Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Hey, he's the one who refused to let us help him," Kaito said defensively.

Wren chuckled softly. "He's quite independent, isn't he?"

"Since his time apprenticing, yes," Earendil agreed. "Before that that, he wasn't at all independent."

It was a change, and he was still trying to decide how well he liked it. Yes, Andarien had been almost uncomfortably clingy before their time in Caras Galadhon, but now he seemed quite content to do things more or less on his own.

Earendil smiled at his wife. "No," he agreed, "I haven't. You're the only stage grower I knew well, and it took sixty years for you to grow enough for us to start traveling at all."

Suddenly the room began to shake again, though not as violently as the first time; but this time, since Earendil knew somewhat what to expect, it didn't bother him as much.

"And Miyuki," he added, ignoring the rattling of the dishes as the tremors continued, "grew more slowly, even as a stage grower, so there weren't those large disconnects."

He smiled warmly at his daughter.

"Something like that, yes," Earendil chuckled. "But Andarien's not even three years old yet, and he may possibly have already finished growing. I don't think I'll ever get used to how different people from Gaia can be, even from each other."

At least when it came to the different races in Arda, there were enough constants that their rate of growth and maturity would be fairly predictable.

The rumbling continued for a few moments longer, then stopped again as quickly as it had begun.

Uruloki closed his eyes and sighed audibly. "And that's it for another few decades."

Lancaeriel reached out with one hand and stroked his head gently. "You should be resting," she said, sounding concerned. "You've been flying for days without rest."

The dragon snorted. "I'll rest once Kyrie's rested. She's a bear today. I haven't seen her like this since she got her tattoo done."

"More than that," Uruloki added, "she's been up since we found Amir. She didn't sleep on the flight either, plus she was awake all last night, and she had only slept about an hour before Akoreyl woke her up at the clinic, and then about half an hour when the earth tremor hit. It made quite a mess at home, broke the frame of Ahkshi and Kyrie's portrait, so neither of them are overly happy about that ... still ..."

He winced, the expression clear despite his reptilian face. "She was very snappy when she told me to come check on all of you."

"Thank you, I think I'll do that," Uruloki said gratefully, the tip of his tail flicking slightly. "I'm sure it will help her to rest better as well, knowing that you're not alone in this city."

"We were hoping to explore after we'd eaten," Iorlas agreed as their water returned with the food for those who had ordered. Once they all had their food, and Shiro and Kaito had given their own orders, she added, "We would be grateful to have you as a guide."

"But aren't you concerned about keeping hidden?" Daeron asked curiously. "I mean, we knew Kyrie for over a year before we found out about you."

Uruloki shook his head. "She just didn't know how you would react to my presence, that's all. We were here together for five years before we discovered we could bond."

"Yes." Uruloki nodded his head in confirmation. "In Caras Galadhon, the only ones who are used to me are Lara, Cantor, Lily and Corazin. And Luk's seen me a few times, though I was still a hatchling then, so I don't know how well he would remember. There are only a few others who are used to me, I generally keep out of sight."

"Or rather, hidden in plain sight," Shiro quipped with a grin.

"You mean when is the last time he saw me?" Uruloki questioned in reply, tilting his head slightly. "I can see everything Kyrie sees when we're bonded, so I saw him quite a bit when we were in Caras Galadhon."

"Then the last time he saw you," Earendil chuckled as he began to eat.

Uruloki had to think about that. "I don't think since before Kyrie and I bonded," he said after a moment. "She had me watch him a few times after his parents vanished to make sure he was all right, but he never saw me then. So it's been close to a thousand years."

Wren let out a low whistle. "You and Kyrie have been together a long time."