[piosenniel]

They sat on deck, beneath the now paling stars and talked softly. The elf asked many questions concerning the hobbits they were to rescue and the manner in which they were held. Pio pressed him for any knowledge of whether Sauron knew of the imprisoned hobbits, or if he had guessed in any way their importance to the battle against the Shadow and Darkness. She did not relish the thought of facing him in battle, and looked to find a way to avoid it.

The sun was just peering over the ocean's eastern rim, when she finished her questioning. Sitting back in her chair, hands clasped across her belly, she chewed gently on her lower lip, thinking about what she had learned.

Ancalimon cleared his throat and said something to her, breaking the continuity of her thinking. 'I'm sorry', she said. 'What did you say?'

'I asked if perhaps we might get some hot tea to drink. My throat is parched from talking so much!'

'I'm sorry!' she said. 'What a poor host I've been. Come with me to the galley and we will make us a pot of tea and perhaps some breakfast.'

Ancalimon sat at the table while she brewed the tea and rummaged for clean mugs in the cupboard. He watched her as she poured them each a steaming mug, and then sat across from him. Sipping his slowly and appreciatively, he waited patiently for her to tell him what had happened to 'Tulë'.

She cradled her warm mug in her hands, and shook her head. 'Simply put - it was an ill constructed fiction from the first. I never thought it would work. I only hoped that it might. I couldn't hold true to it, and Mithadan saw through it. The companions were fragmented and had lost their clarity of purpose. He called me back, and here I am. Pio, once again.'

'But not the same, I think.' came his soft comment.

'No, not the same. More clear, I think. Steadier. Less brash, less impulsive.' She smiled a little. 'I'm growing to like this person. I'm just not certain as yet how she fits in.'

'There will be time enough for that to happen, don't you think?' he asked.

'No doubt!' she answered, amused by the question. 'Time is something I seem to have plenty of!'

She heard footsteps coming down the gangplank and toward the galley. A voice called out, and she turned to see who had come through the doorway. She smiled.

'Ah, there you are! Come and have some tea with us!' She poured another mug of the steaming brew, and motioned toward a vacant chair.

[ September 12, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]