Welcome to Gaia! ::

Andarien blinked at Lin. Even though she was speaking in Common Elvish, he still didn't understand what she meant.

"Huh?" he asked unceremoniously. "What's that mean?"

It seemed there were even a few nuances of the one language he did know that still escaped him.

Andarien nodded. He could accept that - though he was curious about what it would mean. He rubbed the side of his face where he'd been snuggling against Lin. It was itchy now, and he found that the more he rubbed it, the worse it seemed to get.

"You have scratchy clothes, Nana," he murmured, shuffling off her lap.

Andarien's cheek was pink with irritation, but there were no cuts and no blood.

"It's itchy," he murmured, closing his eyes as Lin examined him. He was tired from his outburst, as well as the fear of the sandstorm. But then something suddenly occurred to him, and he opened his eyes slightly and looked over at Lin. "But if there's glass in your shirt, isn't it itchy for you?"

Andarien nodded and yawned. "Then maybe you better go change it," he mumbled, slipping off her lap and taking a handful of Miyuki's clothes instead. "I'll stay with Mi."

Just then Earendil returned from the kitchen, and he smiled anxiously when he saw Lin. "Everything all right out there?" he asked her softly. "No one hurt?"

Earendil's expression became concerned, but he didn't press her for details.

"You'd best do that," he agreed, switching to Common Elvish since she was speaking it. "I can wait until you come back to get the story."

He motioned to Miyuki and Andarien to come sit on the couch with him while they waited.

It took a while, but eventually the travelers' bags were found (most of them buried in the sand) - but their tents, unfortunately, were lost forever, with little more than scraps of canvas to be found. Thankfully, the horses and wagons were safely in barns and stables, so they were undamaged.

From that point, the days weren't filled with lazing about and relaxing, but rather filled with busyness and hard work as the plantation was cleaned and repairs were made. For a while, water was scarce due to the buildup of sand in the river, but eventually even that washed away and things returned to normal.

The two women were walking the vineyard as they spoke, but Iorlas was watching Lin thoughtfully rather than looking at the vines or grapes. At length, she spoke.

"I know that this must really be pressing on you," she said softly, her green eyes fixed on Lin. "The last time we spoke of this, you were reluctant even to consider it. But I have seen how Andarien struggles, though he hides it well when he tries. For my part, the offer still stands, though it may not be quite as simple as it may sound."

She clasped her hands behind her back as they wandered. "We would have to speak to Lancaeriel to know for certain how it will work. I mean, I know it will work, it's just a matter of ..."

She trailed off, clearly hesitant to continue.