Disclaimer: The Hobbit and its characters are not mine. I just like to play with them.
Yay friendship! I don't have much more to say.
In Dale with Fili
Before today I'd never been to the Rivendell District Library. Not that its a bad thing, the Rivendell Library is beautiful in its own simple way. I'd much rather be in this library than the hustle and bustle of the Mirkwood Library. It's so much quieter in here than in there, so much nicer.
I take a moment to hunt the shelf in front of me for the book on photography Balin is having me get for the class he put me in. I find the volume and pull it down by the top of the binding, opening it and glancing over the pages to make sure it's what I'm looking for. I snap the book closed and glance around to see if anyone is near, pulling the sheet of paper that Ori had given me this morning from my back pocket..
Lucky me, he and Nori got me the information on the hobbit I helped in the Mirkwood Library. Nori was thorough in his research, pulling everything from her name to her primary education. He can really be useful, if a little bit creepy at times.
I look up from the paper, shifting my eyes around the room to see if I could find her. Her name's Delilah. God I feel so creepy I've never had to seek out a girl before.
But what I find instead of that darling little hobbit is my less darling little brother. Hitting on the Woman at the receptionist's desk. I fold up the paper and stuff it into my pocket as I watch Kili fakes not having a library card to talk to her more,
"Kee, you sly dog." I chuckle quietly to myself and watch him pull his ridiculous song and dance with that poor unsuspecting girl.
He is widely known (fortunately not to his knowledge) as a playboy, often being seen with a different beautiful woman every night he goes out and then dumping them within an hour after he shags them in some broken down, old hotel in the Mordor District of town. That poor girl.
I chuckle and leave my brother to his business, moving to another section of the library, looking for the hobbit I owed lunch. I don't think I actually do owe her lunch. I'll buy her lunch anyway.
This library is much bigger than I had first anticipated. I feel almost as helpless as the first time I lost my mother in the grocery store- now that was terrifying- but right before I'm about to give up on my hunt for Delilah a small figure pushing a book cart catches my eye. I glance over to see exactly the hobbit I'm looking for, her curly, dark hair tied in a loose ponytail at the back of her head.
I clear my throat and approach the cart, grabbing the side and pushing it in the direction she is, catching her attention as subtly as I can,
"I didn't know you worked here too." I look back at her, smiling softly as she nearly gasps at seeing me,
"Oh, well I prefer it here. I didn't know you would come out to Rivendell for a library book." she speaks with a slight strain on her voice as we push the cart up a slight incline that leads into another section of the library,
"Well, Thranduil nearly kicked me out." I shrug and wiggle the book in my hand, "I didn't want to take any chances." She nods, understanding where I'm coming from and when we reach the next area she let the cart alone and turned to face me. It almost seems like she's studying me with a careful precision gained from many nights spent in the corners of parties, watching the other guests with a scrutinizing eye. Maybe with any luck she wouldn't notice me favoring my right arm and people like her those chances are slim, though. They tend to notice every little detail as they stare at you.
I clear my throat, pulling her from her gaze that had been starting to border on spacey,
"So, uhm, I was wondering if you wanted to maybe get some lunch. If you're free any time today." I scratch at the back of my head, my fingers tangling into the loose dreadlocks there sheepishly. I haven't felt this nervous since asking my date to senior prom. Not that this lunch is going to be a date. I just want to talk to her. She seems nice and I'd like to get to know her and not in the way my brother gets to know girls, "N-not like a date or anything. Just to hang out, maybe." A nervous grin tugs at the corners of my lips and I clasp my hands behind my back, fidgeting with the book in them.
She straightens up a bit and crosses her arms over her chest, looking toward the front desk slyly. She then looks down at her feet, a soft smile growing on her face before she looks back at me, nodding,
"Yeah, I think I'd like that." I smile and nod back to her, not knowing exactly what to say to her,
"Great." I stuff my hand into my pocket, still at a loss for words. I am absolute shit at talking to girls,
"I can get off in five minutes. Elrond's granddaughter is training for my spot, she shouldn't have too much trouble watching over the library while I'm gone." She motioned toward the Woman sitting at the front desk, who by no means at all resembled Elrond, Elladan, Elrohir, or Arwen in any way, shape or form. I cock my eyebrow when I look back at Delilah, "She's adopted."
"Oooh." I say quietly, turning my head back to the woman, "Kee better watch out then." My voice is a low mutter as I look at the girl. She seems like she'd be able to hold her own, even without her grandfather or any relative stepping in,
"Sorry, what was that?" I whip my head back to Delilah at the sound of her voice and shake my head when I see her eyeing me curiously,
"Nothing." I wave it off and pat the cart, "So I guess you should finish up, eh?" She snorts a soft laugh and grabs the cart, pushing it into a corner, leaving it there while she walks me to the front desk to check out the book for me.
At the desk as she's scanning the book she sees the title and looks up at me from underneath thick, straightened bangs, her dark blue eyes staring in that careful, scrutinizing way they do,
"I'm a photography major." I motion to the book with a soft sigh and she nods, closing the book and sliding it to me over the desk top,
"That's pretty rad." She walks around me and to the coat rack by the door, grabbing a small, olive green peacoat from nearest the fire,
"Who says 'rad' anymore?" I joke with her, opening the door so she won't have to with her full hands,
"I do." She sticks her nose up and struts proudly under my arm, causing me to chuckle. It's like we've been friends for years and we're just going out to catch up. that's the kind of chemistry friends need, "So which car is your's?" She motions to the pair of (obviously) expensive cars in battling colors parked next to each other, the nearest being Kili's in the handicap parking space. I chuckle and motion over the Bentley toward my more understated, midnight blue, mustang,
"She's not flashy and probably smells like salt water and sand but she's mine." I walk with her over to the car and open the door for her to a very clean, black, vinyl leather interior. Well save for the sand on the floor left over from having gone surfing yesterday. That's a bit embarrassing.
When Delilah is seated in my car and is working on buckling her seatbelt I close the door for her and walk around to the other side, sliding in and starting the car up with a quick turn of the key. With a slam of the door and a rev of the engine I have us out of the lot and onto the open Rivendell road, headed toward downtown Dale,
"So where do you want to eat?" I glance over to her and then back to the road with a quick turn of my head,
"Mmm there's this bakery down by the Lake Town Arcade that has the best meat pies." I know the bakery she's talking about. They do have really good meat pies. And really good everything else too. It had always been a favorite of mine to go to when dad would have days off from work at Erebor. and after lunch he would take me to the arcade to play a few games before mum found out what we were doing.
A soft smile spreads across my face as I reminisce about the days of old. Before the accident that cost my father his life. It wasn't his fault. Or anybody's fault for that matter. He just ended up in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and he paid for it in the end.
I don't notice the tear slipping down my cheek before it finds its way onto the end of my nose, tickling at me as it jiggles in place. I bring my hand up and wipe the tear from my nose, hoping Delilah didn't see the motion with every fiber of my being. That would be embarrassing, crying in front of a new friend the first time you hang out.
A/N: This chapter is definitely not one of my best, but hey we get a peek at what happened to Fili's papa! And look they're being friends! Hanging out! that's what friends do, right? I wouldn't know.. I don't have too many friends...
