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Celebor was a little startled when Niyana started to rub his shoulders, but he relaxed into the motion and put his hands over hers when she hugged him from behind.

"We do," he murmured back softly, turning his head towards her, though she was behind him. The thought came, unbidden, of Ruran's admission from earlier, about not liking his sisters, but he pushed it away. They would have to deal with that when they didn't have visitors.

Meanwhile, Ruque was still working hard, distributing the pieces of the pineapple one by one, making sure that the grownups had much more than the children did - since of course a few of the slices added up to nearly half their size anyways.

Elnara smiled sadly at Joruri. "No, you haven't done anything wrong," she told him softly. "But I don't want to hurt you or make you afraid ... but I'm afraid that that's what's happening. You go on and go back to Idhril, I'm sure she would love to have you sit with her. You can meet her nieces and nephews then as well."

And she opened the door and nodded for him to go join her again.

Idhril smiled at Kanis. "You don't have to bow to me, Kanis!" she giggled. "I'm just your aunt! But yes, I feel just fine, thanks, Mama healed me up all perfect! See?"

And she held out her hands to show her niece. "Not even scars or anything!"

Celebor grinned and moved to collect Aras and Jair (they were about halfway there, but even with Jair's help, Aras looked like she was about to collapse).

"Lunch," he grinned at them, picking up both of them and taking them over to the table.

Aras giggled and rubbed her sore and tired arms. "Thanks, Daddy," she grinned up at him from where she lay in his arms. "He was getting kind of heavy."

"Sorry," Jair grinned, flipping his tail so that it tapped against her foot. "But I have to eat lots to get big and strong and get around by myself!"

Idhril giggled at Kanis. "You'll be a great knight!" she said proudly. "Someday ... when you get big."

Though it might take a while. Idhril herself was nearly a year old already ...

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye and looked up to see Joruri coming out of the other room with her mother. Her eyes lit up and she jumped to her feet to go and greet him, taking his hands in her own and holding them tight.

"Are you okay?" she asked him eagerly. "Did Mama heal you and make you all better?"

Ruque flushed proudly at his mother's words and stood very still as she washed him up.

"I'm a bit sticky," he told her sheepishly, holding out his hands and motioning towards some sticky areas on his shirt and pants. "I think I fell on one of the pieces too ... but I put that one on my plate so no one else has to eat it."

Which explained how he got some in his hair.

Idhril's eyes grew sad. "Oh, Joruri," she cried, throwing her arms around his waist and hugging him tightly. "Don't be sorry! It's not your fault! I promise, that whatever it is, I'll help you and I won't stop until you're healed! I promise that someday I'll make you whole again!"

She looked up into his eyes, her look filled with promise and sincerity. "I won't stop until you're whole again," she swore.

Elnara watched her daughter sadly. Unfortunately, she had a suspicion that there might be more to that promise than either of them knew ... all she knew about the boy was that he was scarred, more emotionally than anything else, and that he needed all the love that anyone could give him to make him better.

Ruque giggled again and held his arms out to the sides to make it easier for her to clean him up.

"Well it was my fault that I fell on it, so it would be mean to give it to someone else," he explained, feeling as though he had to for some reason. "But it's bad to waste it so it's best if I just eat it myself. It didn't hurt, though, it was kind of squishy."

And he giggled again and did a sort of dance in a circle, hopping from one foot to the other and back again until he was facing his mother once more.

"See?" he grinned. "Not hurt at all!"

Celebor chuckled as he knelt next to the table, setting Jair and Aras onto the table so that they could choose a plate. "I see you've been helping your mother," he grinned at his son proudly. "Good for you."

Idhril snuggled against Joruri's chest, adjusting the way Celebor's shirt hung off her so that more of her was hidden.

"Come, Joruri," she smiled up at him, pointing at the table, "it's time to eat ... are you hungry? There's lots for you, too!"

Ruque beamed and skittered off to his plate - which was right next to Niyana's. He had done that on purpose, so that he could sit next to his mother - and it seemed that Aras had taken the spot next to their father. Oh well. Maybe Kanis would sit next to him! He looked around for her eagerly.

Elnara smiled at Kanis and reached down to pick her up. "I think that sounds like a lovely idea," she said happily, hugging Kanis gently. "Why don't you tell me where you would like to sit?"

And she stood next to the table, waiting for Kanis's instruction.

Idhril blinked with surprise at Joruri's words, but when he set her down she moved obediently off his lap, though she looked at him worriedly.

"If you say so," she murmured softly, moving to sit between Ruran and Jair. She was still learning about Joruri after all, and if he said that he didn't need to eat, she would trust him ... even if it felt strange.

Elnara smiled at Kanis. "I think I can sit between Ruran and you," she smiled, "and then you can sit next to Ruque."

And she set Kanis down next to Ruque, then took the place next to her.

Ruque grinned at Kanis. "Mama let me hand out the pineapple!" he told her proudly. "But I fell on one so that's my piece." He blushed slightly at his confession, but he was still proud to have been able to help out.

Idhril kept glancing over her shoulder at Joruri to make sure he was going to be all right, but she smiled at Ruran and moved to pick up a piece of fruit.

"Hello again," she smiled warmly at him. "So how long have you guys all been born? I didn't know Celebor and Niyana had kids already, or even vases."

Ruque hugged her back, but he looked horrified at his sister's suggestion.

"No, no!" he exclaimed, reaching down and grabbing the squished piece of fruit. "I squished it so I gotta eat it, okay? It's not nice to give other people bad stuff when it's my fault it got squished!"

He took a nibble off one of the corners - the biggest bite he could manage, being so small himself - and chewed it slowly, then swallowed it and smiled at Kanis. "See? It's okay for me!"

He giggled. "Actually, it's yummy!" And he took another nibble.

Elnara smiled at Niyana, her eyes sparkling mischievously. "Strong is good," she replied softly. "Truth be told, I much prefer overcooked to raw, and I had nothing but raw for many years."

Celebor chuckled softly when Niyana put her hand on his thigh. Oh, she was getting him back for earlier, when he had run his fingers down her spine, and he knew it ... and he could feel that his body wanted to respond, but he forced the rush back and smiled at his mother.

"All of that was before you met Grandma, though, wasn't it?"

And he moved to put one hand on Niyana's thigh, very high up on it, rubbing his fingers lightly against its inside.

Elnara nodded. "Triton, actually," she smiled. "He was the one who gave me a place to stay and food to eat."

Idhril watched Joruri for a moment, but once she was sure he wasn't feeling sad at being left out, she turned her full attention to Ruran.

"Well then we picked the right day to come!" she giggled at him. "Because if we came earlier like we were supposed to then I wouldn't have been able to meet all of you!"

She was growing rather fond of her nephew. He was so polite and so eager to talk!

Ruque put down his soggy pineapple, his hands already sticky again, and picked up his piece of meat. He blinked a bit, thinking about it, then murmured, "It tastes like smoke ... it's not bad but ..."

He coughed lightly. "Maybe bit strong."

Elnara smiled at Niyana. "It was never a problem for me at first," she replied softly. "I was born with the power of firecasting ... I used to light things on fire before I knew how properly to control it. But when I was a teenager, I went through something that left my mind ... in pieces, I suppose ... and I couldn't use magic for years, not until I met my now foster brother Yukito, he healed my mind and now I can use my magic again."

Celebor moved his hand to Niyana's knee and rubbed it with his thumb.

"But now your magic is stronger than it's ever been, isn't it?" he asked his mother as he began to eat.

Elnara nodded. "Especially since I met Lore," she agreed. "And I'm sure your magic ... everyone's magic would work the same way. That it grows stronger once your mind and heart are both whole and especially when they're one with someone else's."

She glanced from Celebor to Niyana and tilted her head curiously. "Do you know any magic, Niyana?"