Norch swallowed another mouthful of leafy greens. The food was surprisingly good. Or possibly his standards had lowered significantly. Benjamin poked at his plate, moving leaves and other bits of vegetables aside for inspection.

"I don't know what this is," he whispered to Norch. 

Norch shrugged. 

"It's good," he said, jamming another forkful in his mouth.

Dubiously, Benjamin brought up his own fork to sniff it. 

"I think it's a mushroom," he said, dropping his fork back to his plate.

The Jemily gave him a sharp look. 

"Eat," she said, jabbing one finger at his plate. 

Benjamin scowled at her and pushed the plate aside.

"If you're not going to," Norch said, indicating Benjamin's dish, "would you mind?" 

"Not at all," Benjamin said, passing him the plate. 

The Jemily frowned at him. 

Nae Xali, bored with eating, was lying on the floor beside Faces the Stars. She wiggled her fingers over his head and he responded with happy gurgling. Tea Pea smiled at them both. 

"Children are such a joy," she said. 

Norch said nothing.

"What do you plan to do with this one?" she asked, pointing to Nae Xali.

"We're taking her north," Benjamin replied. 

Tea Pea frowned. "North? How far north?" 

"The Isle of Faces," he said.

Tea Pea harrumphed. 

"That is unnecessarily far to be taking a little girl," she said. "How do you plan on returning her to her parents?" 

Benjamin glanced at Norch, who feigned an overt interest in his salad.

"You are planning on returning her aren't you?" Tea Pea demanded. 

"Of course," Norch said. 

Truthfully, he hadn't considered that far.

"Good," Tea Pea said, settling back on her cushion. "Good. Obviously you couldn't just leave her on the Isle of Faces. Heavens. That's the last place a child should be." 

"Obviously," Norch agreed.

 He felt guilty when his eyes fell on Nae Xali, now on her back gurgling with the young Scattercolumn. What were they going to do with her?

The meal finished in relative silence. Everyone but Benjamin too intent on their own plates for conversation. When they finished, Tea Pea whisked the dishes from the table and asked about their journey so far.  Norch and the Jemily supplied the first half, with Benjamin and Nae Xali filling in the later details.  Tea Pea stopped them several times so exclaim or clarify.

"The Crai!" she said at one point. "Well, no, I suppose that was inevitable. However did you get away?"

When Norch finished telling of the Kathelak and the ants though, she was still skeptical.

"It's not like them to give up," she said. "I don't believe you're done with them."

When they told the story of the Rohn, she commiserated with their losses and laughed at the idea of a Bahss dancing.

"Do you know, Fleck?" Benjamin asked.

"No," she said, "but I know the Bahss. Have you met Poul Stitch?" 

Benjamin shook his head.

"Ah," she said. "Lucky."

Benjamin smiled.

"Listen," he said. "Thank you for dinner, and I hope you don't find us rude, but we really should be going. The Rohn have already set us back a day."

"You're welcome for dinner. Even if you ate none of it," she said with a sniff.

Benjamin blushed and Tea Pea waved him off.

"Never mind," she said. "My own husband is twice as fussy. Now, about the Rohn. Did they take anything of value?" 

"Well, yes," Norch replied looking towards the Jemily, "but we got most of it back."

"Most," Tea Pea said, "but not all."

"Not all," Norch agreed. 

"Come then," she ordered, "before you leave come, take a peek in my closet for whatever you might have lost and need. The Isle of Faces is a long way and I won't have it said I left a friend without aid." 

She looked again at the Jemily. "We were friends once, whether you remember or not."

The Jemily tilted her head and considered the Scattercolumn. Uncertainty, she lifted a hand to touch Tea Pea's cheek. 

"I could almost remember," she said softly.

Tears formed in Tea Pea's eyes, and she shook her head to dispel them.

"Oh, nevermind then," she said, "Come. Come. I will take you to my closet."

***

The closet was huge. Filled with shoes and pieces of cloth, toys and random bits of junk. To Norch's eye, it appeared to have no end.

"Look!" the Jemily exclaimed, picking up a silver ball. She shook it and it made a soft tinkling noise.

"Oh it's wonderful," she said.

"Take it," Tea Pea said. 

The Jemily beamed. 

Norch fingered a length of cloth, wondering if he could find himself new clothes. He was tiring of wearing the same ones. 

"Wow," Benjamin said.

Norch looked up to see Benjamin lifting a sword from the table in front of him. Well over 8 feet, the blade curved elegantly towards its tip.  Benjamin drew it out its sheath to admire the edge.
The Jemily frowned at him. 

"No," she said firmly. 

"What do you mean?" Benjamin asked. "Why not?" 

"We don't need a sword," she insisted.

"What we need is definitely a sword," he said.

He ran his thumb along it and immediately cut himself. He smiled and popped the thumb into his mouth. 

"Benjamin," she said.

Benjamin frowned, "Emily?" 

The Jemily squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, she laughed. "No, silly. Jemily. Now put the sword down." 

Ignoring her, Benjamin sheathed the sword and swung it onto his back. Norch thought he looked somewhat ridiculous with the long hilt sticking out over his head, but he agreed it could be useful. 

Norch found a few pairs of socks for himself, and a clean shirt, plus a few dresses he felt might fit Nae Xali. When the Scattercolumn finally led them out of the closet, they were each a few items heavier.

At the door to her house, Tea Pea wished them well, even giving Kei Ta a quick scratch behind the ears.

"You weren't so terrible after all," she murmured to her. 

As she turned to go back inside, the Jemily caught her by the arm.

"We are friends." She said, kissing her on the cheek. "Friends forever." 

With that she turned and bounded off under the columns, jingling the little ball in her hand as she ran. 

Tea Pea smiled softly.

"Friends forever," she said.