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"Yes, and food," Shiro chuckled as the group started to follow Kyrie out of the clinic.

She led them down the street, further into the city, and again the group was subjected to stares and whispers, though again there were no hostile looks. The houses looked just the same as the clinic had, carved out of the red rock that made up the entire town. A few of them had small yards with some sparse grass growing in them, a few had flowerbeds, and once in a while there was a yard with a tree.

"There," Kyrie announced suddenly, pointing at a large building ahead of them. It looked much like the other buildings, but above the door this one had a carved image of a bed.

The first room of the inn was quite small, barely big enough for the group to fit. The only furniture was a tall counter with a ledger and a bell, which Kyrie rang immediately. Three doors led out of the room, aside from the one through which they'd entered: one in each of the other three walls. Through one, a long corridor was visible with doors all along it; through the one opposite, a medium-sized dining room; and through the third, behind the counter, a blank wall.

It was a fire-haired man who entered the room through the doorway behind the counter, and though he didn't react when he saw Kyrie, he blinked when he saw the others. He looked back to Kyrie and spoke to her questioningly, and Kyrie took a while to respond.

"She's explaining we need some rooms for an unknown amount of time," Andarien translated for the rest of them.

"I do wonder how our stay is going to be paid for," Earendil couldn't help but comment, "especially since - to my understanding - we're going to be here a while."

They had promised that they would stay longer in Kyrie's hometown, after all, so that she could spend more time with her husband ... and there was also the child, who knew how long it would be before he was ready for travel, if he made it that far.

"We'll have to ask Kyrie after, I guess," Earendil murmured as the proprietor handed over a few keys to Kyrie.

Kyrie turned to the rest of the group and held up the keys. "Everyone's going to need to share," she told them, "but there's room for all of you. Daeron and Iorlas are going to be staying at the clinic for now, but - and I hope it's okay I divided you all this way - Lin and Earendil, a room for you; Miyuki, Wren and Lancaeriel, one for the three of you; and one for Shiro, Kaito and Andarien."

"We did it in Caras Galadhon," Lancaeriel smiled, "we can do it here. Thank you, Kyrie."

Kyrie didn't have a ready answer to that question, and she opened the first door they came to and held a key out to Lin.

"I'll figure something out," she said at last. "Right now I've other things on my mind. But don't worry about it yourself, I'll take care of it. I can call in a few favours."

"You're sure that's all right?" Earendil asked anxiously.

Kyrie smiled. "Worse come to worse, we can see if Ahkshi's family will take you in. They've the room, though they're not so fond of outsiders. Sometimes I still question whether or not they accept me. I'm half human, and I'm the one responsible for introducing Lara and Cantor."

Kyrie's smile widened and her eyes grew softer at Lin's comment.

"I look forward to it," she said warmly. Then she added, "Probably not for a few days, though, not until we know how things are going to go with the child."

"Understandable," Earendil assured her. Looking down at Lin, he murmured, "I'm just going to drop my bag and go straight to sleep, I'll worry about eating later when my stomach is fully better. Go ahead and eat without me."

Meanwhile, Kyrie had moved on to the next room, this one for Wren, Lancaeriel and Miyuki; and after handing the key to Lancaeriel (who opened the door and led the way inside), she gave Shiro the key for the room beyond that, for him, Kaito and Andarien.

It helped that Andarien was still wide awake. Being so young when they had passed through Amon Darthir, he had never heard stories about people dying from falls when they were flying, and so, without anything to worry about, he'd had no trouble sleeping on Uruloki's back. To be honest, all he wanted was to finish that design he'd been working on at the clinic, but he was fully aware that he was the only one of them (since Iorlas was at the clinic and Kyrie had also headed back there) who knew the language, and therefore he would be in high demand.

Lancaeriel and Wren ended up being the only ones going with the siblings to the dining room, and the four of them chose a cozy table near a window, where the sunshine streamed cheerfully in. Soon after they were seated, a well-groomed young man greeted them and gave them menus to look at.

Andarien was pleased when he skimmed the first page. "They use the same runes as Caras Galadhon!" he beamed. "I can read it!"

Andarien shook his head at his sister. "Only if I've been taught," he told her. "Ada taught me the runes from the Four Lands, Shiro taught me the runes from Amon Darthir, and Corazin taught me the runes from Caras Galadhon."

It wasn't as if reading was a part of the gift he'd gained when he'd drunk Iorlas' blood. Only speaking and understanding.