The scene that Janius stepped into for the second time was distinctly different from the first. They were still sitting in the river, close together, but Leeus was rubbing Julan's already-cleaned back with her knuckles, as if to scrub away some invisible dirt. Julan attempted to hide his anxiety, even if he did not do so particularly successfully. To his credit, he managed so look up at Janius calmly, without showing too much surprise. There was just a light, perhaps forced worry in his expression. 

"Um, yes father, I'm here. Is everything alright? Does...the Treeminder want me back...or something?" He asked hesitantly.

[hr]

For the rest of the evening, at least, Ahnasha was able to avoid any new crisis. They had their dinner, then returned straight back to Cheydinhal after nightfall. They had a short conversation with Ahnasha's brother when they passed by them in the main room of the inn, but nothing important was said beyond confirming that they would all be having their picnic at Lake Arrius north of the city, shortly after midday. 

Ahnasha did not sleep terribly well, but nevertheless, made sure she was up early in the morning, then woke up Fendros and Rhazii in turn. While she was not quite as worried about her family as she had been before, she still felt it would be best if she was there at the lake long before her family arrived. She wanted to avoid having her family meet Fendros', without either of them being present. She had even given her family a slightly later time to arrive, to avoid having them meet Fendros' family on the path up to the lake. 

Ahnasha had volunteered herself, Fendros, and Rhazii to help Shevari prepare their picnic, which is what they spent most of their morning doing. Shevari gave Ahnasha a long list of ingredients, substitute ingredients, and, if needed, substitutes for the substitutes to buy. Meanwhile, Fendros and Rhazii headed up to the lake with Shevari to set up the fires, cooking pots, and a cooking spit for their planned main course. The lake itself was small and idyllic, with its waters constantly moving from the small waterfall that flowed into it. There were clouds filling the sky, but it did not look like rain would be coming anytime soon, or at least not soon enough to bother them. 

After Ahnasha brought up the first bag of ingredients, Shevari went ahead and started cooking what she could with what she had. Interestingly, Shevari seemed to act quite differently once she started her work. All morning, she had been friendly, if not somewhat shy, but after only a few minutes of cooking, she became quick, decisive, and focused. She had three dishes going at once, and did not show a hint of struggling to keep track of what she needed to do for each of them. Since Fendros and Rhazii were meant to be helping her, she became surprisingly...assertive in giving out her orders to them. 

"I need the smallest kwama egg and two pinches of shredded bittergreen. Quick, quick." Shevari shouted out, holding out one hand expectantly while focusing on the stew she was stirring.