Re: Quickly Through Quir - 119 4A

[Nara-pyon]

"How about from the beginning?" Ruel suggested. He came around Luthien's side and knelt next to her.

"But after Aranxia's wedding," Luthien added with a grin. "We know up to that point."

Earendil chuckled. "Well, we told you about finding Amir in northern Caras Galadhon ..."

He started with their flight to Makshim, glossed over their stay in Garnelia (except to tell about how they had left the country, which was in pretty good shape by then), and then Wolsic, Jielam, Friesia, and Dolerum, and then their arrival and stay in Quir to this point.

[Kara Winters]

It was a long conversation, covering the places they had been to and the people they had met. What the places were like, along with the good and the difficult of each country.

After the whole re-telling was said and done, Lin did have to admit aloud, "It's hard to believe that's only 1/3 of the countries so far."

After all, the Four Lands had far less, and was quite true to its name.

[Nara-pyon]

"Well, we were told it was quite large," Luthien pointed out.

"At this rate it looks like at least another ten years before we're back in Caras Galadhon," Daeron commented.

"Speaking of which," Iorlas interrupted, "how are Aranxia and Aennan doing?"

Luthien laughed. "Wonderfully!" she beamed. "One son, another coming. And River and Jess have moved out there with Jess' entire family, and Jess and River have a daughter. They live quite close to Aennan and Aranxia, and Aranxia loves it. She says she hasn't been homesick since they arrived."

[Kara Winters]

"That's good to hear," Lin replied with a soft smile.

It was far away for Aranxia to live, though it was funny how everyone was getting to live everywhere.

"Who knows how big their family will be by the time we get back."

[Nara-pyon]

Ruel chuckled softly. "Well, we look forward to finding out." Glancing over his shoulder, he added, "But it is time for us to go. We've an appointment in the city today, and I think Grandmother and Grandfather are waiting for us."

"We do miss you here," Luthien smiled wistfully. "Stay safe, all of you. And Earendil ... I understand your motivation, but do take care of yourself, too, all right?"

"Come on, Mother, you know I do," Earendil replied, blushing faintly.

Ruel laughed again. "Right. And contact us more often, will you? We'd like to see all of you more."

[Kara Winters]

"We'll try," Lin promised him.

Now that they remembered they could talk via mirror, they would try to do it more often. Heck, if Miyuki had it her way, try to make her own. There was a gleam in her eye when she listened to the concept earlier that day.

[Nara-pyon]

"And Daeron, Iorlas," Luthien added with a grin, "don't you dare let Amir grow too much more before we see him again!"

Iorlas laughed, and Daeron chuckled softly. "Like Lin said," he assured his mother, "we will do our best."

They said their farewells and Earendil reached forward and touched the mirror, returning it to its normal reflective state.

"Well, that felt good," he murmured to Lin, putting one arm around her shoulders and drawing her close again. "It's a pity we can't contact your parents the same way. I'm sure you must miss them like I did mine."

[Kara Winters]

Lin nodded, while it had been her dream to travel, there were times it was disconcerting to be away from Gaia and Gaia like things for such a long time. Including her family and the grounds. Though, Miyuki was doing a darn good job of replicating it in a tent without meaning to.

"Shiro has been trying to figure that one out for a while, but I think it's starting to frustrate him a bit," Lin murmured.

[Nara-pyon]

"Well, perhaps then we might speak with Shiro and find out exactly where he's at with it," Earendil suggested. "It's not like we have anything else planned for today, right?"

He smiled at Lin, then stood abruptly and offered her his hand. "Shall we?"

[Kara Winters]

"Let's," Lin replied taking his hand.

"I'll come too," Miyuki announced, "I've wanted to ask Shiro about that for a while."

Because she never did get around to asking if there was a way to mix technology with magic, and what that could mean.

[Nara-pyon]

"He's probably either in his room or the lab," Earendil mused, watching as Andarien went off towards the forge again. "Probably the lab, knowing him."

And for that matter, Kaito and Khetal were probably also there. Who knew?

[Kara Winters]

"If he's not out taking pictures and exploring the fauna and flora," Miyuki replied, "Though I did give him a number of samples from my foraging haul..."

So that might have kept him busy for a while.

"But eventually he will head out to gather more samples," Lin agreed to Miyuki's first statement.

[Nara-pyon]

"So he could be anywhere," Earendil laughed. "No harm in looking, though. Where shall we start?"

Considering it was Shiro, his first choice would be the lab.

[Kara Winters]

"Okay, to the lab first then," Lin chuckled as she lead the way.

Her hand still holding onto Earendil's as she led her husband and daughter through the tent. The lab wasn't that far from their starting point and the doors being tightly together seemed to compress things a bit.

[Nara-pyon]

In order not to surprise anyone who might be inside, Earendil knocked lightly on the door before opening it.

The lab was a very large room with two distinct sections. In one half of the room, Khetal was working, scribbling something in a notebook. He wasn't alone either: Wren was standing nearby at another table, slicing some fauna into tiny slivers.

On the other side of the room, Shiro was sitting with his knees up against the edge of his work table, his tablet in his lap. There were ear buds plugged into his ears, and he didn't seem to notice that the door had opened.

[Kara Winters]

"He's listening to something, and he probably wont' be able to hear until you're up close to him," Lin commented wryly to Earendil.

Though she wondered what he was listening to, did he bring his music collection with him as well?

[Nara-pyon]

"Then we shall have to get his attention," Earendil grinned.

Wren and Khetal looked up when they heard the voices, and both of them smiled and waved to them. Earendil grinned back at them and started to make his way over to Shiro. The neko had his eyes closed, and though one ear twitched, he made no other indication that he was aware of their presence.

[Kara Winters]

It was a pity actually, Lin realized that with Shiro's eyes closed, it probably meant he was actually relaxing for once. Though it did make her curious as to what he was listening to. The trio was right behind him and Miyuki leaned over slightly to glance at his tablet.

"Shiro?" Lin tried to see if he could hear through those ear buds.

[Nara-pyon]

Shiro jumped at the sound of Lin's voice, nearly knocking his chair backwards. He spread his wings, catching himself before he fell, but he wasn't in time to stop his chair, which hit the floor with a clunk.

"Shoot, guys, don't do that to me!" he exclaimed, his eyes wide as he stared at the three who had come up so quietly behind him. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!"

Earendil blinked at Shiro. "A what?"

[Kara Winters]

"It's something that happens to the heart," Lin explained, "Humans, especially unhealthy ones or the elderly tend to be at risk of a heart attack. I don't know much else, other than it's dangerous, but... it's also used as a saying to not scare a person badly, because it's believed heart attacks can happen under a lot of stress... or something like that."

Miyuki couldn't imagine the few humans she knew getting a heart attack, how would that work? She tilted her head, equally as confused as her father.

[Nara-pyon]

"It's when the heart stops beating properly, or sometimes even at all," Shiro added, ever the perfectionist. He blinked again and cleared his throat, then patted his chest over where his heart was. "Okay, I think I'm breathing again ..."

He let out a heavy sigh, then shook his head and looked back at them. "So what brings you in here?" he asked. "It's so rare that we see you in here."

[Kara Winters]

"We just finished talking to Luthien and Ruel in the Southland," Lin explained, "And the conversation came up about contacting family back in Gaia. I know you were working on that, but wasn't sure where you were at with the idea, and Miyuki was also curious."

Miyuki shrugged, "I know it was frustrating you the last the topic was brought up, and I've given it a bit of thought on and off over the years. When it comes up in my brain."

[Nara-pyon]

Shiro grimaced. "Thanks for the reminder. No success, I'm afraid. Honestly I don't think there's a way to do it without magic, and that's something I don't want to touch again. And not just any magic either, it needs enough power to cross worlds: the power of a portal."

Earendil looked at Miyuki thoughtfully. "You helped Lancaeriel with a portal once ... even if it wasn't between worlds. Do you think you would be able to do something like that?"

Though part of him wondered if it would just be better to ask Lancaeriel right away.

[Kara Winters]

"The problem is, is that it's really draining," Miyuki replied, "To create anything that equals a portal. At least using the set of runes that Lancaeriel used. I remember helping her with that, it was draining, but there has to be another way around it because the family does use portals."

Now that Miyuki was more comfortable with runes, she was doing a lot of her own reading with the only Gaian source she had, and was working from memory of what she could remember of Gaia.

"Granted it could also be, because there is some sort of natural link between this world and Gaia, if Auntie Elnara, Sliverbirch and Eron are any indication... and Grandpa Daemon..."

And her grandfather had been a sword, not even a person at the time he fell in.

"But anyways... I think, what Grandmother Kara had done, was create an array to draw power from the environment around the portals, especially since I think there are more rune linkage in the family compound than even the tent has. Everything there is linked, and makes sense because most of the family has magic, is magical or both."

Miyuki clearly had given some serious thought to it. It shouldn't really surprise Lin, or anyone else, because portal making would be one of the great works Miyuki could do, if she could pull it off.

"There is also probably a difference in how Gaians use runes and magic compared to here. I mean.. on one sense, because elves are magic, there is more magic floating around with a large elven population than say a lot of settlements in Gaia.. I'm guessing.. I would have to spend more time in Gaia," Miyuki paused realizing she was getting off topic, "But... magic in the way it is learned and used is as regular as learning a trade skill here."

The thought really interested Miyuki and if she had time, or wanted maybe she would stick around Gaia and gather more information. Though she didn't like the idea of being separated from her family quite yet, the thought was there.

"So.. I guess in short, what I'm trying to say is... it's possible, but we're going to depend more on a Gaian array that will draw energy to create even a standard portal like what Grandmother used. Simply because I don't rune array system that has a base here will be enough."

There was silence, probably because a lot of what Miyuki said was more than they needed.

"How much of that book did you read?" Lin finally asked.
Miyuki shrugged, "All of it, and then I took notes, and then read it again, and took more notes, and.. yea... but that is as much as I could gather. I don't have a clue how to do what Grandmother did without ending up in bed for a whole day or more."

[Nara-pyon]

"Well, that would make sense," Shiro murmured thoughtfully. "Maybe it's time to lay it aside until we get back home. It's just torturing me, the mor I think about it and try to figure it out."

"Better than driving yourself crazy," Earendil quipped.

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