Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ulrich laughed with Donovan while Haldia looked on, completely confused. "I don't understand," she murmured, leaning in closer to Lin.

Earendil didn't say anything, hoping that Ulrich would stop teasing him. Enough was enough, after all, and people had been saying just the wrong things all day.

Ulrich took the hint, and he chuckled softly and turned to Donovan and Kara. "Aye, I would imagine this would be the only time you can really visit with her, since she's never home anymore," he grinned. "What with all the time she's spending here. In our world, I mean."

Haldia nodded slowly. "Still, he's making Earendil uncomfortable," she murmured quietly. "Though ... I really can't understand why he would be. It is not as if he were asking if Earendil were the father of the baby, that would be a different question, would it not?"

And even if that were it, why not just laugh it off?

Ulrich chuckled at Donovan. "Weird? Because she's off doing her own thing all the time? But she was doing that all through her childhood, you know that. So why is it so different now?"

"Hmm." Haldia nodded thoughtfully, then sat back and listened to the conversation.

Ulrich was cracking up already. "And here I thought Lin was single because she chose to be," he laughed, having heard about a taser once before and so knowing what it was. "Donovan, you're more protective than anyone I've ever heard of. Even Elrohir was never that bad, and you know what he was like!"

The conversation was starting to get a little too confusing for Haldia, who was having trouble even just understanding the words. She looked at Earendil, feeling lost, but he simply shook his head at her.

He had nothing to say. He knew what Donovan was talking about. And he just hoped beyond hope that Donovan didn't see how he felt, even though Shael had suggested otherwise. The last thing he needed was to be in trouble with the man.

Ulrich was having fun though. "Oh? Lin's had admirers and didn't realize it?" he asked, his eyes gleaming.

And that just set Ulrich off all over again.

Suddenly Ulani appeared in the kitchen doorway, her hands covered in flour. "What's going on in here?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "Hello, Kara ... Donovan. Lin, Earendil and ... Haldia, right?"

Haldia nodded at Ulani, smiling uncertainly.

Ulani looked at Ulrich again. "What's set him off?"

"Well, it's hardly surprising," Ulani smiled. "I mean, look at you, Lin. You're a beautiful, intelligent young woman. Why should it be so surprising that you might have an admirer or two? You just better be careful not to spend too much time with those men, or you may well be in danger of having someone fall truly in love with you."

The moment the words were out of her mouth, she saw Earendil turn a bright shade of red. She bit her lower lip and tried not to draw attention to the man. That had been unexpected ...

Well, at least she was on this side of Lin, so if Lin were looking at her, she wouldn't see Earendil. Perhaps the man would have time to recover.

"Shiro brought one of those things here once," Ulani grinned. "It was interesting, to see ourselves so tiny, so clear ... Adonijah shied away from it of course, but we had fun with it."

Leave it to Shiro to technologize this world.

"Picture?" Ulrich beamed. "Can we see? They're so much clearer than paintings!"

Ulani chuckled softly and turned to Ulrich. "Chi nghwai lur," she told him, her eyes sparkling. Then she turned to the others. "I have to get back to my baking before it gets dry, I'll be back as soon as it's done."

And she headed off to the kitchen, still shaking her head and laughing.

Ulrich laughed. "Go ahead and put Faith on the floor," he grinned at Donovan. "She'll be fine. And why don't we look at all of them?"