Okay.

(She still feels kind of guilty over it.)

Back to the city, then.

They make it back much faster than they made it out; they're motivated.

Yeah. And then she can get her wound treated and hopefully not get judged too badly by the locals.

If they are judging her they do not make it apparent!

Oh good.

So, she says, a little later, I'm not hopped up on adrenaline right now. Science?

He giggles. And kisses her.

This is delightful and distracting but after a little while she can report that she still thinks he's really good at this when adrenaline is not involved.

"I don't usually -

We are leaving. Eventually. I don't want to be - unclear about that -"

"Leaving--oh, Valinor. Yeah. I--I can't promise anything until I've talked to Marille and my parents."

"Yeah. So. We shouldn't -"

"Shouldn't--get too attached. Until we know. Yeah."

"Thanks for coming out here with me."

"I'm glad I did! It's been wonderful."

"Really has."

"I don't think more kissing is likely to get me any more attached than the extant amount already has."

"Well, if you're sure."

"I'm sure enough."

Works for him.

Awesome.

(She hopes she can talk the others around--she hopes she can keep this--but even if she can't, she'll regret not getting what she can while she can if she doesn't.)

As long as he's not leading her on or anything.

Nope, she's going into this with eyes open.

Eyes and lips gosh he's a good kisser.

Several hundred miles north and probably several months earlier Marille is throwing herself even more fervently into her work. She supports her twin's traveling-related decisions! But Ahya's absence is lonely and if she is thinking about a fascinating technical problem she isn't thinking about Ahya being out of osanwe range.

Ambarussa tell him solemnly that this is very sad and mean of Tyelcormo. He will defend Tyelcormo on charges of meanness but it does seem a little hard on her. 

"...I mean, she talked to me about it beforehand, I told her to go. It isn't fair to either of us if we can never be apart--and maybe it'll be me who wants to travel next time," she tells him when it comes up. "It--matters more that this be a thing we can do than that I feel lonely while she's gone."

"I can't help but feel like there ought to be a lovely middle ground we're not seeing. Ambarussa think Tyelcormo should just take shorter trips, but I don't think that's it."