered from Miyuki's tone that it was something to express regret or feeling stupid.

"Don't worry too much about it," the blind woman smiled faintly. "I should have asked at the outset whether or not you had it. I was distracted by Aethos."

She would have to get him for that later, that was all.

"Come, let's go to your room to get it then." And she turned and headed back the direction they'd come from.