[Imladris]

Iris of Bree

Iris stormed up the walk to the Green Dragon, fuming curses under her breath at the entire Shire and hobbits in particular. The little things could be so difficult! Whoever would have thought it would have been so much trouble to mail a stupid to Bree! The hobbit had actually tried to cheer her up, as if she needed to be cheered up, she thought with a dark glower as she shoved her way into the Common Room. Couldn’t anybody be slightly out of tune with the world without a beaming hobbit with ruddy cheeks and curly hair and those despicable big hairy feet trying to make you laugh! Why couldn’t anyone leave her alone?

She swayed at the entrance to the Inn, looking for an out of the way corner for her to sulk quietly in. And of course there wasn’t. Why, oh why, couldn’t anything work for her? Since there was not empty table she could shroud with her dark cloak of choler, she began to search for a table that dwelt in a hidden corner and that few people haunted. There was one: a table with a woman of black hair and another woman holding cups with steam curling from the depths in her hands.

Two people…that couldn’t be too bad. Not perfect, but still -- with an irate sigh, Iris tamed her wild pace and merely stomped with an etched frown, disturbed green eyes, and bouncing ruddy curls to the table and slumped into a convenient chair.

The woman with the tea looked surprised and said, “Oh, would you like some tea also?”

Iris closed her eyes and rolled them violently underneath her lids. Another soul offering her kindness. As if she needed kindness. “If I had wanted tea, I would have asked for some myself,” she replied bitingly. Why couldn’t she be invisible and that way no one could bother her with their constant prattle. She considered going back up to Finduilas’ room, but she had holed herself up there for the entire visit anyway. She glanced sharply for an empty table: nothing. So she was stuck with these two: how wonderful.

Finduilas of Gondor

I thought that the ents sounded like wonderful creatures and I told Elentari so. “I never knew of Ents,” I said somewhat soundly. “They sound like fascinating creatures, especially old Fangorn.” Of course, I think that I would have grown impatient with them because of their slow speech, but other than that -- I smiled gently and brushed my lips against the rough bark of the tree.

The tune to that beautiful song was earthish: the perfect thing for a song of trees. I could feel my fingers twitch to pluck it out upon my beloved lyre, but I was blind so how could I do it. Well, by jolly, I would learn how to play again. I shot up from my reclined position upon the limb and rammed my head into a net of living twigs that snatched and clawed at my hair and cried, “Elentari!”

I could hear her giggle behind me and the next instant, her elvin hands were gently un-snagging my hair from the clutches of the mischievous tree. “I need your help, Elentari,” I said as she was busy untying me. “Help me learn to play the lyre again, please. I could learn the position of the strings while you sing the notes. And if I cant find it, you can help me! You do know how to play the lyre, don’t you?”