”You are right, all of you are. It does seem out of place. Rightfully so, too, I assure you...” He looked around the oasis standing on the steam covered shingle, letting the rich lushness sink in. It did feel strange to Ofnir too, that place; but the strangeness he felt was different than that of his companions, even if he himself couldn't quite point out why at first. It was of course a sort of nostalgia -- the sort that arises from the memory of a place long forgotten, a place forgotten so long that one is not sure one even visited it anymore. 

He leaned down to Ellaryn and whispered to her in private: ”As far as our new friend is concerned, this nasty thing didn't glow,” he touched his sword hilt. ”She's no orc nor ghoul, that is sure. And this place seems not to react towards her either, in any bad way at least. I doubt it would tolerate malicious presence, it being the garden of Oromë after all.” With a poke on her head with the staff, he rose and rubbed his chin. ”A lot of berries here, edible and sweet, for sure. Perhaps dessert would reassure you even further?” he asked the hobbit.

It was only then that he noticed his staff. Its end gave off a subtle glow, like a lamp does through the morning mist. ”Strange. Working on its own. Hm...” He tried to inventory the vegetation around them, but failed. The trees seemed unlike any he'd seen in the region, yet familiar; the grass was green but of a different green, a fuller green; water was calmer than any summer night, but alive at the same time; the flowers were of hues he couldn't name; bushes and tree tops were behung with fruit juicy and ripe. However, there were no animals in sight. Not even a critter. 

The air was the strangest. He could smell it, feel its translucence, hear it sing through the leaves and whisper through the grass blades. Somehow it made him wish to stay forever, calling him to explore it farther. That thought he shook off quickly, ascribing it to the soothing nature of that earthly paradise. [i]Yes, I can surely hear it whisper, or is it...[/i]
”Aelin? Are you playing a tune, or are my old ears playing games with me? Do you hear it?”