Welcome to Gaia! ::

Elnara laughed at that - she couldn't help herself.

"Come on, they're not that strange!" she giggled. "Admittedly, it threw me for a loop when you told me that they're not the gender they play at, but still ... there are stranger things!"

"The strangest thing I ever saw," Elnara murmured, "was people not freaking out when they saw me shapeshift. You not freaking out. I ... had never imagined that it would be possible for me ... to be what I am, freely, without worrying about what other people thought, how they might react."

She smiled. "Isn't it odd, that the strangest thing I've ever seen ... is freedom?"

"Or for me, more then elf, human and dwarf," Elnara replied softly, taking his hand again. "Or for that matter, learning that there are different types of elves ... seeing Sasku wasn't such a shock, he's very much like my people ... but you ..."

She turned her head to look up at him, but in such a manner that he didn't have to move his own head. "You ... are so different ... and yet ..."

She reached up with one hand and brushed some stray hairs back from his face.

"And yet, so much the same," she murmured quietly. "Perhaps not as my people, but as me."

Elnara smiled and pressed his hand against her cheek, then closed her eyes gently and let herself enjoy the peacefulness of sitting there with Lore, with no rush to be anywhere, with no children needing her immediately.

She wished briefly that there were more opportunities like this. Life, it seemed, was all so often far too busy.

The afternoon passed by quickly - too quickly for Elnara, who was feeling more relaxed and more at peace than she had felt in a long time. Still, when the sun reached a certain position, she sat up straight again and turned to Lore.

"We should probably be heading back soon," she murmured softly, though she would have liked to stay longer.

Elnara blinked at the reminder. "Aye ... yes, yes, we should probably get back right away then."

It had been quite a lovely afternoon, though, she mused wistfully.

"Idhril! Silvrendir! It's time to go back," she called, standing and stretching a bit.

Idhril bounded off her great-grandmother's lap and ran over to Lore and Elnara again. "Okay!" she said brightly, putting her arms up to Elnara to be picked up. "I had fun, though! Can we come back again?"

Silvrendir also made his way over to Elnara, but he took his time, wandering slowly, his hands clasped behind his back, looking around at everything as if they had just arrived.

"It was good meeting you as well," Lore replied, "And..." he chuckled at Idhril a bit, "Hopefully we can," he told Idhril.

Since he didn't know how long the trip to the Plantation would take up after all.

Soronúmë started leading them back through the inn. "I hope the rest of your visit goes well," she told them with a smile. "I know it must be difficult, coming back here ..."