[Elora]

(OOC- Congratulations Aman!)
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The attic sounded interesting to Vanwe, who was not entirely sure what an attic was. Not that she'd admit as much, for Aman was discussing attics as though they were commonplace and Vanwe was determined to appear as though she fitted in. It would be nice to belong somewhere, for a change.

Aman held the door open and ushered Vanwe through as the Elf was wondering why Aman knew about attics but not about how big a job the "attic" was. Before she could turn to ask, Derufin bolted past them. Vanwe slid to one side smoothly, desperate to not get in his way and anxiously watched him pass at a sprint. Aman narrowly avoided collision herself. He was distinctly green and very unhappy.

Aman patted ruffled skirts and hair that had been swept up in Derufin's rapid departure back into place as she looked after the man. She was chuckling. Vanwe was astonished. Her heart was pounding at the nearness of the catastrophe. Aman shook her head in wry amusement and continued through the door.

"Men and their ale," she murmured as she laughed. All Vanwe could do was try to not look so perplexed. How Aman could find such danger amusing was a riddle to Vanwe.

"Breakfast and that attic won't keep all day," Aman said and again beckoned Vanwe on towards the kitchen. She glanced sideways at the Elf as they crossed the floor.

"Something wrong, Vanwe," she asked mildly. Vanwe, utterly atwitch with confusion merely nodded as she replied, "No, nothing at all."

Aman measured up the contrary and distracted nature of Vanwe's response and frowned lightly, but the expression passed as they entered the kitchen. The table still held the breakfast that Derufin had abandoned with such haste. Cook beamed, still amused, at the two who entered.

"Ah, sit! You'll need a big breakfast for that attic," she exclaimed.

"And probably lunch too," Cami added with michevious humour as Aman and Vanwe sat as bidden.

Vanwe, who still had no idea what an attic was could only smile and puzzle over that further. Cook and Cami busily added to the store on the table, Cook not wasting the opportunity to make it clear how perilious it was to miss breakfast. Vanwe, for whom breakfast had never been something she had been able to rely on, pointed out what seemed to her to be obvious.

"You do not die if you do not eat breakfast Cook. I rarely have eaten breakfast, and I am not dead," she stated in an effort to reassure Cook that neither she nor Aman would expire for having missed breakfast. Cook fixed Vanwe with a stern expression.

"Your so thin it's wonder, Vanwe," she announced. "Young women should not be so slender, no matter what the fancy fashions say," she declared in a tone that brooked no argument. Cami added, "I wonder if she even eats dinner." It had not escaped the Hobbit's notice that Vanwe had not arrived for dinner the night before.

For Vanwe, for whom the plentitude of food was inextricably related to your wealth and station and not fashion or even your hunger, it was one more thing she could not fathom. Mystified, she stopped any further comments by placing a thick piece of warm bread drizzled with honey into her mouth and chewed it and the exchange over.

"Oh, leave her be... she is Elven, and supposed to be tall and willowy. Pay them no heed, Vanwe," Aman waged on her behalf. What, Vanwe wondered, is a willow? Riddle, enigma and puzzles shaped this morning. She finished her bread whilst Cook muttered something about Elves being underfed as a race, and tried to lighten her state of confusion.

"Aman, what is an attic?"

Why that prompted Cook and Cami to commence laughing, Vanwe did not know. Aman smiled, somewhat guiltily, and said, "Vanwe, that is something you will shortly discover, my dear."

Cami was still chortling and Cook set another piece of bread before Vanwe. "Not before she finishes that tea, and the bread, she won't."

Vanwe decided that was as good an answer as she could expect and nodded. If she had to finish the bread and tea, that she would do. She set to, smiling at Aman as she did so, being sure to avail herself of the discovery she made yesterday of the wondrous thing called honey. Perhaps that attic would be today's wondrous discovery.

[ June 10, 2003: Message edited by: Elora ]