Welcome to Gaia! ::

Shiro had set aside his work for the moment and was relaxing with Kaito while his brother told him tales of the trip. Of course, Kaito was mostly talking about the things that intrigued him the most - the food, for example, though given enough time he would end up telling Shiro everything.

The two of them were in the reading area of the library. Shiro was sitting in a recliner chair, while Kaito was lying on his back on a beanie chair while he talked. Ura was at a nearby table, playing with Shiro's new super-tablet. They had both been surprised to find out that his fingerprints and voice were accepted as Shiro's own to turn the thing on, and true to Ura form, he had installed one of his favourite games on the thing.

Kaito and Shiro looked up when Miyuki ran into the library, and though Kaito opened his mouth to keep talking to Shiro, Shiro grinned widely, his red eyes gleaming.

"Miyuki!" he exclaimed. "You're so big now! Wow, you've really grown up!"

"Of course you are," Kaito quipped at the same time that Shiro replied, "Of course you're not!"

They were, of course, but it wasn't as if the conversation couldn't be continued another time. Shiro did after all see Kaito a lot more than Lin, and so when Lin showed up he really had to take advantage of the fact and get a visit in.

"Come on in and take a seat," Shiro grinned at Lin and Miyuki. "I got a few more beanie chairs while you were gone, the others seem to really like them."

"A little bit," Shiro grinned. "But of course your version of events is always going to be more colourful. I don't know why but more things happen to you than to anyone else I know - and that's saying something."

He had a lot of contacts, after all.

"So you have to tell me what's been happening with you," he finished, leaning back in his recliner and folding his hands behind his head comfortably.

Shiro wasn't entirely surprised about Caleb and Haldia, or by the fact that Haldia had suitors waiting for her upon her return home, but he was completely shocked by the news about Caras Galadhon and Luk and his people. He had wondered why Arthael had been unable to walk on top of the snow like the rest of the elves, but he would never have suspected that she would have human blood in her! It was simply so unheard of there!

When Lin finally finished talking, Shiro had a gleam in his eye that was hard to identify. On the one hand, it was partially the look that he got when he saw or heard about something that he just had to see; and on the other hand, it was purely murderous.

Across the room, Ura cringed, his ears flattening against his skull. He looked over his shoulder at Shiro, whose eyes were still on Lin, and it was clear that he knew what his other half was thinking.

Slowly, Shiro shifted his gaze to Ura, and Ura cringed even more. Instead of speaking to him, though, Shiro turned back to Lin.

"Well," he said slowly, crisply, his words slow and deliberate. "I think that I can honestly say that I will never again miss a trip with you, Lin."

Shiro nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, Kaito told me that even with the king gone, the people don't seem to trust Aethos yet. Still, time will tell. I'm sure he can adjust. He is immortal, after all."

He paused. "Kaito also told me that matters are proceeding in preparation of a trial for the old king. Apparently Rhea is talking with him and trying to get a feel for him? Figure him out? To help with the sentencing?"

He spoke in questions to see if Lin knew anything more about it.

Shiro chuckled. "No doubt. Don't ever try to send her to a school, she won't be able to take it after the life she's led."

Ura was keeping an eye on Miyuki while he played his game - he didn't need her touching it and messing up his score.

But Ura wasn't the only one who noticed Miyuki's curiosity. Shiro grinned and called out, "Ura, give her a chance to play with it a bit. Something tame, though, not one of your games."

Ura sighed, but he quit his game and looked over at Miyuki. "What do you want to try?" he asked her.

"It's a tablet," Ura replied. He tapped the screen a few times, then thrust it into Miyuki's hands. "Here. Draw a picture or write something or something. Touch the colour you want to choose it, and then touch on the screen to draw."

Shiro grinned at Lin. "I think most of our family is bored in school," he pointed out. "With how long most of us stay as children, or how quickly we grow and how quickly we all learn - there's not much point for us, really. None of us learns like regular human children."