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"Ah, your cousin then," Lancaeriel smiled. "That sounds like quite the gift, being able to remember things the first time. One that I wish I had. I have to take notes and study them before I can remember things as well as I'd like to."

Despite the fact that Lin's explanation was in Common Elvish, most of it went over Andarien's head, and he simply stared at her blankly.

Earendil chuckled softly and put one hand on Andarien's head. "Perhaps we should leave that for a proper lesson setting?" he suggested to Lin. "He might need more explanation than that."

To be fair, he supposed they hadn't really talked to him about magic either.

Iorlas meanwhile was waiting patiently for an opportunity to talk to her friend again, though she didn't want to interrupt the conversation between Miyuki and Lancaeriel.

Iorlas smiled at Miyuki. "Well, I was asking them if they thought it would be fine if I were to invite Lancaeriel to come traveling with us," she replied. She glanced up at her friend. "What do you think, Lancaeriel? We're on a tour of the Four Lands now, and in the future we hope to sail to other lands ..."

Lancaeriel's eyes lit up brightly, taking on an almost blue tinge. Iorlas certainly knew how to entice her. "I would be honoured," she replied warmly. "Third time's the charm, after all, right?"

Earendil nodded at Lin. "And I certainly wouldn't be much help," he added. "I know magic isn't your strong suit either ... but I think it would be good to have someone try to find out what Andarien's gift is, exactly, then."

Miyuki might not have known exactly what Lancaeriel meant by that comment (or rather not have had the slightest clue), but Iorlas understood perfectly. Her face turned a bright shade of red, and she looked away uncomfortably.

Lancaeriel laughed softly and put one hand on Iorlas's shoulder. "Come now, the past is the past. You should know that I don't hold grudges."

"I know," Iorlas murmured, though she was still blushing furiously.

Daeron was watching the three of them curiously, and he was startled by this particular exchange, especially because of Lancaeriel's reaction to Iorlas's blush.

Earendil chuckled at Lin. "Yes, they would certainly know," he agreed. "If they're not able to help Andarien themselves. And weren't some of them going to research magic?"

Not to mention they had Shiro with them, worse come to worse he could always help out.

Lancaeriel smiled at Miyuki. "Well, I will let Iorlas explain, if she wishes," she told the child. She looked at Iorlas to see if she would do so.

Iorlas looked at Miyuki. "Not here," she said firmly.

They were still in a public place, and she would much prefer that particular conversation be kept private.

"Sounds good," Earendil grinned. He looked around to see what the others were up to. It seemed they weren't paying any attention to the shop anymore (save Andarien, who, tired of his parents talking over his head again, was back to inspecting the carving that Lanaea was working on).

Earendil chuckled at Lin. "Well, when we have surprise visitors directly followed by surprise Gifts, I think we can excuse becoming distracted."

They chatted with Lanaea for a few minutes, and then they visited a few other shops before heading back to the palace. Lanaeriel declined to accompany them, saying she needed to finish her shopping before going back to her room at the inn for the day.

By this point, Andarien was riding on Earendil's back, since he wasn't used to doing that much walking. Once they were out of the city proper, and on the quiet path that led to the palace, Daeron felt it safe enough to broach the subject that he had been curious about since their conversation in the carpenter's shop.

"So, Iorlas," he said tentatively, "how did you first meet Lancaeriel? Who is she?"

He didn't ask about what had flustered Iorlas earlier. He didn't want to touch on something that might be embarrassing or even perhaps a bit painful.

Iorlas had to think about her reply before she was willing to give it, and her expression was very pensive.

"We first met," she replied softly, at long last, "when I was still very young. I killed her husband, who was the man who wounded me so badly ... and she healed me and changed my life. The second time we met was much more recently. She was traveling with her husband - she had found him again, reborn - and Ioreth killed him. It was then that she and I came to our agreement, and she changed Ioreth and myself into elves."

She hesitated again, then looked over at Daeron. "As to who she is, and what she is, I think that would be more her place to say than mine. I know that she is spending her life traveling now, I believe searching for her husband once more, though it's not my place to say."

"I thought that you said Ioreth had killed the woman who healed you the first time," Earendil spoke up, slightly confused.

Iorlas nodded. "Yes, that is true. But she was reborn. Apparently it did not take her long to regain her memories of her first life, and as soon as that happened she left her new life and went back to her old one. I don't know if she had family by that time or not, but she said that she loved her husband so much that she never wanted any other life."

"Ah," Earendil nodded. "Of course."

Earendil wasn't quite sure how to answer that particular question.

"Well ... let's put it this way," he said finally. "Personally, I know only one other person who has been reborn, but it happens more often than anyone can know. When people are reborn, they don't know that they've had a previous life, not until something happens to remind them of it. So there could be hundreds, even thousands, of people who have been reborn and don't know it. And if they don't know it, we certainly can't."