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"Not like she has much choice," Earendil murmured, taking Lin's hand again and starting walking once more. "And as much as I feel special when she's so clingy ... she really does need to learn not to be so dependent."

He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps you could ask someone to take you to the city, if you don't want to go by yourself?" he suggested. "Elros, or Alena, perhaps?"

"Even after a month of all of us being together on the ship?" Earendil asked, surprised. "I mean ... I know she took it hard when I disappeared when you went back to your own world, but ... she's been with both of us nearly every waking moment since then."

To be honest, it worried him slightly. It was something she had to get over, somehow.

"Then perhaps tomorrow I should ask Aerin if we could keep it to a half-day to begin with?" Earendil murmured hesitantly. "I don't know ... I've helped Tinuviel with Regan when Regan was young, but I've never really taken part in the raising of a child. I don't know what to do ..."

He had missed Aranxia's first six years as well. This was as new for him as it was for Lin.

Earendil squeezed Lin gently. "Perhaps we should ask Leyenda and Kelirahc to join us here," he murmured. "Amalirahc did a good job of distracting Miyuki on the ship, perhaps he could do the same for her here. Playing with children after all would be the best thing for her ... and she did like to go off and play hide and seek and tag with him, things that took her away from us for periods of time."

Even if Amalirahc couldn't stay with them all the time, something was better than nothing, and perhaps it would encourage Miyuki to want to get to know some of the children in the city as well.

"And who knows?" Earendil smiled. "Maybe the two of them together would be more willing to play in the city with the other children. It wouldn't hurt to try anyways."

And it really would be good for both of them. For all of them, he and Lin included. It would also give them a bit more free time to be together.

Earendil chuckled. "In theory, anyways," he reminded her. "We still have no idea what Miyuki's going to do, how she'll react."

Still, he had to admit, having an idea was at least better than no idea at all.

"And what about you?" he asked Lin, smiling down at her. "Is there anything in particular that you'd like to do while we're here, either by yourself, or with someone else?"

Earendil smiled at her. "How long has it been since you've had free time - I mean, real free time? Where you don't have other people to be with, or tasks that need to be done?"

It had to have been before their first trip, because to his understanding, as soon as she had returned home she'd had Miyuki to care for - not that it was a bad thing, but it did mean she didn't have time for herself.

Earendil blinked at Lin. "You're not serious, are you?" he asked her. "You've never had to entertain yourself before? Ever?"

Had she never had to find something for herself to do?