Táu absolutely hates this.
Not only Rumil insisted on choosing his tunic,-"You can't wear the militia tunic to a feast!" He said, shoving clothes into Táu's hands, "Wear this instead."-, but Táu also had to braid his hair into a proper fancy one.
Which is why, he is now sitting at the dinner table, wearinga wood-brown-silver-lined tunic, with small flowers woven onto his dark hair in delicate and complicated elven braids.
Again, Táu hates feasts. And it might seemed to be useless on having one now, seeing how empty the halls had become.
Yet, he knew. That although the feast passes off as act of proper diplomacy, they are still doing this just so they could forget how silent it becomes. How every elves now can sit on the long table, without worrying they won't have space. Infact, there are still chairs left.
Táu understands perfectly of it. And truly, it really scares him.
And at the same time, annoys him.
The elf frowned as he popped yet, another blueberry into his mouth. Muttering curses in his native language of how annoying his sleeves are, draping over his wrists like curtains, making it harder to move without knocking over plates.
"Manners, dear Táu." Bàin whispered from beside him with mirth, earning a kick on the shin.
"Hush!" Táu hissed as he discreetly wrestled to pluck some frostberries off their short branches.
"Honestly, Táu, I've seen you fought in battles against orcs, wargs.. and yet.." Bàin gestured at him, which earned himself yet another kick under the table.
"Now wonder ellith do not like you."
"I do not care for that!"
"But Táu.."
"But what?!"
Bàin leaned in with a grave expression.
"You are now an adult."
Táu froze. After few moments passed Bàin could see the tips of the younger elf's ears turning red.
"Son of a-"
Bàin let out a yelp.
"Stop kicking me!"
"Enough! Both of you stop acting like penneths!" Sidha seethed, coming between them with a sharp look.
"He started first!"
"Táu, saes."
"Gah!" Said elf huffed silently, glaring at the two elves.
Sidha sent him another look before returning to his previous conversation, with Faindir and another elf,-Haelas, if Táu did not mistaken-. Bàin continued on drinking wine from his goblet, not before sending another smile before Táu kicks him once again.
The feast continues. And Táu would keep chewing berries or anything he can get his hands on. If not, he would conversing with another elf. Keeping it polite and short.
"Let us have a toast!" Bàin suddenly exclaimed, standing up with his goblet in one hand.
All eyes laid on him. Out of the corner of his eyes, Táu could see Sidha slapping his own face, muttering words that suspiciously seemed to be 'orc lover'.
"Whatever for?"
"Eh.." Bàin shrugs.
"To.. Táu's future affair, I guess?"
The said latter spluttered. He started coughing badly that a lung would pop out. Rumil is patting his back beside him sympatheticaly.
"Never ever. In all of my life, I would ever get married. Thank you." Táu gritted, shooting daggers at Bàin, whom only smiled in return. Mirth twinkled in his eyes.
"Why are we even talking about my affair? Tis not yours to think of."
"Aye, but tis quite fun to talk about."
"Bàin-"
"He's still on the quite young side, Sidha. So I thought he'll need a proper education."
"Bàin-"
"Well, dear tithen tór, when an ellon and an elleth love eachother very much-"
Táu was close, very close, on stabbing Bàin with a fork right there and then.
"Bàin."
"Twas a jest, Sidha. I meant no harm."
"If so, why don't we talk about our recent activities then?" Orophin spoke up. Joining in as he popped a cheese into his mouth.
"I heard about something, from your delightful Prince-,"
Legolas scoffed on Orophin's clearly over-exaggerated accent.
"-that recently there had been an accident in the kitchen. Involving frying pans and few.. napkins." Instantly, Bàin's ears tinged a little red.
Táu bit his lips as he tries not to laugh. But it prooves to be futile as he accidently let out a small sound, to which he quickly covers with coughs.
It's too late though, for eyes all landed on him.
"Apologise, my lords. Tis the.. uhh..cheese." He heard Sidha did another slap.
"..Cheese?"
"It got stuck in my throat." Táu hurriedly say, coughing once again as if to proove his point.
Rumil wordlessly passes a goblet to him.
The smell of Dorwinion wine entered his senses and Táu had to use all his strength not to scrunch up his nose. He never was fond of drinks, yet all attention are onto him, leaving him little choice but to drink.
Holding his breath, Táu took a large gulp of the content in the goblet. And once the attentions are diverted, Táu wrenched in disgust.
The liquid warmed his body, leaving his cheeks and ears dusted red. Yet the taste lingering in his mouth made him scrunches up his nose, despite of Dorwinion wine supposedly being elves' favorite wine.
But if he needs to drink a goblet of Dorwinion wine just to watch Bàin being scolded like a penneth, he'll live through it.
"Egh."
Rumil wordlessly again, pushes a tray of frostberries towards him.
"What happened?" Orophin then continues, looking at Bàin with a questioning look.
"Twas.. nothing, m'lord."
"Did not sound such like it, master Bàin."
Yet he did not say anything but stood still, so Orophin turned towards Sidha.
"Care to tell what your comrade here has done?"
"Well.." Sidha looked around before biting his lips. Ignoring the pleading look Bàin sent him.
"Bàin he.. umm.. he fell. M'lord."
Táu choked back a laugh.
Meanwhile, Bàin had turn into an interesting shade of red.
Orophin raised an eyebrow in part amusement.
"He fell?"
"It was an accident!" Bàin sighed.
"He well.. oh for the love of- Bàin, my deepest apologise."
Said latter looked at Sidha in pure horror that Táu couldn't hold it longer, he broke out laughing.
Few elves also joined in with chuckles, for they had not been there yet heard the story, and they also did not want to embarrass their comrade further.
Unlike Táu. Who had been there along with Sidha. And truthfully, it was very much funnier.
"Twas early in the morn, m'lord. Bàin woke us up, Táu and I,-we shared the same quarters-. He said he wanted to get some food and needed our help. Táu told him to go by himself, yet he insisted that he needed help to get pass the halls' patrols."
"Whyever for?"
"As I quote, 'If we walked right up to them, it'll ruin the fun.'
"We sneaked to the kitchen then. Twas dark but the dim moonlight from the window, m'lord. Bàin walked towards the cabinet and uh.."
"He slipped." Táu, eyes still glowing with mirth, continued, laughing uncontrollably as his shoulders shook.
Bàin looked furious.
"I see nothing quite funny of that.." Orophin said with a raised eyebrow, looking at Sidha for an explanation.
"Twas not the 'slipped' part that was funny, m'lord. It was the fact that..
"It was barely dusk and thus, we were still half asleep. The kitchen was dark when we entered, and suddenly Bàin lost his footing and fell. He caused quite a scene by shouting few.. words best not to say, while dragging things from the counter along with him as he fell."
"The frying pan flew and hit his head." Táu said in his outmost uncaring voice, before bursting out laughing once again.
He could see Sidha trying his own best not to laugh. Shown by the tugs on his lips as he tried to keep a straight face.
"He screamed. And then, when we finally lit the candles, we founded out that he slipped by a napkin."
"That and when we dragged him back to the quarters, Bàin insisted on walking on his own."
"Before slamming to the nearest wall face first."
"Very un-elf-like." Sidha nodded gravely and the rest of them broke out laughing.
"You jested!"
"Was not!" Táu shot back, grinning from ear to ear as he watched his friend, Rumil, laughing like fools they are.
"La la la, ego besto yrch!" Bàin snapped, slumping back to his seat as he fumed. Yet Táu knew better than to trust anything the older elf had shown. He knew deep down, Bàin enjoyed every bits of moment, for it was what makes them all smiling, forgetting the fact there are little of them, just for a while.
For a very short while.
"Hir-nin!" An elf entered, Táu recognizes it is Tathar, the leader of the patrol group this night.
Immediately, the whole room quitened down. Every mirths they once had were now casted aside, for all of them are warriors, and they certainly recognized danger when they see it.
"What aids you, mellonenin?" Legolas asked as Tathar kneeled down, bowing in respect.
His next words however, shocked him, and everyone in the very room,
"My Prince, the Men sent from Minas Tirith are here."
--TBC--
It was not supposed to be-ughhh!! *smacks brain*
Translations;
Sindarin :
-Penneth = child
-Saes = please
-La la la = ha ha ha (kind of sarcastic)
-Ego besto yrch = go marry an orc (insult)
-Mellonenin = friend of mine
-Hir-nin = my Lord
-Ellon = elf (male)
-Elleth = elf (female)
-Ellith = elf (female-plural)
-Tithen tór = little brother (teasing)
Also, I have absolutely no idea how I'm getting the idea of the whole.. slipped-and-fall-then-walked-onto-a-wall incident. Okay, that may happened to a friend of mine. Once. Twice.
This is kind of terrible.. isn't it? Urggghhh.. *mutters* glob búbhost..