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"Mostly setting things up, bringing in furniture, stuff like that," Aranxia answered, taking Aennan's hand and holding it tightly. "But I really don't think we should worry about it today. Let's leave it until tomorrow, all right?"

She looked over at her family and grinned widely. "Today we'll just relax and catch up, I think."

"That being said, we do need some lunch," Aranxia smiled.

"And breakfast," Regan winked.

Aranxia blinked at her sister. "Breakfast?" she repeated.

"It was still not morning when we brought them," Aennan chuckled. "As they live a third of the way around the world, their time is a third of the day behind us. But you are both right, we do need to eat: why don't we stop at The Raven for some lunch - my treat - and then we can go to our house and chat there? A nice quiet afternoon."

"Perhaps by the time we are finished eating, Miyuki might be rested enough to join us," Luthien suggested. "And I'd dearly love to see Andarien, too - do you think he'll be able to get away? I know he's working, but ..."

It had bee well over a year already after all since they'd seen their only grandson.

Earendil looked down at Lin thoughtfully, then nodded slowly. "At the very least, we can see if he can come with us. Even if he can't, at least you'll get to see him."

Though he had to admit, Corazin was pretty easy-going with Andarien's work schedule. He didn't foresee any problems having Andarien join them.

"So lunch, to the ship to see if Miyuki's rested up, and then our house," Aranxia smiled widely, seemingly finally recovered from her shock. "Wonderful."

She squeezed Aennan's hand tightly again and looked at him lovingly. "Wonderful," she repeated softly.

Aennan led the way to the restaurant, an open-terraced place on the shore, above the ocean, and treated everyone to a large and delicious seafood lunch. For Aranxia's family, of course, it was a completely new experience: most of them had never left the city, which of course was in the middle of the desert, far from any place where seafood was available.

After they'd eaten, they headed back to the ship to see if Miyuki had rested enough or if she needed some more. It had been a few hours by that time, since they'd taken their time at lunch.

Lancaeriel was still fast asleep, lying flat on her back, her hands folded neatly over her chest. The gentle rocking of the ship had desensitized her to most movement, so even Miyuki sitting up didn't rouse her.

The room was exactly as it had been when they had gone to sleep, with one exception: on a table beside the door there was a platter of food waiting for the both of them.

It was about this time that the large group returned to the ship, and Arwen, who had been asked to do this since it was her quarters that Miyuki and Lancaeriel were in, knocked gently at the door before opening it slightly.

"Miyuki?" she whispered when she saw that the kitsune was awake. "Your family has returned, they're wondering if you feel up to spending the afternoon with them at Aennan and Aranxia's new house. Not to work, just to spend time together."

When Miyuki stepped outside, the newly arrived visitors all greeted her warmly (except for Ruel, though he did give her a nod and a brief smile).

"Sorry we didn't greet you properly earlier," Luthien smiled warmly at her granddaughter, "but you just looked so tired that we weren't sure if it would be a good idea."

"Not to mention we were a bit distracted," Regan added with a giggle.

Earendil chuckled softly and held a hand out to his daughter. "Come," he smiled. "Are you rested enough? We're heading to Aennan and Aranxia's new house, outside the city, so it's a bit of a walk to get there ..."

They stopped at Corazin's gear shop to see if Andarien could join them, to which Corazin agreed cheerfully. Luthien squealed when she saw how Andarien had grown, and even Ruel seemed a bit proud of him. Then, their group now complete, they left the city and headed towards Aennan and Aranxia's new home.

As promised, it was about a twenty minute walk to Aennan and Aranxia's house, and that was without going through the city: because their house was along the beach, they were able to follow the shoreline until they reached the city wall, and then along the wall to the city gate and from there through the forest to the house.

"It seems a bit remote," Tinuviel couldn't help but comment, a bit anxiously. "So far from anyone else ..."

"Luk lives just up that path," Aranxia assured her mother, pointing up another path that led into the trees. "So it's not as if we're very far. And honestly, nothing ever happens here. If anyone here has weapons at all, it's because they brought them with from their home country. I haven't even seen any weapons."

"I know of no safer place in the world," Aennan added with a warm smile, his voice calm and reassuring. "It is true that we are not in the city itself, but we are close enough that we do not even have to worry about animals here."

Then they came through the last of the forest, and once again the beach was in sight. About where the sand met the soil was where the young couple's house was in the process of being built. It was quite a large house, especially considering that it was just the two of them (at least for now); and it seemed that the outside was nearly finished, if not entirely so.

"It's like the ranch house, back at Haven," Earendil commented upon seeing the house. "Except stone instead of wood."

Like the city, the house had been built out of the marble/silver mixture that seemed to be so abundant here.