Eorling Mead Hall

[Taralphiel]

Lys fumbled with his tunic, inwardly cross at himself for sleeping for far too long. He supposed it was from all the walking he had done the day before, as he had slept from the moment his head met his pillow. Now toiling with his shoes, Lys wondered if Thornden would be finished with his breakfast. 'More likely than not...' Lys thought to himself with a sigh.

His hurry was more frustrated by his bad ankle. Trying to walk faster only made his right ankle drag more conspicuously. He slowed and gave a shrug, hoping he would not stand out too much when he came to eat. He also hoped no one would treat him poorly for his tardiness.

The young boy found a few people left at the Hall, but could not see Thornden. Grumbling a little, he took his breakfast and went to an empty seat. The portions were more than sufficient, and this brightened his mood a little. As Lys chewed on a corner of dark, hard bread he looked around at all the others seated...

[Kath]

Kara jumped backwards as the water leapt from the mug but the realisation of what was happening had come too late, and she found herself watching as half of it moved in a graceful arc to land directly on her apron, while a few splashes made their way to her face and arms.

Náin rose, horrified, still clutching his now empty mug in his hands, and began an apology with a level of stuttering and stumbling that Kara hadn't heard from him in weeks.

"K-K-Kara, m-my, I'm sorry! It was ... you must ... I ..."

Whisking the apron off and using the few remaining patches that weren't soaked through to dry the rest of her, Kara waved his apology off with a smile. It had been partly her fault anyway, she had noticed that the Dwarf seemed to be distracted this morning but hadn't thought to use caution because of it. Noticing that the water had managed to cover most of Náin as well she handed him the cloth from over her shoulder and motioned for him to use it.

"It's quite alright." She said, as Náin showed no signs of halting his bumbling apology. "Look, most of it landed on the apron anyway and I'm not going to wear that outside. I'll hang this out before we leave and it'll be dry as a bone by the time we get back. In fact I just came to say that I was going to get my things and then we can go. Are you ready or do you need to wait til you dry off a bit?"

She waited patiently for an answer, holding the apron to the side as it continued to drip water on to the floor.

[Folwren]

Javan thought he could hardly believe his senses when he heard Thornden ask Léof if Javan could help him. He did not speak a word during their short discussion, for fear that he might somehow make Léof say no, or Thornden change his mind. But when Léof had said that he would be willing to try Javan out, and Thornden had thanked him, Javan still found he couldn’t speak.

Léof turned from Thornden almost at once. “And it looks like we may already have a couple of horses to tend to. Eat fast, Javan, and get used to being interrupted.”

Javan didn’t need to be told twice. He was so excited that no one could have kept him at the table longer than two minutes, anyway. He ate his food so quick that Thornden almost took the place of his mother in telling him to slow down or he’d choke. But Thornden stopped the words and instead of telling Javan to slow down, he stood up and went out of the hall, chuckling at his little brother’s excitement.

When Javan had finished a little more than half of this plateful, he leaped up to his feet. “I’m ready,” he said. Léof glanced at him and then at the food on Javan’s plate, but he said nothing and merely shrugged. He stood up, still holding his plate, and while they took the dishes back to the kitchen, he scraped up the last of his eggs, and before putting the plate on the counter, took the remaining bit of his bread.

“Come on,” he said with a nod to Javan, and they turned and went back out.

Outside the stables, with the reins looped quickly through the rings, stood two tall and finely bred horses. Léof took the reins of one and led him in through the stable door. Javan quickly went to the second and took its reins and followed Léof.

[Formendacil]

"Are you ready or do you need to wait til you dry off a bit?"

Náin could not, in honesty, say that he was ready. However, that was not the fault of the water, nor was it likely to be remedied by waiting longer. In fact, to judge by the condition of his stomach, he was unlikely to get readier by waiting.

"N-n-no, fine is drying-- I mean, drying isn't fine. I mean that I'm fine drying going on. On the go." Curses! A fine way to start the day. All his weeks at the Mead Hall, getting accustomed to being around human women had just been thrown out the window. He was jumpier than that first day through the Hall's doors-- and he was going to be spending all day with Kara. At this rate, he would consider himself lucky to show his face near the kitchen again.

But a Dwarf does not change his plans without grave reason, and the iron discipline of the Longbeards took over. Náin was going to get through this out, come dragons or drownings, even if it meant the end of his sanity.

"I'll grab my things then, and see you at the doors," Kara gave him a smile and flitted away in that discomfittingly light manner that all humans seemed capable of. They lacked a sense of grounding in the earth, Náin thought, and wondered if that might be connected to the lack of grounding in his stomach somehow.

As he trudged towards the main doors, not even willing to try and eat anymore, he did not notice in his preoccupation that he was trudging more heavily than even the norm for a Dwarf, fluttering stomach or no.

[Celuien]

A merry grin still showed on Garstan's face when he came back to the hall. Garmund had been left with the sheep to wait for Cnebba's arrival, and Ordulf quietly told of the plans for forcing the two boys from the Mead Hall to settle their differences by working together. The boys were to be kept away from shears and instead given the job of holding the sheep still while Ordulf cut away their wool.

Léoðern would be next. As early as it was, Garstan was sure that she would already be up and about to find a playmate for the morning. He was not suprised to find her in the company of Eodwine and two strangers.

Before Garstan could say a word, Léoðern said, "Good morning! This is Ginna, and she's going to stay here."

A few words of introduction and greeting quickly passed. Then Garstan took Léoðern's hand and said, "Come along. It's time to go for your lessons."

"Lessons?" Eodwine asked.

"Yes. Lady Linduial gave word for Marenil to teach Léoðern out of a lesson book she sent." His smile broadened and he chuckled. "I expect the lessons will take much of the day. It was good to have met you, Randvér. Ginna."

Garstan led Léoðern away, still on the edge of laughter over his and Stigend's plans.