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"That would be a fine idea," Kara agreed, "It has been a long time and I want to see how the littlest one has grown, though he probably isn't so little anymore."

Still, that didn't keep her from wanting to see and from talking to Aliya as well.

Shael smiled and bid Donovan farewell, then led Kara over to Aliya and Amdir's house, letting them in the front door without knocking.

They didn't have to go far to find Aliya, Alyse and Adonijah: they were playing with Feng in the living room, right where they entered the house.

"Kara!" Aliya exclaimed happily. "Welcome back! It's wonderful to see you again!"

Alyse looked up from the book she was reading and smiled and waved her greeting while Adonijah took one look at the angel and ran, squealing, to hide behind his mother's back.

From behind Aliya's back, Adonijah muttered, "Not Mommy."

Alyse rolled her eyes and set her book aside, then got down on her hands and knees and crawled over behind Aliya, jumping out in front of Adonijah and shouting "BOO!"

There was a shriek and Adonijah shot out from his hiding place, running as fast as his stubby legs would carry him in the direction directly away from Alyse - which meant directly towards Kara.

Alyse shrugged nonchalanty and stood up, dusting off her knees before returning to her place on the couch and the book she had set aside.

"Kara wanted to see him," she replied simply, "and he was being silly. Now he's not being silly, and she gets to see him."

"That still wasn't nice," Aliya said reproachfully, though she was smiling.

Adonijah meanwhile was still running as if for his life, and he ran straight into Kara's arms and clung close to her, burying his face in her chest as if to hide from Alyse. His white hair stuck out all over the place, tickling against Kara's neck and chin as she held him.

Adonijah didn't even look up at who was holding him; he just cuddled into Kara's chest and made himself comfortable, sticking one thumb in his mouth and closing his eyes. His hair, despite Kara's efforts to tame it, insisted on sticking out in every direction, tickling any skin it came into contact with.

Aliya laughed softly. "He's the first to really look like Amdir," she agreed with Kara. "For hair colour at least. Alyse looks more like her father, too, but I think Adonijah just might end up being the most like him."

"I wasn't that shy when I was little," Alyse protested without looking up from her book.

"Yes, you were," Aliya replied calmly. "The last time Feng was here, you spent half the time under the couch, hiding."

Aliya laughed. "Are you forgetting what Amdir was like the first time you all visited here?" she reminded Feng and Kara - then she paused. "Oh ... wait ... I apologize, Kara, you weren't here then. For the first few years that he was here, he was ... beyond shy. He couldn't even look at me, wouldn't speak to me ... nothing. It was like I didn't exist, I swear it. To this day I still haven't seen anyone so shy as he was then."

She giggled. "Until Adonijah. But who knows? Maybe he will grow out of it. I have to admit, I was worried about Alyse when she was younger, but look at her now."

Alyse raised one eyebrow over the top of her book, though she kept her eyes on the runes.

Aliya sighed, grinning. "It almost makes me wonder what Shael and Adonai's children will be like," she added. "They're both quite shy, really ... though when they're together, not so much anymore. And when they're alone together not at all, obviously." She laughed again.

Shael, who had remained quiet until this moment, moved forward and sat next to Aliya on the couch.

"I remember meeting you for the first time," she smiled at Kara. "I was quite small then, too, and barely walking."

"And yet you haven't used your crutch in years," Aliya said proudly. "But you have matured in many ways, Shael. One would hardly recognize you for the invalid you were when you arrived here."

Adonijah fidged a bit at Kara's hug, turning his head to face the other way. His eyes were closed gently, his breathing light and easy - it appeared that he had fallen asleep.

Shael giggled at Feng's comment. "All that mystery behind Aragost, and all the running around, just to find out he's Ulani's great great grandfather," she laughed.

"Shael," Aliya said harshly, her expression suddenly changing.

Shael froze, her hazel eyes flicking over to Aliya, and then back to Feng and Kara. "Oh," she murmured sheepishly. "I'm sorry ... I thought they already knew ... it's been common knowledge here for so long already ..."