Welcome to Gaia! ::

Earendil laughed and knelt next to Miyuki. "Little daydreamer," he chuckled, ruffling her hair affectionately. "We're going to see another old friend of ours. Do you want to come along?"

When he thought about it, sure, he would consider Aethos a friend. A dangerous friend, but a friend nonetheless. Other than their first misunderstanding, the sola had been quite good to them. All of them.

Aurin chuckled at Miyuki. "Would you like to play with some toys?" he asked. "We have blocks that you can build things with, or I think Rhea might have a doll or two ..."

They would be old by this time, but she did have her childhood dolls with her.

"Well, your room is on the way down to the dining room, is it not?" Earendil asked, seeing Miyuki's hesitation. "Perhaps we could pick up a doll for her and then continue down to see Aethos-sola. How does that sound?"

"That works for us," Rhea nodded. "We would be heading there anyways, so it's not as if it's anything extra."

Earendil smiled. "What do you think, Miyuki? We can get a doll for you and then you can come with us."

Earendil chuckled and ruffled Miyuki's hair before straightening up again. "All right then, off we go. But don't get too far ahead, Rhea's going to be a bit slow again."

"I don't know if I should feel insulted," Rhea spoke up with an amused smile.

"Don't," Earendil chuckled. "But as far along as you are, I wouldn't dare try to go even the speed of a regular walk."

It took them a bit longer to return to Rhea and Aurin's room than it had taken them to get to the cliff, because Rhea was growing more tired as they went and thus going slower. By the time they got back, she just wanted to sit down - which she did, sitting once more at her desk.

"I think I'm about ready for this baby to come," she smiled tiredly as Aurin went to a chest at the foot of their bed and began to rummage around in it for the promised doll. "I keep telling myself, once the baby comes, I'll be able to sleep through the night again ... though I know that's not true."

"Oh, I hope so," Rhea said, perhaps a little too eagerly. "I can't remember the last time I was comfortable ..."

"Here we go," Aurin announced, holding up a doll he had found in the chest. "How is this, Miyuki?"

It was a lovely doll, well stuffed, with pale skin and long golden hair, and she was wearing a green dress with plant-like tendrils all over it.

Rhea smiled. "My mother made that doll for me," she murmured tiredly. "She is Yavanna, the Bringer of Fruits. The Valië that allowed Mother to bear me, and who returned her life when she died."

Earendil blinked at her. "Your mother died?"

Rhea nodded. "Giving birth to me," she replied. "I don't know all of the details" -or rather, she didn't want to go into them and wanted to be polite about it- "but she was unable to conceive until she received help from Lady Yavanna, and even so her body still couldn't handle it. She died, and Lady Yavanna returned her to life."

She rested one hand on her belly and looked down at it anxiously. "Even being able to see the future, and knowing that I'm perfectly healthy ... I have to admit, I'm afraid for the day that this child comes, even though I'm looking forward to it."

Rhea smiled gently. "Thanks for the thought," she murmured. "Time alone will tell."

Aurin sent one hand gently on her shoulder. "Perhaps you should go find Aethos-sola," he suggested to the others softly. "He will not be long in the dining hall, and Rhea needs her rest."

Earendil nodded. "If we see you again later, we will tell you how it goes," he told the captain. "Until then, rest well, Rhea." He turned to Lin and held out one hand.