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Earendil laughed at the obvious excitement in Lin's voice. "Kaito?"

Kaito grinned. "Of course. That's why I took us this way. It was beautiful in the daylight, but I bet it's even more beautiful at night."

Kaito, being rather feral, had a deep love for the moon and the moonlight. Even if he wasn't the most fond of water, he did like waterfalls. They made him feel at peace.

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Kaito grinned, his ears flicking at her.

Earendil chuckled.

It was only a few more minutes to the waterfall, and as they passed under several palm trees, it came into view. The river at the base of the falls was at least two hundred yards across, and the waterfall itself nearly a mile high. The spray from the falls spattered far beyond the shoreline, and even in the night sky the mist of it was clearly visible. The air was thick here, humid, but it was a pleasant humidity, because the water was so cool. The moonlight reflected in the waterfall, almost making it look like a curtain.

Miraculously, there didn't seem to be any rapids at the base of the falls - Shiro would have been very interested in finding out why, Kaito thought.

"I was right," he murmured. "It is more beautiful in the moonlight."

"I would imagine that in the morning, the sun would reflect off it and be rather blinding," Kaito mused, "but in the evening ... it reflects the colours of the sunset, and it is absolutely gorgeous. And when you look through the mist at the sun, you can see a rainbow over it ..."

He hesitated, then added, "But during the day it's quite a bit hotter, so the moisture isn't quite as pleasant as it is right now."

Earendil elbowed Lin gently. "Have patience," he teased her. "Tomorrow will come soon enough."

He paused, and then added sheepishly, "though I have to admit, I'm also eager to see a rainbow. I've never seen one before ... and I understand they're quite beautiful."

Kaito looked at his cousin pityingly. "Earendil, for the first time, I feel genuinely sorry for you," he said ruefully. "How on earth did you manage to stay in one place for as long as you did? There's so much more to see than Tor Karad, the city is beautiful but it lacks so much ..."

Earendil shuffled his feet in the sand. "I made a promise," he said softly.

Kaito blinked at Lin, completely unaware that he had embarrassed her. "What?" he asked, tilting his head. "Did I say something I shouldn't have?"

He blinked at Earendil, but his cousin had already turned back towards the path they had taken to get there. He looked back at Lin. "Seriously, why are you blushing?" he pressed, his feline vision showing him even that in the dark.

Kaito just stared at her. "Aaaaaand?" he pressed. "So he's a good man, who keeps his promises no matter how long it takes. Look at it this way - at least he didn't have to wait for you to grow up like a normal human would."

He shrugged. "I just don't see what there is to be embarrassed about."

Kaito blinked at Lin. "But ... that's just ... Earendil, you don't feel as though you've put your life on hold, do you?" he called after his cousin.

Earendil was a little ahead of them on the path, but at Kaito's question he stopped and turned around to face them, letting them catch up. "Not at all," he replied without hesitation. "I have trained, I have learned ... and the anticipation of the journey only makes it all that much the greater."

He smiled. "Besides, it's not as if she didn't visit at all," he pointed out. "If I had waited that many years without any word, then perhaps it might be questioned ... but she visited often, to learn our languages, to learn our ways ... if I had been putting my entire life on hold, I would have waited for her to be here to even learn about anything that has to do with traveling."

Kaito was more confused than ever. Lin was embarrassed because Earendil made a promise and had kept it, Earendil seemed to be embarrassed about something that Kaito couldn't quite figure out, since he was going on and on about something that really didn't need explaining.

He was going to have to have a talk with Earendil later.

But for now ... "You two," he muttered, shaking his head incredulously. "Sometimes I'm afraid to admit that I know you."

Kaito shrugged. "I just don't see why they need to be, is all," he replied calmly. "At any rate, it won't be long anymore. Tomorrow you can both see your rainbow, and then a month or two from now, when Lin's more used to her new wings, we'll be off on our voyage."

Earendil smiled, relaxing again. "I have to admit, I am looking very much forward to it," he murmured softly. "I wonder, Lin, if we're waiting for Shiro to return when we get back ... perhaps we should ask Sir Valdemar to reconsider teaching us the ancient tongue? Another language would never hurt, right?"