Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ulrich smiled broadly at Gaunt and remained standing next to his wife. "And I see you're not alone," he chuckled, looking at the two boys who were talking so seriously as they drank their drinks. "Getting a head start on a family, are you?"

Serenity blushed. She couldn't deny it, since Ian was after all hers, but she knew he was teasing her and Gaunt.

"Ulrich loves it whenever there are more children around," she told Gaunt with a giggle. "He's always telling people to have more kids ..."

"And knowing this, you still deprive me of any chance to tell you to," Ulrich fake pouted. "Not married yet, unless I miss my guess, so I can't tell you to expand the family ..."

Ulani laughed softly. "Ulrich, don't be a tease," she told him, slapping his arm. "They're here because they have a request for you."

The elven man's eyes lit up brightly, and he sat down on the corner of Ulani's chair. "Do tell," he grinned, leaning forward.

Ian set his cup aside and crawled over to Prince, patting him on the shoulder since he was too big to hug now.

"Wish I could help," he said sadly. "Did you ask Gaunt if you can go places?"

Ulrich smiled sympathetically. "Well, I would offer you some space out here," he said sincerely, "but I would suggest you see our winters before you ask. They can be pretty brutal."

"That's putting it mildly," Ulani spoke up.

Ulrich shrugged off her comment. "Besides that," he added, "I couldn't do that unless you and Serenity were properly married." Still, he could see that the affection was there ... it was just the time to properly go through a courtship was all that was necessary.

Serenity blushed slightly and squeezed Gaunt's hand tighter. She was happy that Gaunt felt the way that she did, that this was a wonderful place ... but she had to make sure he would understand exactly what it would mean if they did live there.

Later. Right now, there was something else she had to do.

"Ian's a few months old," she explained to Ulrich, "but when I found him he was nearly starved to death ... he hasn't grown yet, which is very unusual for our kind, so I sort of think he might not ever grow. It's rare, but it happens sometimes. Anyways, he wants to learn a weapon ... specifically, the bow ..."

Ulrich nodded in understanding. "And your world doesn't make them in his size. I understand. I would be honoured to make him a bow that fits him." He smiled. "And perhaps a little something for Prince?"

He tilted his head towards Gaunt, seeing if the man had any suggestions for something for his son. "A carving, perhaps? I know my grandson loves carvings. Perhaps a puzzle of some sort?"

One almost had to wonder if Ulani had somehow let him know that Gaunt didn't want Prince learning a weapon.

Ian's eyes grew wide with fear. "You're going to be leaving?" he cried, horrified. "But! But! But! But you can't leave! What will me and Mom do? You can't go away!"

He latched onto Prince's arm as if afraid that they would be stolen away right that moment.

Ulrich chuckled softly at Gaunt's descriptions of the weather he had endured. "My dear sir," he smiled, "that is stirring. Winter here means snow above the rooftops, cold so bitter that it freezes skin on contact ... wolves prowling everywhere, searching for the food that has gone into hibernation ..."

Ulani rolled her eyes. "The wolves don't come to the valley, and you know it," she told him flatly. "And the snow isn't always above the roof, and you know we can protect ourselves against the cold."

Serenity sighed at Ulrich. "You're always so dramatic." She turned to Gaunt. "If you want to know what it's like here, listen to Ulani, not Ulrich. He treats everything like a big joke."

Ian bit his lip anxiously. "Maybe we should ask Gaunt," he suggested in a very small voice. "Because I don't want him to go away ... I don't want him to go!"

Ulani looked at Gaunt, completely serious. "We do get snowed in," she told him honestly, "and it does get as deep as the houses ... but only once or twice each winter. The cold is bearable, the trees only freeze on the bad years. Food can be a challenge ... but wood is the biggest difficulty. You have to work pretty much all year to get enough wood to last the winter."

Serenity noticed that the boys seemed to be having a very distressing discussion, and she turned to them curiously. "Ian?" she said quietly. "Prince? What's up? Are you all right?"

Ian blinked at Serenity's interruption and shuffled a bit closer to Prince. "Um ..."

He didn't want to have to be the one to tell her that Gaunt and Prince were going to be moving away in just a few short months.

"Fair assumption," Ulani agreed. "Axe and at least one weapon. We tend to get attacked from time to time. And ... I hope you can learn a few different languages."

Serenity blinked at the boys. "... what?" she asked softly. She turned to Gaunt, her eyes filled with confusion. She was only slightly reassured by his explanation, but she heard the unspoken possibility, and it made her feel afraid.

"What if you lived in Gaia, and had a job there?" she asked him quietly. "We live near a city, it's quite large ..."

She didn't want him to go far away, even though she knew it might be unavoidable.

Serenity held Gaunt's hands tightly. "I understand," she murmured. "I just wish ..."

She bit her lip and lowered her eyes. "I know I've only just met you, really, but the thought of losing you ... scares me."

She wished she could help him out. Really she did. But what good could she do, even if she did become a well-known artist? Art was an iffy profession, and she had always known that she would need to rely on her parents until her work took off. So how would she be able to help him?

Ulrich, for once, was very serious, and he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"If I may," he said softly. "Gaunt ... what sort of things are you able to do for work? Perhaps ... perhaps we could help out somehow ... this ranch is after all a business operation. Our only payment is what we take from the slavers, but it is rather ... substantial ..."

"That's because an elven child in good condition can get them enough gold to make it certain they would never have to work again," Ulani snorted. "Anyways, Gaunt, I think what he means is that if there's something we could find for you to help us out with, we could pay you for your services - and let's face it, gold is gold no matter what world you're in."

Ulrich stared at Gaunt, blinking absently, and then he suddenly turned to Serenity and said flatly, "Translation?"

Serenity giggled. "He works with money. Managing money and workers."

At least that was what she understood from it anyways.

"Ah," Ulrich smiled. "I see. Well, on the money front, we're pretty set ... as far as the ranch goes, that's mostly all what Ulani and I take care of. But if you're good in other areas of management - supplies and the like - I'm sure Serenity's aunt could use your help over at the ranch proper. She's got a few dozen hands to feed mostly on her own now, I'm sure she'd appreciate the help."

Serenity narrowed her eyes. "Is that a hint for us to head over there?" she asked suspiciously.

Ulrich chuckled. "Just let me take Ian's measurements first," he grinned. "I'm sure your aunt and uncle would love to see you and hear about what's going on back home."

Ian blinked. He had been listening in on the conversation, but he had gotten lost in the sudden shift of topic. "Measure me?" he asked, confused. "What for?"

"Measured for your bow," Serenity told Ian, nudging him towards Ulrich.

"Maybe not shipments," Ulrich mused, "but ... keeping inventory, I suppose. The ranch grows almost all of its own food, except what they hunt. There are some things like sugar or fabrics or glass that need to be brought in, tools that we can't make ourselves ..."

"There's a catch, though," Ulani added, raising one eyebrow. "Time difference."

As Ian stood tall at Ulrich's direction, arms outstretched, Serenity turned to Gaunt. "Time passes a lot faster here than it does in our worlds," she explained. "Gaia and Naosho run at the same rate, so their days, times of day, seasons ... everything is perfectly aligned. Here, a full elvish month could pass - two of our months - and we would only miss a day back home. On the other hand, it means that if you were to come here once a day, half a month or more would have passed in the time that you were gone."