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"Did you dust the shelves?" Lillian called out from the kitchen as she tossed the salad. Aphismet and Rivener would be there any minute and she hoped to have the house looking well...nicer than the last time the two had paid them a visit.

Tyson walked back into the kitchen and slumped in one of the chairs, kicking his feet up to rest upon a stack of books that sat under the table. "Uh...all of the ones I could reach. But really Lil, do you actually think they'll care?" He didn't want to clean anymore. Ever since they got back from the trip Lillian had suddenly gotten the urge to straighten up the home. Of course that meant he and Iorek were pulled in to help and with Lillian there was no escape when she became fiercely determined to finish a task.

It was a battle but their progress was showing. Papers were in organized cabinets, books were in shelves, and statues weren't standing directly in the middle of the walkway. The home was actually beginning to look more like a museum during renovation than a hoarder's haven. There was still a lot that had to be done but the house was indeed on it's way to becoming a cozy and hospitable residence.

Lil frowned and added some chopped tomatoes to the assortment of vegetables now in the bowl. She had called Aphismet up a few days ago and invited him and Rivener over for an early lunch. It had been ages since they'd last seen them and she wanted to make sure that everything was in order. "I just want to show Aphi that we're doing well. I know he worries and..."

The lad groaned and rubbed his eyes, "Ugh...it's not that big of a deal! The house is way cleaner since the last time they came and you stocked the fridge and cabinets to the point that they're bursting! You're good."

"But I want it to be-"

"It's already perfect, Lillian." Iorek drifted up from the basement stairs with a broom in hand. He'd been sent all around the house to dust the higher areas that usually went amiss. Judging by the cobwebs and dust tangled in his hair he had been doing some heavy duty cleaning work. "I think Aphismet will be very happy. Why don't you just relax now? Put the salad in the fridge and we'll wait on the porch for their arrival?"

The warm smile from Iorek doesn't calm Lillian's jitters. But she does cover the salad and place it in the fridge. "I have to finish the desert though. You two can go out and wait. I'll be just a few moments"

"Already taken care of." Tyson said as he hopped down from the chair and stretched. "I finished the pie and it's in the fridge too. Now lets go!"

Iorek took Lillian by the shoulder and steered her out of the kitchen, down the hall, and onto the porch. "The gates are already open, so now we just wait."

But with all the fidgeting before Iorek knew it he, Tyson, and Lillian were out waiting by the driveway. Yup, they were definitely eager for this meet upLil was rocking on her heels and Tyson was attempting to climb and perch on their sturdy mailbox.

Iorek had to admit he was rather excited as well. It had been a while since he'd seen Rivener. By now he wouldn't be surprised if the other raevan had sprouted legs to go with his torso. Just the thought made Iorek chuckle and peer down the road. Any moment now!

"Oh! Here they come!" Tyson called to the two even if hey were right at his side. Lil and Iorek winced and rubbed at their ears to calm the onslaught of buzzing.

Before Tyson could even make a step towards racing down the stairs and greeting their visitors he was tugged back by a firm hand on his shoulder. Lillian leaned down to his level and patted the lad's arm. "Lets try and contain our excitement just a little bit, alright? Go easy on them."

Tyson scoffed and rolled his eyes with such attitude he was fit for a dramatic role on stage. "You mean try not to anger Rivener. Gotcha."

As Lil glanced to Iorek he met her gaze with a reaffirming smile and a good old thumbs up. "Don't be so nervous. These are friends. Relax." The raevan drew closer in hopes that somehow him being near her would bring about some feeling of comfort. Lillian always tried to hold the reigns of control over situations but there would be times when Iorek felt that he had to quell even her jitters.

Both Lillian and Tyson were eager for Aphismet's and Rivener's arrival, but Reks knew they also shared an odd anxiety to see the two. It had been a while since the last time they had gotten together. What if Riv and Aphi had changed? It was a difficult task to picture Aphismet not being kind and sweet but there were cases where some people would shift into the realm of Grumpdom over a period of time. What if he and Rivener decided to come over just because they had nothing better to do with their time? Iorek didn't know why they all feared this happening, but this idea that the two getting out of the car wouldn't be the people they had known had been chewing at the families brains all day.

Suddenly he awoke from his thoughts to find Aphismet running from the car and towards his caretakers. For one spilt second Reks felt the urge to leap and tackle the man to the ground to protect what was his. But that jolt to the heart didn't last long and Iorek was left questioning why he had felt it in the first place.

Lillian and Tyson squealed and laughed as Aphismet pulled them into a fierce hug. Aphismet had actually swept them off their feet! They had definitely missed that. Iorek relaxed as any dummy could see Aphi's behavior was jovial and bright as the sun. He hadn't changed at all. Thank goodness. Lillian and Tyson couldn't lose him.

"Well thank you, Aphi! You have no idea how much we missed you. Mm? The house?" She smiled widely with pride, "The three of us have been working hard on it! It's...a humongous task but I think we got it. Still have to paint everything but it's getting there. Our trip lasted a little too long. We've been back for about two months now? Wouldn't you say so, Ty?" Lillian had finally let go of Aphi when she looked to her brother. The lad gave Aphi one last squeeze before letting him go too.

Ty smiled and nodded, "Yup! Give or take a few days. But we had things to do concerning our parents. We went all over!" He exclaimed with a wave of his arms to illustrate the globe.

"Eh..." The boy shrugged as a sour frown appeared on his face. He kicked at the old wooden flooring and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "We haven't found them yet. You think of all the places we went to they'd show up but...nah." He straightened up and the frown was replaced with a smile, "But we're not stopping our search."

"There was business to attend to that our parents hadn't dealt with. We did get some information from a few people we met and I suppose tid bits that you could call clues but that's all." Lillian added with an exasperated sigh. "It's just been a pain. We can chat about it later but what matters is we're here to stay so a house renovation was in great need. Iorek's strength is a plus for that kind of task."

The sudden grim talk was forgotten as the duo perked up when food was mentioned.

"Seriously? Yum! Yeah of course, Aphi!" Tyson lept off the porch, completely forgetting to use the stairs, and ran to the car as soon as his feet hit the ground.

Lil shook her head at Aphi as she trailed after them to help. "Wow. You did all that? That's incredibly sweet Aphi but you didn't have to go through all that trouble. I can pay you back for the ingredients or something."

As Tyson tugged the cooler out from the back he shot Lillian a glare mid-pull, "Hush Lil! It's free Aphi food! This stuff is the best. Just say 'thank you' and accept the gift."

Iorek watched as the kids were picked up and held close by their dear friend. He turned back and smiled widely as Rivener came up to him.
"Rivener! Hey! It's been far too long." Just like the kids whose glee was becoming harder and harder to control he too had trouble fighting back the grin that threatened to spread across his face. So what did he do? He let it shine right through.

But a grin wasn't the only thing Rivener received. Iorek reached to shake but as his claws curled around the other raevan's he went a step further and pulled Riv in for a hug. It was a daring move but Iorek's body had moved automatically. Normally he would be far too nervous to get this close to anyone but the kids and yet here he was. Perhaps it was the look Rivener had? The happiness that was easily readable on the scorpion's face comforting Iorek enough to go the extra mile.

"Oh? The Summer Garden event?" Iorek pulled back and let go of Rivener's hand. The gargoyle laughed and shook his head. "Ah jeez...I was in the maze for most of time. But it is so nice to see you now."

Iorek followed after Rivener, "I've been good, busy but good. The family has been up to all kinds of things. I'm trying to keep up. How about you?"

"We love your cooking, Aphi! It's so delicious!" Tyson told him as they carried the cooler up and out of the car.

Lillian followed after them and shook her heard, "Aphi, I don't want you to stress about making food. I know you're busy and I don't want you to worry ab--"

"Lil!" Tyson barked, "Stop being polite and just enjoy it. Sheesh. You can't get enough of his meals."

She frowned at her brother's tone but gave it a rest just as he'd hoped. "Sorry. I just don't want to be a hassle, you know?" She told Aphi as they moved into the house. "As for our parents who knows. It's frustrating but we're not going to stop looking. But Tyson and I really have to focus on school so I think our search will have to end for at least a year. I think it's best for Iorek too."

The siblings shared an amused look as Aphi looked over the house. They had been spending a lot of time tidying it up. It was an incredible challenge but bit by bit the family of three had been making it through.

"Pretty neat, huh? You can actually move around and look at stuff now." Tyson's face shone with pride as they moved down the hall full of old remnants of history.

Lil flushed when Aphi picked up on the smell of something cooking. She led them into the kitchen and opened up the fully-stocked fridge. "Yep! Heh, can you believe it? I found a few cookbooks when we were cleaning so when you said you'd come over I thought I might as well pull them out and making something. I made salad and I know it's more of a dinner meal but tried some lasagna. I don't know how good it will be but if we need to we can just order pizza or something.

Iorek chuckled and shrugged his shoulders as they drifted into his home. "Yeah, it's good to just relax with a good book. We were always on the go and now being back we've taken to just hanging around the house."

Reks' smile softened as he rubbed his arm, something he usually did when he was unsure. His voice lowered to a tone that was hushed. "Being abroad was interesting. I mean, there were beautiful sights and a lot of generous people but...I missed this area. It was weird, ya know? I was the only raevan out there so some people were really afraid of me. Just out on the street would cause them to panic. So to be back here, where people see raevans here and there...well it's a relief."

He reached out to adjust a few stone figures that rested on one beautifully crafted wooden bookshelf. "I was paired with Ronan. He was a good man but we definitely went through weird areas just like you. One way had a swarm of scorpions, another running legs, and at one point we couldn't hear anything. I think that was the scariest....wait...why would a ghost be asking math questions?"

Iorek smiled broadly as Rivener looked to him in surprise. "Surprised? Yep. When we got back we realized how cluttered and dangerous the house was. I suppose when you live in a wreck day to day you forget how bad it is. But the three of us decided we didn't want to deal with it anymore and got to cleaning up the place. There are still papers to organize and work to do in the basement but it's a lot better than before."

Reks reached down to pick up a little marble that somehow had escaped it's jar. He dropped it back into the glass container and looked back to Riv happy as can be. "Heh, what do you think of it? We're pretty proud of what's been accomplished so far."

Lillian smiled at Aphi's overwhelming kindness. "Thanks Aphi. I suppose I'll know if it's good or not with a real chef trying it." She moved about the kitchen, grabbing glasses and dishes to hand to Tyson who would then set them up at the table in the dining room. "We have several freezers for the things mom and dad would send. Um...for food...the one in the garage should work."

She handed Tyson some napkins and utensils when the boy came back and sent him off to finish making the table. The lass actually gained some pink in her cheeks when Aphi's brother was mentioned, but it didn't last too long. "Isi's not into school or something? When we were traveling we didn't stay any place for long, so Tyson and I had to leave school for a little bit. It was rough and I felt awful for taking Tyson out of his school."

Lillian frowned and opened the fridge door next to Aphi. "We went all over. England, France, Russia, Switzerland, Egypt, and then a lot of places in South America. I had everyone keep a diary while we traveled to keep a few records. There were a lot of sights to see and people to meet."

She shut the door and leaned against it with her arms crossed and a look of irritation on her face. "I honestly have no idea how we were able to afford traveling that much but I guess even if we didn't find our parents, they managed to keep the money flowing. Probably thought we were sightseeing or something. They haven't spoken to us in I can't tell you how long but somehow we have enough money. It just makes me angry. I was worried about money a few years back. Tyson and I worked different jobs and suddenly when we decided to fly to Europe with what we did have BAM!" Lillian clapped her hands to illustrate her point, "There was a heap of money in our account."

Iorek looked around the hallway of the place he called home. "Yes, it is very lovely. I guess a million dollars would be nice but...I like it here." He patted a sculpture of a baby elephant that's trunk had been turned into a bag rack by the kids, "Plus I can't imagine moving all this stuff somewhere. It'd be crazy." Reks chuckled at the thought of them trying to load up a few vans.

"Mm?" Reks blinked with surprise when Riv grabbed a hold of him and watched him, curious as to what was wrong. "A cellphone? Um...Lilian has given me several but either I break them or my fingers are too big for them to work." He pictured the number of cellphones she had given him while they were abroad and none of them had survived.

He gave a little shrug, dropping his gaze for a moment, "I suppose...I could have Lil or Tyson type the number for me so I could talk with you. Have you had people afraid of you? Heh, I thought humans were more attracted to you than scared."

Iorek sighed and bit his lower lip as he thought about the handful of times people would become aggressive instead of scared. Those were probably the most troubling times. It didn't happen often but while traveling not everyone was as open to a flying torso that looked like they could kill a man with one blow. "I...I don't want them to worry. They've told others off but I'd hate for something to happen if they speak to the wrong person. They could get hurt protecting me and I can't let that happen. We're home now so...everything should be okay."

Lillian huffed and shrugged her shoulders as Aphi expressed his thoughts on their ever-elusive folks. "We've been wondering that too. I thought we'd loose this place since, as I'm sure you know, little jobs don't pay the big bucks. Believe me, you're right. They suck as parents." She frowned after saying that and ran a hand through her now short and curly hair.

"I mean....well..." There it was, that smidgeon of a thing called regret burrowing into her chest. As tiny as it was this feeling knew just the right places to squeeze to make the heart hurt. "When I was little I remember that they were always around and actually knew how to raise a child. But then one day, after Tyson was two, they hired a maid and it just went downhill from there. They started to leave the house for longer periods of time and we rarely saw them until they just disappeared."

She shuddered and jumped onto the next subject without thinking any further on the topic of Mr. and Mrs. Maevin. "Seriously? Isn't he old enough to look into community college at least? Or does he not have his high school diploma?" She moved away from the fridge as Tyson walked into the room and quickly handed him the salad bowl to bring out to the table.

"Maybe I will." Lil smirked as she actually decided to knock it off with her cringing and whining over the other boy and take Aphi up on his teasing. " Although I highly doubt that it'll lead into a date. That guy has never been into me."

The lass tossed some nice warm slices of bread into a basket and set it on the counter as she thought further on Isi. "He's a smart kid and you're his brother so you do have some wiggle room. Take advantage of the title and push him in the right direction. The power of being the older sibling never fails. Just don't give up on him. He's a grumpy dwarf but who knows, maybe he's all set with high school and already looking into colleges? Ask him."

Iorek arched a brow and looked Rivener over. "Mm...I suppose you can be rather daunting. I don't think I'd last in a tussle with you although my friend Shepard has been teaching me how to fight so...maybe I wouldn't get knocked out as quick? He pondered the suggestion and attempted to growl but it sounded garbled and more like a mewl from a cat. "M-Maybe I need to be in the right situation for it to sound right." Reks admitted as an embarrassed flush took over his cheeks.

As they entered the kitchen Iorek smiled to Aphi and settled besides Rivener.

"We better be staying." Tyson hurried back into the room and gave Lil a look. "You promised and we did not clean this house for nothing."

Lil glanced over to Tyson and nodded to the boy, "We are. Don't worry."

The lad sighed with relief. "Good. I don't want to ride in anymore airplanes for a very long time."

"Would you guys like to hang out with us more? Since we'll be staying we could get together a little more often." Iorek suggested as he looked around the room. Well, it seemed like a good thing to ask about. The kids were awfully close to Aphi and he enjoyed Rivener's company. Wouldn't it be a good idea to keep the two groups close?

Lil spluttered and quickly looked to Aphi with a terribly red face she couldn't hide fast enough. "N-No! He's a little troll! I'm just saying that even if things were different I highly doubt he'd even want to go out with me. But haha! Pretty funny, huh?" Ah yeah, save herself from the slip by making it into a joke...brilliant.

Iorek chuckled and shook his head at Riv. "Dire need? Alright, I'll admit it was pretty bad but you can do better? Lets hear it." Reks teased the other raevan as he got over his embarrassment from such a pitiful sound.

"Well aren't you a sweetie." Tyson snickered and patted Aphi's arm as he came to stand by him. They were just waiting for the lasagna to finish now. "But thanks Aphi. We are pretty grateful to have you hanging around. Lil and I probably would have starved that one year if it wasn't for you."

Iorek smiled when he heard his name mentioned. "Really? Me too? I didn't know I'd be included like that. Thank you, Aphi." He told the man as his ears twitched with excitement. He knew how close the kids were to this family, and now to even have a 'sort of' was a nice touch.

Lillian bent down and opened the oven to take out the lasagna and place it on the stove top. "Oh, Rivener! I almost forgot, jeez, now that you have a torso can you eat any of this or would you like me to find something else for you?"

"If you aren't hungry we could go do something else." Iorek added. He didn't want Rivener to feel excluded if he couldn't eat with the rest of the family. "I could show you around the house or we could go out back and play."

"Haha, yeah, they say it's a growth spurt!" After a quick fit of giggles, Tyson was able to gain enough breath to puff out his chest. Suddenly Aphi's hand moved just a bit higher, the boy increasing his height with the help from a pair of tippy toes. "Here's to hoping I'll keep having them. I wanna be tall! I should be able to pass Lil but Iorek...Iorek cheats."

Reks scoffed and shook his head at Tyson's exclamation. "I don't cheat. Floating isn't cheating. If I ever get legs I'll play fair." He looked back to Riv and nodded, "Alright. That's fine." He then drifted over to a basket on the table and scooped out a few rocks of varying sizes and shapes.

"Thanks Aphi, but don't worry! You two just go right ahead and sit down." Lillian bustled about the kitchen for a few more things and handed them off to Tyson and Iorek.

The boys entered the dining room balancing two side dishes and condiments. They set them down across the table and took their seats.

Lil came in carrying the lasagna and set it on it's placement mat. "This is the proper way to do it when you have guests over. Least that's what I was told when I was little. Nanette, the lady who used to work for us, and Ethelle who worked before her, used to always make up the tables. I'd have friends over to play and whenever we'd come in for a snack the dining room table would always be dressed up and ready to serve. So...I thought we might as well try it for you guys especially now that you can see the table."

She glanced around the table to make sure that everything was in order before sitting herself down. "Looks like everything is here so I just want to say thank you for joining us for this meal and dig in."

As Lillian and Tyson passed dishes around Iorek set the few rocks he'd gathered from the kitchen on his plate. He wasn't too hungry but he didn't want to leave his plate empty. Besides, the urge may come while everyone else ate.

Lillian's cheeks burned bright with flush after Aphismet praised her cooking. She relaxed in her seat as the nervous tension evaporated from her body. What a relief.

Although she was happily looking forward to their visit the idea of serving Aphismet food had created unshakeable nervous jitters. She would be feeding an excellent chef. Would her measly meal be successful? Augh! The thought of her lasagna tasting terrible had haunted her up until this point.

The gift that was Aphismet's praise was wonderful. If Lillian broke out in a warm glow she wouldn't be surprised. "Well thank you, Aphi. You have no idea how relieved I am. The guys will tell you how nervous I was up until now. See, Tyson? I can be a good cook." She wore a proud smirk as her eyes landed on the rugrat who just gave a dismissive shrug.

"I never said you were bad. You were just fond of heating up food that came in a box." He handed her a piece of bread and offered the basket to Riv. "She almost caved and called the nearest Italian restaurant for food." The boy snickered as he spread butter on his own slice of bread. "I'm happy to report that what you are eating is Maevin cuisine. Be grateful we didn't have Iorek cook though or else you'd be eating lasagna laced with pebbles."

Iorek chuckled and shrugged from where he hovered above his seat. "Why do you guys think I'd do that? There was one time I fed you rocks and that was years ago."

Tyson and Lillian both made a face at the memory. "And that was why I never left food out in the open until you were older. My teeth still hurt just thinking about it." Lil said with an exaggerated moan as she rubbed her cheek.

The three broke out into a fit of giggles. Tyson was the first to recover as he plucked the tomatoes out of his salad and stuck them in Lillian's bowl. "So, what have you guys been up to?" He asked their guests as he searched around for anymore red renegades amongst the lettuce. "We've been pretty bummed it's been so long since we've done anything as a group."