An Unexpected Vir(tu)al Party

[Mithalwen]

Mithalwen lingered outside a long while. She had seen the invitation sometime ago but she had never been a party person and this tendency had strengthened over the years. She had grown more like her name greyer and more treelike in temperament as well as physically. She was definitely not as bendable - “and increasing in circumference year on year” piped up a voice in her head. Her mind’s eye gave her inner voice what her mother would have called an old-fashioned look and the voice bit its tongue.

It wasn’t that she didn’t love the place, she did. it had been a refuge for years but she had another refuge now, a home she need never leave on the blessed island and there were things in the other world which took her time and occupied her mind. She had taken a stop gap job on moving and just when she had planned to move on she found herself a key worker in the struggle against the pestilence. She was working for the victuallers and as a wise hobbit once said “where there’s life there’s need of vittles”.. She couldn’t save your life but she knew where wine and the requisites for the privies were kept... Spending all day answering queries and soothing the irate left her almost grateful for social distancing.

But yet there were people it would be good to see again, those of whom no word reached her in the other place. So she loitered outside and watched others enter, some the firstcomers she knew little, some of her own time, some of The bright younglings grown very well indeed. Inner voice and another that sounded rather like Lalaith’s chivvied her on. She wrapped herself in her shadowy cloak, washed her hands carefully While she hummed the first stanza of “Gil-galad was an Elven king” and slipped in as unobtrusively as she could contrive.

[piosenniel]

“Oh, look!” Pio’s companion nodded her head toward the man who had just entered and now stood glancing about the room in a somewhat bemused manner. "He looks like that fellow you told me about. From that Inn you ran? Or was it some adventure?”

Raising a brow at that vague description, Pio scanned the room in the general direction of Angara’s nod. Just the person I wanted to see!
She smiled, nodding her head at the fellow. Raising her arm, she waved at him, half filled mug still grasped in her hand.

“Envinyater! Join us!! I’ll stand you a cup of whatever your thirst desires!"

[Lalaith]

Lalaith had been happily exchanging Werewolf anecdotes with Pitch and cooing over pictures of Boro's gorgeous sister-son - babies were, like parties, one of her Favorite Things. A clanging noise distracted her. Well, of all the...Saucie!!

And who is that gliding in stealthily behind him..."Aha! Mith...dear thing!!" Remembering her friend would not appreciate a great song and dance, she reined in her urge to halloo across the crowded room. Instead she deftly grabbed another glass of bubbles from a passing tray, and made her way through the crowd, being careful to not tread on any toes or dragons' tails.
"Hello darling, isn't this fun? Here, have this - I've hardly spilt a drop. And do you know, I think I've spotted Lhuna!"

[Mithalwen]

Mithalwen smiled. . It was always a joy to see Lalaith and she could say much the same of a glass of fizz. “It is a wonder to see so many again, and you are right about Lhuna”. Mithalwen smiled again recalling how Nilp had adopted her and so Lhuna by logical necessity was also one of her brood. “I have had word from Her brother lately, but I don’t think he is here yet. And Lhuna seems deep in conversation just now, but there is young Galadriel” , again Mithalwen’s sometimes frosty heart filled with maternal warmth and guilt, my cub! It was long since she had seen her and letters had been left unsent. She was worse than Butterbur she thought.

[Envinyatar]

“M’lady! Well met!!” Envinyatar nodded at the barkeep who’d noted his arrival. “Whatever she’s having, I’ll take one, too.” He took a step back in order to take a more full look at his friend, lingering a bit on the scaled companion who rode her shoulder. The Wyrm returned his gaze in a most measuring way.

A nudge at his elbow alerted him to the arrival of his drink, a tall mug, filled to overflowing with a stout – dark and topped with a creamy head. Lifting it to his mouth, he first drew in an appreciative whiff of its aroma. And then a long pull on it and he could feel the wondrous liquid slide from mouth to belly.

With a satisfied sigh, Envinyatar set the mug on the bar top. “Now, let’s catch up, shall we?” He looked down at his dusty boots and well-worn leather pants. ‘For my part, as you can see, I’ve been out traipsing – back country, mostly. Just seeing what’s going on.”

“And you?” he prompted, looking her up and down. “You look a bit dusty, yourself.” He nodded at her companion, giving the Wyrm a quick wink and smile. “And who is this lovely creature?”

[Arry]

Arry buffed the toe-tops of his boots against the back of his breeches. Left, first; right, following. The napped texture of the cloth brushed off what dirt and dust there was while the motley of brown colors of the breeches themselves helped to hide any evidence of them. He pulled at the hem of his shirt, evening out the blousing beneath his wide leather belt. His vest, at least looked fairly presentable – a soft honey-brown with its lacing all neatly done up. Catching sight of the wash bowl as he entered the big hall, he quickly laved his hands – singing a low tune to himself as he squished and squashed and rubbed the soapy lather over, around, and between his fingers.

He eyed the towel, but thought instead he would run his wet fingers through his thick straight hair, battening it down a bit. It was cut short, just touching the tops of his ears. And as his mother always sighed as she attempted to comb it into place, “Stars above, boy, that old cow musta licked your head every which way when you were a babe!”

Aside from a small rucksack he carried slung on one shoulder, Arry’s only other bit of gear was his small guitar. “Lily”, he said was its name. It fit snugly along his back, held in place by a woven strap that ran across his chest from shoulder to hip.

He hoped the Elf had decided to come. It had been a long time since last he'd seen her. He had many new songs he thought she'd like. Mayhap she would sing some with him.

And there was the recent news of an old friend to both of them. Sad news… quite unexpected.

[Rumil]

Rumil was pottering,

definitely pottering, though he liked to think of it as sauntering. Pottering about he remembered a long forgotten path, a bit dusty and weed strewn, that led up the hill. "I shall potter up here", he thought, "one so rarely has time for serious pottering except when besieged after all".

Up the path led, to a country of swirling mists and ominous dark standing stones on hills of verdant green. "Hmmm, haven't been up here in a long while, I wonder if the old barrow is still haunted by the Wights of Old?". Rumil began to decidedly saunter.

The old black and green barrow opened at his muttered incantation, "well I'm sort of surprised I remembered that one, but maybe not so surprised, it was a special place after all". Deeper into the hallway strange sounds emanated, perhaps a clatter of pans - surely not, chittering - possibly squirrels or penguins, and the unmistakable scent of bananas. The way to the ballroom was freshly swept, Rumil followed the trail to the great doors, flung them open and stopped in amazement.

The ballroom wasn't empty

Far from it, first and foremost, Esty as delightful, serene and welcoming as ever. "Hail and Well Met" quoth Rumil. "My word, I haven't seen this place in so many years, I'm really very glad to meet you all again".

Lommie fantastic, Legate the riddler in chief! Thenamir Inzil cool, mark I'll never forget your stories, Lal! Mith mighty amongst the Downers,Pitch, G55, littlemanpoet wow, Morth, pio, Boro

Squatter we are not worthy!

and

no

actual

way

Saucie really? Awesome! Not all those who wander are lost!

Old Friends, we have trudged dark ways of which we will not lightly speak and scampered up joyous paths when laughter fell like rain.

Hail and Well Met indeed,

Well, I'm back