Tarinda knows about rocks and animals and oceans, or Page does. She gradually speaks more in Valdemaran as she gets more vocabulary to feed Page. By dinnertime it has limited lyrics-writing capability and she can sing them smart music, tune shifting as she goes through its verses in response to what it can see of the audience through her eyes.

That's really neat! Also unsettling. Vanyel is still feeling extremely discombobulated, and it shows on his face. 

He and Dara keep glancing at each other, too, exchanging Mindspeech-y looks while they set up camp. Rather than light a fire for warmth (there isn't exactly a lot of firewood in the endless plain), Vanyel just sticks a heat-spell under their cooking pot so Dara can make pease porridge for supper, with more dried apples and jerky on the side for variety. 

"I need to think about something," Vanyel says finally, once he's handed Tarinda her bowl. "I'm going to walk around. Dara, you keep her company?" 

"'Course!" 

Page has more vocabulary requests to fill the time if Dara is willing to pause science lessons.

Dara is content to do vocabulary lessons instead! Once she's done eating she also starts setting up their tent. The sun is setting now. 

Tarinda offers her a peanut candy.

Oooh! Dara thinks it's delicious. They don't have anything that tastes like it here. 

Vanyel doesn't wander back until after dark. He still looks very distant, lost in thought. 

"Tarinda, there are some things I should probably explain," he says. "Some - important context that I happen to know, about this world. Relevant if you want to build Sing here." 

:However: Yfandes jumps in, nosing at her Chosen's hair, :it's late and we're all tired and it's probably not so urgent it can't wait for tomorrow? We're still at least a full day's ride from Jkatha anyway: 

"...okay? Do you want a peanut candy, Vanyel?"

"Um, sure." He takes one. "Oh! That's really good. Er, do you need us to lend you a blanket? I think I have an extra still." 

"I won't freeze but if you have a spare I'd appreciate it."

A spare blanket can be provided. It smells like horse. The air inside the tent is comfortably warm anyway, despite the dropping temperature outside. It’s going to be pretty cozy with all of them inside.

Tarinda sleeps like a rock.

This is pretty luck for her, because Vanyel is a very restless sleeper and occasionally whimpers or cries out in his sleep, though not very loud. 

Dara wakes up first and starts putting together breakfast. 

"Good morning! Do you want help?"

"Sure!" Dara is in the middle of trying to light a very smoky fire from a pile of dry or at least drier grass that she's gathered and a hunk of dry-ish peat. She's got a small flame going and is blowing on it. "Want to put some oats in the pot with water for once I have this going?" 

Tarinda can accomplish this.

By the time Vanyel crawls out of the tent, yawning, there is oat porridge and Dara has also boiled water in a kettle and is making two different concoctions, one from some herbs set aside in a travel-mug and another in the kettle itself with the remaining water; she measures in some dark granules from a bag.

Very soon, a smell that is definitely coffee is wafting over them. 

"Want some chava?" Dara says cheerfully. "Van, not you, you gotta have your herbs first. That's the rule. Do they have chava in your world, Tarinda?" 

"They have it but I don't need any, thanks!"

"I don't like it that much either but Vanyel does." Dara starts filling bowls. 

Vanyel downs his cup of mystery herb-tea, dumps out the soggy herbs at the bottom, and gives Dara a look; she serves him some chava. It's one of the styles of making it that leaves the grounds in. Vanyel lets the cup sit for a bit so they can settle and they gets to work on it. 

Halfway in, and with most of his breakfast gone, he finally seems awake enough to participate in a conversation. "All right. Think I owe you an explanation, but - it's going to be kind of complicated." 

"And weird. Van's life is really weird." 

"I'm listening. - okay, I'm reading, at this point, but I'm paying attention."