Ewan made sure to gather up Storm and Avery's packs along with the small travel satchel as the gangway was lowered to the docks and the call to shore was sounded. He smiled to them both and motioned for them to go ahead with care, "We will stop by to see mother first before going on to the manor to settle down."

Storm returned the smile, letting Avery step ahead of her before she moved in front of Ewan. Avery nearly overwhelmed with excitement, went down gangway quicker than was comfort, and Storm's eyes narrowed, but he made it to the docks with ease. Storm walked down with apparent ease, though her step did not hold the same usual grace as it did back at home. She was already looking around decks, looking for the familiar and unfamiliar as she crossed, before turning to wait for Ewan, a smile still on her features.

He quirked a brow at her but asked no question and instead turned northward on the dockside street, "This way. It is not far from here. Won't take more than twenty minutes or so. Hold up there, Avery, this may not be Rhydin, but it isn't the backyard either. Keep close." As they walked, people looked askance at Ewan. Some nodded, some averted their eyes, and the rare few actually glared, but Ewan kept a nondescript, easy smile on his face and returned the friendly acknowledgments of those that sent such.

Avery paused in his lead and looked over his shoulder to Ewan, and did as told, waiting to join Storm's other side. She chuckled softly, a hand reaching to ruffle his blond hair. He did not seem to mind, his blue eyes were big as he was looking around. She raised a brow, noticing the different sorts of reactions people gave him, "A well known face is back home." She said softly, finding it easy to notice any reactions to her if she kept her focus on either Avery or Ewan.

"Yes, and not a welcome one to many. I understand why." He gave the merest nod and a slight lift of one hand to indicate they should turn west down a road where shops and houses began to mix, "I still cannot forgive myself. Why should they?" He spoke in murmurs. A tilt of his head as he looked at her, "How are you feeling?" It had been at least since last night that he had asked the question.

She placed a hand on Avery's shoulder to have him turn with them, as he was too busy looking around the catch the direction change, "You are an honorable man, even if you were in the midst of a tragedy." She murmured in response, her free hand reaching down to squeeze his hand gently, before hers went lax, leaving it up to him to hold it, or it would go back to her side. His continuous concern brought another smile from her, "I feel fine. There is a different feel here," she frowned slightly from her wording, "like a void of things, but there is air here still." Though she was unsure of the ability of her gifts, she was not about to try something and see.

He kept her hand in his, which naturally brought some new looks from passersby, though the along this road the populace was not as thick. They passed several side streets, and if one looked down their lengths would see a mixture of similar looking buildings all somewhat narrow across, no more than twelve steps, but certainly had their length. They turned down a lane not unlike the others except this one all had small front gardens with gates of varying colors in wood or iron. Trellises arched over some gates. He nodded to a well kept house. It's gate of wood without a trellis but the front garden in good order and the door and shutters of a dark green, similar to the green of pennants and banners that had dotted lamp posts and other doorways; baronial green, "Here we are." He opened the gate for them.

Avery pointed every so often to something that he found interesting or exciting, and Storm would response with either smiles, or easy responses. Not that she was not paying attention to his interests, but her own grey eyes widened slightly as she looked down the different streets. She took a particular interest to the gardens and trellis, "I do not think I have ever seen housing fronts like these." She said softly and absently, mostly to herself. Her attention was pulled back to Ewan as he announced that they had reached the house. She smiled her thanks to the opened gate, gently nudging Avery to go first before she followed. A quiet, deep breath before she turned to look at Ewan, "Ready?" She asked, her features warm as she offered a smile.

Before Ewan could respond the door opened and out came a petite in stature, though somewhat stocky in shoulder woman with grey hair that had the shadow of its former dark blonde glory tied back in a long braid. She smiled to them, and lifted arms in a welcome. A boy around the age of five came hurtling out from behind the older woman's long blue linen skirts to cheerfully announce to Avery, "Come on! We're playing bandits in the back yard! Lina's tied to a tree!" Maeve scolded, "Gaer, don't pester the boy already." And with Gaer's scrunched up nose of distaste for propriety, Maeve smiled again, "Do excuse our manners. Come in Avery and Storm. Come take your ease for a bit. I fear you've caught Gaerwyn and Lenika out right now. And I'm glad to see you've regained some of your sense as a gentleman and are carrying their luggage." She turned this last on Ewan, but then kissed his cheek as he did hers, "Good to see you, mother." Then proper introductions, "Mother, this is Avery and Storm Divine. Avery, Storm, this is my mother, Maeve Corins--" Maeve waved it off, "Maeve is good enough. Come on in, come on in..." She ushered them inside in front of Ewan.

Storm's eyes followed Maeve out of the doorway, until they landed onto the smiling Ewan. She chuckled softly, nudging her boot to his, "What makes you say that?" Her eyes brightened slightly as she took another drink of her tea, before they turned somber, "Is there something wrong with your mother?" She asked in hushed tones.

He looked to the chair, his eyes narrowed as if he was seeing Maeve there still, "She moves more stiffly. There's a hitch to her gait that I do not recall." A sad smile turned to Storm, "I suppose she is just aging."

"Hmm." She pushed a few strands of crimps and curls behind her hair. She thought she heard the faintest thread of children's laughter, but when she focused on it, the sound had faded, "Your mother still does not know what I am?" Grey eyes focus more on him than the sounds, "I do not want to say something that is.. uncomfortable."

A brief shake of his head and he clarifies, "She knows who you are in the best way I could describe in a letter. You can speak freely."

A soft smile as she visibly relaxed, "Thank you." She brought the tea up to her lips again, ears straining to even catch the sounds from within the kitchen. She licked her lips briefly as it took more effort than she cared to put in, "It is peaceful here." She said offhandedly.

A random nod just as Maeve came in with a tray of small sandwiches and small bowls of fruit with spoons enough for all, "Here we go, now eat up. I hope there is something there you enjoy. Ewan tells me you are quite the cook."

"Thank you." Pleasant smile, she picked a small sandwich at random, "I enjoy cooking, it is by sheer luck that it's edible." A sidelong look to Ewan under her lashes, before she took a bite.

"Edible? Mother, you know how horrible I am at cooking." Maeve shrugged only slightly to Ewan's suggestion and said, "I should have had you around the kitchen more maybe." Ewan shook his head, "As if I would have at that time, but that is a topic for another time. The point is I did try to cook something for Storm, it naturally turned out awful, but she did her culinary magic and it turned out palatable."

She chuckled, glad that she had already swallowed her food before she would have choked on it, "You just need some.. guidance." She was trying her best not to snicker, "I watched you cook vegetables. So if you ever need help with the vegetables.." She said this to Maeve, grey eyes bright with humor as she took another bite, "All you have to tell him is when they are done."

Ewan laughed heartily and Maeve gave an airy laugh. Just then Lina, a young girl of approximately seven peered around the corner as if the adults were a little crazy. She had clear blue eyes and brassy brown hair with tell tale sign of a few leaves in the braid. She stepped over and whispered to Maeve, who stopped her and said, "Make your hellos, Lina." Lina moved over to Ewan and kissed his cheek, "Hello, Ewan." She looked a little more shyly to Storm and bobbed a curtsey, "Hello, Miss Storm."

Sandwich finished, grey eyes caught the movement of the young girl peeking inside. The corners of her lips tugged into a smile as she noticed the few leaves in the braid. She turned her smile to a friendly one as she nodded to the girl, "Hello, Lina. I see you have been freed from the tree." She said with all seriousness.

She nodded solemnly, "Yes, Miss. Avery gave Gaer a whack to the head with a stick and rescued me." Maeve and Ewan both opened their mouths, but Lina already was on to their question, "Gaer's fine." Her mouth scrunched up, "But then they decided there needed to be a parade with *flowers* coming down from balconies, but we didn't want to use the real flowers, so we used leaves from the trees." Maeve tucked in her lips a moment to hide the smile, then motioned, "Go on now and take a few sandwiches outside for you and the boys." Lina smiled and snatched up three of them and dashed out the parlor and down the hallway outside again.

Her eyes also widened at the news that Avery hit Gaer on the head, and was about to get up, but Lina made it sound like all was well. She just shook her head gently, wondering where he got the idea to do that, "Have fun." She said as left, before offering a sheepish smile, "Avery has a bit of an imagination." She said, grey eyes going to the doorway, still debating if she should go and keep an eye on him.

Maeve waived it off, "Oh, no doubt they were dueling as best as little boys can duel, well, except Ewan who had a scary knack for it even as a child, and gave a harmless knock on Gaer's head. If it had been tragic we would have heard the wailing from here." She sipped her tea and asked Ewan, "How is the Baroness and her children?" Ewan gave a sober nod, "As well as can be expected. I do not expect they will return again until a bit before Harvest Festival." Maeve gave an understanding nod and then continued her questions, "And will you be back then?" Ewan smiled for his mother, "I plan on it, mother." While Maeve did not say it, the smile showed she was well pleased to hear it.

"When is the Festival?" She asked, looking between the two as she took another sip of the tea.

Ewan supplied the answer, "Another two and a half months."

"Ah." A pleasant smile, "Back at home, we usually have something like a harvest festival in the beginning of this month. We were unable to hae one this year, but.." A faint shrug, "Is it a big gathering?" She only knew bits and pieces from whatever Ewan had told her.

Maeve nodded, "Yes, though I suspect most will be coming in to town to hear the news of up north from more reliable sources. Cian will have to be in attendance for the tithings. Have they found a Protectorate for him?" Ewan gave a shake of his head in the negative, but turned the topic of conversation back to the festival, "It is a rather large event here. Or largest festival, mainly because of the tithing that goes on, but also the competitions, the dances, and the feasting. The play, of course, that recounts the past years events." That thought turned Ewan's mouth down and he whispered, "Swords and arrows, how are they going to portray that?" Obviously thinking of the slaying of the Baron.

"Maybe they will not." She offered, keeping her eyes on Ewan, before changing the subject away from that, "It sounds like a joyous occasion, a good time to come home." She turned to Maeve then, "Are you enjoying having a full home?"

"Oh, to be sure." Maeve smiled, "I do not think I have ever had such a full home, and a new room added, too. You should see it. Ewan had a bit of a hand in helping with it, though most of the work was Gaerwyn's." Maeve smiled, but Ewan stood, "Perhaps tomorrow, mother, I think it might be best to go ahead and get Avery and Storm settled at the manor before nightfall." Maeve stood as well, "Oh, of course, of course. We will see you tomorrow. I will go get Avery then while you collect your things." And she moved off down the hallway.

"Oh, thank you." She said to Maeve, before setting the cup on the tray with the tea, before rising. She looked to Ewan, and could not contain the overwhelming urge to smile. She stepped towards him, reaching to give his hand a gentle squeeze before rising on her feet to give him a sweet and simple kiss, "I love you, Ewan Corinsson." She whispered, feeling compelled to say it in a meaning for strength, before she stepped out of the parlor and headed for their belongings.