This isn't the back.
But that -
No, he's too tall to be Mial, if this is a Mial prank it's a stupidly elaborate one.
"Okay, I give up," she says, "what the hell?"
"He... calmed down," says Aurin. "I didn't hang out with Finnah back then but I'm told she was a screaming terror. He just sort of tried very hard to keep busy and when it didn't work he'd go on long crying jags - when he was littler and it wasn't that bad and when he was on the drugs he was much more fluttery and excitable."
"You can get your doctorate in Miles-psychology from some minimally reputable university. Doctor Mark," Ivan tosses off.
"Lalita's blood seems to work perfectly thoroughly on elves. The scanner's estimate of your age is dropping precipitously," she says.
"I think," says Koridaar, "once we verify the extent of the effect, I might like to take my runecasting study materials and go home. Otherwise I expect to be waiting a long time for Mial to be done swearing at his alts."
Bar provides. Finnah hands over an aaber and gets change and goes out the door.
"I suppose there is no good way to predict when the rejuvenating blood will be done with me," says Koridaar.
"I could guess," says Linya, "but since we have no planned responses to any of the possible answers and I don't know if I'd be even close I'm not sure I should bother naming a number."
Books are supplied. Linya inclines her head and goes back to her own merry barsploitation.
Koridaar has reverted to an apparent age of about twenty-five equivalent. When she stands up, she smiles brilliantly.
For certain values of meanwhile:
"Bloody Enchanted Forest is too enchanted to forest," says Jann, kicking a rock. "Isn't it supposed to be somewhere around here? Approximately? Hulloa the forest, we need to visit your princesses!"
He is correct about that. The sparse scraggly trees do start looking awfully foresty.
But nothing like any description of the Enchanted Forest.
"Well, this is some forest. This looks like the sort of forest you get turned into a hedgehog for poaching in, remind me not to hunt anything on this trip. I suppose if the idea is not to try to go to the forest we could try going to the Caves of Fire and Night and do my thing first."