Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Never got hurt though!" Vergil grinned, still wiggling his fingers to free them from Hope.

Earendil looked at Lin. In a way, yes, he was surprised that she would have gotten hurt like that, but that wasn't what surprised him in this instance. It was just that she could have gotten hurt like that and said nothing about it. But again, his logic reasoned, why would she? It wasn't as if it were something he needed to know, it wasn't as if she owed him anything, as if she were obliged to tell him these things. And of course she didn't know that he worried about her. She would be hurt, angry if she did know. Because she could take care of herself, and she knew it. She wouldn't want him to worry, wouldn't want him to feel as if he should protect her.

Even if that was the way he felt.

"Never mind," he shook his head and leaned back in his chair, looking away self-consciously, knowing that his face had to be quite red by this time.

Shael cleared her throat. "Would anyone like a drink?" she offered. "It's quite hot today, and I don't know about all of you but I'm thirsty."

"Allow me to help you," Earendil offered, rising to his feet quickly.

Shael was surprised, but she smiled. "Thank you, I don't know how I would get all these drinks here on my own without spilling otherwise," she giggled. "Come, the kitchen in this way."

Earendil followed her out of the living room and to the kitchen to get the promised drinks.

Vergil looked up as they left. "Doesn't feel hot to me," he shrugged.

In the kitchen, Shael and Earendil were having a quiet conversation of their own, one that could be overheard from the hallway, but not beyond.

"It seems to me that you care a lot for Lin," Shael commented softly, pouring water into a glass and setting it on a tray before reaching for the next one.

Earendil watched her pour. "You might say that."

Shael laughed. "Earendil, I think she may be the only one in that room - other than Vergil and the children - who doesn't seem to realize it." She paused. "You should tell her."

"Tell her?" Earendil stared at her. "To what purpose? I could never ask her to give up her world for me. Her friends, her family, her life ... she has so much in Gaia that I could never ask her to stay here. Besides, she doesn't feel the same. I know she doesn't."

Shael stared at him, and he blinked at her. "What? She doesn't. So there's no point in my saying anything. As far as she's concerned, we're friends. Good friends, perhaps, but she doesn't see me as anything beyond that."

He smiled and helped her put the last of the glasses on the tray. "Besides, what we have right now isn't bad. We're traveling together, we're spending time together, we're enjoying ourselves ... I can't ask more of her than that."

Just as Lin was back in the living room, Earendil and Shael finished with the drinks and started on their way back. When they arrived in the living room again, Earendil was carrying the tray of drinks, and his face had returned to its normal colour.

"Hope we didn't take too long," he smiled, holding the tray out to Kara and Donovan first. "Sort of got caught up in conversation."

Shael took the seat that Earendil had evacuated, sighing softly with relief as she took her weight off her bad leg.

Earendil chuckled and continued to hand out the drinks, and since Lin's hands were full he put her glass on the table, where the twins wouldn't be able to reach it.

"I can take Miyuki if you'd like," he offered, since it seemed Miyuki didn't want to be in Lin's lap anyways.

He watched her curiously. She was acting sort of strangely ... she wasn't usually this quiet.

Earendil chuckled. "You know I don't mind. Besides, I had my drink in the kitchen already, I'm fine."

He held his hands out to take her from Lin, making a face at the infant as he did so.

Earendil chuckled as he took Miyuki from Lin. "Well then, I would have to say that the feeling is mutual," he grinned, tickling the baby under the chin. "She's spirited, though. I can imagine you'll have your hands full when she grows a bit older."

He glanced down at her. She was looking thoughtful again - still, whatever. It was odd. Usually she was so energetic and carefree ... or maybe he was reading too much into it, just as he had been earlier when he had learned about her injury.

The rest of the visit passed better than the first half, since the awkwardness seemed to have disappeared (at least for the moment), but eventually the time did come that they had to continue on if they were going to get any more visits in by the end of the day.

Earendil cradled Miyuki in his arms (poor girl seemed to be tired out from him playing so much with her) as they bid good afternoon to Shael and the others.

Shael took Earendil aside as they prepared to leave. "Don't forget," she murmured. "About what I said. You don't get anywhere without trying."

Earendil nodded. "I know," he murmured. "Thank you." And then he turned to the others to see if they were also ready to go.