[piosenniel]

Mithadan returned the laptop to it's place behind the bar, & flipped on the the neon welcome sign - a ghastly greenish hued hand with the index finger beckoning thirsty partygoers. A hastily scrawled sign,in runic characters by some passing southron, identified this particular watering hole as the Khumaun Inn.

His attention taken by setting up the bar and polishing pint mugs, he took no notice of the trio as they approached the bar in a studiously casual manner.

Entering the bar, the trio halted just inside the doorway, blinking the sunlight from their eyes. The interior was dark shading up to dim where pale sunlight trickled through the dense holly leaves making up a sort of portico at the cave entrance.

Pio poked C7A gently in the ribs, just enough to stop her from her now nervous sounding whistling. 'I think it best if you stop whistling the "Knife in the Dark" theme!', she whispers in her companion's ear.

C7A glared at pio, kicking herself mentally for agreeing to go along. Her eyes swept the room and fixed on Mithadan. Her short gasping intake of breath and a hasty step backward toward the door brought his attention to the trio.

'What can I get you, ladies?! Miruvor? Ale? A glass of water for the gasping hobbit? Take a seat at the the bar, there's plenty of room!'

The room seemed curiously empty. A little chill shivered up the back of pio's neck. Spying a familiar looking wizard sitting in the dim recesses of a booth, she nodded toward her and said to the barkeep, 'A round of dwarf spirits, if you please - and one for my friend here. We'll be joining her.'

'I live but to serve!' came the reply from behind the bar. A ghostly smile playing about the corners of his lips.

'Birdie, get Child into the booth, and see if you can do something about that whimpering. She's starting to sound like Bilbo before his adventures with the dwarves.'

Pio turned her attention to Veritas, who sat quietly taking in the scene and fingering the edges of an empty chessboard. 'So,long time, no see, my northern friend. What are you doing on this gloriously sunny day, sitting in this gloomy place?'

The long sad story of an ill-timed arrival at the party and the rude refusal of a dwarf to play a friendly game of chess without the promise of a wager took up the next 10 minutes, punctuated finally by the arrival of a large flagon of dwarven spirits and 5 silver goblets.

'5 goblets?' queried pio. 'There are only 4 of us here.'

Mithadan, his smile now in full bloom, poured the 5 drinks and raised one high in the direction of the trio. 'To your very good health, ladies; & a pleasant day for all!' '& to you, good wizard, you are in some *interesting* company. To your continued good health while you're with them!' & with those last words, he slammed back his drink and returned, humming, to the bar.

'Should I be sitting near you?', said Veritas. 'There seems a dangerous friction in the air!'

'Don't worry, Veritas. We have things well in hand, don't we girls?'

'I'm not so sure about that,' replied Birdie, fanning Child who had fainted dead away at the approach of Mithadan. Gulping her own drink down, she trickled a thin stream into the mouth of Child, who sputtered once, opened an eye for a furtive glance about, and then crawled under the table with her goblet.

'Why is he standing over there with a decidedly Cheshire cat grin on his face?', asked Birdie. 'Don't know.', said pio. 'But now's the time to put our plan into action.'

'P-p-p-p-p-plan?! What plan?' came the thin voice from beneath the table.

'Don't worry, I have one. Now get up here and listen to it.'

Three heads huddled together; the rise and fall of hushed arguing accompanied by wild gesturing and the slamming of goblets on the table filled the small corner of the room. Veritas leaned back in the booth, as if to distance herself as far as possible from the trio, but not far enough that the flagon couldn't be reached.

'We're agreed, then,?', said pio, looking pointedly at each of her companions. They nodded their heads mutely. 'Let's have another drink, and then we're for it!'

Birdie downed her drink and glanced toward Mithadan whose ghostly smile was now directed entirely at their table.'Why do I feel as if I've walked into Shelob's Lair?!, she shuddered to herself.