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Earendil was equally impressed.

"You know, the last time we were here, the city was still in the process of being rebuilt," he reminded her. "Or rather, had just finished, when we left. It stands to reason that there would be more this time around. Consider that they even have a second settlement now. Who knows what it will be like the next time we come again?"

And who even knew when that might be? A long time, to say the least.

While there was nothing really new in the stalls, what was there was greatly improved from previous visits when Lin and Earendil had been there. Not that they had been of poor quality before: on the contrary, it wasn't their quality that had changed, but rather the care that went into them. Many items - whether clothing, bags, parchment, writing utensils, footwear, leatherworks, jewelry, whatever it may be - was made to be more intricate, more decorated, more personalized than it had been before. Simply put, it appeared that far more time had been dedicated to the objects.

The same could also be said for the food items. Freedom had given birth to creativity, and the staples of life were no longer the only things that were available for sale. Pastries and cakes were available alongside bread and buns, and they came in all manner of flavours and varieties.

Andarien was distracted by a metalsmith, and he tugged on Lin's cloak and asked, "Nana, can I look around on my own?"

Andarien beamed and nodded. "Of course! Before noon, right?"

He pulled a pocket watch from his jacket pocket and looked at it. "So it's three fifteen now ... no ... wait ..."

A puzzled expression crossed his face. "I just put this thing together last night ... why isn't it on the right time?"

He tapped the watch's face, then wound it again, but still it didn't change. The second hand continued to tick forward, keeping its movement regular.

Andarien was dismayed. "Then it's no good!" he cried. "I'll have to remake it ... but I don't know if I have the right parts ..."

He looked back at the metalsmith with a determined look in his eye. "Nana, can I have some money? Maybe I can get the parts I need here."

"Don't lose track of time," Earendil warned his son. "I know you can get really carried away."

Andarien nodded. That made sense. "But you have to stay close so I know where to find you, okay?" he told her. "I'll be right back!"

He took off towards the metalsmith, Eon and Ponydash close on his heels.

Lancaeriel had watched all of this curiously. "What was that thing he was looking at?" she asked Lin and Earendil.

"Thirty hours, to be precise," Lancaeriel replied bemusedly, "if indeed our concepts of hours and minutes are the same. Though I must admit, I have never seen such a device as that to tell the time. Sundials have been used, though they are not entirely accurate, as you said, because of the changing of the seasons ... does the watch keep time during the night as well, then?"

She knew hourglasses were fairly common, but they could only time a certain period of time, not be used to tell what time it might be at any given moment.

Lancaeriel smiled. "Then perhaps I shall have to ask him about it sometime."

Andarien returned just then, his expression one of disappointment. "The man says he doesn't know how to make the parts I need," he said sadly. "So I guess I can't fix my watch yet."

Then he added, quieter, almost as if he were talking to himself, "I wonder if the parts left in my chest might work ..."

Earendil smiled and put one hand on his son's shoulder. "Then why don't you stick with us for the morning, and sometime when there's no time constraint, you can explore on your own," he suggested.

Andarien looked up at Earendil and nodded. "Yeah ... that will work," he agreed.