Welcome to Gaia! ::

Earendil was surprised by the hug, but he laughed softly and hugged her back tightly. "You're welcome," he chuckled. "And I truly hope it works. It would be a great help."

At that moment, Sy and Andarien returned to the three of them. Sy was grinning triumphantly, and Andarien, his cheeks still slightly flushed, was smiling almost shyly.

"Well, I have a bow and Tanil is making arrows," he told his parents, "so Sy says I just need to pick out a quiver, an arm guard, and a glove."

"Or a pair of gloves, if he'd prefer," Sy put in with a grin, "though with the bow he's getting it's not really necessary."

"Oh?" Andarien blinked. His sister was really excited about something, and he wasn't quite sure why. It confused him. Then again, he didn't seem to be thinking straight today for some reason.

He looked back at Sy. "How many types of arrows did you order for me?" he asked her. "I couldn't read what you wrote down."

"Three," Sy replied with a grin. "Field tips, judo tips and broadheads. You'll do well with a three-sectioned quiver."

Andarien nodded, smiling faintly again. Then he turned back to Miyuki. "Well, maybe you can help me pick one out, Mi," he suggested. "I don't know what experiment you want to try but ..."

"She'll be experimenting on a quiver of her own," Earendil put in, "so you can each choose one."

Andarien blinked at his father. "Oh ... okay."

Andarien blushed again, this time with embarrassment, and he smiled sheepishly. "Nah, I'm fine, just lots to think about," he replied dismissively. "It's just lots to remember when you learn about why certain things need to be certain ways ... Sy gives a lot of detail," he added, glancing at the sandy-haired girl.

Sy was laughing to herself. "Well, I find it makes things more ... memorable, if not more interesting," she grinned. "But whatever. Andarien's getting a good bow, arrowed designed just for him, and if he can get equally good quiver and protection he'll be all set."

"You have any suggestions?" Andarien asked her.

Sy stepped forward and plucked a few arm guards off the wall. "Whichever one fits," she told him. "Hold up your arm."

Andarien held his arm out to her, and she placed each of the arm guards on him in turn, adjusting the straps on each of them, and at length, she kept one on him.

"There," she nodded, satisfied. "That one fits you the best."

Andarien nodded and followed his sister over to the quivers. Their parents followed, Sy close behind.

There wasn't much choice in quivers, either. Aside from the number of sections in them, they were all pretty much the same: dark leather, all meant for the back, all about the same size. The belts were all adjustable, so it wasn't difficult for Andarien to choose one that would give him an easy reach for his arrows.

"Easy enough," he grinned at Miyuki, holding up the quiver he'd chosen. "If Jess were here, he could personalize them for us."

"Probably in Amon Darthir by now," Andarien mused. "Though Jess doesn't turn sixteen until ... well, almost another month. So I'm gonna guess they're not married yet."

Unfortunately for Miyuki, none of the sections were removable, as they were built right into the quiver itself. As this was quite usual, no one saw it necessary to comment on it.

Sy gave Miyuki a curious glance. "I've never seen a quiver with partitions that do," she replied, though she kept her surprise well hidden. "Do you need one that comes apart?"

She couldn't imagine why - but then, she knew nothing, or rather, very little, of magic. And nothing at all about runes.

Sy nodded. "Sounds good, though I must admit I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about."

"Does that mean you're not going to get a quiver, Mi?" Andarien asked his sister. He had been confused, but now that she had explained it made sense to him that she wouldn't get one after all.