[b]Sylvia sipped her tea as Aranhil assaulted her with a barrage of questions, most of which she knew he didn't expect her to answer. She'd learned to filter out the important things Aranhil said in his moments of excitement, knowing that he was probably just piecing things together himself. It was why he was usually so quiet & methodical with his words in public. When he asked her what Elves believed happened when they died, she was a little taken aback, but supposed the topic of religion was bound to come up eventually.

"Elven belief isn't generally restricted by a single belief," Sylvia explained, putting down her tea for a moment, "Some believe there is an afterlife, some don't, & some even believe that there are no Gods. However, there is always the central belief that one should give back to nature when they die. A passed elf is buried at the roots of a sapling when they pass, so when the tree grows, their body can be the food that nourishes the tree."

Sylvia sipped her tea again, tilting her head a little to absorb more sunlight. She felt much better than in the past few days, cooped up in her & Aranhil's countryside home. Her tutor insisted that ladies were meant to be pale & slight, though she was certain Aranhil didn't mind the slight tan of her skin or that she wasn't toned to perfection.

"Those same trees are cut down from oldest to youngest, & used to make religious relics & homes," Sylvia continued after her brain finished its little detour, "For example, my grandmother's tree is what was used to make my dowry chest. The reason I was so upset when I arrived at your father's castle was that Dragon servants that accompanied me on the trip rather callously tossed my chest around when transporting it. I'm afraid they believed that I was just being difficult, however, & word got to you that I was frivolous before we even met. But honestly, it felt like they were tossing my own grandmother around."[/b]