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Aurin nodded thoughtfully. "It is," he murmured softly. "I must admit ... I had been hoping to ask her to return to Amon Darthir with me ... but I do not know if I dare, knowing what I would be taking her away from. Would she be happy there? Would she feel the same sense of purpose?"

He shook his head slowly. "I do not know. And I fear my uncertainty."

Earendil looked at the man pityingly. He understood that fear. And he understood also the reason why the man did not dare ask Rhea about it either.

Aurin nodded. "I have every intention of speaking with her at length on the subject," he murmured. "But for now ... I will remain silent, and simply allow us to enjoy our time together."

He smiled warmly as Rhea turned to them, and she motioned for Aurin to join her and Serenity and Beren.

Earendil turned to Lin. "We should wash up for dinner," he suggested. "We'll see everyone there again."

Earendil chuckled. "I can imagine. I'll see you at dinner then."

And he ruffled her hair affectionately and headed off to wash up himself.

The next day was spent packing and 'hanging out' with Serenity and Beren. Though the couple had plans for traveling to the Borderlands in the near future, they weren't ready to go there just yet, having just arrived at the castle, and so they weren't going to be coming with the others.

The morning after dawned bright and hot, as was usual for the Southland towards the end of summer. Once again, Earendil was the first awake, excited for the new trip. When the sun came up, he was already on his way down from the mountain, having put in a few hours of training already.

The courtyard was one of the areas that was less traveled of the castle, but there was one person who always loved to be out there. Aranxia, the shyest person living at the castle, had a habit of being out there to greet the morning. She had made it out there before Lin, and now that she was ready to go back inside, she wasn't sure if she could. She would have to go past Lin and the strange child that was with her ...

But on the other hand, she couldn't help but be intrigued by the two strangers who were in her space. She sat beneath a tree, not really hiding, though they wouldn't notice her unless they were looking for her. Her dark hair and tanned skin blended into the shadows of the tree she was under, and her dress, a dark green, helped her to blend into the leaves.

She giggled softly, watching as Miyuki tried to eat Lin's wings, her brown eyes sparkling brightly with laughter, though even her laugh was quiet.

No, it certainly wouldn't be, the little girl thought as she watched the two. But what made one feather more important than another? she wondered. She shifted forward a bit to see if it was different from any of the other feathers.

She needed to get closer ...

Keeping to the shadows, she got to her feet and tiptoed along the bushes to see if she could get close enough to tell between the different feathers.

Well, it seemed that Lin wasn't going looking ... and she was sitting, so she might not be moving for a bit ... surely that was the opportunity that the young girl was looking for. Silently, she left the shadows and squatted directly behind Lin, staring intently at her feathers, trying to find where there was one missing, and what made the feathers different from each other.

Aranxia was startled by the sudden movement, and she fell back, landing in the soft soil of the courtyard ground. She blushed hotly as she looked up at Lin, embarrassed at having been caught so close to her, and staring so intently.

"Um ... hello," she replied shyly, righting herself and standing up slowly. "S-sorry ... I ... didn't mean to ... to stare ..."

She brushed the dirt off her arms, trying not to cat Lin's gaze, and tried to brush the dirt off the back of her dress - though she had a lot of trouble reaching.