[Orual]

Talômi looked up as Luinien left gratefully. He felt a little guilty for not going to find Rie himself, but if Luinien was offering...

He looked back to Tarondo. "I appreciate your help very much. I've missed my sister a great deal since she left, and a day hasn't gone by where I haven't thought of her." He laughed. "I sound like a jilted fiancé, don't I? You must understand, my sister and I were closer than we were with anyone else. When she would leave--go to my grandmother's house for the weekend, go anywhere--I would feel lost and empty, and took comfort only in the fact that I knew that she felt the same way. I just haven't been whole since she left. But I don't know how to approach her, how to...how to start this reunion. I'm afraid she didn't miss me." He sighed and took a sip of his drink. "Well, you seem to be pretty close to your own sister--she is your sister, isn't she? I imagine that you probably know how I feel, a little bit."

******

Once Rie had taken her leave of Derufin, she was pretty much on her own--she didn't know where Don was, or Nuru, or anybody else. So she just took a seat, kicked back, and proceeded to tell a few jokes with some of the other patrons of the Inn. She'd had one ale, just enough to loosen her tongue, and she had refused to have another: she was telling jokes, after all, and didn't want to tell any that she'd regret later on.

She had told a particularly good one and her audience roared appreciatively when she saw someone approaching. She didn't quite recognize the Elf, but seemed to have seen someone who looked a lot like her before. She took leave of her audience and went up to her. "Excuse me! I don't mean to be rude, but I seem to recognize you and I'm quite sure that I've never met you before. I'm Talmérië, or Rie...what can I call you?"