A Return to Eaulir - 119 4A

[Nara-pyon]

Without the rush of looking for killers, it was a four week walk back to Eaulir - with Uruloki helping them across the strait between Eausin and Eaulir. They circled around the settlement of Water Elves, knowing full well that they would prefer to keep some distance from any foreigners, and set up the tent in roughly the same area where they had been the first time they'd been there. The travel was uncomplicated, especially through Eausin, where there were no people at all.

It was evening by the time the tent was set up, but despite the late hour, there were many people who wanted to go out and swim before nightfall. Even Daenis expressed the desire to go for a swim, since the evening was cooler than the daytime heat. Winter it might still be, though not for long, but it was a tropical location, and still very hot and humid.

"When do you think Killian will show up?" Andarien asked anyone who would listen as he meandered towards the water. He was fully dressed and had no intention of actually swimming, but he didn't want to just sit around inside, either.

[Kara Winters]

"It depends on when he finds out we're here," Miyuki replied, "Now that I think about it, I never notice a Water Elf before they notice us... though with everyone swimming, they'll probably know pretty soon anyways."

So she supposed Killian would show up soon, after all they had been here before and she was sure someone was going to mention they had returned.

[Nara-pyon]

"I don't think any of us do," Shoneah said dryly. "Of course, we're not used to looking for people coming from the water."

She grinned. "On that note, I'm heading in." She already had her swimsuit on, having changed into it after they'd set up the tent, and now she ran for the water, diving in as soon as she was in deep enough water. A handful of others followed after her.

Andarien looked around to see if his parents were going to join them in the water. He wanted to talk to them, and he had been waiting weeks for the opportunity. Not that there hadn't been opportunity to simply talk to them - four weeks was a long time, after all, and it wasn't like they never saw each other. But he wanted to talk to them alone, and that was more difficult.

[Kara Winters]

Lin had taken to sitting outside, enjoying what little breeze there was ruffling her feathers. She had decided to not go out for a swim as it meant having to pull her wings back in, and she rather enjoyed the ability to have downtime outside like herself.

[Nara-pyon]

Earendil had walked the entire trip, so he was ready to take a break, evening warmth or no evening warmth. He was lying on the ground next to Lin, his eyes closed, his hands behind his head as a pillow. Though Andarien had no real skill in keeping his steps quiet, Earendil didn't notice his approach, owing both to his still less-than-par hearing and his exhaustion.

"Nana?" Andarien said as he came close. "Ada? Can I sit with you?"

Though he was always fairly serious, there was an additional note of urgency in his voice - vague, but present nonetheless.

[Kara Winters]

"Of course," Lin padded her other side, "Is something the matter?"

It was always hard for her to figure out what was going through Andarien's mind, but if he was serious about something, she always knew at least he felt it was very serious.

[Nara-pyon]

Andarien shook his head and sat carefully next to his mother, crossing his legs and pulling his feet closer. "No, nothing wrong," he replied slowly. "I just wanted to talk to you ... ask you something ..."

Earendil opened his eyes and sat up so that he could hear better. "Oh?"

Andarien nodded and leaned a bit closer. "Well ... see ... I want to ask Shoneah to marry me, and we talked about different customs in different cultures, about her people back in Gaia and the different elves we've met, and angels, and ... well, when I asked her what way of asking she liked best, she said none of them, that she would like to be surprised, that she couldn't see it coming."

It was a long, rambling sentence, though he had spoken slowly, and now he paused for a breath.

"Anyways," he concluded with a sigh, "I've been thinking and I just can't think of anything that she wouldn't expect the question from."

Earendil was slightly surprised, but impressed as well. He arched one eyebrow and looked at Lin to see her reaction.

[Kara Winters]

Lin wasn't surprised that Andarien wanted to ask Shoenah to marry him. She figured the two would marry eventually, she may have been surprised to how soon. Or maybe that was just the mother in her that was thinking that, because time was passing so quickly.

She smiled softly and chuckled a bit as she reached out to hug Andarien.

"Time flies," she murmured, "And to answer your question, I'd recommend thinking of a method that means something to the both of you. Whether it is something that started your relationship, or something you have in common, sometimes that's a good place to start."

[Nara-pyon]

Andarien was confused by the hug, but he didn't comment on it. His mind had already moved ahead to what Lin had told him, to think back to the beginning of his relationship with Shoneah, or things they did together.

"Well ... she was always so homesick, that's how we started spending time together," he said thoughtfully. "And ... we do a lot of smithing together ... and she's still training me with the swords ..."

There was the musical box he had made for her - but he had already given her one, a second would be too much.

"Maybe ... something that reminds her of home or something ..." he murmured. Then he frowned. "But I don't think we're going to be going back there, at least not forever ... and she said she's not part of her tribe anymore so she doesn't ... what did she say ..." He looked up at the sky as if expecting an answer from above. "Um ... not that she doesn't want to have any ties to it anymore, but ... maybe ... something like that."

Earendil rubbed his chin, thinking hard. "She doesn't want you to feel pressured to try to do what she would be familiar with, perhaps?"

Andarien nodded. "And then I thought of making something for her, or giving her something, but then she might expect that I'm going to ask her ..."

[Kara Winters]

"How about something for the suite you two will share?" Lin suggested, "Her and your suite, will be your home, maybe have or make something that could be displayed somewhere, as a representation of the home you two will make no matter where you are."

Though what that might be, Lin didn't know, but it was a thought.

[Nara-pyon]

Andarien chewed on the inside of his cheek as he thought about Lin's suggestion. It had given him an idea.

"Was that helpful, Andarien?" Earendil asked, recognizing the look on Andarien's face, but never sure what it was that was occupying his mind.

Andarien nodded slowly. "... yeah ..." He fingered his goggles and looked out over the water. It wasn't difficult to see how many of their group were in there, but his eyes were on Shoneah - no surprises there. Without another word, he rose to his feet and wandered towards the tent.

Earendil wasn't entirely surprised at the abrupt ending to the conversation. He simply laid down again and put his hands back behind his head. "It's frightening, how quickly he's grown up," he murmured to Lin, his brow furrowed slightly.

[Kara Winters]

Lin decided to lay down as well, snuggling into Earendil's side as she giggled.

"Just a bit," she admitted, "But for me, not wholly unexpected. Even though it may have seemed to you I took decades to grow up, I was six years old when I became a teenager, probably wasn't even a decade old when I became an adult. The flipping back and forth between the two worlds has added time onto my age... though I'd imagine daddy wasn't use to it."

She imagined her father was kind of grateful there was no wedding, otherwise he would have to actually deal with the fact his little girl grew up, got married and had a child, not in that order though.

"It helped the twins were there to distract him," Lin laughed thinking about that as well.

[Nara-pyon]

Earendil chuckled softly. "I suppose. You know my parents didn't have that worry. Ada, perhaps, but Mother ... well, most of the family was waiting for me to get on with it, I think."

He pulled one hand from behind his head and stroked Lin's hair gently. "Still ... I wasn't meaning physically," he murmured. "It wasn't long ago Andarien was more like a child than an adult. I'm still not sure he's ... well ..."

He didn't know how to put it without making it sound bad. But it was true: Andarien's mind still didn't work like most adults'. He still had trouble understanding things. His asking them for help was proof of that.

[Kara Winters]

"Mature enough?" Lin offered to Earendil.

She wasn't going to sugar coat it, mainly because at times, when you compared Andarien to other 'adults' he could be quite mature. So how he acted didn't fully concern her. It maybe concerned her how he was going to navigate the complex emotions that came with marriage and adulthood, but it appeared that Shoneah did a far better job at doing that than they were.

"The sudden leap in maturity is going to get a bit getting use to, even as a stage grower, but as for the maturity that comes with adulthood...." Lin paused as she tried to find the right words, "Honestly, I think he is mature, he's responsible, he's thoughtful, he can look after himself and knowing his need to think through everything and that conversation we just had with him, he no doubt talked about it with Silverbirch, which most people don't do before getting married to begin with..."

There was still the fact that he did still and probably would always have social difficulties for the rest of his life. Eron had warned them about that, and after some deep conversations with the former science teacher, Lin knew that she needed to accept that this was what made Andarien, Andarien.

"I mean... yes, socially Andarien still has trouble understanding things we take for granted, but that has nothing to do with his maturity and all with how he thinks," Lin confessed, "And... that is never going to change. Nothing short of learning is going to teach him, and he isn't going to learn unless he's allowed to live his life and do those things. Besides, Silverbirch technically already said yes to this marriage, and she knows far better than us what this will mean. Goodness knows she knows how to beat off any awkward replies faster than we do."

[Nara-pyon]

"She does seem to be the only one who really understands him and who can explain things to him in a way that he will listen to and can understand," Earendil admitted with a smile. "I don't know how she does it, I really don't. But she does seem to have a way with him."

He thought back to the talks he'd had with both of them, Shoneah and Andarien, on separate occasions, and separate from the other.

"One thing I don't think we need ever doubt," he added seriously. "They both love each other dearly, no matter how long it took for either of them to come to the realization. Both of them needed help to see it, but I think we've both proved that doesn't mean it's any weaker for it."

He laughed. "Honestly our courtship makes theirs look positively normal!"

[Kara Winters]

Lin had to laugh along with him, "I think we make a lot of courtships look normal."

Certainly there were other courtships that took a very long time, but at least they knew they were in a courtship. It took Miyuki to get them together, and even then it was touch and go.

[Nara-pyon]

"And there are some, like Daeron and Iorlas', that make ours look normal," Earendil chuckled softly.

It was only about an hour before everyone came out of the water and prepared for bed. It was safe enough that they didn't activate the security runes, but to be safe, Uruloki slept outside the tent door that night.

It was two days before they heard from any Water Elves, and it Atl who came to see them - with Nyx and Teslin along for the visit.

The sun was high when the three of them approached from the water. Teslin ran ahead of his parents, and this time, they didn't stop him. Amir was playing in the sand when they showed up. When he saw Teslin running towards him, his eyes lit up in recognition.

"Mama!" he called, clapping his hands together and then pointing at the ocean. "Mama! Look!"

Iorlas had been reading a book on the beach, sitting on a blanket under the shade of a tree, but at her son's call she looked up, shading her eyes against the bright noonday sun. "Well, well," she smiled. "Not who we were expecting, I think, but a pleasure nonetheless."

She waved a greeting, and the adults waved back.

[Kara Winters]

Miyuki was also outside, using a portable desk to work on a blueprint. A term she had picked up from Shiro and Andarien, though her blueprints tended to be of rooms with strange features or rune arrays that could do different things. At the moment, she was working on the lake/waterfall room.

She looked up to see their vistors and waved at the incoming adults. Since they were having guests, she began to pack things away.

[Nara-pyon]

By the time Atl and Nyx made it to shore, Teslin and Amir had already begun to build a sand castle together, and Iorlas had set aside her book and wandered to the water's edge.

"Welcome back," Nyx smiled at the two women on the shore. "We noticed that you had left rather abruptly and wondered if something had happened."

"We had expected a visit before you left," Atl added with concern in his eyes. "Are you all right?"

[Kara Winters]

Making sure her materials were out of the way, Miyuki got up and joined Iorlas at the water's edge.

"We're fine," the kitsune assured their companions.

Though it warmed her heart to see the concern Atl expressed.

"Kyrie had caught wind of Water Elven settlements being attacked," Miyuki explained, "And we went as quickly as we could to help those that were being attacked. We came back because Killian had been with us the night Kyrie broke the news and we promised to come back and tell him what happened after everything was settled."

[Nara-pyon]

"Ah," Atl frowned. "Yes, we'd heard that it wouldn't be safe to visit Eausin lately, but that all started after Teslin was born. When we were discussing where to stay before we came to land, we ended up tossing for it."

"What happened there?" Nyx asked anxiously, instinctively moving closer to her husband.

Iorlas hesitated. Clearly they hadn't already known that anything was going on, and with Nyx as nervous as she already was on land (or was that simply her nature?), she didn't know if it would be a good idea to tell them.

[Kara Winters]

"Maybe it's best to take a seat first if we're to talk about it, we can tell you as much as we know, but I think we left with plenty of unanswered questions. Not that those particular questions were important..." Miyuki murmured as she motioned for the shade.

There was probably something of worth in Eausin, but honestly nothing was worth the lives of others. It was actually disappointing to see anyone think so little of another race that it would be worth to kill them.

[Nara-pyon]

Iorlas put one hand on Miyuki's shoulder. "Should I get Wren or Kyrie first?" she asked her niece softly. "They know the most about it and may be able to answer questions that neither you nor I would be able to."

With three adults still outside, she wasn't concerned about leaving Amir out near the water's edge for a few minutes.

[Kara Winters]

"I think Kyrie first would be best," Miyuki replied.

She wasn't sure how soon Wren wanted to talk about her part in it. Miyuki had gotten the impression that Wren felt a bit gross after the whole thing, perhaps a mixture of pretending to be someone she wasn't and having to pretend to be fine with how other people thought and felt.

[Nara-pyon]

Iorlas nodded, and as Nyx and Atl made themselves comfortable on the blanket she herself had just vacated, she headed into the tent to look for their guide.

"This sounds ominous," Atl commented with a slight frown. His wife sat next to him, and he took her hand and clasped it in both of his own. "Clearly, there is a reason for the rumours."

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