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"Why must I stay?" Rhian asked, staring at the door her owner had just closed behind her on the way out to deliver some cheesecake to Keagan. "Am I unhelpful? I want to go with Ellandra. She needs my help." There was a not-quite plaintive note in the butterfly Essentic's voice as she fluttered by the door, placing both palms on it; she didn't want to stay behind, and she was too young to understand why a giant butterfly with translucent humanoid hands would be a problem to have out and about, even in a place like Farstep.

"May I go? Please?" She asked again, hands still on the door as she turned and looked at Faolan, her head dipping low. How could she help Ellandra when her owner was gone? And while mostly-lacking personality, she didn't like the way the grey one- Rags? - looked at her like it wanted to eat her. "If I may not go to help Ellandra, what may I do to help? I mentor, I help, I must help."



Ellandra carried the cheesecake through the carnival and to Keagan's vardo. She was glad she had made two, or Faolan would have eaten her gift for her father-in-law. She had felt rather torn about leaving Rhian behind, but it just wasn't safe for her to tag along - and Keagan didn't needd to know about her yet, anyway, he still seemed to be gettign used to having Ziazan around.

The reason for Ellandra's visit was twofold - to bring the cheesecake as a way of paying Keagan back for the donuts he had brought over the other day, and to get to know him better. . . and find out if he'd known her mother. Ellandra had good reason to think that he had; she remembered more of her childhood now, and actually could recall the day she'd first met Faolan - a little scrawny boy with bright orange hair, who'd done a reading for her - along with why they had gone to Farstep in the first place; her mother had gone to talk about seeing an "old friend". It was just a hunch that she'd meant Keagan, but as close as the people of Farstep were to one another, even if the brunette's hunch was wrong, Keagan still might have known her.

Deftly avoiding a stumbling, drunken clown and kicking a little at a goat who tried to nibble on her skirt - she was dressed in Faolan's clothing again, somehow all of her clothes were vanishing, no doubt due to her husband - she made her way to Keagan's vardo and knocked on the door.

Rhian hummed, a disappointed sort of sound, but she left the door and fluttered over to Faolan. "What is this? How can I help? I want to help." Never mind that the Essentic couldn't count and didn't have a clue what the shiny objects and flat papers were - though the shiny round things looked very interesting to the butterfly. "May I help with the shiny objects? They are. . . more pleasing than the flat ones."



Ellandra smiled at Keagan and brought the cheesecake inside, though she didn't place it down anywhere just yet. "He's off counting money. I. . . actually wanted to visit you by myself this time," she said, blushing shyly. "I . . .. I brought you a cheesecake.... for the donuts," she added, fidgeting a bit. She was also rather keenly aware that she was wearing her hair up; despite having gained some memories of her mother and knowing that her ears were, in fact, nothing to be ashamed of, it was still a bit of an adjustment. That she was slightly spiting her father's memory with the action made it a little more bearable, however.

Rhian perched on the chair and gladly began sorting the shiny objects, her wings oddly still as she concentrated on the task at hand. "I like the shiny objects. May I help with them again?" The Proto asked after a while of sorting (and pausing now and then to admire a particularly shiny coin). She looked over to the door every few minutes, just to make sure Ellandra wasn't coming in yet.



Ellandra sat the cake down on the counter as directed - and good thing too, because she ropped it about half an inch in shock at Keagan's statement. She had suspected, yes, and had intended to find out but - but - she hadn't expected it to be confirmed quite this suddenly. "W-w-what???" She exclaimed, whirling to face Keagan with wide eyes and a slightly-dropped jaw. She blinked several times and swallowed. "W-w-what?" she stammered again.

"Count? What is count? Is it helping? if so, yes, please!" The little Proto said, her wings fluttering in a trace of excitement. She wanted to be helpful, even though this wasn't quite the way she was supposed to be, well, it was good enough for now. . . . and it let her touch more shinies. The shinies alone were enough of an incentive to get her to help.



Ellandra moved to sit down, sighing a little. "N-no, it's not that. . . it's. . . . Keagan, I - I barely remember my mother at all. . . until recently I had no memories of her. . . I - I grew up being told she'd died giving birth to me. . . I - I'd hoped. . . you might have known her, but. . ." She trailed off, biting her lip as she looked at her father-in-law, a sort of desperate hope in her eyes. Would he tell her about her mother now that this had been brought up? Or would he change the subject?

Rhian nodded. "Yes, yes, I see. Numbers in tens, repetitive pattern. I can help!" She tilted her head then, her antennae brushing Faolan's cheeks as she did. "How does this relate to the shiny objects?"



Elandra's eyes darkened and she ducked her head. "Believe me, I know," she said quietly, not managing to keep the pain out of her voice. "I had Ziazan read my mother's hat, to find out what happened to her because of.... inconsistencies I'd realized..... and now I do rememeber what happened... is - do you suppose it's wrong to wish I didn't remember again?" She bit her lip, sighign a little. "And I know why ..... my...... father," and the word tasted like ash in her mouth, "... decided not to tell me. He's who had my memories suppressed to, I think. But. . . I'd - I'd rather not say why. I don't even want to think about why. . ."

"Money?" Rhian echoed, touching the pile of shinies lightly. "But if you get things you need, why is Ellandra losing clothes? She is... upset about having to borrow Ellandra-husband's clothes so often." The little proto was very confused; lack of clothing was distressing her owner, but here was what was needed to get it. Why not use it?



Ellandra nodded. "Of course," she said quietly. "I - I'd love to hear about either of them. . . but. . . I only remembered recently, but Faolan and I actually met as children. I remember liking his hair," she said, a smile coming to her face as she thought about that bright orange mop she could now somewhat recall.

Rhian tilted her head. "But..... it's distressing her. Stress is unhealthy. You want her healthy, yes?" She brushed her antennae over Fao's face again, fluttering her wings slightly. "Naked? What is naked? Why do you want to see Ellandra in this manner?"



Ellandra shrugged. "Well, neither of us remembered, and I don't think you were ever told," she said quietly. "We only found out that we'd met as children when Ziazan told us." She smiled softly. "I wonder. . . I hope the baby has Faolan's hair; I remember loving that color so much. . . my own's rather dull, after all."