"We're free," Pinion replies quietly, "but we're not. We never can be."
Carrick tugs Pinion closer. "You should distance yourself from us, Lulu. It's not worth the risk, to you or your child. We've chosen our path and taken some... insurance... against prophesy; even so, the coincidences are too many for comfort."
Pinion nods solemnly. "A pregnant woman with an unmarried lover and his brother... it's too right."
"Too close," Carrick adds.
"Too tidy, the Elf continues. "And that on top of our... those children. And the last woman like you..."
Carrick glanced to meet Lulu's eyes for the first time. "It's hard for us, you know. It's knowing Dolly's gone and seeing these two little people we've managed to bungle into the world, and... well, they're so young, Lulu. And so like us, though they're not at all. We're just not quite sure how to take it all in..."