[piosenniel]

Tulë had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, baring his forearms to the afternoon sun. A mild breeze ruffled his short, raven black hair as he checked the ship for any damage done during the storm. Satisfied that the only problems were cosmetic, and minor ones , at that, he went up to the helm deck to see if Veritas needed his assistance.

'So far all has checked out well, Tulë. In fact, I'm done here and was just going to relax with some wine. Care to join me?' They brought two chairs to the bow railing and placed a small crate between them as a table. Veritas poured two goblets of dark red wine and handed one to Tulë.

'To The Lonely Star!' said Tulë, raising his wine to Veritas. 'To the Star!' she said in return. The clink of goblets sealed the toast.

Tulë sipped the wine appreciatively, taking in its bouquet and savoring its flavors. 'From the land by the River Celduin, is it not?' he asked as he freshened both his and Veritas' drinks.

'Yes, one of Dorwinion's finest!' said Veritas. 'You've got to hand it to Mithadan, he didn't stint on quality when he laid in the wine for us!' She looked about the deck for the man. 'Speaking of Mithadan, where is he? I haven't seen him for a while now.'

At that moment, a savory smell wafted up from the galley area, borne on the soft sea breeze.

Tulë smiled. 'If my nose serves me right, I believe you will find him down in the galley. Making dinner for the returnees was on his agenda before the sea went on its rampage.' His stomach rumbled hungrily at the thought of food.

'I'm ravenous, too!' said Veritas, grinning. 'Let's take the last of the wine downstairs and see if he might need a taste tester or two to critique his offering.'

Veritas gathered up the bottle of wine and her goblet and went below deck. Tulë followed, bearing his own goblet and his growling stomach.