Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shael smiled faintly. "Then perhaps you and Adonai will have to sit down and work through all those things," she murmured. "At some point, anyways."

"Oh," Adonai smiled suddenly, "and how do you feel about a bit of travel next summer? We were thinking of perhaps going to visit Shael's brother and sister, if you were up for it."

"I never met my aunt and uncle," Rhea commented with an innocent smile.

"Travel to the Eastland isn't bad," Adonai assured her. "Of course, we'll be riding, so that will also make it easier. Walking it would take too long ... and of course when you ride it's easier to avoid certain dangers."

"Adonai may not look it," Shael smiled fondly at her husband, "but he's quite a fighter."

Adonai chuckled. "And when I travel, I trade in my robes for something a bit more ... suitable."

"Uncle Amdir can teach you!" Rhea said brightly. "He's teaching me how to ride, too! Well, in the spring he will be, anyways." She giggled. "He doesn't like teaching so much in the winter, and Mama doesn't like me to be at the ranch too much in the winter because she can't come with me and she likes to make sure I'm not getting into trouble."

Shael laughed. "Not quite, but close enough."

She smiled at Cindy. "My leg always gives me more pain in winter, so I don't like to go out if I don't have to, since a crutch isn't exactly good for walking in the snow. If Adonai's going out to the ranch, I don't mind Rhea going with, but oftentimes he's busy and I just can't take her."

"You can learn with me!" Rhea grinned. "Uncle Amdir's a good teacher, and he always gives me the good horses that are not too big and not too wild, so I'm always safe!"

"Which keeps Amdir safe," Adonai chuckled, earning him a look from Shael.

Rhea giggled and picked up her bowl and began to lick the gravy off it.

Adonai chuckled. "More like the overprotective mother, Shael would be the one to run after him."

"Or rather, I would send you after him," Shael corrected him, "since - let's face it - I can't do much running after anyone."

"Not in the winter, anyways," Adonai smiled. He pushed his chair back and stood up. "Anyways, Cindy, if you're finished, I can take you to your room so that you can drop off your things and then show you around the house."

"Yay!" Rhea cheered, just about dropping her bowl.

"Rhea," Shael said sharply.

Rhea calmed down immediately, folding her hands in her lap and lowering her eyes. "Sorry, Mama," she said quietly. "I'll be more careful."

"You have your lessons after lunch, anyways, Rhea," Adonai reminded her. "You can visit with Cindy after dinner, when everyone is free ... if you're still awake enough."

"Oh, and she'll take it as one," Adonai winked at Cindy. "But it just means that when she goes to bed, she'll fall asleep right away. Lately she's been playing with that flying horse she makes out of magic ... we really don't want her using magic unsupervised yet, but if she's in bed we really haven't got much choice ..."

"My horse doesn't wreck anything!" Rhea protested. "It's not like I'm making my room into a flower garden or anything!"

Which begged the question, had she done that before?

Rhea lowered her eyes once more. "But it's just a bit of fun," she mumbled.

"Listen to what Cindy tells you," Shael said firmly. "She's your teacher now, and anything she says, you must obey. You're going to learn from her, is that clear?"

Rhea nodded silently.

Adonai smiled faintly at Cindy. "Come, let's get you settled," he murmured, picking up her bag so that he could carry it for her.