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"Yeah, I think I got one of Tou-san's assistants in the face when I grew," Kaito muttered as he moved to one side.

Tinuviel swallowed and moved to the other side and tried to strip Lin's shirt off, though with her arms limp as they were all she could do was roll it up to her neck level to free her back. She flinched at the noise of the wings as they left their casing - it was quite a nasty sound, one she hoped she would never have to get used to.

"We're going to need towels," she told Kaito, "for the blood. Hurry!"

Kaito scrambled to his feet and ran back to the others.

Tinuviel wasn't quick enough this time, and she gasped as she suddenly found herself spattered with blood and plasma. Kaito returned only a moment later with towels in hand, Earendil hot on his heels. Earendil paled, seeing all the blood. "What happened?" he gasped softly.

Tinuviel looked up at him, holding one hand out for a towel. "You really have to ask?" she questioned as she began to wipe down Lin's newly sprouted wings.

"I thought Lin was human," Tinuviel frowned.

Earendil knelt next to them and grabbed another towel and began helping to wipe down the wings. "Kara's an angel," he mused, "but my understanding was that Lin was adopted ... she certainly wasn't a regular child, she was tiny when we first met her ..."

"She's a Second, like Celebor," Kaito murmured.

That meant something to Earendil and Tinuviel. Their cousin Celebor had spent a full year there a long time ago, and he had told them many things about the world where he had been born.

"This doesn't make any sense," Kaito frowned.

"Let's just get her cleaned up, and then we can take her to the healer once we reach the city if she hasn't woken up by then," Earendil said practically. "Senka, do you know if there's anything special we should do for her?"

Kaito rolled his eyes at Senka. "Nature does a lot of things that don't necessarily make sense," he reminded her. "Besides, I wouldn't feel right if we didn't get her checked out. Any open wound is susceptible to infection, and the last thing Lin needs in an interior infection, especially somewhere as sensitive as there."

Once the blood was more or less cleaned up, Earendil leaned down and scooped Lin up in his arms. "I'll take her there," he said firmly, turning and carrying her back towards the horses. Kaito followed quickly after him, and Tinuviel reached down to pick up Senka.

"I'll make sure I'm with her when she wakes up," Earendil told Senka, holding Lin with one arm and using his other arm to mount his horse. "If you want to come I won't stop you, but best not to say anything around the healer. He'll be in enough shock without a talking cat."

Once everyone was mounted up again, they headed into the city.

As was usual for them now, they received many stares as they passed through the city. Not only because of who they were this time, but because the human girl they were traveling with had bloody wings - something never seen or even heard of before.

One thing about the situation, Earendil thought to himself as they rode, it would be a lot easier to tell people that Lin was from a different world now, like Kaito. And he hated to admit it, but she would probably be safe from would-be suitors now.

"Almost there," he murmured as they rode through the city. Not that he knew exactly where the healer's place was, but it would be, like any other city, in the dead center, so he was sure it wouldn't be much further.

When they arrived at the healer's Aranel offered to stay outside with the horses with Regan while the others took Lin inside: Kaito, to help explain to the healer why Lin had spouted wings, Tinuviel because she was the only woman there, and Earendil, because he simply refused not to be there when Lin woke up.

The healer was amazed at the group that came into his house, and he ushered them all into a large back room.

Earendil lay Lin on the bed on her stomach while Kaito explained the situation, and the healer got a bowl of warm water and began to gently rub at the place on her back where the wings had come out.

Earendil was watching Lin carefully, and as Kaito kept talking to the healer, he noticed that Lin seemed to be waking up.

"Lin," he said softly, kneeling down so that his face was next to hers. "Lin, are you awake?"

He brushed her hair away from her face carefully.