[Lhunardawen]

"I claimed nothing, Rikae," Lhuna said with a glance at the old woman. "Wasn't it apparent from my tone that I was merely asking - suggesting, if you will? I do not quickly make claims, not in these times of doubt and confusion.

"It is normal, I guess, that we understand the same statement differently, for we are two different people. For my part, I sensed an offhandedness in Gil's manner of speaking that I found unsettling. Each to her own. But I will not pay much heed to it for now, for there could be a lot more revealing words from Gil - or anyone, for that matter - later. I would that he consider our situation more seriously toDay."

Lhuna kept momentarily silent, then cleared her throat.

"About those moments leading to the end of the yesterDay - thank you, Brinn, for the summary - Shasta was brought up to the lead with 2 votes by Rikae. And then Nogrod voted for xyzzy, making him tied with Shasta. Rikae chose Shasta with a bit of doubt, but found him most suspicious of those who have spoken. She said she might vote for xyzzy if the sleepers sleep on until the Day ends. Nogrod was adamant nearly the whole time to lynch those who were silent, thus his vote. Why xyzzy, I wonder? What made him chose xyzzy over Izzy, who was another sleeper? Was it because tgwbs had already voted for the former, and Nogrod didn't want to spread the votes too thin?

With Mac's vote Shasta's doom was pronounced, and after this Nogrod changed his vote to tgwbs. It achieved nothing, so far as yesterDay's lynching is concerned. In doing this, I think, he was trying to make it a point that he found tgwbs suspicious. But if he really did, why did he not vote for him at the first, when some argument against tgwbs could still have ensured his lynching? Why wait until it no longer mattered that he voted for him?

"And that's not the only thing: one of Nogrod's primary reasons for suspecting tgwbs, if I understand him right, was that he found the short guy overfriendly. But reminiscing on yesterDay's discussions brings no such thing to mind. The closest I found to an attempt of tgwbs to be friendly with Nogrod was that the former shared a glance with the latter - who had his eyes closed. Where's the "trying to gain a feel-good factor" with himself that Nogrod was saying? And the weirder thing is that right after tgwbs cast his vote, Nogrod expressed his appreciation of it. He even questioned me for disagreeing with tgwbs's vote. That's one big flip-flop, as the move will be called six ages of Arda from now."

A knowing twinkle came into Lhuna's eyes, and it seemed a ghost of a smile came across her lips. But before anyone who saw could dwell on it, it was replaced by a worried frown.

"It's a one-sided 'relationship,' this between Nogrod and the short guy, but all the same it makes me think if there's more to it than meets the eye. There are a few possibilities. One, they are Turin and Beleg, and this is their way of evading the wolves at Night, for their act casts perilous attention on them during the Day. Two, they are the wolves, and Nogrod seeks to have his comrade lynched, as though by sheer chance or cunning, so he can win us over into believing his innocence, or he can prove his worth. Or three, I am, which I am likely to do, reading too much into this."