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Thûllir Bregedýr

Ah, to dance with Kaylin was always a delight, and the addition of excellent music made it an exhilarating experience that had a smile lighting Thûllir’s face. It had been too long since their last proper dance, between duties and recovery from injury after their return, and slow-dancing around the house to his own singing wasn’t quite the same as letting their feet step quickly to the tune. His attention was wholly on her besides that needed to navigate around the space, and his eyes were bright with joy and laughter.

The first song was soon ended, but they didn’t have much time for a breather when the violin sang out with the next tune. It started deceptively slow, but then took off with a fast and driving rhythm. Thûllir cast a quick glanced over to see who was playing and had to grin at the sight of Macardil standing tall with his bow flying over the strings. He took a breath and then looked back at Kaylin with a slight lift of his shoulder. “Ready?” It wasn’t really a question, as his feet began to move and he knew she would join him in the challenging and energetic dance that had their feet flying to the beat as they spun together and then in and out. They may have met in a ballroom, but the folk tunes were just as pleasant to dance to with her, as the speed of the tune had them moving with alacrity and the ease of many hours dancing together.

When it finally drew to a close on a long note, Thûllir bowed with a laughing flourish before tugging Kaylin toward the edge of the dancing space. He needed a brief breather before the next one, and was also mindful that she was unlikely to admit if she needed the same. “A moment, my dear. I need one at least before the next if Macardil is going to keep playing at that speed, and I have something for you.” He had tucked the small grouping of delicate rosebuds in his pouch for safe keeping during the dance and drew them out now to hand to her. They were a match to the ones he wore on his shoulder, which had miraculously stayed in place, although hers were wrapped so that she might wear them on her wrist if she would prefer. “I normally leave the flowers in the garden or on the table, but since it is a celebration I thought it fitting.” His grin was a little crooked. “Would you like to wear them or would you prefer I hang on to them until the dancing is ended? I have either a matching pin or leather lace, as I don’t want to mar your lovely dress.”

Cali huffed out an annoyed sigh as she stopped with hands on her hips, surveying the festivities from a short distance away. Somewhere in all that was the culprit. He wouldn't be able to hide from her wrath for long, so if he was smart he'd be hiding. She knew he wouldn't be, though. So often before, she and Iole had discussed whether that boy had dropped on his head as a child. Or maybe he'd simply been born without brains. Either way, she and Iole had frequently questioned whether boys had any intelligence at all, and usually came to the verdict that no, they did not. Today seemed like yet another example of that, for he had to know that when she caught up to him, she would not be happy with him.

Somewhere, music was playing. A lively, happy tune. It was still a little hard to feel very much like enjoying that sort of thing. She'd told herself she wasn't going to shut herself off from the world anymore, but... it wasn't exactly like that this time. So she told herself. Perhaps there was some lingering hesitation, considering the last time she went to any sort of event. She and Iole both had plenty of cause to prefer staying well clear of such things. That wasn't why Cali hadn't planned on going to this, of course, or so she said. So she had told herself. Whether she, or anyone else really believed that, was up for debate.

Cali was fully intending to stay at the forge today, to catch up on the mountainous to-do list she had accumulated since taking the smith job. That list had been going along smoothly, with steady progress, until a certain someone was assigned to 'help' her, as some sort of disciplinary action. She didn't even bother asking what Nal had done, but couldn't help wondering what she had done to be so punished. She may as well have had her little niece Rissy helping her in the forge. The six-year-old would have been far more helpful, at that! It was as if he went out of his way to be in her way, and to drive her crazy.

Today was the last straw. After days, in fact a whole week, of listening to her friend's nonstop pestering and begging and nagging at her to change her mind and come to today's festivities, Cali had thought she was finally in the clear when the day came and she had the forge all to herself. Everyone else was at this, so she wouldn't have anyone coming along to interrupt her repairs on the armor and weapons, and other such things. She was finally going to make a little progress on that to-do list, without having to keep a constant eye on her easily-distracted and child-like friend... watching to make sure he didn't mess with the hot coals, cleaning up after him, and... come to think of it, Nal and that dog of his were awfully similar, she couldn't help thinking with slight amusement. All humor aside, however, Cali was not amused as she found herself coming in search of Nal, here, despite her adamant resolution that she was NOT going to come to this... that she was going to spend the day playing catch-up on everything he had put her behind on. Yet, here she was.

Marching onward, toward the small group she had spotted near the refreshment tables, Cali tried not to focus too much on the fact she seemed rather out of place. She had taken her leather apron off, but she still wore her work clothing, complete with smears of soot and ashes, and other marks of smithwork. There he was, by the table. Cali swiftly maneuvered her way around a few people, and arrived to stand directly in Nal's path, blocking his way to wherever he was heading. "Where is it?" She demanded, arms folded across her chest in annoyance as she glared at her friend.

Cali had spent all morning searching the forge, looking everywhere she could possibly think of where that hammer could be. It was the only one she had of its type, and she needed that specific hammer to be able to make certain tricky repairs she had intended to do today, and to her dismay, it had disappeared. And she had recalled, after some time spent in a fruitless search, that Nal had been lurking around the hammers earlier when he came by to beg her, yet again, to come to this thing. "Don't try to deny it, either," She continued before Nal had a chance do to any such thing. "I know you know what I'm talking about, Unalmis, so don't try to play innocent. Now, where is it?"

"Lovely weather," Iole agreed, at least in part. "There are so many people here," she could not help but add though. The glasses were not equally supported in her hands and so she tried to shift them into a better position while she tried even harder to work out who this smiling stranger was. Unalmis clearly knew her, although it was doubtful whether 'Yellowhammer' was the girl's actual name.

Was this one of the Korsey sisters ? She didn't recognise her from school and as far as she knew the Korseys were all dark haired. She felt sure she'd have remembered someone who looked like Eryn. Her hair looked quite beautiful in this sunshine, she noticed, in wonder and something of a composed struggle with envy. Her own locks were so drab and ordinary. "I don't think we've met before," she smiled still a little awkwardly. "I am Iole," seemed the most sensible place to start. A proper grown up would have shaken the other's hand but people were always telling her to stop acting like she was older than she was. Besides, her hands were rather full at the moment. "Is the food nice ?"

The question was followed by a startled gasp as somebody behind jostled her arm, and Iole held it further away from her so that the worst of ia perilous splashing from the drinks only wet the grass, not her new dress. When she glanced back to see what the shoving had been about, there was a man who had moved abruptly out of the way of a determined new arrival, a woman winding her way to the refreshments table. Cali. Iole smiled wide and also in surprise. But her friend hadn't even noticed her yet. Clearly she was on a mission.

With a drink now in hand, Unalmis readied to return to his friends. He hadn't known Eryn would be here but once he saw her standing all alone and looking a little bit lost, he was sure that he could not simply ignore her. He definitely could not ignore Cali, who emerged out of the crowd to pout at him and make demands. Without a moment's hesitation, or question of what she was asking for, he held out the lately acquired drink for her to accept. She absolutely looked like she needed to cool off.

"Cali !" he met her anger with a disarming smile. "I'm glad to see you made it after all. I don't know what you're talking about. Try it," he half turned to accept a new juice for himself that Alf handed him with a knowing look. "It's too hot and too nice a day for getting worked up."

Having bourne witness to just such interactions before, Iole did not rush over, but held her small distance for now. There was a very real threat that her one friend would throw the offered drink at her other friend. And she had no want to spoil her lovely new dress.

Kaylin

A rare pleasure it was to see Thûllir so joyous in between throngs of people. So, Kaylin made sure to take it all in, and she did not follow his gaze when he looked over at the musicians. She was entirely too busy looking at just one person.
"Ready?" His inflection betrayed it wasn't really a question, and so she could refrain from saying he needn't ask.
Always, she thought, and she let her smile do the talking for her and she joined him in the fast, exhilerating dance. When it ended, she wanted to pull him in for a kiss, but he was quicker and guided her off to the side of the more open area.

When Thûllir mentioned Macardil, Kaylin blinked. Wait, what? Her blue-grey eyes started in the direction of the musicians. Karis had mentioned that the man who held her interest played the violin, but Kaylin had had trouble imagining something like that and she was quite curious to see what Macardil and a violin looked like. However - Thûllir distracted her immediately after by saying he had something for her. Kaylin raised an eyebrow at her husband before she'd had the chance to spot Macardil, a bit suspicious. She eyed the rosebuds with a look that was difficult to read as he spoke. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked back up at him when he was done talking. She debated between rolling her eyes at the classical romantic gesture and giving him that kiss she'd planned on earlier. In the end, she let out a little sigh. "The leather lace, I suppose," she said quietly as she looked him in the eyes. Her inner debate had shifted to a different one: when to broach a certain subject.


Macardil

He switched to a fast version of another folk song (King of the Fairies). His eyes fell on the current Captain as she was drifting closer to the dancing area, and was reminded of the conversation he'd had with Ziranphel about dancing when she'd held that rank. Macardil then searched out the latter and let his eyes linger. She seemed to be enjoying the music. But he was planning on having her enjoy more than that when he would take a break.


Arnyn

Although it may appear to some that she was on the late side, if they only spotted her now, in truth Arnyn had been at the Erulaitalë all along. She'd been surveying the festivities from a position where it seemed that she was busy as one of the suppliers. Yet everyone seemed to be on good behaviour, and she couldn't help but wonder if her self-appointed task was indeed too... paranoid. Or - well - let's say... too cautious.

Then her dark eyes fell on a man (Dyando) who was walking by person after person, not interacting but coming very close, time and time again. It was hard to see anything specific from her current distance, but she had years of experience in the tower guard that didn't just go away and that kind of behaviour was nearly always a thief's.

Arnyn approached just as he seemed to have had his fill, but presented herself as a target rather than someone to run away from. She did not look like a ranger or a guard today, wearing a finely tailored, soft green dress and no visible weapons, her long blonde hair was loose and slightly curled at the end and she had four braids going to the back of her head, with flowers tucked into them. Perhaps the two golden bracelets on her right arm would catch the thief's eye and make him think she would have a purse worth stealing. She did, for that matter.

@Ercassie

"Yes, there are a lot of people," Eryn nodded her agreement, wondering if the other girl was anything like her father, who hated crowds. "I don't really know hardly anyone, but it's very exciting, and I've never been to anything like this before." She paused, then added, "Not in Gondor, anyway." She'd enjoyed the springtime festivities that she had attended with Nal, in Rohan, but that was some time ago now. She hardly knew anyone in town, in fact, so this could be anyone. But at last, the mystery was made clear as Iole introduced herself. That name, Eryn had certainly heard plenty about. "Oh!" She smiled, somewhat relieved that the other girl had taken the initiative to introduce herself. "Iole, yes. Nal has spoken a lot about you," She revealed, before adding, "I'm Erynneth, though most people call me Eryn. I'd shake your hand but..." a glance at her full hands, and Iole's, was all that should be needed to explain why she didn't.

"Oh, it's delicious," She answered Iole, although that brought her attention to something else. With a cup of juice, or whatever Nal had handed her, occupying her free hand, Eryn couldn't actually eat her food. This was a bit of a problem, and she was debating asking Iole if she'd like to step over to where there were some tables for people to sit and eat, when a man suddenly bumped into Iole. Surprised, Eryn looked past her and frowned at the man responsible, but figured it would do no good to yell at him. At least Iole's dress hadn't gotten splashed, although Eryn was pretty sure that a few drops might have landed on her own dress, near the hem.

Following Iole's gaze, Eryn noticed yet another woman talking to Nal. She looked slightly familiar, and she was pretty sure that she was the woman from the forge, but she couldn't see her face from here. She didn't look very happy, though, Eryn could tell even from here. "Um, would you like to set those down?" She asked Iole, observing how she seemed to be having trouble holding all three glasses. "There are some tables over there," She motioned, with the hand holding a glass, toward the eating area. She was considering wandering over there, herself, so she could finish her food and have a free hand again.




Cali held her glare, letting a long moment draw out in silence. She eyed the cup that he held out, strongly tempted to take it and fling the contents into his face, or else to simply smack it from his hand. But that would not be polite to those who had provided the refreshments, she had the sense to consider. So she took that long moment to pull the reins a little on her anger, lest she lash out in some way that she might later regret. Nal could be so infuriating at times! Standing there with his innocent smile, acting surprised to see her, holding out a drink and being all cheerful, as if there was no reason at all for her to be angry at him. Even claiming he didn't know what she was talking about!

Yet, despite all her irritation at him, it was Nal. And she knew what he was like. They'd been friends for almost as long as she could remember. She should have expected he would do something like this a week ago, when she first told him she didn't plan on coming. And in a way, she appreciated the thought behind it, despite everything. She knew what he was doing, and that he had good intentions. He'd gone about it in the most annoying way possible, as she might have expected. But then again, that was exactly like something Ryn might have done, to make sure that Cali didn't miss out on anything. How could she stay angry at Nal for that?

After continuing to glare at him while all of those thoughts flashed through her mind, Cali eventually let out a soft sigh, diffusing a little of her anger as she took the offered cup. "This doesn't mean that I forgive you," She warned him, though the annoyance faded. Just a bit. "You'd better not have lost or damaged my hammer, either." She felt it necessary to add. With Nal, who knows what he might have done with it. It would take her some time to make another one like that, and she really didn't want even more delays. But, she could put all that aside. For now. "I'm not really dressed for this," Cali added, with an awkward glance around, noting how others were dressed. She was fairly certain that she was the only one here with smudges of soot on her clothes and face. Of course, she was unaware of those on her face, having stormed out of the forge to hunt down the infamous object of her wrath without bothering to take a glance in the mirror.

Thûllir Bregedýr

Thûllir calmly returned the long and quiet look Kaylin gave him as she seemed to hesitate before speaking. He knew she didn't think much of romantic gestures for the most part, but he couldn't help making them on occasion. He almost thought she would have him return them to his pouch for later when she sighed, but instead she chose the lace. It pleased him, and he retrieved the lace with a quiet smile and quickly and securely tied it into a bracelet that held the buds to the back of her left wrist without being overly tight.
Finished, he raised and kissed the inside of her wrist before bring it up so her hand rested on his shoulder and stepped close to rest his left hand at her waist. The music had him wanting to move again, even if it was into a sway rather than the flying steps of before, but she had a look he couldn't quite interpret.. "Something on your mind Kaylin, love?"


Karis Ziranphel

She was enjoying herself watching the dancers and the tall fiddler in turn as she let her feet trip lightly in her solo step dance until the third tune began to float through the air. Ziran smiled as she recognized the notes and freed the small metal flute pipe from her bag as she moved closer to the musicians step by step and she saw Macardil’s gaze resting on her. She saluted him with a lift of her instrument when she got close before joining in about half way through, letting her notes match and highlight the tune his violin sang out. She didn't often play in public, but it was rather fun to briefly join the group in making music.

Iole was about to remark that she hoped their mutual friend had not revealed anything embarrassing about her to Eryn but then she stopped herself, in surprise. This was Eryn ? For some reason she had come to the conclusion that the ‘Eryn’ who Unalmis told her about was rather .. younger .. than the young woman currently stood before her. “He has mentioned you as well, of course,” she recovered, quietly, and hopefully without disclosing her confusion.

At least a smile was given up as the food received a fair review. “I am sorry if I splashed your dress,” Iole put in honestly. “We were about to head over to meet another friend, near the music, if you would like to come as well. There are seats over there where we can watch the dancing.”

Trevadir was there as well; an equally important point, not merely because Iole could then free up at least one of the drinks she was carrying, but because their group had not been all together for a while now. It would be nice, hopefully. A wary glance sought out how the reunion of Nal and Cali was proceeding. And frowned, but only because he seemed to have obtained yet another glass of juice and now, with a quick count, it seemed they had collected one too many.


Though she claimed that she had not forgiven him, Cali did seem to have sidled away from outright upset. Unalmis wisely dismissed any thought of smiling triumphantly at this fact. Yes, he had come close to seeing his friend furious this week but honestly it had required doing. She had retreated so far into her new distraction of smithing that she had forgotten or turned her back on everything else. Literally everything beyond breathing. He could not even remember the last time he had seen her laugh, against all his best efforts. Focus was all well and fine, but there had to be some balance. So when it had been ‘suggested’ that he needed to acquaint himself with some responsibility, Unalmis had practically leapt at the chance of proving an example to the most responsible person he knew, as much as people likely hoped that she would be to him in return.

“I stored your hammer away safely,” he assured her. “Just as you said.” Just not exactly where she had said to store it away, or anywhere else at all that she might easily think to look for it. If the entire city could take a day off, then so could she. The overzealous smith probably needed a break more than anybody else he knew.

“It doesn’t matter if I deserve your forgiveness, Cali,” he shrugged. “The thing is, you deserve to have at least one drink, one dance, and one smile,” he proposed, pushing his luck but honestly, what valid reason could she give to refuse that ? She had, in fact, of course, come up with an easy two dozen reasons during his week of campaigning. But not a single one of those had sounded like a good reason to him. “One day off. And the dance doesn’t have to be with me,” he added, hastily, before she could protest that. “But that’s it. If you can show me that you even remember how to laugh, then I vow to do my utmost best to show you I can listen. I mean, it’s a compromise. You can’t say fairer than that, can you ?”

The Ranger pointed over with his free hand to where he’d left Iole and Eryn. But when Cali begrudged how she was dressed, Nal smudged his finger quickly across her dirtied cheek and besmirched his own to match with a grin. “I helped my father and Narradir cart some mad puppet show theatre box all the way out here earlier,” he let her know. “You think anyone will care about the state of me ? And look,” raising one leg, he presented one of two extremely mud-shoed feet. “No more excuses, Calithilidis Dringolben. The only dress code is a smile on your face.” And lowering his foot back to the ground, Unalmis offered his arm, to hook around his friend’s. She was going to have a good time if it killed the both of them to achieve it.

Silinde Merenion & Eiliandreth Megelian

It was not hard for him to discover the person in question. It was above all having a good eye for that what wandered around, behaved naturally and spoke here and there, and those who spoke barely at all and seemed to have no aim but one. “Young lady, is that the culprit you saw in a moment?” he asked not obviously pointing to a man who was looking not really in the right places, but then he bowed over to pick something up from the ground, that was obviously his. Eiliandreth didn’t have to answer, because it was not the man they were searching for. But rather it was a victim with an empty purse. “There have to be more people like him, missing money,” he said on a soft tone.

Eiliandreth walked with the knight looking around, looked when Silinde mentioned a culprit, but the man was innocent. She gazed between the head toward the bridge further away. “He might be heading that way,” she pointed out to him. Silinde was looking around for other victims. But nobody seemed to be missing money. However there were lots of people, and pickpockets worked at random. “We might find out luck more in the ruined town,” she said. Playing detective was quite fun.

Silinde looked from Eiliandreth toward the bridge over the Anduin. It was a good possibility the thief was going there. But how capturing him between the ruins? There were plenty of evading and hiding spots there. “Good thought,” he said in broken Annúnaid. She spoke no Sindarin at all, but talking the mortal language was kind of struggle. They headed toward the ruins, but there he met another division of the rangers under leadership of Faramir. Silinde related to what Eiliandreth had seen. “Alright,” said Faramir. “We know these ruins well, and we are with many. We’ll capture him. Wait here for identification.”

Neither of them had in this search involvement. Eiliandreth didn’t ask, but knew this was territory of the Ithilien rangers. She felt quite intimidating by these rangers. Faramir had grown bit older but not much. They patrolled mostly south Ithilien. After a while they returned with a man in Gondorian clothes, with dark hair and indeed tanned. Eiliandreth recognised the clothes. “I think it is him who I saw,” she confirmed to the captain of the Ithilien rangers. “You are sure, miss?” asked Faramir. She nodded. He would be put in the brig. On him were about twenty purses found and coin worth to buy a horse at least. Those animals didn’t come cheap, unless you managed one capture in the wild.

*******
Two highwaymen from Harad

Dyando’s luck had run out in the ruins. He was almost at his horse and out of this ruined wreck of a town, when the fabled rangers appeared and called him to halt. He tried to make a run for it, but they had him trapped earlier than he ever imagined. Almost he was dragged back toward a waiting swanknight and a young girl besides him. Dyando could not remember having seen them. But they had him, or the girl had. “We’ll get you some day,” he spat angry. “Your city will burn as it should have in the war.” His older brother had made it out and have reached the ship by now. But Dyando would not see his freedom in a while, as that went through his thought. “Oh no, we will process you and you’ll get a fitting punishment for thievery and robbery,” grinned the ranger leader. “We won’t bother Minas Tirith with this.”

Epilogue.

The day was over for Silinde how long this would be still going on. The king was somewhere else and he wouldn’t meet him now. He left Eiliandreth with the group she was earlier. And he went back toward the city. There hadn’t been anyone to dance with. It was an acceptable choice for the ladies not to do, or chose other partners than him. He had asked it for the courtesy. But dancing a girl so young as Eiliandreth was wrong. She ought to dance with a brother. There had been a thief. They were always found at these events, despite security. It was not watertight, sadly. Ah well, he headed back to town. And stumbled in someone he almost didn’t see, or could barely. It was the cloak that went up in the surroundings. He mumbled an excuse in Sindarin without further thinking and got a reply back in the same tongue on a much lighter tone. A woman with grey eyes stared back at him. Was she part of Dol Amroth’s population? He kept his own features also out of view. Something stretched between them if time didn’t exist. But it was gone the next moment. “Can I ride with you?” she asked bluntly. “Sure,” nodded Silinde, with knightly courtesy. In a moment it was decided to go back, even he hadn’t made that choice himself.

@Ercassie
"Oh, it's fine," Eryn assured her. It wasn't as if the dress were new, like Iole's. She didn't usually put a lot of concern into her clothing, and it wasn't likely that anyone was going to be studying the lowest part of her skirt, anyway. She glanced back toward Nal and the other girl, but she couldn't quite tell how things were going with them. She still looked annoyed, although she had taken the glass from him.

Turning her attention back to Iole, Eryn smiled slightly to be invited to join them. "Are you sure that would be alright?" She checked, unsure. She wasn't sure if she would feel out of place, given that she only knew Nal out of the group. Nal had told her plenty about Iole, and she'd heard some about Trev and Cali, as well, and it sounded like a tight-knit group, which she may not be welcome to join.



Hearing Unalmis finally admit that he did, in fact, know what she was talking about. Cali's eyes narrowed slightly. "So you DID know... " A punch to his arm served as 'punishment' for his earlier lie, that he didn't know what she was talking about. Just as she said? "You did not put it where I said to, Unalmis!" The fact she was using the whole of his name ought to give him some indication of the level of upset he had achieved. Then, a moment later, she gave him an incredulous look as he explained what he wanted, in exchange for returning her hammer. "Are you seriously holding my hammer for ransom?" She had heard of some crazy schemes, but this might just beat them all. "In exchange for.." She paused, then continued, "A drink, a dance, and a smile?" This was absurd. Completely absurd.

When he reached toward her face, Cali blinked, wondering what he was doing, but then it became clear as he borrowed some of the soot from her face... which she hadn't realized was there... and proceeded to smear up his own face. Watching him, Cali let out a slight laugh, shaking her head slightly. "You are too much, Nal." She informed him, followed by a small sigh as she glanced down at the cup in her hand. It wasn't too late to throw it in his face, but she wasn't going to do that. "And you'll stop pestering me at the forge?" She wanted to check. "Alright, fine." She relented at last, rolling her eyes but managed a faint smile as she took his arm, walking along with him. "Did anyone ever tell you that you can be very annoying at times?"

Cali was pleased to spot Iole, and quickly realized she had three glasses of juice. "Iole!" She greeted her other friend. She might have greeted her with a hug, if the other had not had her hands full, and if Cali hadn't been aware of the sharp contrast in the conditions of their clothing. Iole's dress looked quite new, and she would hate to get it all smeared with soot. "Here, let me help you?" She offered out a hand to take the third glass, so they would end up each holding only two apiece.

Standing with Iole was another girl, whom Cali had briefly met before. "Hello, Eryn isn't it? Did the dagger pass inspection?" She wondered, recalling the circumstances in which she had met the girl.

"Oh, fine as far as I can tell," Eryn answered, a little uncertain. "At least, he hasn't commented anything about it."

"Good," Cali nodded in satisfaction to hear that. "Well, Nal has persuaded me to stay. So what is the plan?" She glanced around from Iole, to Eryn, to Nal.


He glanced around, watching others around him enjoying the music, and was surprised to notice someone else, not one of the designated musicians, joining them in playing along. With a flute, at that! He smiled slightly, debating whether it would be alright to do the same. After a moment's inner debate, Trev figured that if anyone had a problem with him playing uninvited, they'd let him know. At least he hoped he wouldn't get kicked out. Still standing off to the side of the dance area, he pulled his flute out, listening for a moment to the song and started to play along.

“I wouldn’t invite you if I didn’t mean for you to be welcome. And, well you probably shouldn’t wander around a big event like this on your own,” Iole assured or maybe (hopefully not) frightened Eryn with thoughts of why not. “You never know who may be lurking about to take advantage,” she shivered involuntarily, despite the warm sun. She had fallen into adult mode again, she realised belatedly, and could almost hear her overprotective father speaking through her voice. But there, she did know some what she was talking about. Cali and she had run into a very peculiar man at an event so not different to this one before, and things might have gone rather more badly than they had, if their friends had not noticed them and intervened.

Eryn had already said that she hardly knew anybody here, and Iole could appreciate that, being somewhat shy to making friends herself. “Besides you must know Nal would never forgive himself if something happened to you,” she put in as an afterthought. The way her friend had talked about this girl, she might as well have been his kid sister. It had been grating for her at first to have heard about ‘Eryn this’ and ‘Eryn that’, when he spoke about their adventurous evacuation trek out to Lossarnach. Iole had felt rather left out but it was silly to be so possessive of her friend making new friends. Although .. she tried not to glance so long at the girl again. He had really talked as though Eryn was about ten years old or something. And she clearly wasn’t anything of the sort, though of course she might have been when they’d first met.


Unalmis’s eyes widened even as Cali’s narrowed, and she punched him lightly on the arm, as they had frequently done in play, growing up. It hadn’t been the arm which had his drink in hand, but still he opened his mouth as though to claim some injury. Then couldn’t; for the act itself was a small sliver of his old friend sneaking through and so he smiled instead. Which no doubt did not help his cause in trying to explain.

“I didn’t know you were talking about the hammer until you mentioned the hammer,” he threw back at her, with rolling eyes but nigh on laughter. Her rendition of his full name did make the young man straighten up a little though, and he concluded, if a little defensively. "The last thing you said to me was to ‘put it away .. carefully.’” he reminded her. “Which I absolutely did. And if anything, it’s the hammer which has been holding you to ransom, for too long of a long time now,” he pointed out.


As they made their way together over to Eryn and Iole, the young man failed at trying to wave to the other pair, so encumbered with juice and an even barely jubilant friend. “Only everyone I ever met,” he replied, unconcerned to her question of annoyance. “But then they also say I never listen, so it never bothers me.” He sped up slowly then, making their last steps with a drink of juice apiece rather precarious, before they reached the others.


“Cali !” Iole brightened further as the smith joined them, and their mutual friend still seemed to be in one piece though, inexplicably, now even more dirty than before. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she smiled, and not only because she was relieved of one of the three glasses she was holding. “'Someone' had me hold that one for you, before you ever arrived,” she added, with a raised eyebrow at Unalmis, who had seemed so certain that Cali would come, she reasoned he must have had some sort of a hand in it. “This other is for Trev,” she added. And would have introduced Eryn, but it seemed her new friend, and her old friend, were already acquainted.

The notion that everyone had met Eryn before her, was a little unsettling, as though she had been further out of the loop than she’d thought. And now, stood in a shimmering sundress, Iole had never felt so out of place in her life. Overdressed, she berated herself, and should have probably expected as such when she’d agreed to go shopping with Ilisys. But it was too late to do anything about it now. Mention of a dagger though shocked her out of contemplation, and the undertaker’s daughter glanced back to the younger girl surprised. “Dagger ? Are you a Ranger Eryn ?”


“Iole saw Trev over with the musicians,” Unalmis let Cali know, in answer to her query. That was of course as much of a plan as they had conjured. The music was getting louder now that they approached, and more inviting by the minute. “Since you have an extra drink in hand, of course, you can use it to bribe some brave passer by to have that ‘one dance’ with you,” he suggested, with a glance back to make sure they had not lost Eryn. Duinion would kill him ! “Else I swear I’m dragging you up there myself if you haven’t found someone else by the time your glass is empty,” he declared.


(edit : spellings. Sorry !)

Arnyn

The likely thief had disappeared into the crowd all of a sudden. Arnyn mentally mocked herself for her presumption that he would choose to pick her pockets as well. That just went to show that, more often than not, a more direct approach was desirable. With a mental shrug, she sought out some refreshment at the drinks table. As she was pouring herself some water - she found water the best way to quench a thirst on a summer day like this - she reminded herself she was not technically on duty, and could therefore also simply choose to enjoy herself. Perish the thought! A wry smile mastered her face for a moment, but then she emptied her glass, left it at a part of the table where a small collection of dirty glasses was steadily growing, and moved into the direction of the music.


Macardil

He raised an eyebrow when Ziranphel held up her flute and almost missed a note (but didn't) on his violin when she chose to join in. It wasn't unheard of, of course, not at all in fact, and really he encouraged such things whenever he played somewhere. Only... did she not say she had mainly played in private since coming to the city?

He was amused, however, at her choice of such a large event to actually play in public, and a smile that accompanied the feeling spread across his face. So much for her reserve! Even though he had already known she had brought it with her, he hadn't really expected this from her. Curious, he let his violin grow more silent and even stopped playing just for a little while. Just for a few moments... To see what she might do. When she kept playing, he used the remainder of the moment to tune in to the notes of her flute. Then he quietly started playing again, letting the volume slowly regain its previous height. It was a pleasant surprise that she should choose to join them. Playing music was also playing a part in bringing merriment to people's lives, and Macardil found this particular moment very enjoyable himself.

Then another flute player joined in, a young man (Trevadir) who had that look about him - as if perhaps he had grown up just a little too fast. Be that as it may, his play was excellent and it fit right in.

When the song ended, Macardil was still smiling and bowed slightly to Ziranphel and the young man (Trevadir) in thanks. They had added to the song, complimenting the existing musicians. He could only encourage such behaviour. Perhaps they would continue to play with them a bit, and maybe others would now dare venture the same. Macardil was reminded of the turn of phrase Ziranphel had used when talking about her family and how she had enough of an adventurous bent to follow the sword and the kingdom.

The harp player decided it was time to settle into a different sort of tune. Macardil recognized it quickly enough. More suited to a slower kind of dance, the tune was however not at all boring, and it was sweet rather than sad. It suited the flute as well, giving the spontaneous flutists the option to keep playing for another song - if they knew it.


Kaylin

Kaylin enjoyed his quiet smile recalcitrantly as he tied the leather lace into a bracelet holding the rose buds. She held out her arm to him so he could tie the flower bracelet around it. His lips on her wrist made her lips curl up into a half smile. While she didn't care particularly for the flowers, she liked that his gesture now made him step closer. She put her right hand on his left hand at her waist, and slid her hand halfway up his arm as she looked him in the eyes. Her own gaze was not so much doubtful as it was searching. Was this the right time? Was there a right time?
Could there be a bad time, for that matter? Probably not. And yet...

"You know me well," she said quietly, still looking at him, now with a slight smile around her lips. In the background, a flute joined in on the song the musicians were playing. Kaylin recognized the hints in her husband's body language for his inclination to move along with the tune, and she let herself sway with him a bit as they stood in place, to show she was not opposed to do so. Meanwhile, she still debated saying more at present. "There is," she finally confirmed even as a new tune began, which invited slower dancing. An opportunity she would not like to pass up on."Come, Thûllir," she said quietly, guiding him back a ways to the open area, although she didn't go far. They did not need as much space as before, and she was fine staying closer to the edge of it.

"Thûllir..." she began, a few moments after they had stepped into the dance. "Are you... happy... as one of the king's rangers residing in the city? Is it what you thought it would be? Or might you be considering going back to Faramir?" It had been long enough for her to form an idea of what it was like, so he would have been able to do the same, surely. He would know by now whether or not he saw himself staying on in such a capacity. Yes, at first he had said he wanted to stay for as long as the King required his service, but Kaylin wanted to know if and how it was affecting him. Before she broached the subject which had been on her mind off and on again lately.

@Ercassie
Eryn smiled a little more happily as Iole replied to assure her that she was welcome to join them. Although much of what Iole said after left Eryn a little concerned about what she thought might happen. True, Eryn had little experience with any sort of trouble, at least the sort which the rangers tended to deal with. But she couldn't imagine there could be very much to fear at such an event, with so many others around. Rangers, at that! She had seen Pele and Kaylin and a few others she knew to be rangers, even if she wasn't familiar with them. Perhaps Iole was simply paranoid, like Eryn's father. But she found herself smiling a bit more to hear Iole mention, “Besides you must know Nal would never forgive himself if something happened to you,"

Nal's explanations only caused Cali to roll her eyes as she went along with him. It was true that Nal couldn't ever be accused of listening to what others said, even when he should listen. For her part, she chose not to listen to the last remark, about the hammer holding her hostage or some nonsense. He didn't understand. And she didn't feel like trying to explain. She wasn't sure that he could understand, not completely, nor did she feel yet as if she could breach that topic, not with Nal anynway.

"Um," Eryn hesitated slightly at Iole's question. "No, not yet, anyway," She answered, sighing softly. She would rather not get into the details... the fewer people knew about the situation around that dagger, the better. "Not for a couple of years, but I do plan to be, eventually." She explained to Iole. "My father is..difficult, and a little overprotective." This said with a roll of her eyes. "He prefers that I wait a few more years before I join."

Leaning a little toward Iole, Cali whispered, "The dagger was her father's, but it's somewhat of a secret." Then glanced in surprise at Nal and then toward the musicians. "Trev is here?" She certainly hadn't expected that. Scanning the group of musicians over there, she didn't see their prodigal friend with them, and in fact didn't really recognize any of them. "Are you sure?" She stood on tiptoe, but failed to catch sight of Trevadir. "Let's go over and say hello, then, before he sneaks off again." She figured she might as well, so long as she had been coerced into coming here and all. "If he's still there," She added with a slight frown, uncertain, considering the way he had parted from the group the last time they saw him.

Sipping on her drink, while carrying the extra one, she rolled her eyes yet again at Nal's suggestion. "I think I'll hang onto it, for now." She declared, having another vague idea about what they might do with the extra drink. The threat made by her friend didn't bother her too much, for she thought she would rather dance with either Nal or Trev than some stranger. Not that she considered herself much good at dancing, but since it was part of the 'ransom' to get her hammer back... she let out a soft sigh, but stayed with the others as they headed toward the dancing.


It was great to be able to play along, and having seen another member of the audience participate, he figured it was alright for people to do it. Though, he noticed that the guy who seemed to be leading the musicians paused briefly. Trev raised his eyes to glance, but he thought his attention was focused on the other flutist. No one was glaring at Trev or giving him any disapproving looks, so he continued to play along to the end of the song, smiling back with a nod to the violinist that had acknowledged him. It seemed that no one objected, and so he decided he would continue to play and enjoy himself.

Next was a slower song, and he took a glance around. Still unaware of the group moving toward him, Trev listened to the notes for a moment before softly joining in. It was a very pretty song, and all the instruments combined sounded very nice together. Perhaps he might try and meet a few of the other musicians later, because none of them were familiar to him at all. For now he was happy enough to play his instrument and watch others enjoy the music.

Karis Ziranphel

Macardil’s surprised smile amused Ziran, and she admired his composure in continuing without faltering, although she could only return his smile with her eyes. She had indeed said she preferred playing in private, but she had played in public often enough back home that it was not intimidating to join in during a group music session. When he backed off the volume of his playing while watching her and then paused, she took the cue and played a little bit louder, with her fingers flying over the holes, and then backed off herself a little as he joined in again. She had noticed when another flutist joined her in playing, but welcomed the addition without pause. When the song drew to a close she let the last high note linger a moment before lowering her flute and returning Macardil’s bow with a grin and a hand over her heart.

There wasn’t really a moment to speak, as the harpist started out with another tune, and Ziran tilted her head to listen. It was a beautiful one, and she nodded with a smile as Macardil joined in playing with feeling. She was familiar with it but the flute she had been playing wasn’t as suitable to the key and tone. It took only a moment to switch to her lower pitched wooden flute, and she listened a while as the others played before joining in when it suited. It was much easier to weave the flute into the pace of the waltz.


Thûllir Bregedýr

He followed her willingly and then moved easily into the waltz with her when they were once again more properly on the dancing lawn, barely having to think about the movements as they danced. They did know each other well after these many years together, knowing one another’s cues and habits, and yet she always found ways to surprise or delight him. Her question, when it came, made him pause to think as they glided several steps in the dance, particularly because of the searching look she kept giving him.

What was a Ranger without the woods and hills? It still seemed odd in many ways to call their group Rangers when many of their tasks kept them in the city rather than as wandering guards, but the tasks were varied enough. He still had opportunity enough for spending time among the wooded hills. Thûllir had often thought about the question on occasion over the past many months, but felt sufficiently settled at present. His voice was quiet when he spoke. “I’m happy enough, my love. It is different indeed, and I didn’t have many formed expectations beyond more activity and the facing of dangers…but it is not all onerous duties. I find the trade of spending more time with you worth fewer excursions into Ithilien.”

He smiled, but his eyes were serious. “I did consider returning to Faramir, but that would mean even longer absences since he is well settled in Emyn Arnen now as Prince. Joining his household and force once more would have further commitments that would keep me away…so yes, unless you wish to join me in Ithilien, I am content here.” He lifted an eyebrow in question at her response to his words, but they had discussed this before, and he knew Kaylin’s love of the city since the first. The world may have changed since their first dance, but he didn’t anticipate that part changing.

Faramir, captain of the Ithilien Rangers.

Ithilien was now his home and his jurisdiction. He had moved there when the king appointed that position to him and also created a princedom out of the land on the east bank of the river. He missed the bustling of the great city, but his new home was more quiet which fitted to his calm and reflective nature. He had never the passion his older brother had. Boromir had never seen the dawn of peace that ruled today, but he still thought of the only sibling he ever had. He could fight and command, but reading a book by the fire at the end of the day was a favourite moment. On horseback he circled around the whole feast over the main road towards a post where security was as well the tabled laid with food and drinks. He had a few men with him and the captured prisoner. He had said one thing and did the other. But what he did, was right. Alone he weaved himself in the crowd until he found the lieutenant of the city rangers. “Lieutenant Dealedhwen? Can I hand over an outlaw, who pickpocketed his way and collected a worth together of a horse at least? Few hundred copper and silver coins,” he spoke to Arnyn. He gave a pregnant sack to the female ranger. Then he pointed to a bound and gagged captive who all had dismounted. “This outlaw made himself rich on the expense of others. I don’t know if he operated on his own. I have the impression he is not that intelligent. This is a southron man. A swanknight was after him, when we met on the west townborder of Osgiliath. This outlaw falls according protocol under your divisions jurisdiction.” Faramir knew the rules of Gondor very well when it came to authority. And even he was a prince now and no longer the captain of the Gondorian Rangers, he respected the rules and laws well, for they were fair and just now. The outlaw looked quite small between the men he was held. He still tried to get free, but that was futile. “My excuses to have bothered you on such a great day,” he said at last.

Arnyn

(OOC: It would take a few hours for Dyando to get to Osgiliath, be captured and get taken back, so I will write Arnyn's reply to that later, after she's been at the feast for some time.)

Coming closer to the musicians and the dancing area, Arnyn spotted Pele. "Good afternoon," she smiled at her friend. "Watching rather than partaking?" she inquired as she watched the musicians. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw the lead violinist. Karis was also playing, but she seemed like she was a spontaneous guest rather than one of the hired musicians. Arnyn frowned slightly and leaned over to Pele. The latter had told her about Macardil's circumstances, but Arnyn had not known he played an instrument, let alone so well. "I have to admit that is a surprise."


Macardil

He smiled at Trevadir as he joined in with the new tune. He either knew the song or had a good ear and was quite adept at his instrument. At first it seemed like Ziranphel was putting her flute away, but she merely exchanged it for a different one, listened a bit longer and then added to the song as well. Macardil hadn't known that he would find such pleasure in playing for and with others, and he almost seemed taller still as the bow of his fiddle slid over the strings, his blue eyes alight with joy.


Kaylin

Happy enough... She would have liked it better if there had been some more enthusiasm, but in the end it was to be expected he would not be ecstatic living in the city. She couldn't help the pinch in her chest at his words, though. He had considered returning to Faramir - and thus leaving her behind... although he then went on to say he did not want it unless she were to join him. Kaylin allowed herself a moment to recover before stepping closer and putting her head on his shoulder. Almost as if she wanted to keep him with her, and as long as she held onto him, he would not change his mind. Don't be silly, she told herself. He says he is content. He does not want to return if I choose to stay.

She turned her face toward his neck before speaking. It was not that she did not want to grant him equal time in the woods after he had given them time together in the city. It was just... "Ah, Thûllir... I am afraid I would not thrive for long there," she said quietly. "I had hoped that our travels and your patrol would have given you some peace, but I realize that has already been a few moons." She fell silent just a moment, and drew back a bit to look at him, her expression serious. "But... you mean it when you say you are content? Does this mean you would agree to years more of this - being here, with me?"
The answer was important.

Thûllir Bregedýr

Her silence before she eased closer to rest her head on his shoulder had him slightly concerned, as much as he enjoyed shifting to a more gentle waltz step and holding her close. Perhaps she thought he was seriously asking her to move away from here? When her words came, it seemed that perhaps that was a concern, although he didn’t know what prompted the thoughts, and her gaze was serious when she pulled back slightly to look at him.

He had been teasing lightly before, but he returned her regard seriously and answered quietly after a very brief pause as he searched her gaze and attempted to order his thoughts. Her last question was most important, so he answered that first. “I do, Kaylin. I do and I will, always, as long as it is my part to choose. That has not changed in the slightest since I first told you thus, beyond perhaps becoming more true, and my intent is to continue to choose you first my whole life long.” The topic and the music tugged at his heart as he moved through the steps in unison with this woman who was the delight of his life. He wasn’t sure if he could explain, but wanted to try answering her questions in whole. “Traveling with you was indeed wonderful, and helped solidify my satisfaction with this choice. Scouting excursions to the woods have a charm, yes, but peace…I may have some challenges with work life here, but I have more peace living with and getting to see you most of my days. I am content here with you, Kaylin, and would not voluntarily return to long appointments away from home.” Thûllir remembered their conversation about the choice to join the King’s Rangers, but felt his words today were not as eloquent in expressing his intent to never abandon her. It felt like he was in the dark about what might have prompted her concerned questions, and he fell silent a moment as they turned again and passed another couple before asking quietly, “Why do you ask?”

Kaylin

Her blue-grey eyes intently looked into his as she awaited the answer. During their betrothal they had spent much time apart. But they had started their marriage together in the city for a long time, thanks to Thûllir. The first few years he had spent more time in the city than in his woods, but then the intensifying war had once again called for his presence in Ithilien. The first couple of years after the war had been more similar to their betrothal, with Thûllir gone for long months, yet also in the city for longer stretches than before they had met.

And then the king had made this ridiculous decision to disband the regular army and put together a smaller, unified force. She would likely never forgive Elessar for doing so, yet it also brought an advantage that she never again wanted to give up - not if she had any say in it. The day Thûllir had come home from his woods and they had discussed serving in this new ranger force together was ingrained in her mind and in her heart. For somewhat over a year now, she’d been utterly spoiled by her husband’s presence. Both in Minas Tirith and during their travels after the first ranger mission last year.

If he saw himself staying in the White City like this…

The anticipation was building to a point she could hardly stand, even though in reality Thûllir was only quiet for a moment after she asked. Kaylin flexed the fingers of her right hand before curling them back over his left hand. When his answer came, it warmed her. From deep inside her chest it spread, and her heart overflowed with that warm feeling she had come to know as love for the man now holding her in his arms. So different they were, yet so in tune with each other. Her fingers tightened around his hand.

Kaylin did not smile, but her eyes spoke of what she felt. After their turn and his question, she slowly gave his cheek a light kiss. He knew she would have her reasons, and that she would get to them in time - knowing her, sooner rather than later. So she felt in no hurry to reply as she stepped in as close as she could while still maintaining the waltz, her left hand sliding from his shoulder to his neck as she settled the side of her face against his neck and breathed him in. "That question is - in a way - always on my heart," she said, just loudly enough for him to hear her over the noises of the Erulaitalë. "Although my head does not doubt your devotion to me, Thûllir Bregedyr." That was important to say, as well. It was just that emotion did not always follow reason.

He did see himself staying, and him saying the words again now removed what sliver of doubt had been left in her mind and heart. She broke the clasp of their hands to slide her hand up his arm. "Well, then… I would have you know I have tired of... having my morning tea." It was a quiet statement, whispered near his ear, before she created just enough of a distance between them to look him in the eyes and see whether the meaning behind her words would register. "I would be open to dropping the habit."

“My father can be a little like that as well,” Iole confided to Eryn. “Although ..” she could not help herself but to add “sometimes they are right. I mean, what you think you want now may not be what you inevitably end up wanting for the whole of your life.” The older girl sipped at her drink, to ease any concerns of spilling at least one of the two. “Tomorrow may bring something into your life that you never even realised you wanted yet. Life has a way of surprising us,” she smiled gently, trying to sound somewhat wise as she strolled, barefooted, and sought to keep balance with the dual drinks.

A side nod toward Cali noted that she had marked her friend’s whisper however. Iole chose not to ask any more about the dagger, at least not now and not from Eryn. Cali might explain a bit more if she felt able to later, and if they were granted a chance. This was the first time in a while that her friend had seen Cali lower than the sixth circle, and she was keen to ask Nal quite how he had managed it. Just as keen as she was to ask Cali about Eryn. There seemed to be a lot going on that she was unaware of yet, which was rather ridiculous, given how busy her friends always said they were and how much time Iole seemed to have at her own leisure recently.


Sensing that conversation had grown rather more tightlipped between Nal and Cali, Iole caught up with the young man and handed him Trev’s drink. She didn’t need to explain, because he pulled a face, clearly understanding her meaning all too well.

“What happened ?” she raised her chin toward the smudge that he now wore upon that face. Just like those on Cali’s cheek. Despite the two drinks he was now responsible for, the Ranger tilted his head aside, and left Cali to keep step with Eryn as he leaned in and shared a whisper of Cali’s recent concern for her look, with their mutual friend. Stopping short, Iole handed her own glass to Unalmis as well; so that he could know how it felt for at least a moment; and ran a long-since scarred palm flat down the length of her new dress, decidedly. Then the pale young woman turned, and wrapped her arms slowly and almost carefully, around Cali, effectively stopping nearly all their path for a moment as the dark hair buried in a silence against the smith’s chest. When she pulled away, Iole smiled quietly to her friend, checked her dress, now smudged and not so stood out from the rest of their party, tucked her hair behind both ears, and calmly retrieved the glass she had drunk of, back from Nal.


“Well now you look grand,” he awarded her, proudly. And refrained from teasing Iole about putting anything into her glass while he’d held it. After all, he was aware that was what had happened the last time. She had not been entirely easy to convince to come to this event either.


As they reached the stage, it became apparent that this was where nearly everyone was gathered. There were folk dancing, others engaged in providing the music. Some Unalmis recognised and also did not at the same time. Some .. or one in particular, .. he 'thought' he recognised, but he must have that wrong .. Such veterans as he had only witnessed before in official meetings or in action during a Ranger mission from the city, .. they were dressed here and acting like everyday civilians and it was as strange as it was enjoyable to see. And there amongst them all was Trevadir.

A thousand thoughts assailed Nal’s mind all at once, on how he might best approach this. But while clapping for their friend’s participation was appealing, the refreshment made this rather awkward. Iole of course had found a table, where they could sit and watch the fun from the sidelines, at least to start with. He decided to hold on the applause until the current music had finished at least. That would give time to .. hmm. That would give him time at least.

Thûllir Bregedýr

It didn’t take Kaylin long to answer, although he treasured her initial wordless reply to his statement. It pained him somewhat to hear that the question of his leaving was always on her heart, even though he understood that emotions didn’t always follow logic and evidence. When she loosed his hand to slide hers up his arm, he let his drop to her waist to maintain contact and keep their movement in sync, as Thûllir was mostly oblivious to those around them beyond sensing whether they would collide and shifting clear.

Her whispered words had him slowing his step as he faltered before recovering, and his blue-grey eyes lit with appreciation and wonder while a quietly joyful smile slowly dawned on his bearded face as he met her gaze. This did indeed make sense of her questions to him. “Indeed?” His whispered reply carried a thread of the joy that suffused his heart. It had been several years since the sorrow of their unplanned and yet not unwanted chance of enlarging their family, and Thûllir had not known that she was considering the topic again. He was happy that she felt secure enough with his presence and healed of heart to contemplate it of her own volition. “Well…if you tire of it, I am happy to serve you whatever you might desire in its place.” The song slowed to an end, and he took the opportunity to lean in for a kiss before the next tune started. He wouldn’t mind if it were slow again or flying and fast, as his mood was mixed enough to enjoy both.

@Ercassie
A quiet shrug served to answer Iole's wise words, for now. Eryn thought upon the things she said while they walked, only pausing when her new acquaintance suddenly went to speak more privately with Nal. Eryn tried not to wonder what they were whispering about, and focused her attention toward the musicians, where apparently another friend of Nal's awaited. Glancing at Cali, she smiled slightly. "Thank you again, for fixing it," She added.

"That was no problem," Cali assured her. "It was... refreshing to see my brother's work again." She added softly, before being surprised by a hug from Iole. Cali hadn't expected that, not with her friend in her pretty new dress and Cali in her sweaty, sooty work dress. "Iole, your dress..." She tried to warn her before it was too late, but then smiled and closed her arms carefully(mindful of the drink in either hand) around her friend's shoulders. "I've missed you," She whispered, while the moment lasted.

She was still slightly puzzled when they moved on, unsure what had prompted that sudden hug from her best friend. Not that hugs needed prompting, exactly, but she couldn't help wondering if Nal had said something. He was always saying something, though usually it seemed to be the wrong thing. Occasionally, though, he had been known to say the 'right' thing. Could this be one such rare occasion?

Setting her plate and drink at the table which Iole had chosen, Eryn took a look toward the dancers. She smiled, spotting her friend Kaylin out there enjoying a dance with her husband, and hoped that she was having a good time. Hopefully she'd have a chance to chat with her later, but she was also pleased to see how happy she looked. The music was nice just to listen to, also, and she took a look at the people playing, wondering which one was the friend they were looking for.

Selecting a seat at the table, Cali set her drink down, and the other at the place beside her. After a moment, she took a moment to remove her boots. It was hot, and her boots felt stuffy and the grass was sure to feel cooler on her feet. Besides, she had noticed Nal and Iole both were the same, so she might as well join them. Her boots she placed in the chair beside her... as if reserving a place, and then turned to survey the musicians. It took her a moment, due to looking in the wrong place, to spot Trev, but then the sun glinted off of his flute as he played along with the other musicians. Then, she could hardly miss the group's missing member, and smiled faintly to see that, as usual, he couldn't help but to be a part of the music.

"I suppose you're right," Eryn mentioned to Iole, continuing from earlier. "A little while back, I decided I'd like to learn healing skills, but that's something rangers need to learn. I didn't tell my father, but I'm really only getting a bit of advance on ranger training," She grinned. "But I've wanted to be a ranger since... well, I guess since about the time the war happened. Maybe a little earlier," She tried to think back to when it first crossed her mind, and shrugged. "I don't think I'm going to change my mind about it. But he seems to think I will," She rolled her eyes. "Or at least, he hopes I will."



The song was pretty, and he remembered it as one that his grandmother used to enjoy, so it hadn't been hard to pick it up and join in, though it had been a few years since last hearing it. He was used to playing by ear, having never had any formal instruction, so by now, he rarely had difficulty in figuring out how to play a tune. While playing, Trev let his eyes roam over the dance 'floor', enjoying the happy-looking couples that were dancing and enjoying the slower song. He'd have smiled if it wasn't for needing his mouth to play the flute.

A brief flash of yellow caught his peripheral vision, involuntarily drawing his gaze. He spotted them, and froze for a couple of seconds in surprise. Missing the next few notes, Trevadir observed his childhood friends gathering at a table nearby. The second his gaze landed on Nal, Trev turned his head and tried to pretend he hadn't seen them. He was pretty sure they hadn't seen him, and so he quietly pushed the hat down slightly further in an attempt at keeping his face more hidden, before returning his hand to his instrument. He was still a little upset over their parting words last time, and didn't want to get involved in any more arguments here, where everyone was having a nice time. Only a few seconds were lost before he had joined back in playing for the remainder of the song, thinking he might slip away once it had ended.

Kaylin

While his reaction might have seemed understated to some, Kaylin noticed the brief hesitation in his movements and the quiet happiness in his eyes. He was being careful, perhaps making sure that she meant it - a thought that she believed confirmed when he asked her if indeed that was the case. She could hear the joy in the one-word question, however, and that brought a sweet grin to her face.

His longer sentence verbalized his agreement, which made her heart jump. When Thûllir leaned in for a kiss, Kaylin met him halfway, not caring much about the people around them and how they might see. Those who couldn't stand to look at them, could simply look away. Besides, in Kaylin's opinion this was hardly the kind of public display of affection that should embarrass anyone.


Macardil

His eyes fell on rangers here and there, but it seemed that either Pele had filled them in on his circumstance - such as Arnyn - or they hadn't recognized him so far - such as Unalmis. In an attempt to escape any possible melancholy, he launched into a small set of happy tunes(13:03-17:20) - to distract himself but possibly also to distract the others.

With one eye on Ziranphel, he considered taking one of his breaks sooner rather than later. The musicians were all entitled to a few, and since there were enough of them to keep playing even if one or two bowed out, Hildy had told them they could choose their breaks as they wished, as long as the merriment could continue.
He wasn't sure yet, since Ziranphel seemed to be enjoying playing along, and he did not want to take away from that moment. It was good that she did not feel too encumbered to do this, as she once might have in her days as an officer.


Kaylin

As the new tune started, Kaylin did not immediately pull back from their kiss - giving it priority rather than stepping into a new dance. Then she smiled privately at Thûllir and shrugged while she let go of him and took a step back. "No objections, then, I take it?" The question sounded casual as she smiled at him, holding out a hand to him and moving her shoulders to the new rhythm. While he seemed to have agreed earlier, she wanted to ascertain herself that he saw no worthwhile obstacles.

Thûllir Bregedýr

She had her own gift of understatement, and Thûllir found himself grinning back at her casual question after she pulled back and began to move to the music. “None at all.” He took her hand as laughter spilled out. “I welcome the possibilities.” His eyes flashed as he lifted his arms with a burst of exuberance and stepped into the dance with his feet flying, pulling her with him to turn so he could take her other hand as well. He was well-recovered from the first two lively dances and had energy to burn. There was indeed reason to celebrate this life and give thanks.


Karis Ziranphel

It was a joy to be playing along to the waltz and watching Macardil’s enjoyment of creating music as well as seeing the many dancers and others gathering around to enjoy the sights and sounds. Ziran noticed Thûllir and Kaylin moving to the music in their own world. It was always a pleasure to see how well those two danced, and well worth getting her toes stepped on many times those many years ago when she had instructed Thûllir. He had most definitely surpassed her skill since then, as he used and expanded on his knowledge of movements and rhythms.

She had to shake out her fingers before the next tune, and listened a few moments to the fun and bouncy melody before joining in after a grin at Macardil’s choice. It was easy enough to follow and complement or embellish, although it took a good deal of energy and breath to last the whole way through the tune. Despite that, Ziran found her feet moving again with gliding steps, and she circled in place before weaving around Macardil and back when he played louder, and then taking her place again. When the tune ended with a last long note on the violin, Ziran called “bravo!” and then bowed to the rest of the musicians and tucked her flute through her belt. As fun as it had been, she was unaccustomed to playing so energetically for so long, and intended to return to being an observer. She stepped over to lightly brush her fingers across Macardil’s back in leave-taking, not wanting to interfere with his playing.

@Ercassie
After the final notes from the slow song, Trevadir hesitated. A lively song had started up, and he was torn between staying to hear it, or continuing with his plan to slip away. He didn't know that tune, but thought it might be fun to learn it. Maybe he'd try to figure it out later, he told himself. But he didn't want to ruin anyone's fun; either his own, or his friends', or anyone else. And he had a feeling that, after the last time the friends spoke together, that's exactly what would happen, if they saw him. So Trev let out a soft sigh as he slid his flute back into his pocket; he'd clean it in a few minutes, after he was a safe distance away from being spotted. Trying to keep his motions casual, so not to draw attention to himself, he quietly edged away from where he had been standing off to the side of the dancing. Away from the friends that he had once so desperately wanted to reunite with. Away from everything he'd given up to chase a foolish, childish dream.

Pele stood watching the dancers and listening to music, and for a while forgot where she was and the need to be always aware of the surroundings. It was good to be reminded that music could open a whole new range of worlds and experiences, and soon she found herself tapping the toes of her foot to the music, yet just so as not to be seen unless someone was observing her every movement.

"Mmm?" she responded, emerging from wherever her thoughts had taken her at the moment and becoming more aware of the surroundings. "Well... Watching is a good activity, is it not?" Pele was not all that confident that she fully believed her own statement. She would have wanted to join in and dance with all her might, yet doing so felt wrong.

With a small smile she tilted her head, as she looked at the musicians. "I suppose there may still be many a surprise lying in wait. Hidden talents..." she said, wondering how well she really knew other Rangers beyond their military skills.

"It seems that you are not much into dancing yourself," Pele then added, as she glanced at Arnyn with a small grin. "Or is that a skill that you are keeping for a big reveal of sorts?"

Silinde Merenion

They stood looking at each other. There were lots of variation within the grey frame of eyes, Silinde discovered. “You’re a knight,” the woman said. “I am not hiding it. You have to ride on your own horse. Mine cannot carry me and you all the way,” said Silinde. “I came walking,” she pointed from over the river. Silinde reached his own horse after he had said farewell to the young lady he had met, and searched for a villain. The feast hadn’t been what he had thought of it, meeting Faramir hadn’t been exciting as well, and the king he wouldn’t meet today. He looked at the Anduin. What did this lady really want? “What is your destination?” he asked. He could guide her to that point. “City of Amroth,” she said. He had a sense it was not the truth, but couldn’t pinpoint how he knew that. Could humans sense a lie? Aunt Mara had always trouble with discovering a lie. He had swindled himself often out of trouble with that, as a small kid. When she found out, it was too late for any correction.

But this encounter was something different. He knew he hadn’t been in this before. Oh he had helped other people to reach a destination. But here was emotion involved, and it was not only him. “Can you take me or not?” it sounded sudden more urgently and took an unexpected action to hop into the saddle of his horse. But even swiftly he took her out of it. “I can, but not this way, and not this fast either. Feast going on and I don’t want attract attention,” he said soft and clear. She moved quickly around him. “All that rabble?” she snorted. “They are people, and you know, it is the king’s feast as well. Rabble is a bunch of orcs. Or nosy Haradhrim,” he corrected her evenly friendly. “Got to with you then,” she shrugged. In silence they walked back towards the city gates, and from there weaved themselves to the fifth level where a swanknight house was. Silinde collected there what he would need on the road back, and included a second horse. An hour later they rode out of town, and stood outside the city walls once more.

The bundle of clothes with two legs and two arms on the second horse did have a mocking expression as this was not what the maiden was hoping for. Silinde’s steed couldn’t carry two persons. He did have his bags behind the saddle for the long road. “My name is Silinde Merenion,” he said. “Knowing each other’s names would be more pleasant on the journey.” With folded arms the head under the cape turned towards him. “Tinnuriel Glórinian,” she mocked still. So she was named after the twilight of the stars. “You’re odd,” was added rapidly. She was a native Sindarin speaker, as he was. At length that attracted also curious attention, so Silinde just hid the road and left the festivities behind. South of the city he stopped and turned around. “Journey is more pleasant if both of us have more merry moods than only myself,” he said growing impatient and tired. “You speak Annúnaid?” But Tinnuriel shook her head. “Would you accept an apology?” “I will, not a worry, but what is it really?” he asked. “How is it to hear the sea and the birds? They say it wakens a longing to leave,” she asked. Silinde looked down the Anduin. “Pleasant sound to wake up the morning with. Normal feeling to sail the sea and then reach shore once more,” he said smiling. Dol Amroth was a pleasant town to live. “Edhellond and Dol Amroth are two old elven hubs, and many still pass through them. Good towns, quiet in a sense, but lively as well.” He knew the lands very well there. If you knew where to look. “You’re part of Imrahil’s people?” asked Tinnuriel. “Born and raised, yes,” confirmed Silinde. That was not a secret. She waved with her hand to the east. “Somewhere from there I am,” she said. Ithilien? Or much further away? But she seemed reluctant to tell. What could be so secret where she came from? Or was there trouble she was running away from? Damsel in distress? They got on the road, leaving Minas Tirith behind.

(continued in the Dol Amroth thread)

Iole settled down at their table, opposite Cali whom she watched reserve a place beside her .. no doubt for somebody who was no longer with them. She offered her friend a smile, though it teetered about sadness. There was nothing anyone could do or say to bring Ryndir back, but at least they could remind their friend that she had not been left entirely alone since his passing.

“Healing is a very worthwhile practice to explore,” Iole mentioned, without thinking, and almost belatedly turned to Eryn, as though it were but a continue of their talk before; and not merely in order to keep their table from descending into silence. “I did some learning as a nurse, from Cali’s mother,” she admitted, nodding toward the smith so that she might find means to be involved too in the conversation. “It was thinking mostly to learn how to help out with my mother, who is .. confined to her bed most days. But I will always be grateful for even the little I learnt at the houses of healing. If I may offer advice, I’d say just do not think of it too much as a means to an end, but make sure you enjoy it, for what it is.”


Iole was trying to steer the conversation away from joining the Rangers, Nal noted. Though he could not be said to have reacted, nor was of a mood to assist her. He did offer Eryn a reassuring smile, for she did not know them as well as the rest of the group knew each other. “I didn’t know which juice you’d like,” he put in, suddenly, glancing around the table so that it might not be quite so obvious when he stole a look back and away from the table. “So each one is different. There’s lemon and apple flavours and all sorts. Which have you got there, Eryn ?”

“Mine is a little like strawberry,” Iole joined in, and reached for Cali’s hand across the table. “What would you say of yours ?”

“This was assuredly apple juice,” Unalmis concluded, having finished the drink and any excuse to delay further. Potential distraction had come for a short time in the form of that weirdly familiar musician. Nal did not move in the same social circles as Karis or Kaylin and there had not been any official announcement of it made by the Captain. He knew only what Beren had told him at the time, what everyone had said had happened. He hadn’t understood it then, and still did not understand it to this day. But, neither did it make sense that those others all present who clearly were aware of it, would stand here and do nothing about it. Unless there was no cause to .. With a shrug, he deemed it perhaps none of his business then. Maybe it wasn’t even that same man. He did look altered somewhat.


“And what of this one ?” Iole put in, edging the drink they had gathered for Trev, toward Nal, pointedly. He could have laughed out loud at her total lack of subtlety, but steeled himself, turning back to the table. “I expect Trevadir is very thirsty after such spirited performance,” Iole urged him still.

“A spirited ‘performance’ indeed,” Nal agreed with knowing eyes, but still he took the glass. For the waltzing had come to an end, and so to did it seem had any chance that the flutist had not noticed them. Trevadir of all them loved music, more than anything. There was no reason he would choose to depart before there was no more. Unless .. a curse escaped the young man’s lips, and he had no further choice.

Training, hunting, scouting, it was probably not intended for this motive. Still Unalmis caught wind of which way Trevadir was now lighting for, and he veered about the crowd to present right in front of his old friend, just as Trev turned back from a last glance behind him.


Face to face, for the first time in months, Unalmis thrust forward the glass between them, which was, admittedly, now less full than it had been before he set out on ambush. “If you are fleeing in fear of a hostile audience, then all that shouting about on ships has made you deaf as well as stupid,” he began, the closest to an apology which he was willing to commence. There was every chance that the other was likely to refuse even to hear him out. At the table not so far enough away to hear, Iole clapped a hand from her glass to her face, but could not keep from watching, with hope. Honestly, boys were so stupid !

“You played well, Trev” Unalmis put in, on second thought and rather too swiftly. To remind himself and make clear that he was actually trying here to make amends. “Won’t you accept a drink and come let us tell you so ?” he added. Any further request came from eye contact alone. Unalmis could only hope that he could convey the parts of his opinion which he wanted Trevadir to understand. That he wanted them to be, as though what had been said .. had never been said at all. Like they had been before. Like he would have them be again. But he was not about to get down on his knees and beg.

Maybe he had not reacted brilliantly to what Trevadir had tried to tell him on that awful day. But he really hadn’t wanted to hear it. Not then, and definitely not from somebody he had always trusted with his life. Because Trev knew .. every .. reason why he should not have said it. He knew. And Nal had been so absolutely furious in that moment, not least because he did not easily become upset and was even mad at himself for being so. But if it had been anybody else, he would have cared less, it would have hurt less. And then, before he’d even had a chance to properly think why Trevadir would ever say such a thing to him, his friend was gone. Stormed off, left. Without any real explanation over what had just happened. And that, of all things, hurt as much as what he’d spoken at all. Which again, Trevadir of all of them had most cause to know just why.

He could almost feel Iole boring her insistent gaze into the back of his head, though Nal did not dare to turn even for an instant to indicate the others. Clearly Trev had seen their group or he would not be making to depart. “I didn’t spit in it,” he felt obliged to confess. Dropping eyes from the glass, then back to his friend. Please, he sat on a private desperate hope that they might laugh about this. He had not known or expected to see Trevadir today, on the very day he had been working so hard to get their little group back together. So this had to be some sort of fate.

@Ercassie
Eryn gave a small nod, trying to recall all that she had been told about the different members of this group of friends. Not only from the things which Nal had spoken to her about them, but another member she had once known. "I hope your mother is well," She spoke to Iole, in reference to her mentioning that her mother was bedridden. She couldn't help her thoughts drifting to her own mother, but refrained from bringing that up. No need to drag the mood down, especially since some unspoken thing between the others seemed to be doing that already. "I have other reasons for wishing to learn healing skills," She mentioned in reply to Iole's advice. "So it's not exactly just 'a means to an end'." She assured her.

Cali vaguely wondered if the comment about healing might have had a double meaning; an answer to Eryn, and a hint toward herself, that she ought to heal. She hadn't really spent a lot of time with either of her two friends since her decision to return to Minas Tirith, she realized. In fact, she hadn't even left the sixth level since arriving there and taking the job in the ranger armory. So, it was unlikely they were aware of how much healing she had done, while living in Dol Amroth these last few years with Ivornith and the children. She smiled faintly, trying to give reassurance to Iole, that she was alright.. and was no longer sunken into the despairing fog of grief that had once threatened to swallow her up.

Eryn glanced toward Cali, then at Iole, and finally at Nal, relaxing a little to see him smile. Almost as if reassuring her that she wasn't out of place among them. She smiled slightly back, but hoped that her face wasn't getting pink. It sure was feeling a bit warm, but she told herself it was because of the sun shining on her. Nothing more. Thankfully, he soon after drew everyone's attention onto a totally different subject; the juice. Having not put a lot of focus yet onto the drink, Eryn curiously took a sniff at her glass, and tried a sip. "I think this might be a blend," She declared, frowning thoughtfully. "It seems to have apple, but it reminds me of cherries, too."

"Mine is lemonade," Cali answered, having already had a sip and identified it earlier. About that time, she noticed that Trev seemed to be missing from the spot where he had been, and she glanced around with a slight frown, wondering if they had already missed their chance to reunite with him. Before she had a chance to comment, Iole was already hinting at the same thing, drawing Nal's attention to it, with a verbal nudge that he ought to do something. Cali gave a tiny nod of approval, thinking it was certainly about time those two boys made up.

After he was gone in search of Trevadir, Cali let out a soft sigh and turned to Iole. "Do you think they'll stop being idiots, or will we have to intervene?" She wondered, thinking of how the girls might manage to patch up the rift that had somehow come between the friends.
Eryn glanced from one to the other, again, and decided maybe it would be best to keep out of this matter, as it seemed to involve something she was not part of. And they had all been friends together for much longer than she had known any of their group.


Just as he was thinking that he had been successful in his escape, Trev turned to find his path blocked by none other than the one person he had meant to avoid. He stopped in his tracks, gazing back at the other with a slight frown. Uncertainty and frustration boiled up inside, but he remained silent while Nal started talking. Trevadir had no idea really how to even deal with this whole thing. After the things spoken between them, how could they repair their once-unshakeable friendship? How could things ever be the same again, after all that had changed? And then, Nal's words seemed to form some sort of insult, though he really couldn't be quite sure if the ranger was calling him stupid or not. The frown deepened slightly as he tried to work that out, and he folded his arms across his chest.

Unalmis' next words gave a little more clarity to his meaning, so at least he wasn't intending it to be an insult, although Trev could have rolled his eyes. He might have laughed, once. But he was still upset with Nal. He'd never been upset with him before, not like this, and it was almost painful, yet how could he forgive him? After what he'd said, and what those words had meant to Trev? A part of him wanted, more than anything, to laugh at the joke about the drink not being spit into, but that would just be brushing it all under the rug, as if nothing ever happened. And it had happened. And Trevadir couldn't just forget a thing like that. Instead, he clenched his jaw, steeling himself against the want to laugh, and struggling inside for a moment to find some sort of calm.

"You called me a liar, Unalmis," He spoke at last, quiet, trying for at least the illusion of calm. "And implied that I could've turned against you.. that I was in league with...them. That I.. might be trying to lure you into a trap.. how could you think a thing like that?" He took a slow breath, struggling even harder with the painful emotions he had, admittedly, been brooding on ever since that fateful conversation. "We've been friends since... before we could talk. But you wouldn't even listen to what I was trying to tell you. I thought... if anyone would accept me back here, you..of all people..." He stopped and swallowed, trying to keep his voice from breaking, then held up his hand, palm facing toward Nal so that his scar showed. "Or did this mean so little to you?" He asked softly, scowling so as to cover up the pained expression that would otherwise have shown on his face.

Arnyn

"Watching can be a stellar activity," Arnyn agreed, giving her captain and friend a sidelong glance before returning her attention to the dancers and the musicians. "A valuable skill. Yet, as rangers, we were also taught when it is time to put an end to our watchfulness and take action... Were we not?"

When Pele said that it very well may be that there were more things they did not know of their comrades in arms, Arnyn nodded. "I should hope so," she said merrily. "Take those two, for example." She nodded to Thûllir and Kaylin. "While I might have expected it from Kaylin, Thûllir's energy is a surprise. A good one," she added, for clarity. "It brings me joy to see others having such a genuinely good time."

Be that as it may, her face grew thoughtful as she looked at Macardil again. While she understood the decision to no longer let him be a ranger, and at first thought she might have made the same call, she wasn't so sure anymore. But, since it was not her decision to make, she would keep those thoughts to herself. Perhaps he could make a carreer out of playing his violin? He seemed to be enjoying himself, at least, and he had the skill for it. She saw Karis weaving around the man as she played her flute. A slight smile mastered her face for a moment. While she was not privy to the whole story between those two, Karis had told Arnyn enough for her to know Karis thought well of Macardil and that the two were spending time together. Finding such matters should not be commented on when she did not know the details nor who had been told what, Arnyn did not speak of it to Pele.

At Pele's next comment, Arnyn's smile grew into a grin, though her eyes remained on the crowd. "That is a faulty assumption," she replied lightly. "I very much like to dance, nor do I shy away from it. Although, I must say I am probably not as exuberant a dancer as our ranger couple over there... then again, who knows." While she would not be inclined to reject someone's offer to dance, she currently preferred to serve as an extra pair of eyes looking at for Pele's safety. Knowing that her friend would likely object to such an intention if she were to speak it out loud, Arnyn turned to light-heartedness. She raised an eyebrow at Pele. "It is almost as if we color coordinated," she joked, nodding at Pele's green tunic with golden embroidery and indicating her own soft green dress and the golden bracelets on her right arm. Then Arnyn glanced pointedly at Pele's guard, standing a few yards away and keeping an eye on everyone who came remotely close to the Captain, and continued her jesting. "Suppose you could not cajole that one into taking you for a spin?"


Kaylin

An easy laugh escaped her at Thûllir's exuberant dance moves, and it rang in the air around them as she joined him in the quick steps and turns of the dance he had chosen and which they knew well. The matter was discussed and decided, then. In a much shorter and more agreeable manner than she had expected prior to this moment - and the moment was absolutely excellent.

When the tune ended, Kaylin threw her arms around his neck and looked him earnestly in the eyes. "Thank you." She was referring to multiple things, but most of all his seemingly unending understanding after their loss, years ago. The way he never pressured her, not even by something as innocent as simply asking how she felt about it after the passing of time. But also for indulging her in attending this event, and setting his reserve aside to dance with her in such a manner. They had danced like this a lot on their travels, but that was different - they did not live or work among those people. It would make a difference for him, she assumed.
Kaylin twirled a short curl of his hair around one of her fingers, and her intense look slowly evolved into a smile and then a grin as she thought of things she would not say aloud. "How about a drink, Bregedyr?"


Macardil

One of the flutes did not join in for the livelier tune, and with a quick glance Macardil saw that it was the young man (Trevadir) who had to have bowed out, since Ziranphel was still there, moving around and playing with them. Macardil smiled at the sight but his eyes kept going back to the strings on his violin to make sure his bow was hitting them right; there was too little time to string the notes together on feeling alone.

On his last note, he heard her calling out and saw her bowing. Still debating on what to do, he felt the light touch of her fingers against his back, which decided it for him. He turned towards her as he shifted his hold on the bow so it was out of the way and he could lightly curl his arm halfway around her and make eye contact. "Don't go far." His tone turned the low-spoken words into a request. After a moment, he dropped his arm and looked away, to signal the other musicians that he would be taking a break. The lute player started a tune Macardil knew well: happy, but short. Quickly stowing his violin and bow into the case, he left it near the harp player and the other violinist. He briefly spoke with them before turning away - to find Ziranphel almost right where she had been earlier. This surprised him slightly, as he would have expected her to have moved off to the side for a few yards at least.

His lips quirked into a quick smile before he smoothed over his expression again and approached to hold out his arm for her. "Were you looking for a break from attention?" he asked her quietly, once he stood close. "Or might you be convinced to join me for a dance when the tune changes next?" It shouldn't take long, and he knew what they would be playing next - upon his request.

“She is, thankyou,” Iole smiled graciously at Eryn’s kindness. “The sea air so agrees with her that my father refuses to move back from the coast. Honestly I think he is enjoying retirement, and fears he would find himself work still to do if they were to return to the city.” The Undertaker had in fact said something along the lines of having had his fill of death, and wished to enjoy life instead, while he yet could. But his daughter held that particular sentiment back, having no want to raise the subject of loss or grief, in such company as she was left with. A delicate taste of her juice renewed her faith that it was strawberry flavoured, although she did tuck her lips into her teeth a few times, now wary that they might be stained bright red by the sweet fruit.

“Oh they can not help being idiots,” she remarked though, to Cali’s musing. “They are boys after all. But they won’t thank our interfering. Unless we interfere in such a way that they don’t realise we’re helping.” Iole moved her juice in towards her, as a fly walked along the sticky table. She had certainly received no thanks from Unalmis for telling him to make it up with Trevadir and was quite sure he had only humoured her insistence, because he had worked so hard to get both her and Cali to attend today. “Neither one of them is going to apologise, ” she sighed a likely prophecy, replacing her glass once the small insect had taken it’s flight away, and she waved a hand before her face in it’s wake; “which is so ridiculous when the disagreement is clearly injuring them both. We three must solve it then in such a way that they believe it was all their own doing. What do you think ?” She opened the table to ideas, against the backdrop of the lively and enjoyable music.


Unalmis watched his friend rein in, rally and then release what Trev had clearly been bottling up since they had last spoken. As sure as fair harmony had fallen from the musician’s flute, not moment before, now his tune was sure of hurt and annoyance. The annoyance Nal would not deny, he was well known for provoking. The hurt though, was not a thing he wished to count as his doing. As far as he was concerned, anyway, he had just a great a right to claim at being wronged. But only one of them was exacerbating the issue. Belatedly the Ranger began to regret he’d ever managed to catch up with Trevadir. He definitely did not want more dispute.

When it seemed as though his friend had spoke his piece, the Ranger took a deep breath. “You took issue with something that I said to you,” he recognised, unsurprised. “That’s fair,” a shrug accompanied the opinion. “Since I very much felt the same over what you said to me that day. ” The jovial cadence of easy conversation dropped a jot or two. There was no jest about it now. No disguising the truth of the statement. It preceded a sigh. “We’re neither one of us perfect, Trev,” the Ranger declared, unashamedly. “But at least we’re evenly matched in taking offense. So if I can forego it, can’t you ?”

When Trevadir brandished his scar, as though it were a weapon of betrayal, it irked Unalmis to see their ancient symbol of friendship employed for scorn. That was the sheer opposite of all that it had been designed to represent. “I mean, I’ve literally just come over to ask you to come join us. Because this ?” he held up a palm which mirrored the same scar as his childhood friend. “Because of this.” he corrected himself.

“It is far too nice a day to get worked up. And would you not rather be playing your music ? Or listening to some ?” There was much still between them that was unsaid, but was this the time ? The place ? He could not rightly imagine a time or place he would want to be free with his unbridled thoughts upon the matter. Nor why everyone else seemed to want to talk all the things out. Things had never used to be this complicated.

@Ercassie
"I'm a little confused," Eryn stated, hesitant to get involved, but since Iole had asked for ideas... "what's going on, exactly?" She cast a glance toward the two boys. They both looked either angry or upset. "Why are they mad at each other? I thought they were supposed to be friends."

"It's.. um. A little involved, but, well..." Cali paused, thinking of the best way to sum it up. "Basically, Nal overreacted a bit to something Trev said, so then Trev overreacted to his overreacting, and now they're both upset and hurt and too proud to apologize and get over it." She glanced at Iole with a questioning look, wondering if she'd left out anything worth mentioning. "So it looks like it'll be up to us girls to help them work through it and get back to being friends."

Eryn tilted her head, nodding slowly. "I see." She took a quiet sip of her juice, looking back toward them, watching them for a moment. They obviously did not enjoy being angry.. it was like some invisible barrier separated them each from happiness, making them both miserable. Unbidden, a memory fluttered into her mind, from some distant moment when her mother was still alive. A story she had once told, which at the time had seemed like just a funny story from her mother's childhood, but now... could it be the answer to this problem?

Cali propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, thinking. "What if we... no, nevermind." She immediately canceled out all thoughts of faking some sort of trouble that would push the boys to work together. That would not be in good taste, even without the incident from the last time they attended a festive event. "I'm a little at a loss," She sighed. "I've never known of them to have any serious disagreements between them," She frowned, upset to see them so. If Ryn were here... she had a feeling somehow that he would have known just what to do and say to dissolve the tension, and then everything could have worked out. But, alas...

"I have an idea that might work?" Eryn spoke up, glancing from Cali to Iole, and scooted a little closer to them both. She hesitated, then explained, "My mother once told me about this time that she and her sister were soooo angry at each other.. she couldn't remember what they were angry about. But anyway, she said they wouldn't speak to each other, couldn't stand to be in the same room... you get the idea. Well, anyway, she told me that her parents..." Leaning closer, Eryn lowered her voice a little as she proceeded to explain how her mother's parents had handled it. "...and before long, her and her sister were the best of friends again," She concluded with a smile. She wasn't sure why that story had stuck with her, but she was glad it had, and hoped that maybe it could help somehow, in this situation.

Cali listened curiously, smiling slightly as she tried to imagine Ivorinith being that angry with her sister. Sitting back thoughtfully as the younger girl finished presenting her suggestion, Cali nodded thoughtfully and looked at Iole. "It might work. If we do it right... I think it's worth a try, anyway." It was bad enough that they had lost one member of the group that could never return. Their little group had nearly fallen to pieces then, and it seemed as if they were even now barely holding together by threads. If the boys couldn't patch up their differences, what would happen to the group then?

Trev's frown seemed only to deepen a little at Nal's response, dropping his hand down to his side. "Well, I was playing, and enjoying the day well enough." He retorted, huffing. It was like Nal just didn't get it. And Trev really didn't get why Nal was making such a big deal about what Trev had said that day. He sure hadn't done anything wrong... Nal was the one to blame for this whole mess. All Trev had tried to do was share some news, for goodness sake! News that he had thought Nal would be eager to hear, but obviously not. Of course he'd remembered, a little late, why he might ought to have chosen a better way of going about it, but still! Nal should have known him better than to think he'd ever do as he had accused him. And after all the time they'd known each other, and been friends... how could he have said such things? How could Trev simply get over that? And how could Nal make so light of what he'd said, anyway?

"I'll bet you only came over because they made you," He added, nodding his head back toward the girls seated some ways off, guessing at the true motive for the other's attempt at making peace, or whatever this was. "Not because you wanted to apologize, or any other reason. Forget it, I don't wanna talk to you," He declared, turning on his heel. Heading toward the table, Trev let out a sigh of frustration, figuring he might as well go and join the others, since he'd obviously been unsuccessful at slipping away unseen by them. And he'd rather talk to the girls right now, than Nal. At least then he'd have someone around that he could talk to that wasn't Nal. Friends who hadn't accused him of anything. At least with two other friends present, he could ignore the one he was angry with, and focus his attention wholly on the others.

He was slightly surprised to see an unfamiliar girl sitting with them, whom he hadn't noticed previously. Trev was fairly sure he'd never seen her before, but she looked maybe a couple of years older than his brother must be, by now. With a small nod to acknowledge the girl, he then turned his attention to his friends of old. "Hi," He glanced from Cali to Iole, slightly awkward, since he had intended to leave without them seeing him, and they must have guessed as much. Noticing a slight pink tinge already spreading across Iole's pale face, a slight frown returned to his face. He took his hat from his head, placing it upon hers, instead. "You're getting sunburned," He informed her, in explanation. The hat had obviously failed at its intended task, so perhaps it could serve another, in protecting his fair-skinned friend from the sun's bright rays. "Um, how are you both?" There was more meaning to that particular question than the average listener might realize, considering the last time he'd seen them.

Thûllir Bregedýr

The fast dance was quite fun, and long enough that Thûllir was thankful for the end even as he was reluctant to stop. He grinned at Kaylin when she threw her arms around his neck, before it changed to a tender smile in silent response to her words. It was worth letting go of his reserve even here to see her happy. If this was to be their home for many years to come he might as well relax more in public on occasion, and she had made his heart soar with her statement.

New music was starting, but his attention was focused on Kaylin as she began to play with his hair and smile in a way that had his brows lifting. Something told him there would be more to talk about later with the look in her eye, but she merely asked about getting a drink. “Hmm. Aye, a drink would be good. Dancing is thirsty business.” He grinned back at her and then moved to maneuver them off the dance floor and towards the beverage tables.


Karis Ziranphel

She hadn’t meant to pause long, but Macardil’s turn towards her halted her movement, and she tilted her head to look up at him with a questioning quirk of her eyebrow when he wrapped his arm partly around her. The look in his eye brought a thoughtful one into her own, and she swiftly decided to change her previous course, even as it pleased her that he would pause to ask. A small nod replied to his request, and she took the moment after he turned away again to open the bag she carried so that her flutes were both securely stowed once more in their respective padded pockets, and then tightened the strap so it wouldn’t shift around.

She did step back from the fore-front of the group, but hadn’t moved far at all when Macardil returned from conferring with some of the other musicians and stowing his violin, and she noticed his quick smile. His question as he offered an arm to her made her heart jump unexpectedly. It was true that she didn’t necessarily like to be the focus of attention from others for long, as she normally found it made her weary, but it hadn’t bothered her in the group. The years of command had been good for helping her lose her shyness in that regard. Yet personal attention that mattered…that could occasionally bring about moments of uncertainty.
It was but a heartbeat of thought, and yet it was with both surprising nerves and delighted anticipation that Ziran looked up at him with a quiet smile as she accepted his arm.“I was intending to take a breather from playing more so than from the attention, but I would be delighted to join you in dancing instead, Macardil.” No convincing was needed when she had been looking forward to the possibility. She just hadn’t been sure he would dance this day, so hadn’t wanted to form any expectation.

“That is about the way of it,” Iole agreed with Cali’s explanation. It really was the most frustrating situation. She knew why Unalmis had been upset by what Trevadir had said, and she knew just as well why Trevadir had been upset by what Unalmis said in response. What she didn’t know was how to put it right when neither of them was willing to take back what they’d said, nor even listen to why the other had said what they had.

“I have already tried everything I could come up with,” she was forced to admit, but thankfully Eryn had the objectivity as an outsider, to come up with a fair and simple proposal. What was more, it had at least a 100% proof record of success, according to the young healer’s story. “Honestly, what have we to lose ?” Iole considered aloud, before breaking off into a hasty ‘shhh shh shhh,’ as Trevadir himself came over. Without Unalmis.

A despairing look crossed her sun-flashed face, though she threw out a smile as their friend sat down. “Hello Trev,” the mild falsetto was too much, and deceptively too cheerful. When the musician frowned, she did not expect his reason, nor the hat which was deposited upon her head. Gently a hand found each side of the rim, but Iole could not help dashing one briefly across her nose, thenafter, selfconsciously. Raising her near emptied glass Iole peered for a hope of her reflection and found mostly just strawberry seeds stuck to the drinking receptacle. Slowly she lowered the glass again, and dipped the hat so that it cast her face in greater shadow. By which time she found that her friends were waiting for her to remember herself, and their plan. “Oh thanks. Umm. This is Eryn” Iole introduced their companion and considered Trev’s question. “Well,” she swallowed “We are here, and that is a start.”



Nal’s hand fell slack as Trevadir guessed exactly right, about his having been talked into even talking to his friend, by Iole. What remained of the drink he’d brought over with him, and hadn’t been already spilled in his approach, now quietly fed the mud underfoot. His toes on the nearest foot were soon sticky and damp. He didn’t notice.

He was just about to give back that he had no intention nor cause to apologise actually, when Trevadir stormed off. Again. Throwing his eyes skyward, Unalmis drew the index finger of his left hand down it’s palm subconsciously. “You’re asking a lot, Ryn” he muttered under his breath, took a step in his most furious friend’s wake, and then stopped. Turning away from the group who would clearly be just fine and happy so long as he was not with them, he took off in the opposite direction.

Honestly he felt bad about leaving Eryn with a group of almost strangers, but she and Cali seemed to be already acquainted. Iole had already begun to take the younger girl under her wing, whether Eryn wished for it or not. And really, everything looked like it was going okay at the table. More than just okay, in fact. Cali had been surgically detached from her work, and was actually chatting with friends, Iole seemed to have forgotten how nervous she’d been to even set foot on the field earlier. And Trevadir was in their midst, giving up his hat and even sitting down. So everything had gone exactly the way that Unalmis had hoped, except that it only worked so long as he stayed away from them. Irony.


His frustrations had taken him toward a whole other side of the field, which he did not notice until the sounds of song caught his attention. It was not so harmonious as the musicians back in the main gathering. It was only Narradir putting on his ‘character’ voices, and singing as first one and then the other wood-carved puppet, as ‘Eorl’ and ‘Cirion’ contorted merrily in the forester’s massive hands. Not a small amount of children had clearly been deposited on the grass nearby to watch the little show of how Gondor and Rohan made their vow of fealty, and no doubt many of their parents were taking full advantage of the distraction to enjoy a little quiet time alone. Some responsible adults though were still stood around the cross-legged assembly and Narradir’s wife, Serenda, was handing out drinks to the children.

As the song calling for friends to help one another became far too relevant, Nal pushed off the tree he had been leaning against and glanced around it, back toward the far off table of distant friends. They had each come to celebrate today, when it had not been easy for any one of them. And it occurred to him, belatedly, that while he had thought his only difficulty was the convincing of at least two of those three to attend, the truth was that he was his own worst difficulty to convince and, while they had all faced what made this hard for them, he was so far unable to do likewise for his own sake.

The recognition did not make him feel any better at all, and the neighbourly themes of friendship were beginning to grate, not make him grateful for some fateful sign, which he would normally have embraced wholeheartedly. Still, it was enough to at least take him warily back toward the group. He refused to let the .. matter .. ruin his day, and stopped on route to exchange the empty glass for two full replacements. With a deep breath, Nal returned to the table, gave the second glass to Cali, with nary even a glance over to Trevadir, and began to count down in his head for the moment he expected Trev would rise up and leave. Because apparently the flutist had learnt that much from all his recent time spent with his errant father, even if he’d learnt nothing else. Which was, in Nal’s personal opinion and not so recent experience, very unlikely.

Macardil

The quiet smile belied and yet fit with what he saw in those dark eyes of hers. His question thrilled her, or at least charmed her, yet there was also some tension there - he thought. Macardil did not respond verbally, simply dipping his head in acknowledgement of her words and using his peripheral vision to guide them off to the side of the dancing lawn as he kept his eyes on her face. He was curious to any reaction he might pull from her, and would rather not miss even one. She had said it was not the attention of which she was seeking a break, yes? And he found that Ziranphel deserved his undivided attention this day for at least however long it might take to begin and end one dance.

Since she had accepted his offered left arm to walk with him, he turned a bit to his left to face her when he had them slow to a stop. The touch of his right hand on her waist, just above the belt which carried her weapons, uncannily coincided with the first harp notes of the next song.
Macardil had been formally trained, and even if he did not strictly adhere to the rules as he had learned them growing up, his right hand still slid up her left side and then back, to halt and rest on the lower part of her shoulder blade. He lowered his left arm until her hand slipped away and held up his left hand for her, still intently watching her expression and not paying any attention - or so it seemed - to the hand he was offering. He mentally reminded himself to respectfully leave a few inches of space between them as he waited.

When he felt her hand in his, his fingers and thumb slowly closed around her hand. After a few heartbeats, his left foot stepped forward and he started them off in tune with the music. He led the dance with a quiet kind of certitude and confidence, through a strong frame, a gentle touch, decisive steps, and leading with his body rather than his arms and hands. His blue-eyed gaze was difficult to decypher as he led Ziranphel through the rotating steps of their slow dance.


Kaylin

As Thûllir was pouring the both of them some water to rehydrate before tackling any other drinks, Kaylin looked back to the dancing area as the musicians started playing a distinctly slower song. Something she saw caused her to raise her eyebrows with some surprise, but she kept her thoughts to herself as she turned back to Thûllir and tried to hide her amusement from her husband by seeming much too interested in what was - after all - mere water. While the sight of Karis and Macardil dancing was not shocking, it was entertaining to Kaylin, as she was well aware of Karis' inclination to stick to the sidelines, as well as a few of the things that attracted Karis about Macardil. It pleased Kaylin to see a dear family member enjoying such moments, but she wasn't completely sure how Thûllir felt about his cousin's heart being on the line.

"Thank you," she said as she accepted the glass of water Thûllir handed to her, and she smiled at him with lingering amusement in her eyes. "I dare say, today is a good day," Kaylin said as she raised her glass to the man who had won her affections years ago, and kept winning them with every new day they woke - together or apart.

@Ercassie

"Hi, Trev," Cali greeted him with a small smile. "I'm alright. My arm is better, anyway, and I've been keeping busy." She answered his question with a shrug, not wanting to think upon the circumstances of their last reunion. Iole's introduction of Eryn seemed slightly lacking, so she decided to elaborate a little. "Do you remember my sister-in-law, Ivornith?" She asked, after Iole had introduced Eryn. "Her sister was Eryn's mother." She explained who the girl was to them, even as she wondered if that bit was news to Iole as well. She had no idea how well aquainted Iole and Eryn were with each other. "Eryn, this is our friend, Trevadir," She added.
"Hi," Eryn waved, smiling a bit shyly. "I'm mostly friends with Nal, but I'm happy to meet his friends too." She added.
"Oh, interesting. Good to meet you, Eryn." Trev nodded with a polite smile as he found a seat at the table among those who were still his friends. "I didn't expect to see... well, either of you, really." He added to Cali and Iole. As long as he was sitting there, he pulled out his flute and a rag so he could begin cleaning the moisture from the inside.

Glancing toward Iole, Cali shrugged slightly in answer to that comment. "You wouldn't have seen me, if a certain person hadn't stolen my hammer so that I had to come chasing him down," She mentioned lightly, with an annoyed sigh. "I might just beat him with it when he does give it back." She inflected a certain amount of irritation into her voice, which may or may not have been genuine.

"Hm." Trev shifted uncomfortably at the implication of who she was talking about, preferring not to bring up that sore subject. "You're here, anyway. Enjoying a nice day, and all that." He paused and glanced at her, realizing what she'd said about her hammer. "So, I guess that means you've started working in your forge, openly?" He glanced at Cali with surprise. It wasn't so long ago that he had even learned of her secret smithing skills.

"I'm working in the ranger armory, as the smith there." She explained. "Although, someone keeps coming in there and pestering me, delaying my work and making messes, and just being an absolute nightmare." She huffed a sigh of frustration, then shook her head a little. "But I don't want to talk about pests today." She added, taking a sip of her juice. Reaching out a moment later, and giving ample time for him to prevent her from doing so, she gently took the flute from him while he glanced questioningly at her. Cali was no musician, but she couldn't help gazing at the instrument with a soft, reminiscent smile. "Do you remember when you got this?" She asked, rhetorically.

Trev nodded and glanced toward the musicians again as a new song started up. "Of course." He answered, quietly. "How could I forget..." Considering where it came from, and who had crafted it. "It's.. my most treasured possession, because.. you know." It didn't have to be said aloud, and to do so was to risk bringing the mood down further. His goal was the opposite.

Cali quietly handed it back, after lightly running a finger lightly over the emblem engraved on the side. The symbol of the group's friendship. Her point, though subtle, had hopefully been made. "You ought to play along," She encouraged with a small smile. "It's a lovely song."

"It is," he agreed, hesitating. He listened for a moment, debating. But before he reached a decision, Nal had returned. A storm cloud seemed to settle onto Trev's face again, and he turned pointedly away so as not to have to see the other.


Eryn kept quiet, with only a few glances toward Iole as the other two talked. So far, it seemed to be going well enough, but it would be hard to say what would happen when Nal returned. And when he did, she felt the tension grow between the two sides of the table. It felt more tense than her father's bowstring. Now that both of those involved were present, the plan could be set in motion. "Oh, Nal! You're just in time," She spoke up with a smile. "Your friend was just about to play along with the song." She kept her tone cheery, trying to ignore the obvious tension.

"Friend? Ha!" Trev grumbled, scoffing. "That's a funny word to use for him," He shot a glare toward Nal. "Last I checked, friends don't call their friends liars. It's been nice catching up, Cali, Iole. Nice meeting you, too, Eryn." With a parting scowl aimed at Nal, he turned to go, figuring that would be for the best, so that he didn't drag the mood down for everyone else.

"You know, I agree with Trev on this. He didn't do anything wrong," Cali agreed, speaking up suddenly. "Nal was way out of line with what he said, and I don't think it was fair to Trev." She cast a disapproving frown toward the ranger. "I don't blame Trev for being upset."

Surprised, Trev stopped and looked at Cali. "Yeah... thanks, Cali." At least someone was on his side, although it was a bit unexpected. It was nice to have a bit of support from a friend.. and good to know someone still considered him a friend, at least.

Karis Ziranphel

Ziran followed Macardil’s guidance easily as he led them to a spot on the edge of the dancing space, and having his undivided attention was welcome, yet there was an air about it that seemed new to her that she couldn’t quite identify.

She had, indeed, hoped that he would be there and interested in dancing when she made her way down from the city earlier. But hearing that he would be playing at Hildy’s request, while delightful because she wanted to listen to his music, had made her reluctant to form any expectation in case he was there solely to play once he started.

There was a dreamlike quality to the simple actions of moving into the form for dancing when the harp tune began, even as Macardil was very much solid and real under her fingers as her right hand settled in his and she felt the pressure of his touch on her back. Ziran lifted her left arm to wrap over his upper arm and rested her hand on the back of his shoulder. It felt as if her heart was in her throat as they began to move. He had asked for this song? She recalled seeing him speak to the harpist before coming back over to her. The song was beautiful, and slowly gliding through the steps at his sure direction felt both poignant and freeing. Ziran watched the play of light in his eyes and her heart sighed, oblivious and uncaring if any observed them or not. He had known so much hurt, and yet could share such beauty.

Her gaze was intent on Macardil’s through the last notes of the harp, and slid her left hand to brush through the waves of hair at the nap of his neck and then up to rest her fingers lightly against his cheek. She had no words as yet, but the delight of this dance had been a gift she did not take for granted.


Thûllir Bregedýr

Thûllir retrieved water while the music changed yet again, and lifted an eyebrow at the amusement he saw in Kaylin’s face when he turned back to her. “It is indeed a good day.” He replied, and raised his in return before glancing over at the dance floor they had vacated a short while ago. His attention caught on his cousin. Ah. So that was something. He watched for a moment before a slow smile crossed his lips and he turned back to Kaylin. “Good in more ways than one.”

Macardil

He wrapped himself in the notes of the song and the look in her eyes. When the song drew to an end and Ziranphel moved her fingers through his hair to then rest them on his cheek, the focus in her gaze was undeniable - not that he would ever comment on it, for he had quite the tendency to do the same. Macardil resisted the urge to pull her close to him and instead only slightly lowered his right hand from her shoulderblade to waist-height. His left hand brought her right hand to the space he had left between them. The musicians silpped into another song, one that didn't clash with the former. The upside of being on the very edge of the dancing area was that they would be in no one's way if they chose to simply stand here for a while.

Karis' continued silence would have likely prompted someone else to speak, but the occasion would prove once again that, first off, Macardil was not opposed to silence and that, secondly, patience was a honed skill of his. Besides, he was not expecting any words. A look like the one she had for him now, perhaps said all there was to say. It was Ziranphel herself who liked spoken clarity so much, he remembered with some amusement. He quite enjoyed the look in her eyes, and for him, in that moment, it was enough. He did not shy away from her gaze, Would she want to dance again? Had she had enough of his attention? Or would she prefer to linger a while longer in this moment? He needn't ask, he figured. She was rather skilled in making her wishes known, or at least she was with him.

Karis Ziranphel

The answer in Macardil’s eyes and the change in his hold was simple, but made her feel treasured, and brought a slight smile briefly to Ziran’s lips. She was content to stay in that space of mutual understanding and silence for a few moments as the next harp tune began with a stirring roll of notes before moving into a slow and gentle tune, but as she recognized the ancient folk tune her lips parted slightly and she felt the need to move to the music. Her fingers drifted down to touch his lips lightly and then slid back to their former position on his shoulder as her lips tilted once more into a smile. It would also serve as a good diversion.

Macardil understood her small cue and stepped into a sweeping dance that reflected the emotion of the piece. Ziran moved in silent tandem with him for one revolution before quietly singing the poetic words under her breath so no others could hear. It was fitting with her memories of their first walk outside the walls and up through the orchards a few months past, although not all of them applied. She wasn’t sure how long the harpist would continue with slower songs, but it suited her mood at the moment to dance, slow or fast. He likely didn’t have an overly long break unless the bonfire was lit soon, and she was happy to take advantage of his time and attention.

Macardil

Her left hand returning to his shoulder told him what her wishes were, and as his left foot stepped forward, he brought their linked hands out from between them, albeit not as far away from them as before. His right hand moved back up to the lower part of her shoulderblade, but slowly so, and not with the very light touch he'd used the first time, but rather a deliberate caress.

While she did not surprise him by singing this time, given that she had sung to him before, he was surprised she did not look away from his eyes this time. Her singing successfully reminded him of that walk and their picnic some moons ago, and some of the words she sang served to strengthen the memory and bring a slight smile to his lips. However, the smile faded again at the last lines of the poetry. She might not have meant anything by them this time, but he took meaning from them regardless. With a deeper breath, he sought to maintain the composure he thought was so important. Part of him considered words, but he was enjoying the silence between them. Another part of him considered pulling her closer, but they were in a very public place and he had never been liberal with public displays of this nature.

He wanted to say something to replace the gesture of drawing her against him, but his mind couldn't form the words to test them before they might pass his lips. He shook his head slowly, although he kept his blue eyes on hers. Finally, he moved their hands up, let go of her with his right hand and slowly twirled her around once, before she faced him again and he replaced his hand - this time resting it between her shoulder blades and closing some of the distance between them.

"Poetry, Ziranphel?" he finally asked her quietly. "Are you once again trying to elevate my enjoyment?" Some amusement was apparent behind his otherwise intent gaze, but the tone of his questions was entirely serious. "Or did you have a different purpose in mind?"

Beneath the shade of her borrowed sunhat, Iole lowered bright eyes to the attention of her remaining juice. Hopeful at least that Trevadir would know it was not he that made her nervous, it was sheer surprise which drew her back to full attention of the conversation. For Cali revealed only then that she and Eryn were actually related. A puzzle piece fell into place, as the likelihood for a not yet ranger to bring tools and projects to a Barracks smith now made a lot more sense.

As their estranged friend began to show a valid interest in what they had all been up to, in times apart, Iole was shook by the animosity which seemed to have leapt so easily from him into Cali, as a plague infects a new host. The bad feeling was spreading, or was it merely showing it’s head after swimming under the surface for longer than anyone of them had been willing to admit.
“Oh do play something for us Trev,” she pitched in at the tail end of Cali’s efforts, seeking to rebalance the ambience of the conversation. “You always came up with the most wonderful songs and I can scarcely recall now how they went ...”


She had been revving up to the point of reciting some of his self-made lyrics, prompted by their young director’s subtle look, when Unalmis suddenly returned to the table. She could not have said why, but it seemed almost as though he was counting under his breath, though he was turned only halfways toward them. As though he was a stranger who had been but forced to sit there as a last resort. Hopefully the counting was not his straining to hold on his temper, although moments later, he ceased any such restraint and brought one hand down harder than was necessary against the table, as the musician prepared to – again - take his leave.

“You came all this way though,” Iole attempted in vain, and in a milder complaint, to detain Trev. But everybody had their breaking point and it seemed as though both of the boys had reached theirs. She outright closed her eyes when Cali then took for Trevadir’s defence. But as he thanked the smith, for supporting him, the hat which he had gifted but moments before was slowly removed by trembling hands. And calmly placed upon the table though Iole held it still in grasp. As she might wish to hold still onto their friendship.
Others were less concerned to prolong any attempt.

“By the Tree, I might have named you far worse than that if you had only stuck around to face it,” Nal’s remark was more of a weary sigh than a shout. Still, there was no mistaking the emotion it carried with it and Iole threw a concerned glance toward the other two girls present. But the ball had been set rolling now and there would be no stopping it until it had run it’s precarious course. “Here’s a tip, Trevadir," Unalmis continued, not nearly close to done, now that the door had been inched open, the metaphorical foot of wrath wedging it so. "If you don’t want to be named a ‘liar’,” the Ranger took a drink as though to fuel his way through the rest of the rebuke, “then perhaps don’t choose a bunch of ‘liars’ over your friends,” he suggested, with a casual shrug which was so typical Unalmis that the transition was terrifying. And the way he voiced the word ‘liars’, made it quite clear that he wanted to say some other description. And, with that tone, did not even need to.

“I was that grateful to see you, both, that day,” Iole showed her own hand, glancing from the one young man to the other. “But we were none of us at our best. That day. It seems to me that it is silly to throw away near twenty years of friendship, over one word spoke in anger.”

“Thankyou. Iole” Unalmis put in with particular emphasis, and turning such a look toward Cali that she maybe ought to worry if she’d ever see her precious hammer again.

“He obviously did not really mean it,” the pale girl continued, and earned herself an incredulous look of protest then from Nal, that she might have groaned aloud.

Karis Ziranphel

Ziran was glad that he seemed to be enjoying the dance as much as she was, and that he understood the words she quietly sang by the slight smile on his lips. She couldn’t quite read the expression on his face after the last line of poetry, but he hadn’t lost eye contact despite the deep breath he took or the shake of his head. She spun at his direction, sending the long tunic she wore floating out for a moment before he brought her in closer for the last few measures of the tune.

They halted in that position, and she could hear his quiet questions clearly. “Mhmm.” Was her first response, but that could easily serve for both questions, and she supposed he deserved a slightly more thorough answer despite the hint of amusement in his eyes. “I didn’t choose the song, but yes, I thought it appropriate and that you would enjoy knowing the lyrics as well.” She smiled gently, and spoke lighty, but her voice was also serious. “It felt right to sing them to you, Macardil, and no less true for being written long ago.” Singing it had begun as a whim, but she meant them nonetheless. It had been easier to do in quiet Sindarin than it would have been in the common tongue, yet she knew she didn’t want to make him feel trapped by the words. He was ever careful of her honor and propriety, but dancing was an avenue for conveying emotion that was considered right and proper in public. “For now, let it be enough that I mean them, and we can speak further this evening. Dance with me again, Macardil, and I will be more than content.”

@Ercassie

Holding her breath, Cali was relieved when her statement convinced Trev to stay at least a moment longer. Slightly startled by Nal slamming his hand down, her eyes flicked toward Trevadir. The expression on his face, along with the slight widening of his eyes, told her that moment had just been erased. Someone had to act, fast. Jumping up, she set her own drink down and spoke before Trev had a chance to storm off in his usual hurt/angry way. "That's it," She declared. "I'm out of here!" Turning to go, Cali felt her heart racing, hoping it would work.

"Wait.. what?" Trev caught her arm, puzzled. "Why are you leaving? It's Nal who should be leaving." He cast a glare past her at the offender.
"Why should he? I don't see why we can't just get along like we used to," Cali frowned. "I've got plenty of useful things I could be doing, instead, so I'm going back to the forge."
"But Cali..." Trev hesitated. "You just told me how he.. you know, he went to a lot of effort just to get you to come here." He reminded her.
"Yeah, so I could sit here and watch you two grumble and glare at each other? If that's how you two are going to behave, then I don't want to sit here and watch." She said, pulling her arm from his grasp.
"Cali.. you can't go,"
"Watch me! I'll make a new hammer if I have to. But I don't want to be around any more of this fighting." With that, she turned again.


Eryn watched, glancing from one to the other as each person spoke their piece, from Nal, to Iole, Cali, and Trev... waiting. Trying to find just the right thing to say, to try and push them in the right direction. Finally, as if Cali's threat of departure were a cue, she spoke up. "Wait... what are you all doing?" She frowned, slowly standing. "I.. I thought you were all friends." She glanced around, giving them each a puzzled look, specifically the two guys. "You act like you hate each other..." She took a deep, shaky breath, nervous about what might happen if this didn't go as they hoped. She turned to Nal, a little hesitant. "I.. I couldn't stand it, if ever we ended up being that angry at each other for any reason. I'm sorry... but I'd rather not even be friends with you, than to have it end so badly as that." She quietly offered back the bird call whistle, though with great reluctance.

Trev stared in shock at that. "Eryn... what?" He frowned, moving closer. "Don't do that. This thing is just between me and Nal, it has nothing to do with you."
Eryn turned to him, withdrawing her hand slightly before Nal would have a chance to take the whistle. "Yes, today. But what about a year from now, or twenty years from now?" She motioned toward Iole. "She just said you'd been friends twenty years, and now you both can't even stand to be in the same space. I don't want that to be me, someday."

Trev frowned, shifting slightly. "Well that'd just be stupid, no offence.. but you'd be throwing away a good thing if you did that." He informed her, a bit awkward.
"What do you mean?" She tilted her head curiously.
He hesitated, folding his arms as he shrugged, refusing to look Nal's way. "Well he's a pretty good friend to have.. or at least, he always was a good friend..."
"You don't seem to think so now." Eryn pointed out.
"That's cause he called me a liar," He frowned.
"But if you're so angry now, then why'd you stay friends all those other years? I mean, didn't he ever make you angry before?"
"Sure, sometimes, but..." Trev hesitated. "We had more good times, then, I guess. We did a lot of silly, fun things."
"Oh? Like what?" Eryn asked curiously.

Trev had to think back for a moment, feeling bad that Eryn was thinking about cutting off whatever friendship she had with Nal, all because of their argument. "Well," He smiled faintly. "We used to swap our schoolbooks. I was a year behind him, so we used it as an excuse to have to go back over to each other's houses and get in a little more time to play together, instead of doing homework." He grinned slightly. "That was pretty fun, at least until our grandmas started catching on."
Eryn laughed lightly. "I bet that was fun. What else?" She asked, glancing from Nal to Trev.
"Uh..." Trev shrugged as he thought for a moment, still unwilling to actually look at Nal, but at least Eryn seemed to be giving up her thoughts of abandoning her own friendship with him. "Well, plenty of stuff. I don't know, just.. this whole thing doesn't concern you, alright? So long as you don't make any... tremendous mistakes like I did, you probably won't ever have to worry about this happening." He sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping.

Eryn frowned slightly, thinking on that briefly, and decided that they needed a bit nudging. "I don't know. Someone told me once that you all had such a special friendship, it was worth spilling blood over." She mentioned with a small frown. "I never imagined any of you would be looking to spill each other's blood, yet that's what it sounds like you might do, if you keep on at this rate."

Cali had stood off to the side, holding her breath as she watched it all unfold. When Trevadir spoke up to stop Eryn, Cali risked a glance toward Iole, allowing a slight smile to flit across her face before she returned her focus on the others. At the mention of their spilling blood, she saw an opening for another little nudge, and jumped at it. She stepped closer, with a small smile. "I remember that day," She spoke up, before either boy had a chance to say anything else. "I thought my mother was going to kill us all, when she saw those cuts." She glanced pointedly at the scar on her hand, then looked at Nal. "Nal, I seem to remember that you got carried away and cut way too deep. And then.. she got even more upset when she saw that Ryn had given you his handkerchief to use as a bandage, right?"


(Please note, there was no yelling or overly raised voices here, and all exclamations were kept hushed enough so not to disturb those on the dancing lawn.)

Pele turned to look at Arnyn thoughtfully for a while when she spoke of putting an end to watchfulness. "Battle knowledge does not translate easily into other areas of life..." she commented quietly. At least it wasn't for her. She liked watching others be happy and enjoy life and relationship, but she seemed to have locked herself away in a prison of thought that did not allow anything of the kind for herself.

"It is good to see them out there, right?" she then said, as she looked at Kaylin and Thûllir adapting their dancing to every tune the musicians played. She smiled seeing Macardil and Karis joining in later, observing that relationships apparently did good for both of them. "And the music is great!"

Pele looked again at Arnyn when she mentioned their choice of colour since she had not paid that much attention to her friend's garb. "Well, I figure we might easily fit into any gathering of Rohirrim, it seems," she laughed, "if there was any available at hand."

"Some guards are more open to some additional kindnesses in addition to their duties," Pele said, casting a glance at her strictly professional guard, and then felt obliged to explain with a quiet laugh. "Though I try not to distract them beyond a light-hearted conversation, asking to wake me up occasionally, or such... This one is not up to any deviations from duties." She chose not to speak of her internal dialogue of whether it would even be appropriate for her to dance. Ever again. "Some of those tunes might almost require wild jumping around instead of prim and proper dancing."

Mourgan Alarion
checking out the festivities
@Rillewen

People watching was one of the things he enjoyed most about this kinds of events. Dressed in his best blue tunic and trousers he sat with his pint alone at a table close enough to hear and see the goings on with Nal and Cali and a few others he didn't know but far enough away not to be too obvious. From what he gathered Nal and the other guy had some kind of falling out and now they were working on getting the two of them back together. Mourgan was also trying to ascertain the relationship of the group, more importantly what was the relationship of Cali with either of the men. Why did he bother you ask? He found her intriguing as well as attractive, even with soot on her face. Perhaps it added to the attraction. Some women would not be seen out in public without their hair perfectly set as well as wearing the latest Gondorian styles. You wouldn't find any soot on their cheeks or dirt under their nails, some men liked that but for him he found them boring and much to busy making sure they were perfect.

He raised his mug to his lips and slowly took a drink. Suddenly Cali got up to leave and he stopped mid swallow and his dark brows furrowed with interest. She was leaving? He set his mug down and used the back of his hand to wipe the small bit of ail from his lips. This wouldn't do. He hadn't even asked her to dance yet! He was about to intercede her exit when she stopped and turned back to the group and he found himself relaxing back into his chair having not even noticed he'd nearly left his chair to stop her. The chair creaked under his large frame as he leaned back and crossed his strong arms over his wide chest.

He scratched at his stubbled chin in contemplation . She'd gone back to the group and there was talk of something to do with a bloodied handkerchief. No telling. He thought to himself. He absently drank the last of his ale and returned the mug to the table without looking at it. He hadn't realized how caught up in the group he was till he went to take another drink only to find it empty. "Bemas arse." He muttered under his breath.

The time for action had come. Either go get another drink which would allow him more time to find the appropriate time to ask her to dance or don't get another drink and call it a night to which he would forever call himself a coward for not asking her to dance. His fingers tapped on the mug while he contemplated his choices.

Macardil

He nodded his assent to Ziranphel when the musicians followed up on their last tune with another slow arrangement. Part of his mind dimly wondered if they were accommodating him. He had only asked for the one song. Perhaps they had simply decided he was better at the jaunty tunes, and were making use of his absence to play a different kind of music.

Uncharacteristically, Macardil chose not to increase the distance between them once again, but to start their next dance as they had ended the former - closer together, and his right hand between her shoulder blades. He leaned in, close to her right ear. "Speaking can be overrated," he whispered, before grazing his lips against her cheek, lingering a while and then slowly straightening again to look at her.


Arnyn

"Need me to give you a push from time to time, Captain?" Arnyn asked with an amused glint in her eyes, in response to Pele's comment about applying battle knowledge to everyday life.

When Pele elaborated on what she asked of her guards and where their limits were, so to speak, Arnyn slanted her head. A rare mood struck her then, one which had been much more common when she was younger. She lowered her voice as she spoke next. "Well. If this one will not agree to a dance, then perhaps he will succumb to a prank." The blonde raised an eyebrow at Pele. "Like back in the day."


Kaylin

She caught Thûllir's look, and followed it to Karis dancing with Macardil. Intrigued, Kaylin looked back to her Ranger. "You are in favor of this?" she inquired calmly. They had not really discussed it among the two of them. Even between husband and wife there were some secrets, including what Karis had told Kaylin privately.

The sweet juice soured as he swallowed, and as each of their ‘closeknit’ company seemed most intent to be the first to stalk away. Unalmis now had a sticky hand, from where he had slammed it on the table, and proceeded to rub at the scarred palm distractedly.

“Well, nobody should be leaving,” he rolled brown eyes, and did not even expect to be heard against the backdrop of Cali and Trev taking turns to act the most offended. It was very tempting of course to point out that he had not in fact either grumbled or glared, not until Trevadir had proven so utterly impossible. But retorting back ‘well, he started it’ would be a line too far. They were not children any more. Which was the other thing. They were grown now, they were supposed to have more wits about them. So the Ranger really didn’t know why they were all making such a noise about having to spend any time together when their younger selves had managed to do it without even trying. Since when should he have to blackmail and encourage his friends to have a good time ? When the sun was shining, and the music was spritely, and .. this was all wrong. This was not how it had been supposed to go at all.


And then just when he thought it could not have gotten any worse, Eryn spoke her piece as well. Talk about your terrible first impressions ! He had so wanted to save her from having a miserable time, left by herself, and instead, the youngest of them all was stood here and declaring she would rather not spend time with them. He couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze when she stood up. His clutched at the drinking glass then with both hands, so hard that it might as well have shattered but he could not make the words work to respond.

Not at least before Trevadir got there first, apparently having decided that he would disagree with everyone and anyone this day. Nal released his drink before he broke it, found his own feet, and began “Now wait just a moment ..” But the fury floundered into nothing .. with no argument to be found. Confused, he watched as the air of the conversation started to shift on it’s axis, and felt Iole take his hand, almost as though she feared he was now rising to make an escape. For all that Unalmis had said of Trevadir running off, he was not exactly known for facing uncomfortable truths himself; far rather preferring to distract or divert away from any issue that was ‘better left alone’. Between the pair of them, Iole could not fathom which of the two apparent ‘men’ was worse. But when their estranged member mentioned some ‘tremendous mistake’, she squeezed the hand in her’s as though she might urge Nal to wake out of this fool daze and realise a chance that might be seized upon. But there, alas, he was not part of their little conspiracy …


Instead, he raised their hands up, still clasped together in between them, and glanced at her confused. In sheer exasperation, and perhaps exploiting her strongest ‘superpower’, the young woman brewed tears that might speak for her. Words had not turned out so well for them thus far. ‘Struggling’ to pull herself together, Iole covered the awkward silence as best as she could, when no example could be found of what fun they had once had. And, turning her face away in apparent distress that she could not even look at the two idiots, she crossed the two longest fingers of her free hand, as a sign that Cali hopefully would see, in response to the smith’s subtle smile, and then buried her face in that hand. Refusing to let go of Nal from the other, who was left tethered to her bawling in his grasp. Eryn’s mention of their spilling blood for this friendship was a pivotal moment, and as though she might impress the thought more deeply, Iole pressed her palm hard against that of her friend. Come, she besought him silently in her now pounding mine of thoughts. ‘Remember .. ‘

For Cali has baited the trap which Eryn had readied. The mood had shifted back and forth between them all, like a roiling ship, thrashing from port to starboard. Sooner or later though, the waves would have to settle. And it still remained to be seen whether their group of friends were sunk or saved when that end came. ‘Please please remember …’ Iole loosed Nal’s hand, that he might have the memory in sight. If he would .. only …


“Wrong,” he said. And turning his liiberated hand as proof, Unalmis turned back defiantly from Iole to face Cali, almost fired up from the thought of proving that he knew better. “It was Trev’s handkerchief. Not Ryn’s,” he informed the smith, rather triumphantly, what she already knew. “You think your brother ever owned a handkerchief that wasn’t full of frogs or marbles or ..”

Everything was quiet. Iole didn’t dare seek out the face of Eryn or Cali, for fear they would be, even now they’d come this far, undone. But a short laugh escaped Unalmis as he kicked the grass, not violently, but evasively, rather than raise eyes and find Trev’s expression before he was finished. “Grammyu wanted to ground you for life,” he remembered. And fell into the way they’d always referred to Trev’s Grandmother. His own had been, by contrast, ‘Grammyo ..’ They couldn’t have been more than seven or so when they’d spent an entire afternoon making up their own language for every word that they could think of, only to recall next to none of it the next morn. The names for their respective grandmothers though, .. those were all that had stuck. And later confused both the old women when they heard the boys refer to them as such. “She’d only given it to you that morning,” Unalmis mentioned, not yet looking at his once best friend, but still clearly steering his recollection toward him. “We had to convince her that you’d saved me from outright bleeding to death before she’d stop fussing about it.”

“You were lucky you didn’t bleed to death,” Iole put in with a sniff. “I can’t think whose idea it even was now ..”

Unalmis knew. He glanced over to Trevadir despite his best defiance. They had overheard Grammyo talking about what Nal’s uncle and his best friend had done, years before, to bond their friendship. And rather than noting the disapproval in their guardians' tone, had immediately leapt upon the excitement of such a prospect. When the eavesdropping pair of grandsons had excitedly told the others, together, the knife had felt like the winged crown of Gondor in his small hands. In the end, and thoroughly carried away, his ceremonial contribution had made quite a mess. And by the time he’d tried to wrap the sluicing laceration in his sleeve, and stifle it still further in his shirt, Grammyu had taken one look at all the many blood stains and believed that Trev’s handkerchief had certainly sacrificed itself in valued service of the other small boy's life.


“I’m sorry ..” Nal began, but turned to Eryn. “ .. that you feel like I would ever intentionally turn on you. But I’m sorry too ..” another pause, and as though she suspected he was doing it on purpose, Iole wiped her eyes furiously to cover how she shook her head, as ever, in despair of boys. “That you would just make out like you could turn your back and that be it ?” the Ranger asked of .. well, he was looking at Eryn. “You could really do that ? Just shrug and say ‘oh its too hard’, and there’s some risk. I thought you wanted to be a ranger one day ?” He sat back down, as though on principle and concluded. “I mean, you don’t fight ‘against’ the things that matter. You fight ‘for’ them. You fight ‘with’ them. Or at least you should.”

Iole realised she’d been holding her breath a while by this point, and so released it. Tucking her dark hair behind her ears she sat down next to Nal and took up Trev’s hat which she set back firmly into place. Though if parts of her pale face were ruddy now, it was no longer the sun could be entirely held to blame. “I hate when we fight,” she added, quietly.

@Ercassie


Trevadir shifted, a little awkward as he heard Cali's misremembered words, but he didn't want to bring up who had really done as she said. And he didn't have to, for Nal remembered it correctly, as well, informing Cali that she was wrong. Iole had burst into tears, which didn't surprise Trev although he felt bad that she was being upset so much by all of this. She seemed to always be quick to tears, which he never quite understood but had learned to accept through their many years of friendship.

Feigning surprise, Cali tilted her head in puzzlement at Nal when he contradicted her, then glanced at Trev, before an 'oh yeah' sort of expression dawned on her face. "Yes, that's right," She agreed after a moment's thought, giving a small nod. "Yes, how could I forget that?" She'd had long practice as the five of them were growing up, in the art of ensuring her expression and tone matched her words... someone had had to give believable excuses and explanations to their parents and guardians, after all.

"Well. I didn't want him to bleed to death," Trev mumbled with a shrug, keeping his gaze elsewhere during the pause that followed. It was true, that his grandmother had always used to insist that he ought to always carry a handkerchief, and a fresh one each day at that. She'd always embroider a T on the corner, in his favorite color, so it would not be mixed up with anyone else's, as the boys were so fond of mixing up their belongings. He couldn't even recall how many of those things he owned, for she had a habit of gifting him a whole new set on each of his birthdays, until he had accumulated quite a lot of them.

“Grammyu wanted to ground you for life,” Nal's remembrance bought a trace of a smile to Trev's face.
"Yeah, she wasn't half as upset that day, as that time I accidentally broke her grandmother's vase." He pointed out. "Remember how you told her you did it, so I wouldn't get in so much trouble, and she told you you couldn't ever come over anymore?" He couldn't help a slight grin at that memory, before it fell away, remembering to be upset at his one-time best friend.

"Wait, Nal did that for you?" Eryn spoke up, sounding rather impressed as she glanced at Nal. "That was such a nice thing to do," She paused, listening as he spoke, seemingly to her.. as if lecturing her about not giving up on things. It was a bit upsetting to hear him chide her, and she wanted very much to tell him she'd never meant a word of it... but for the greater good, she kept her mouth shut until he'd spoken his piece. Taking a slow breath to give herself time to think carefully, Eryn nodded quietly, thoughtfully. "Yes, you're right." She 'decided'. "Some things are definitely worth fighting for. But then... other times, you have to pick your battles.. you know, decide which ones are worth fighting. Right?" She mentioned with a small shrug, hoping, with all her heart, that not just Nal, but his friend Trev too, would take that to heart and apply it to their current dilemma.

With the sound of Iole crying in the background, Trev glanced over at Nal, hearing the 'I'm sorry', and watched him turn toward the youngest girl to finish his apology. Was it aimed at her, or at him? He wanted to believe that Nal had some remorse for the things he'd said, though it was hard to tell, and harder still to make himself swallow his pride. He really did miss the old times, when nothing could have come between them, but could it ever be like that again?

After a moment of silence to let all these words sink in a little, Cali decided it was time to pull out the one final secret weapon in her arsenal. Quietly picking up the cup that Nal had fetched for Trev, she offered it to Trev, hoping he'd accept. "Trev.." She spoke up, thoughtful. "Iole mentioned your songs earlier.. how she couldn't quite remember any of them." She hesitated. "I remember that you sang one...for the funeral." She mentioned softly, fighting past the ache of her own heart, to remind her friend of words he himself had penned some years ago. He obviously needed a reminder. "Didn't it go something like 'friends may come and go'?"

Glancing at Cali, Trev hesitated for a few seconds before taking the cup. He glanced at the contents, and couldn't help a tiny smile as he noted that it contained peach juice. His favorite. Nal remembered? Or was it a coincidence? He looked back up at Cali, frowning slightly. "No, that's not right. It was 'Friends are.." He paused. "...friends forever'.." He finished the first line softly, his gaze traveling slowly to seek Nal's. "No matter what becomes of them." The rest of the chorus, he couldn't recite just now, but hoped that they remembered the rest without his help. His throat wouldn't let him. So he stared down at the ground, awkward. Taking slow, deep breaths. He'd had a part in this whole big disagreement too, he had to admit. And so he ought to at least try to put it right, he realized further. He sighed quietly. "I...I didn't think, that day," Trev spoke up quietly after a few moments spent in calming the inner turmoil. "I.. was just so happy to see you all, especially you," he directed that bit at Nal. "I just..didn't think about.. you know.. how it would come off sounding.. when I said what I did." He sighed, taking a small drink. "I could've worded it better... I realized that after it was too late." He admitted, shifting uncomfortably.

Standing off to the side slightly, Cali softly began humming the tune to the song her friend had written, meant in farewell, and in honor of the memory of the friend they had lost.. but the words now applied so perfectly to the group that remained, she wanted to be sure that neither boy forgot those lyrics. Especially the part with 'A friend will not say never, 'cause the welcome will not end.' She watched anxiously to see if Nal would accept Trev's version of an apology, hoping they'd finally return to the friendship they once had.. for it was true.. a lifetime is not at all too long to live as friends.


(Borrowed lyrics from M.W. Smith's song 'Friends', and altered to fit middle earth)

Karis Ziranphel

It pleased her that Macardil chose to follow her request by moving into the next dance rather than moving off the dance floor, and particularly that he chose to keep their closed position. Silence didn’t bother her, as she took the dance as his answer, reveling in moving through the gliding steps together. Yet when he leaned in to whisper in her ear her eyes drifted closed, and her fingers tightened on his shoulder at the light pressure of his lips as they slowly brushed her cheek. It made her heart trip a beat before steadying, and she breathed in his unique scent mixed with the varied blend around them. It felt like an explanation and a promise in one.

Her eyes remained closed a few moments after he straightened, savoring the sensation with the hint of a smile on her lips, before she opened them slowly to look at him with warmth in her dark brown eyes. Instead of verbalizing her reply, she allowed herself to shift a bit closer on the next step while not inhibiting movement.



Thûllir Bregedýr

Thûllir considered Kaylin’s question thoughtfully for a moment to make sure he replied truthfully, and moved closer to her so that he could speak quietly and not be overheard. He looked over at Ziran and Macardil again to watch how they were together before meeting Kaylin’s gaze.

“Aye.” He took another drink of water to empty the glass before elaborating quietly, in a way he wouldn’t to anyone else. “I knew she was interested in him before. I’d never seen her interested in anyone beyond an assessing look now and again. There were no obvious signs of course, but I suppose I know how to interpret a little how she looks at people enough to make a good guess. Not that anything would have come of it with him being our direct officer. After the Poros mission…well, the situation didn’t sit well with me either, but it really bothered her, and I had the suspicion she had an emotional investment even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself…so when she wanted to investigate further, I encouraged her.” His lips tilted in wry amusement at that. “But I am glad, not only that he has the King’s pardon and healing, but that they seem good for one another. Macardil was different from many officers. He reminded me a little of Faramir to be honest, before he met Lady Eowyn. Quiet and thoughtful, but good with people and good in the field.”

A serious look crossed his face then. “If he hurts her…well then we two gentlemen will be having a proper discussion…but so far he makes her smile and treats her well. So yes, I am in favor as long as she is.” A smile appeared on his own face. “I don’t mind getting to tease her a little after the gentle ribbing she gave me about falling for you, but I like the look she gets when she talks about him now. We shall see where it leads when they figure it out I suppose. It is just an adjustment seeing her with anyone, let alone close.”

He glanced back at the dancers and then gave Kaylin an assessing look. “How about you? Do you have any reservations I should know about?” He wanted to know her thoughts on the matter, as he valued her opinion and her judgment of character. While he would hope there wasn’t anything, as he didn’t look forward to talking to Ziran or Macardil if she did have grounds for serious reservations, but it was better to clear up sooner rather than later. The slower songs being played had him wanting to dance with Kaylin again, but he also wanted to hear what she had to say.

Pele gave Arnyn a somewhat sheepish grin and a shrug, as she said: "Suppose, an occasional push can only be considered a benefit in the big picture of things. Well, you know how things are."

After observing her guard for some time, she wondered: "He takes everything so seriously that I am not sure even a prank would do. And I can almost bet he would knock out any guy who would dare to approach me with an invitation for a dance." Merry sparks lit up her blue eyes, when Pele glanced at Arnyn, and then stepped closer to the guard.

"Sir, tell me, am I allowed to dance should anyone have courage to ask me?" she questioned him in a serious tone.

"No!" the guard immediately responded, and after a moment, blush appearing on his cheeks: "Well, yes, Captain."

"Is it a no or a yes then? And if no - I assume I'd just have to dance with you since there can be no other choice," Pele continued just as seriously.

The guard's cheeks reddened even more, and he shook his head, "No, not allowed. I mean... I am not allowed distractions."

"I don't even know. There is music, and a place for dancing, but... What am I to do, Arnyn?" she addressed her friend loudly enough with a deep sigh.



On the very outskirts of the field where festivities took place a young woman was tending to two goats having chosen a patch of lush grass well out of the way of activities taking place. As the goats grazed happily, she sat right next to them, knees drawn up and covered by her grey long linen skirt. Her braided dark hair and face were smeared with mud as if the goats had dragged her through puddles on the way here. And her brown eyes looked longingly at the merriment others were having.

She was far enough that she could not really recognise people, or most of them at least, so she felt rather comfortable just sitting here out of the way, though the feeling of comfort and reasonable safety was challenged by a burning desire to go and join in, taste some of the food, perhaps join in some fun.

"Well, babies, here we will stay though, I suppose," she told the goats who did not seem to share her wish for fun and company and were happy to feast on the best grass they had seen in their lives.

Macardil

Her eyes were still shut when he withdrew slightly to look at her, and the faintest of smiles lit his eyes as he watched her. When she finally returned his gaze, the look in her brown eyes almost made him miss a step. Almost. His throat was suddenly feeling very dry. He could feel her move just that tad bit closer, and Macardil adjusted his hold on her with his right arm accordingly. For a moment, he regretted having agreed to play during the Erulaitalë. If he had not been otherwise engaged, he could spend as much time dancing with her as he liked. Now, however... After this third dance, he would have to excuse himself, quickly seek refreshment and then rejoin the musicians.

"Forgive me, ZIranphel," he said beneath his breath. "That I cannot spend the whole afternoon with you. But I will look for you upon my next break. And when they light the bonfire, I would seek you out as well - to bask first in the glow of the fire and then in that of your sole company." He had not signed up to play after the bonfire had been lit, and he knew now he would rather be alone with her when that time came.


Kaylin

She was looking at Thûllir rather than at the dancers, awaiting his reply, curious for the possible cues that drove his expression. She raised an eyebrow, impressed by his keen eye, when he said he'd been aware of Karis' interest before - even on the mission to the Poros. Kaylin herself hadn't known a thing until she'd had a conversation with Karis after coming back from her impromptu trip with Pele and Duinion.
Kaylin had heard from Karis that Thûllir had encouraged her to find out more about the events leading to Macardil's imprisonment, but never from him, and it pleased her that he would tell her now instead of omitting it after her direct question.

Tilting her head thoughtfully when he compared Macardil to Faramir, Kaylin gauged her husband's eyes attentively. She knew he thought very highly of Faramir. Even though the comparison was not drawn with broad lines as such, it was still high praise. And it surprised her somewhat. Yes, she had thought Macardil to be a good leader on their mission, but she'd found him difficult to read.

A smile appeared on her face when Thûllir indicated he was in favor of the pairing as long as their cousin was. She could imagine him wanting to tease Karis somewhat in return now. Her blue-grey eyes went back to the dancing lawn at the same time Thûllir's did. At his questions, however, she put her (by now) empty glass away and looked back at him. Kaylin shrugged pensively, thinking about her answer. "I think you appreciated Macardil more during the Poros mission than I did. While he held himself well, he seemed so... collected and... kind of boring?" She almost laughed at herself. "And then... things happened."

"But in the meantimeKaris has assured me he is not boring at all, and has told me a bit more about what happened with the King than what she first told us. So... nothing about him raises an issue at present. Besides... your - our - cousin is an excellent judge of character. And I agree with you. What I think is most important is the way her eyes change when she speaks of him." Kaylin touched Thûllir's chest. "The way her bearing shifted when he joined us earlier, before you arrived. She feels comfortable around him, Thûllir. Not entirely sure of herself yet, but comfortable nonetheless. And..." she glanced back at the dancers, "while I would like to see them together a bit more before I really make up my mind about him... he seems attentive to her." She frowned slightly. "Though I would have expected them to kiss at least once. That's rather disappointing." She grinned as she looked up at Thûllir. "A few kisses would make for better teasing, after all."


Arnyn

An amused smile had mastered both her eyes and her lips as she watched and listened Pele set her trap. At Pele's question, Arnyn's face in turn grew very serious indeed. She crossed her arms in thought, and then raised one hand to tap her chin pensively. "Well."

She pointed first at Pele, then at the guard. "Your guard is very concerned with his task of watching you and keeping you safe from those who would do you harm. In order to do that, he needs to be close enough to you and you cannot drift away." Arnyn tilted her head to look at the guard. "Correct, sir?"

He nodded, relieved at least the Captain's friend seemed to understand.

Arnyn returned the nod, her expression earnest. "Besides, who is to say that if someone we do not know asks the Captain for a dance - they mean well?"

The guard seemed uncomfortable with the very idea of that happening.

Arnyn gestured at the man while she looked at Pele. "That's work ethic, right there. To me there seems to be but one option, Captain. Indeed, the two of you must circle the dancing area." She looked back at the guard. "It will allow you to keep the Captain close, under your watchful eye, and to make a more accurate assessment of any possible threats - as you can constantly look in other directions without it being too obvious."

She clapped her hands together, then waved towards the other dancers. "Off you go. I will keep an eye on things from here," she assured them.

Karis Ziranphel

Macardil’s poetic words were quiet enough that Ziran could just hear them, and they brought a further smile from her as they moved through the last few steps of the dance. She remained silent until they stopped. “No forgiveness needed Macardil. I have loved dancing with you, but I would be remiss in keeping the finest fiddle player on the dance floor all night instead of playing.” Gently extricating her hand from his, she brought up both to lightly frame his face in her hands. “You granted me not just one, but three dances, with the promise of more, and I still get to listen to you play. Do not apologize for that.”

Her earnestness was blended with laughter in her eyes as she contemplated what she wanted for a split second before giving a mental shrug. He was being proper enough for both of them, and she no longer had to worry about the perceptions related to being an officer. Lifting up on her toes slightly, she met his lips with her own in a slow but brief contact, pulling back before she was tempted further. She was grinning as she met his eyes, and her voice came out low. “A promise is a promise…” her hands dropped to his chest to give him a playfully light shove as her voice regained normal conversational volume, “and you better go or Hildy will never let me hear the end of it. It will be the topic for years that I deprived her of your skills, especially now that everyone has heard you play.” The gesture that might have looked like rejection was belied by her palms lingering a moment further on his shirtfront before dropping away reluctantly. She would follow him to get a drink of water, as that had been her original intent before being delightfully sidetracked with dancing, but would watch and listen instead of joining in playing.


Thûllir Bregedýr

Thûllir relaxed a bit at Kaylin’s response, and covered her hand with his own as his face shifted into a grin. He was relieved that she also approved thus far, and that he wouldn't have to have any difficult conversations. At her last comment he raised his eyebrows at her and then couldn’t help but glance back at the pair that was their topic of conversation. Unbeknownst to Kaylin, she had glanced at just the wrong moment, but he saw the shift in Ziran’s posture, swift as it was, and lifted an eyebrow at the somewhat discrete movement. “Yes it would, but I think she is just being careful to be quick and subtle rather than obvious. They are slightly more reserved than either of us were that first midwinter.” His eyes lit with the memory of that dance and moved him to lift her hand to his lips.