Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ruque had taken a liking to Lin - she was nice, she was fun - and his father spoke quite highly of her.

It wasn't long before they were at Rose and Adanedhel's house, and Ruque ran right up to the door and knocked on it before opening it and heading straight inside.

"People!" Ecthelion cheered from the kitchen, hopping off his chair and running to see who it was. He was followed quickly by Adanedhel, not only to see who was coming, but also to make sure his son wasn't going to run off again.

Ecthelion was excited when he saw Lin, and he tackled her around the legs and hugged her tightly. "You're okay!" he gushed. "You're not hurt! I thought he was gonna hurt you so bad! Is Ryu okay too? I saw he was bleeding!"

Adanedhel chuckled softly when he saw Lin and Ecthelion. "Lin," he smiled warmly. "It's good to see you again. I understand you had a hard time with Ruran this afternoon ..."

Adanedhel nodded grimly. "With him, there's no telling how far it might go the next time," he murmured. "This business with the knife ... I'm really not surprised by it. He'll do anything if it means he can get his way."

Ecthelion looked up at Lin worriedly. "He didn't hurt you then?" he asked anxiously. "You're not hurt at all?"

Ecthelion hugged Lin tighter and smiled up at her before stepping back. "By the way," he beamed, "I'm Ecthelion! Who're you?"

Adanedhel knelt down and put one hand on his son's shoulder. "You know Feng and Ryu ... this is their sister, Lin," he grinned.

Ecthelion's face lit up brightly. "Really?" he gushed. "Are you a mer just like they are? Do you swim in the river too? Do you have a tail?"

"Oh." Ecthelion giggled. "But I'm glad you're okay anyways. And I know not all humans are bad. Some of them are very bad, some of them took Papa away when he was little like me, but some of them are very good, like your papa and you are. I know, because Mama told me."

Ruque smiled up at Lin. "Do you want to stay here for a bit?" he asked her. "I can go back and see when dinner is ready and then come and get you again if you like."

Ruque grinned and nodded. "It's just a few minutes away," he assured her. "I can see the house from here. And this way we won't be late for dinner."

"It's all right," Adanedhel smiled at Lin. "We haven't had any problems here since I was a child. I think Aragost scared away anyone who has ever tried to steal a child from here - and anyone who might have wanted to attempt it in the future."

"You're welcome," the boy beamed happily; and with a wave to the others, he skipped out the door, closing it behind him once more, and was gone.

Adanedhel smiled at Lin. "They've not been here long," he told her, "but they fit in very well. I think it's good for them to be out here. From what Celebor tells me, they didn't have any good influences where they used to live at all ... and very few people to talk to, in any case."

Adanedhel shrugged. "I just know that Celebor did not approve at all of those that the children were training with," he said softly. "I think he almost got into a fight with them ... which would not have ended well for anyone, from the sounds of it."

He smiled. "But come, let us think of happier things. It's been such a long time since we've seen you. How are you doing?"