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"Oh, he's fine," Niyana assured them all. "A bit singed, but lesson learned. Though I may see if I can find someone who can teach him a bit of magic of some sort, I would like him to have a way to put out fires in the future."

"Daddy and I are the only ones in the family who know any magic," Aras explained to Lin. "We moved out here before anyone else could learn from the goddesses."

"That would be a good idea, perhaps I'll send him over," Niyana mused. "How long will she be staying at the ranch, do you know?"

Earendil grinned down at Miyuki and shifted back a bit, trying to get her to take a step forward.

"Come on, Miyuki, you can do it," Earendil urged her, grinning widely. "Just a small step!"

"I'll send Ruque over this afternoon then," Niyana nodded. "That way he can at least talk to her. He also needs to ask Aranhel and Ahren for some help with gathering the timber that will be needed for the repairs. We're still deciding whether we're going to just fix the workshop or tear it down and rebuild it."

"I say rebuild it," Aras shrugged, reaching up to braid her long golden hair as she spoke. "But either way you would have to make sure it's done before winter. Summer is almost over, after all."

"Sure, but winter is two months away," Kanis pointed out. "There's still autumn and fading first. That should be plenty of time, no matter which is chosen."

Earendil could feel Miyuki's balance give out, and as she fell he reached down and grabbed her round the middle so that she wouldn't smack her face on his leg.

"Easy," he smiled, picking her up and setting her on his lap. "You need to be careful, little one. You're going to end up hurting yourself."

He saw Lin looking over at them, and he gave her an encouraging smile.

"That's true," Aras nodded, "though personally I think a new one would be best. Maybe a bit further away from the house for the next time he decides to blow something up."

"Where is he, Mother?" Kanis asked, looking at Niyana.

"Probably resting," Niyana replied. "Actually, if you could check on him, I would appreciate it. Make sure he's all right?"

Kanis nodded and headed back towards the front of the house, where the stairs were.

"Yucky," Earendil chuckled, tugging Miyuki's tail gently out of her mouth. "Don't chew on yourself. You're going to get hairballs!"

He tapped the end of her nose lightly, playfully, and grinned at her. "You certainly do bear watching, don't you?"

"Of course not," Aras laughed. "I just mean for next time. If it happens again. It's just safer, that's all."

"Aras," Niyana asked, "where is your father, do you know?"

Aras shrugged. "We've only been back an hour, I haven't seen him yet," she replied. "So I have no idea. Sorry."

Niyana shook her head. "As far as I know, he didn't have plans to go anywhere today," she answered. "And I spent most of the morning in my own work room, so I haven't seen much of anyone yet."

Earendil frowned, letting Miyuki grab his finger. It didn't sound as if the family was as close as he had believed ...

"Should," Niyana nodded just as Kanis returned.

"Ruque and Father will be down shortly," she announced, plopping herself down on the couch beside her mother. "Father was talking with him."

Niyana laughed softly. "There we go, then."

Earendil chuckled softly at Miyuki. "There's no pie there this time," he grinned. "Sorry."

He was glad to hear that Celebor was home, though. He had been looking forward to seeing his cousin again for a very long time.

Earendil chuckled and allowed Miyuki to suck on his finger. As long as she was still satisfied with that, she hadn't been spoiled by the pie, he figured. Which meant she was just fine.

From down the hall came a shuffling sound, and a moment later Ruque and Celebor appeared. The entire left side of Ruque's face was bandaged, as was his left hand, and the other side of his face was a dark shade of red. At the edges of the bandages were clusters of tiny blisters, which were indicative of what lay beneath the bandages. His blond hair, usually shoulder-length, had been cut short, though on the left side much of it had been singed away.

Celebor on the other hand looked just the same as ever, and he smiled warmly when he saw their visitors. "Welcome, Lin, Earendil," he said happily as Ruque moved to sit next to Aras. "We've been waiting a long time for your visit."

He chuckled softly. "And that must be Miyuki."