With lunch ended, all the elves split to go different ways. Findekáno, no longer tied down by Artanis and Iríssë, joined Nelyo, Káno, and Findaráto with Eve. Findo, extremely curious about her life, suggested they merely sit and chat. But Finno had other plans.
"There are still member of our family she has yet to meet," Findekáno argued. "My father and brother at the least!"
Eve stayed quiet, as she was wont to do in strange places. Her family had called her shy, but that wasn't quite it. She just liked to get a handle on her situations before showing her true passionate colors. And so as the cousins argued, she merely looked around at the throne room they now occupied.
Gold and white remained the prominent design choices as it had been on the way to the palace. A second chandelier, alike but larger than the one from the lower entrance way, hung down and cast light from large candles.
She finally became included in the conversation when Káno stopped their bickering. "Have any of you asked Lady Eve what she would enjoy?"
Both Findaráto and Findekáno nearly blushed in embarrassment. But Eve understood they found her fascinating. She did not mind so long as she didn't have to do anything crazy.
"Do you have an opinion, Lady Eve?" Káno asked her directly. "What would you enjoy doing next?"
"Um, not really." She shrugged. "I think... I think I'd rather not meet a bunch of new people. I can barely keep track of names as it is." Then she paused. "What do you guys do for fun? What do elves...do?"
"Many things," Findaráto replied. "It depends on the elf. I enjoy study, Káno enjoys music. Nelyo often works in the forges, and Finno... Finno what do you do?" He smirked at his cousin.
"I enjoy life," Finno replied with a grin. Then he shook his head and turned to Eve. "I enjoy travel and archery. And bothering the sons of Fëanáro."
"This one is true at least," Káno joked.
Findekáno laughed. "To be fair, Nelyo often accompanies me in my travels. And we all enjoy music. I would say most of the Eldar do, though few as much as Kánafinwë."
After laughing when Káno shoved Findekáno, Findaráto turned to Eve. "What do you do for enjoyment, Eve?"
"I read books and I like art." They saw a glint in her eye of excitement. "My dad and me and my siblings, we all work in his art supply store. It is - was - great." The excitement was gone, and replaced by regret. "But then, that's over I guess."
They all fell silent then, unsure of what to say. But finally, after several moments, Káno spoke again. "If you enjoy art, you enjoy beauty. This place that we live, Valinor, it is filled with beauty."
"Yeah, I can tell," she agreed immediately, looking around the room. "I've never seen anything quite like this."
"So, shall we show you more of our home?" Findekáno asked her gesturing towards the exit into the grand stairwell. "There is much to see, and now I am rid of the children."
"How about the market?" Nelyo suggested. "Our mother would likely appreciate it if we brought home dinner along with Eve tonight."
"Yes!" Eve agreed immediately. "I want to thank your mother somehow. And food is always the answer."
At that, the cousins laughed and agreed wholeheartedly. Eve, a bounce in her step at the idea of helping Nerdanel, followed behind them excitedly. She noticed that Kánafinwë always stayed behind her. She appreciated this, guessing correctly that he did not wish for her to get lost. And so after descending five flights of stairs, they came to the exit. Eve, leading now after Finno stopped to fix his boot, ran almost directly into a tall elf with dark hair who entered the palace.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" she stammered as she halted right before hitting him. "I wasn't watching."
As the elf went to say something, a look of abject confusion on his face, Findekáno laughed. "Do not look so put out, Turvo. She is in the palace with grandfather's blessing."
"Finno," Turukáno sighed. "What are you up to now."
Findekáno joined Eve as the others merely hung back and snickered. He stood shorter than his brother by several inches, but did not seem at all put out by this.
"Up to? I am merely assisting this young lady in getting to know our magnificent city alongside our cousins." He gestured to Nelyo, Findo, and Káno. "This is Eve."
"Pardon me, my lady," he bowed. "But is that supposed to mean something, brother?"
"You mean father did not tell you?" Findekáno sighed. "Let me guess, you were with Elenwë and did not come home."
Turvo stiffened. "Perhaps. But you did not answer my question."
"Just go and ask father," Findekáno told him. "For it is a matter better to discuss when not in public."
Turukáno lifted an eyebrow in surprise and glanced at Eve. She shifted under the scrutiny, uncomfortable with the curiosity beneath this elf's eyes. For unlike Findaráto, it seemed more that Turukáno merely wanted answers, not a discussion.
"Very well." Turukáno offered her a smile and a bow. "Or perhaps I shall hound you for answers later, Finno." He smirked as Findekáno rolled his eyes and merely bid them all farewell, heading into the tower on some business of his own.
"Now, to the markets," Findaráto reminded them.
Findekáno nodded and walked with Eve, Findaráto and Nelyafinwë going first with Kánafinwë bringing up the rear. She liked Finno a lot, and found him entertaining. There was something about him, a joy she found contagious. And it seemed that everybody liked him.
"That was my younger brother, Turvo, short for Turukáno," he explained. "He's currently courting a maiden and thus is perpetually in a foul mood."
"That's not fair, Finno," Kánafinwë laughed from behind them. "He's just more tightly strung than you."
"I do not understand it," Finno acknowledged. He turned back to Eve. "Do you have siblings?"
"Two." She nodded with a small smile. "I'm the youngest. John is the oldest, and he's twenty-six. Lucy is twenty-four. Then there's me at twenty-one."
"So young," Findekáno laughed. "You are the nearly the same age as Aicanáro!"
"Why, how old are you guys?" She hesitated asking him this, but decided against better judgement. She trusted him.
"Nelyo up there is one hundred and sixty-three. His brother Káno is one hundred and thirty-three. And Findaráto is sixty-four." Findekáno laughed when he saw her shocked face. "Do Secondborn not live as long?"
"Certainly not where I'm from," she sputtered. "I'd be old and frail at those ages! Well that's it, my mind is blown." At his puzzled expression, she clarified. "I'm totally surprised." After a pause in which they continued walking, she asked her next question. "You didn't tell me your age."
"No I did not," he chuckled. "I am ninety-four, old and frail as you say."
With a eye roll she laughed. "You are neither of those things."
"Oh?" He smirked. "Glad you do not think so."
Eve chuckled at his smile. But as she did so, she paused in her step, hearing a great bustling of people. The clucking of birds and the tinkling of coin changing hands joined the voices to make a peculiar kind of music that accompanied the marketplace. Eve instantly felt uncomfortable, and yet simultaneously intrigued. For elves male and female, child and adult, wandered to and fro exchanging wares and coinage. A fishy smell wafted over to them, and then the scent of fresh bread. Her senses became overwhelmed and she couldn't make herself move forward. Findekáno looked at her in concern, as did Kánafinwë. Nelyo and Findo didn't notice as they were ahead.
"Are you well, Eve?" Findekáno asked. "You are pale."
"It's just... so much." She stuttered for a moment. "But I'm fine. I'll be fine."
"If you do not wish to be here, we can leave," Káno assured her.
Eve shook her head. "If I'm going to live here now, I need to go places. Just... don't expect me to talk much until I get a hang of this."
"We expect nothing of you, for you are new and probably as confused about us as we are of you," Finno assured her. "Do not fret."
"Not wrong there," she muttered. With a nod of her head and a few glances around, Eve moved forward. "Alright."
They walked forward and met up with Nelyo and Findo. Both stood at a butcher's stand. Nelyo picked out two uncooked birds that looked remarkably like rotisserie chickens, if Eve related to her own knowledge.
"This is so much cooler than going to a Mall." She grinned and looked at the shops as they continued further. Then she caught sight of a stall with woven bracelets "Oh!" She walked over to it and Findaráto followed behind while the others picked out breads.
The small shop, manned by a maiden with dark hair and grey eyes, featured many combinations. The maiden smiled at Eve as she looked in awe at the intricately woven bracelets.
"These are fantastic!" Eve pointed at one of blue, gold, and black. "Wow."
"Would you like it?" Findaráto asked her with a laugh. "I have nothing to buy it with but Finno would." He turned and shouted to the other prince. "Findekáno!"
The elf turned, his hair whipping quickly across his face. He came over and looked at the stall. "Has the maiden found something she likes?"
"Prince Findekáno," the merchant blushed. "Prince Findaráto. You do me great honor in coming here."
"These are beautiful," Findekáno nodded as he looked at her wares. "Which one did you like, Eve?"
She pointed to the blue, gold and black one. The maiden smiled. "That one was inspired by you, Prince Findekáno. I have done one for each of the house colors."
Findekáno smiled. "I am flattered." Then he turned to Eve who looked slightly put out. "You can still buy it."
"Don't let this go to your head," she muttered. "But it's beautiful so, if you want to buy me something, that would be the one."
Findekáno nodded. "It is yours then."
Finno traded coins for the woven bracelet. As she put it on and Findo fastened it, she nearly teared up. They all thanked the maiden and walked away. She tried desperately to keep tears from falling as they continued on.
"You do not look well," Nelyo said quietly when they joined him and Káno. "Are you alright?"
"It's nothing," she assured them, but still her eyes remained on the bracelets. "Just some memories."
And so they continued on through the market. It seemed to Eve that the days here lasted longer than her own back home. And yet even here, as the light of day faded and a strange silver light remained, stars formed above and night began to fall. The princes all bid farewell to one another in the square beneath the palace, and she followed Nelyo and Káno back to Nerdanel's house with the food they had bought.