Blonde hair cascaded around the woman's head as she laid down staring at the ceiling. She heard the party, and had no intent of joining, especially not now with the blooming bruise upon her face. She let out a sigh, turning to her side, and curling in on herself. She wished to cry, but she had not cried for near a year, she could not do it now. But this time was different. Of all people Nori, the theif was here. Dwarves were in Laketown, the prophecy she had heard.. it could all be coming to something she feared Miriril had seen and mentioned in passing, although Miriril had said sometimes she saw things not coming for many a year.
She let out a sigh, and letting her eyes close. Thunk. Her eyes shot open, and she was sitting up, pulling the dagger from under her pillow and pointing it at an all so familiar shadow at her window. "Nori?" "At your service... Easy there, lass." Nori stepped forward slowly, gently taking the dagger from her. He smiled softly at the sight of it, releasing a breath. "I knew ye'd taken something." He whispered before placing it on her dresser by the bed. His eyes inspected her for the moment before he reached forward and gently cupped her cheek, looking at the blooming bruise upon her cheek bone. She winced slightly and pulled away from him. "It's fine. don't worry about it." Nori's eyes hardened, and he as staring at her with an angry expression she had come to know rather well in short moments. "How can I not?" He stood to his full height, which while admittedly not very tall, was still taller than her as she lay in the bed. The implications if he were caught here, in this situation.
"He has no right-" Nori broke off in a string of Khuzdul that Alodie could neither understand nor determine what he was ranting about. "He has every right, Nori." She near snapped as she sat up, on the edge of the bed. "I am his wife, and he my husband. Technically he can do whatever he wishes to me." Nori huffed in response, his head snapping too her. "That is a load of bullshit and you know it!" It may have been a growl. All the eight years he'd known the infuriating woman, she was not supposed to just roll over and accept whatever happened. Both breathed heavily as they watched each other sharply, before Nori was stepping towards her again, hands resting on her face to inspect the bruise once more. Alodie's eyes slipped closed, as Nori ran a gentle thumb over the bruise. "If it looks bad now, it'll look worse tomorrow,'ibin abnâmul." Her eyes opened once more, and she was frowning. A careless whisper fell from her lips, "Why do you do that?"
Tanir took a long swig of Ale as he counted the dwarves once more. He found himself quite fond of the merry little dwarf wearing a rather strange hat. He knew how to drink and be merry, as did several others. But as he had spent the night counting, he had only come up with twelve since anything important had been said. Not that he needed a number. He knew the sight of the dwarf his wife had referred to as 'Nori' in multiple letters to her half breed step sister. Three points in his hair, braided beard, red hair, braided eyebrows, big nose, big ears- Valar all dwarves had that, they may as well be the same. And he'd not seen him for quite a while. Tanir was not a stupid man, he knew that 'Nori' and his wife knew each well enough that the dwarf did not have the secretive nature that dwarves had around her. It caused his suspicions to spur wild, often so too. Whenever he caught sight of the bastard. Every few months, maybe once a year, but he saw him. At this moment, if the dwarf was not here within the master's house, then Tanir knew exactly where the fuck he was. Taking another swig of his ale, he turned to his left and whispered in low tones with the Master, excusing himself for a walk, saying he'd be back soon.
The dwarf's braided eyebrows raised, and he looked as though he very much knew what she was speaking of, but he didn't wish to acknowledge it. "Do what?" He didn't even want to ask the question, but he couldn't leave them sitting in silence again. Last time he had done that.. welll.. He'd left. That would have been four years ago.
"You know what you do." It was almost unspoken between them, and Nori found his eyes meeting Alodie's once more."'Lo.." The careless nickname slipped from his tongue, and he was looking away once more, her voice cutting him off. "Shouldn't you be at that party?"
Nori snorted. "I have been known to disappear whenever I wish." He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a balm he had found in the Master's house. "May I?" He asked. Alodie nodded her head, and the soothing relief of Nori's fingers rubbing the healing balm into her cheek cause a release of breath she hadn't known she was holding. A soft smile found it's way to her lips, and eyes closed once more she found herself whispering "I missed you... it's almost as if, when you leave maybe just maybe I could forget you, but then you find me and one touch and-" "Don't." Nori was quick to put a stop to her words. One wrong thing said and.. Mahal's balls he couldn't. He wouldn't. Alodie nodded her head, stopping herself. "I'm sorry."
"Sorry?" Nori shook his head, thumb slowing before stopping. "You shouldn't be sorry. He should be sorry." And there was that look in her eyes again. Nori sighed. "Men and Dwarves are different, and it so happens that Tanir is.. a less than perfect man-"
The dwarf scoffed pulling himself away. "There you go, defending him again." He pulled a hand down his face, rubbing at his temples. "What else am I supposed to do?" She felt tears prick at her eyes, "He's my husband I can't exactly do anything about it."
They fell into silence again, Nori not daring to whisper the thought that ran through his mind. He wouldn't. He couldn't. Seemed that was the way with everything to do with Alodie.
"You cannot keep doing this, you know." Her words spurred him from his thoughts and he knew exactly what she meant. He'd done it enough by now that it seemed as though sometimes he thought it would never change. "I don't know what you mean." He muttered, before taking in her unimpressed face. "Don't throw it under the rug, again! Every time you are in a town and you hear even the slightest whisper of me-"
"Alodie, don't." And they fell into silence again. She reached up and fingered a disheveled braid in his beard and his eyes slid shut. "I know what you're doing. You're going to go up to that mountain." The movement of her fingers in his beard never stopped, and he didn't answer. She knew, there was no point saying it. "Don't get yourself killed if that Dragon is still in there." Nori grabbed hold of her hand the slightest before leaning down his forehead against her own. "I never make promises I can't keep." "Liar."
A door closed downstairs, loud enough to cause the two upstairs to jump slightly, pulling apart, the smile slipping from Alodie's face. "Go." She pushed Nori towards the window and he wasn't stupid enough to disagree, pushing himself out of it, and in his haste leaving it open, as Alodie pulled the covers over her, turning her back to the door and window.
Footsteps echoed up the stairs, and perhaps it was Nori's sense of direction, or his speed at not wanting to die, by the time Tanir had made it to the bed, Nori had slipped back into the party, and sat himself down next to Ori, stealing some food from his plate, ignoring the sharp look that Dori sent his way. Hmm, seems he had been missed. Shit.