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It was night. The April sun had fallen, and Náin, up since nearly dawn, had retired to his bedchamber, just down the hall from Eodwine's chambers. He had climbed into bed, and was just starting to doze off when a commotion erupted down the hall, in Eodwine's personal drawing room. Someone, a girl... Saeryn maybe? Whoever it was, she was raising a powerful ruckus- and someone, a male, was arguing with her.
Náin's first thought was to put his pillow over his head and stuff out the noise, but that was clearly not going to work.
When the arguing intensified rather than got louder, Náin jumped to his feet irritably, threw on a nightgown, and stormed out of his room and down the hall. Had it been earlier in the day, he would likely have considered his actions a bit more beforehand, and would probably have come to the conclusion that they were ill-considered. Unfortunately, it was not earlier in the day, and so he didn't reconsider. A tired Dwarf is a rarely a rational one.
Shoving open the door to Eodwine's chambers without regard for who or what might meet him within- and forgetting whose chambers they were- Náin strode right into the argument between Saeryn and Degas. Eodwine appeared to be a little bit uncomfortable at being stuck in the middle of the twins' quarrel, but Náin failed to notice this in his irritability.
"...to me, brother, of power, when you have some of your own that has more substance than mere words!"
Before Degas had a chance to reply to Saeryn, Náin had burst in.
"Battleaxes and Balrogs!" he roared. "Can you make it any less difficult for a Dwarf to get some sleep around here!"
"Náin, I ask you-" Eodwine began, but the irate Dwarf wasn't to be stopped.
"And in the Eorl's chambers of all places! Bricks and Barriers! A fine example to set after such a fine court day! The only thing that marred the court was the same thing that's keeping decent people awake at this hour! You two youngin's and your childish ways! You may as well give up the pretence, both of you, of being grown adults! If I were in your shoes, my father'd give me a thrashing I'd never forget! Carpets and corsets, though, seeing as you two hooligans haven't got a father handy, I'm half-tempted to do the honours myself!"
Degas gave Náin a glare, daring the two-foot shorter Dwarf to lay hands on either of them, but it was Eodwine who spoke first.
"Silence!"
Fuming, Náin, Degas, and Saeryn all turned to face Eodwine. Down the corridor, Náin thought he could hear more people who should have been abed stirring. Perhaps, his tired mind suggested, he was making things worse rather than better.
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