Elaine thumped on the door. "Um, Morgana?!" she called. "Starling? Donal? Is anybody there? It's Elaine!"

Niabheara's head jerked up. The last thing she remembered was sitting down with the intention of finally taking her boots off. As she was still wearing them, she must have somehow nodded off before she could even get started. "What?" She got to her feet and went stumbling toward the door. She was roughly eight-tenths awake by the time she opened it. "What's happened? Have they found her?"

"No, no, I wasn't sure where everyone is," Elaine explained. "Judith made me stay here because I've never been in snow before. I wanted to see if there was anything I could do, but I guess everyone else is still...out?"

She nodded wearily and beckoned Elaine inside. "Aye, I think so. They're supposed to be taking shifts . . . " She trailed off, still sleepy, then shook her head furiously to shake the cobwebs. "Paugh. I am going to make some muscailt." She started toward Morgana's trunk, which had been since Niabheara's childhood a repository for various kinds of stimulant teas. "Meg must've slipped out whilst I was asleep."

"No, no, you sit," Elaine replied. "I'll make you something. Err..." She followed the other girl over. "I don't know what the fuck muskalit or whatever is though; is it food or drink?"

As bad as she felt, she smiled a bit at Elaine's easy cursing. "It's tea. It helps you wake up. I don't know if I can share with you because I'm not sure if it's one of those things that makes tallfolk sick or not." Then she brightened. "Wait, you're still Tuatha, so you can share. No great loss without some small gain, I suppose." She brought over the little muslin packet of muscailt and the rest of the tea-making things.

"All right," Elaine replied. She took the packet, then took down two mugs and filled them with water, then gave Niabheara a sly look. "Watch," she said eagerly, concentrating on the water until it started to bubble gently on its own.

Niabheara giggled, more at Elaine's expression than the trick itself. "Mother used to do that when I was little." She began spooning out the tea into packets. "Back when Mother meant Meg and Judith was Grandmother and things made sense."

Elaine gave her a thoughtful look, letting the bubbles subside. "How are you doing?" she asked. "They told me Marcello got his memory back."

"Aye, so he did," she said, and snorted. "Just in time for the next calamity. I'm . . . fine. Save for the sickening sense of history repeating." She tied off the tea bag and popped it into Elaine's cup. "It's better with milk," she apologized.