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Earendil chuckled. "Neither did I. I was merely using it as an example." He smiled at her. "But who knows what other places we will see when we continue on our journey? It's a big world out there, Lin. A very big world. Who knows if I'll choose to settle near water, near something else, or simply return back home for the rest of my life? Or if I'll even settle down?"

He looked back out towards the ocean, his gaze becoming dreamy. "I can theorize all I want right now," he murmured softly, "but ... really, with how much there is that I don't know, it really doesn't do any good. There is simply too much left to learn, to discover."

Earendil's smile grew wider, but he kept staring up at the stars. His mind was too busy to answer her again. He was so full of questions ... Would they be able to see everything there was to see before they had to return to the Four Lands again? Or was there simply too much out there to see, even in a lifetime?

"I suppose we should get some rest," he murmured finally, turning back towards Lin. "See you in the morning ..."

He put one hand on her shoulder and gave it a light squeeze before heading off to the jungle.

When morning came, Earendil was back, wearing a fresh change of clothes, his bag over his shoulder. Several of the others were already up and about, and one boatload of the crewmen were out in the water, fishing for some fresh meat. Rhea was cooking breakfast over a small fire with Whisper looking on. Leyenda and Kelirahc were still asleep near Arwen and Roydon's fire, and somehow Celeb had snuck between them and was curled up between them. Roydon was chatting with Arwen while she made their breakfast.

Earendil stretched a bit and ran his fingers through his hair. From what he remembered, Storm and Starr had been put to bed in the shelter, and he wanted to make sure that they would be all right. He started off in that direction, his eyes anxious.

Earendil spotted Lin heading in the same direction as him, and he waved to her and smiled lightly. "Morning," he called out as they got nearer each other. "Sleep well?"

He knelt down and held out his hands to Senka so that she could hop up for some attention.

Earendil chuckled and scooped Senka up into his arms and began to stroke her belly. "That's good. I was just going to check on Storm and Starr before I packed more food. I want to make sure they're all right, but I don't think it will be a good idea for them to come with again, they need their rest, to recover from ... whatever it was that was wrong with them."

Earendil nodded. "Thank you. You know more about your kind, so you might have a better idea of what happened if they're not better yet."

He led them into the shelter, and then he stopped and looked around for the two. He and Kelirahc had lain them on their pile of pillows, near the back wall, but it was a little dark inside, and after the brightness of the morning sunshine, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust. Once they did, however, he had to blink and make sure that he was seeing correctly ... because he wasn't entirely sure it was Storm and Starr that he was looking at.

The twins were on their pillows, all right, and they looked very comfortable ... but both of them were much, much taller than they had been the night before, and Starr had very much filled out into the form of a young woman. Their clothes, it seemed, had grown with them, because they still fit the same, and that was something that was new to Earendil.

He looked down at Lin. "I don't recall you getting sleepy when you grew," he joked.

Earendil chuckled. "Should we let them sleep?" he asked softly, stroking Senka gently. "They seemed so tired yesterday ... though I have to admit, at the same time, I'd also like to see their reactions when they wake up."

Mean of him perhaps - but then, he was going to be around most if not all of the day, so even if he did go about his work he might be able to see it.