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The town wasn't far at all from where they had set up camp, and it didn't take them long to reach it. As they looked down the street, Earendil couldn't help but notice that the streets were emptier than they had been before. Had people gone inside because there was nothing left to gawk at? Or because they were afraid or suspicious? Whatever the reason, Earendil wasn't entirely sure he felt comfortable. Still, they had come to look around, and he led them forward apprehensively.

"There's a bakery," Luk pointed at a building that wasn't quite as run-down as the rest, though the front window was covered in dirt and hard to see through, and the sign for the shop was hanging from one hinge. "Maybe we can get something fresh for dinner tonight, I bet everyone would love that."

Earendil didn't say anything, but he had a feeling that there weren't going to be any sweets anywhere in the town. Sugar was expensive, and he sincerely doubted that this town would be able to afford such a thing.

He held the door with his free hand and let Luk lead them into the shop, then followed the others inside.

It was dark and dingy inside - there were no candles lit, and the dirty front window hardly let any light inside at all. It did smell good, at least - the scent of the fresh baking overpowered what other smells there might have been. The shop itself was quite bare - only the front counter had loaves of bread and buns and the like that were for sale, and there were only half a dozen of them.

Andarien blinked in the sudden dimness and looked around, confused. Earendil held him carefully. His own eyes adjusted quite quickly - one of the wonders of being an elf - and he stepped forward to inspect the loaves.

Luk's eyes were slower to adjust, like Lin's, but instead of waiting for them to adjust, he reached into his bag and pulled out a pair of yellow-green-tinged lenses, setting them on his face and stepping forward confidently.

The shopkeeper wasn't in the front, but Luk called out for him, wondering what kind of person left their shop unattended.

Luk looked at Lin over his shoulder, then looked around again. "So far it doesn't seem like it," he frowned, "but I'll try again."

He called out again, and this time a door in the back of the shop opened and a short, heavyset man stepped out. He had a flour-smeared apron on, but thankfully, despite the sad state of his shop, he himself looked acceptably clean. Clean enough, at least, to trust that his baking might be safe to eat.

He and Luk began to talk together, both of them gesturing towards the loaves that were already sitting beneath the counter.

Earendil stood closer to Lin. "So far I have to say I'm not impressed," he murmured quietly.

"You can say that again," Earendil whispered back, hoping that the human didn't understand the common tongue.

After only a short conversation, Luk returned to them with four loaves of freshly baked bread.

"At least we'll have a good meal tonight," he quipped. "I think he was in a hurry to get rid of us."

Luk nodded and followed Lin out, leaving Earendil to bring up the rear. "He asked a very low price and did not want to answer a single one of my questions. I think he's afraid of us."

He squinted in the sudden light as they reached outside. "Ah, Lin, could you grab my lenses for me? I forgot, I should have taken them off inside ..."

Luk stared at Lin. He'd never heard of night vision goggles before - or goggle at all for that matter - but he was supposed he should be used to her strange terms by now.

"Lenses," he said finally. "Night vision lenses, then, if you prefer, since we do have a few different kinds. Anyways, if you could put them back in my bag, I'd appreciate it. Anywhere, Lady Rhea put a rune on it for me. And I'm not so sure that it's unusual for the humans here to be afraid of the elves, if what Shiro says is true."

"It's unsurprising," Earendil spoke up, shielding Andarien's eyes with his hands so that the child wouldn't be shocked by the sudden light again. "Mortals long to be like the elves - to be immortal, I mean. When they see us, they're reminded of their mortality, and they're afraid. So I hear."

"I'm afraid I don't recall," Earendil admitted, chuckling as Andarien started sucking on his fingers. "I wasn't quite paying attention at the time."

To be fair, it was that bout of jealousy that had awakened him to his feelings for Lin.