It made her smile a little wider, remembering the penguin, and her trip to the zoo where she'd found it. She knew what zoos were now, but before hadn't had a clue, thinking they were some sort of farm for exotic meats. She'd only brought the penguin because Reilanin had asked for Earth meat, but she'd kept the penguin.

Irena pondered checking in on Reilanin to see how the penguin was.

"I've learned a lot more," she said. "More magic. It's... difficult. Slow. I think maybe it would be easier if... If I weren't..." She couldn't bring herself to say it again. "But there is still much it can do, things I had never tried before."