[Nurumaiel]

"Mother, I'm going out!" Adrama called, pausing for a moment at the front door. She waited to hear her mother's reply, but there was no answer. "Mother!"

Pelien appeared at the door that led into the front hallway. She gazed curiously at Adrama, who was dressed in one of her best dresses with her hair carefully tended to. An embroidered shawl was about her shoulders, as it was drawing near to evening and growing a little chilly. She hesitated a moment, wondering if she should refuse to let her daughter go. Something about the way she was dressed made her a little nervous. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"If you must know," Adrama said, opening the door and pulling the shawl closer about her shoulders, "I'm going to meet someone."

Pelien's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could speak Adrama interrupted, "Don't worry, Mother, it's a woman." She smiled reassuringly, then left the house, closing the door gently behind her. Pelien remained staring at the door for awhile, and then shook her head, turning to get back to what she had been doing previously. "A woman," she murmured with a little sigh. "Ah, what a pity."

Down the road Adrama walked, keeping her head down low against the cold air. She and Alethea had arranged to meet in a public garden that was a little less than half a mile from Adrama's house. However, Adrama was a very fit young woman and it would not be very hard for her to walk the distance in the space of a few minutes. Her only concern was wrinkling her dress, which had been specially chosen to impress Alethea. Not that Adrama thought Alethea was the kind to be too impressed by the clothes one wore, but it wouldn't hurt to make certain.

A few minutes later Adrama was seated on a bench in the garden, bending down to sniff a purple flower growing beside her. Glancing up, she saw a figure coming through the dim evening light towards her. She sat up straighter, and strained her eyes to see who it was. As the figure drew closer, Adrama saw that it definitely was Alethea. She gave a little wave of her hand to alert the other's attention, and Alethea waved back.

"Alethea," Adrama said, standing up and offering her hand. "It's rather good to see you again." Alethea took the hand offered to her and gave a little curtsy. Adrama, her eyes twinkling mischievously, gestured to the bench and said in her best high-and-noble-born-lady-of-Gondor voice, "Please, dear Alethea, won't you be seated?" Alethea smiled faintly back and the two of them sat down side by side.

[ August 09, 2003: Message edited by: Nurumaiel ]