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Old 03-12-2011, 05:26 PM   #36
Thinlómien
Shady She-Penguin
 
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: In a far land beyond the Sea
Posts: 8,385
Thinlómien is wading through the Dead Marshes.Thinlómien is wading through the Dead Marshes.Thinlómien is wading through the Dead Marshes.Thinlómien is wading through the Dead Marshes.Thinlómien is wading through the Dead Marshes.Thinlómien is wading through the Dead Marshes.
(slightly in retrospect)

"Stop!" Sereth shouted. "With this ring I command the very breath in your lungs!" Her clear voice echoed in the small street behind the inn and a few mongrel-looking dogs started barking and running around, scaring off the pigeons on the roof.

Not nearly commanding enough, Sereth thought, even the dogs don't take me seriously, they just create more racket. Now the smaller dog was chasing the bigger one, and they managed to knock over a bucket full of water near the backdoor of the kitchen.

"Stop!" bellowed a voice from the open window. "Blackie and Nosey, stop right now!" The smaller dog let out a small wail, but both dogs stopped on the tracks. The innkeeper's son - a burly and unfriendly-looking man in his mid-twenties - came out and started telling the dogs off their behaviour. Sereth slipped to the shadows and quietly started making her way to the courtyard, smiling. Now she knew exactly what tone to use.

She heard the silver chiming of the bells. Should be there already! she thought and started making her way to the courtyard hurriedly.

It proved more difficult than she had thought, because she found two dead ends before finally getting to the main street which led to the inn. She had always been bad with directions, but she was sure that this time it was really because she didn't concentrate. Brinn won't like me being late, she thought. She really didn't want to give Brinn any more worries than she already had because of the big show coming up, but she just kept failing today.

She arrived just in time to see Amdír, Therian, Branor and Harrenon appear. She listened to their story with growing agitation. Surely it wasn't the Samwise and sure he wasn't coming see them and sure not the King too! How could she ever do her role so that it would please two of Frodo the Great Warrior's friends and companions on that dangerous journey?

Also, Branor was drunk, which was not good. He would mess up the rehearsal in that state, and she really didn't like the unfocused look in his eyes. It brought very old memories of Stepdad, and they were not pleasant. Therian was not much better, there was something in his attitude that Sereth didn't like. Not that she liked him too much in general, but he seemed especially mean tonight. Old Amdír at least was making sense and Harrenon - well, Sereth preferred not to pay too much attention to him because recently being too close to the young man with wild black hair and bright eyes had become slightly uncomfortable.

She stopped involuntarily stealing glances at Harrenon's direction when Brinn's words drilled into hear head "...in the meantime, we rehearse as usual. Thank you for telling me this news, Amdir--Cirdacil, you say, is the man in charge of this? You'll have to tell me more about him." Thank Eru! Sereth thought and hurried to busy herself with the costumes and stage design.

Fifteen minutes later, Brinn was welcoming the audience which was of course non-existent at this point. At their cue, Sereth stepped on the stage with Amdír and Coldan. She turned at Coldan's direction and was supposed to introduce their mission to the servant, but when she looked at him she couldn't help but say instead: "Coldan, you have ink on your face."
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