Sofia scrambled to gather her things and keep up with Lyna as the elf exited the clothier’s tent. 

The whole experience had been a whirlwind. When they entered, an older female elf had greeted them and called over several young female elves. Everyone seemed hesitant around the newcomer, but were curious about Sofia's attire, especially her hat. After speaking with Lyna, the older elf, who was obviously the clothier, began to give orders to her workers.

Sofia suddenly felt several hands all over her body as the young elves rapidly took her measurements. She was then pulled to a corner of the tent where she could discreetly remove her clothing and was handed an elven robe. Sofia was surprised that the outfit fit around her waist, but the rest of it was much too long.

I guess all the elves I’ve seen have been pretty tall, haven’t they?

The young elves then led her to a platform where they deftly and expertly pinned back the hems to match her height and arm length. The clothier, overseeing their work, would occasionally make comments. 

Within a matter of minutes, Sofia was outfitted with a new shirt, hose, and a long flowing robe. 

“I will send her measurements to the cobbler,” she had overheard the clothier speaking to Lyna. “Until then, she’ll have to continue wearing those strange shoes of hers.”

“Thank you, Friend. Síocháin.” Lyna turned to Sofia coldly, “Follow me.”

Sofia, still slightly in shock, started to scramble all her items together. One of the seamstresses noticed her juggling several of the smaller items and pointed to her side. Sofia, confused, patted her side until she found what the elf had been telling her.

“IT HAS POCKETS?!”

Annoyed, Lyna replied, “Of course it does. What proper garment doesn’t have pockets? Come along.”

Carefully, Sofia pulled a small cloth pouch containing the earrings, which thankfully were not glowing, from her jeans pocket and quickly placed them in her new outfit’s pocket. Then she asked for her hat back from the seamstresses, snatched up the rest of her clothes, and rushed out behind Lyna.

Sofia trailed behind the stern elf for several minutes as they crossed camp. The looks she received this time were filled more with curiosity than aggression. I must look so ridiculous right now, Sofia thought. The hat, which earlier had already drawn attention now looked even more out of place with her new outfit. The pile of clothes in her arms didn’t help her case either. She could have given me a chance to fold everything first…

Lyna walked into a large, white tent, leaving Sofia standing awkwardly outside the entrance. After a few moments, she heard Lyna call her inside.

Like the chief’s tent, there was quite a bit of natural light in the tent which made it easy for Sofia to see everything. And there was a lot to see.

The tent’s interior was bursting with color. Brightly colored art of all mediums filled the space, making it appear almost like a gallery. There were paintings, carvings, tapestries, pottery, and much more. Overwhelmed by everything around her, it took a while for Sofia to notice someone calling her.

Lyna was standing next to another elf, who’s dark, luminous skin made her brightly colored clothing, dark blonde hair, and light blue eyes pop. She is STUNNING.

The new elf came to greet Sofia with a large, warm smile. “Síocháin, friend. My name is Faliona, camp observer and Keeper of Stories. Welcome to Lyfay.”

“H-hello, my name is Sofia. I would shake your hand, but…” She motioned to the pile of clothes in her arms.

“Ah, yes, your pack was ruined coming through the gate, correct? Come, I can help with that! Follow me.” Faliona led Sofia and Lyna towards the back of the tent, and pulled back a dividing flap that revealed a space with two beds. The walls of this space were more muted and calming, a relief for Sofia’s eyes. “You can place your things on my bed for now. We’ll have yours set up before evening.”

“Come again?” said Sofia.

“Chief Kiysat has instructed that you stay here for the time being,” replied Lyna.  

“With us!” Faliona interjected. “Oh, I’m so excited! I have so many questions about life on Talamh.”

“Us?” Sofia asked as she put her things down on the indicated bed.

“Myself and Lyna!” Lyna’s dark expression told Sofia exactly what the purple-haired elf felt about the arrangements.

The clothes on the bed began to move and a dark form suddenly jumped toward Faliona, startling Sofia.

“Oh, and Melião, of course,” Faliona laughed as she held what looked like a small black and orange panther. The first thing Sofia noticed about Melião was its ears -  they were long and pointed, almost too big for its body. It had a sleek and muscular frame, big paws, and a short tail.    

Melião’s amber eyes looked up and down suspiciously at Sofia, its tail twitching nervously.

“D-do you also speak, Melião?” Sofia felt nervous under this cat-like creature’s intense gaze. 

“Of course I do,” Melião answered in a sly, masculine voice. He jumped from Faliona’s shoulder to face Sofia from the floor. “All Vrao can speak. Whether we want to or not is a different matter.”

“Oh, don’t be such a sour puss,” Faliona bent down to surprise Melião with a hug from behind. “We know you love to talk. And don’t worry, you’ll get your sleeping spot back soon. We just have to set up a new bed for our guest!”

“Can all the animals speak in Lyfay?” Sofia asked.

“Do animals in Talamh not speak?” Faliona asked in return, shocked. “How do you communicate with them? Know their thoughts, their needs?”

“Erm, we don’t,” said Sofia. “I mean…people with pets say they feel like they can understand their pet’s emotions, but they don’t actually…speak.”

“Fascinating,” Faliona was wide-eyed, still hugging an annoyed Melião. 

An equally annoyed Lyna rolled her eyes and exited the room. “I’m going to get the materials for the bed.”

Faliona, finally releasing Melião, grabbed Sofia’s hands and encouraged her to sit on the bed. “Please tell me more! What exactly are… pets?”

“Oh, uh,” Sofia felt overwhelmed by Faliona’s bright and bubbly personality. “Well, humans will sometimes keep certain animals as companions.”

“Like Melião!” Faliona turned to the Vrao, smiling. “By the way, we’re human too. I have heard that in Talamh people often think of elves as magical beings, but I’m a person like you. 

“Anyway,” ignoring Sofia’s shocked expression, Faliona continued, “how does one find one’s pet? Do you have a pet? When did you first feel the connection with them? Did you have to go on a quest to find it or do they suddenly appear in your life?”

Sofia, still in shock, managed to answer, “Most of the time we buy them.”

“Buy?” 

“Yeah, we’ll go to a pet store or a breeder. Or pay an adoption fee. I guess there is a sense of looking for one that you connect with…”

“You use money to purchase a living creature?” Faliona’s countenance dimmed. “And they have no way of telling you what they want? That seems so… inhumane. That’s not how things work here. We choose each other,” she reached for Melião who walked into her outstretched hand. “Sometimes we have to search for one another, sometimes we appear in each other’s lives, but we always have to choose each other. We become chompánach to one another – life-long companions.”

Faliona continued, “Here in Lyfay, having a relationship with an animal chompánach is essential. We believe that we never fully know ourselves until we have loved an animal. Animals unlock in us thoughts and emotions that we would never experience or know otherwise. They also connect us with nature and remind us of our great duty of working together to care for the world we live in. And of course, they make great friends, too.” 

Melião jumped onto the bed and nuzzled Faliona, purring gently. Something about the tenderness of the moment tugged at Sofia’s heart. 

“C-could I go see Harton?” Sofia’s voice cracked, showing more emotion than she intended. 

Concerned, Faliona looked at Sofia, then gently smiled. Her brightness returned as she grabbed Sofia’s hand. “Let me take you to him.”