Daine nods. "It'd only make this harder, being stuck away." That's not the only reason, of course; knowing her own future would take all the freedom out of getting there. But it's a good enough reason all on its own. So much time has passed since she's seen anyone from home, let alone someone as familiar as Alanna, and the collection of days seems to settle onto her shoulders like a weight.

She'd almost forgotten to miss them, she realizes with vague disgust. She'd almost got settled.

"How long has it been for you?" she asks, brow furrowed. "Since Carthak, I mean?" Has the same amount of time passed for Alanna, even if it was in a different realm? Daine's not sure if would mean anything if it had. It might be nothing more than a coincidence. But one of the many things no one in New York can say with any certainty is how folk are getting on in the realms they left behind. Maybe the Lioness is from the same Tortall Daine vanished from, and the Rift is pulling some sort of trickery, leaving a copy of her to keep her friends from suspecting anything. (It wouldn't even be the only time some Rift mischief caused a second one of her to appear.)