Sorry I'm so late, guys! My internet went out for a day and a half and I couldn't update till now. TT_TT but anyways, thanks for hanging on with me. :)
*groans* why in the name of all the Valar does this have to be so long!? It took me foreeeeverrr to write it... Oh well. I hope you enjoy it.
To answer a question I know that a lot of you have, the elves that they will be finding will be mostly canonical elves. I will mention elves that are not canonical when they are introduced.
Lastly, Ivrinel Elmoiel does not belong to me, she is a self-insert of Peregrin Took the Falcon. Enjoy!
Chapter 10
My head hurt. I groaned and opened my eyes groggily, to find myself staring at a window. I blinked, my head foggy, and then shook my head to find that it was clearing rapidly. When I finally got my bearings, I looked around to see that I was sitting in a large, fifteen-seat van and there were two other smaller cars to the sides of me. I was sitting in the driver's seat of the van, and Glorfindel was slumped in the passenger seat next to me.
I made sure he was alright before turning around to see all of our luggage in the very back of the van and people slumped asleep in the other chairs. Lyric and Lark were blinking and rubbing their eyes as well, though everyone else was asleep. Everyone else meaning Nerdanel, Nelyo, Moryo, Káno, Tyelko, the Twins, Ecthelion, Marion, Beleg, and Maeglin. Drago and Saphira and their pups were curled up on the floors.
Just then, something in my pocket vibrated, and I jumped and looked down to see that I was dressed in a pair of black jeans with a silver shirt decorated with a black sun-in-eclipse symbol on it, at which I momentarily smiled. Then I fished in my pocket and pulled out my Samsung Galaxy, accepting the call.
"Celine DelaFiore." I said crisply, and heard dad laugh slightly over the other end.
"Hello Mrs. DelaFiore." He teased as I sighed in amusement. Lyric and Lark crowded behind my chair as I held it out so they could hear.
"We're in the car next to you. Are all of you alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, the others are still asleep, which is normal. It takes time to get accustomed to the new environment, but I'm guessing you and mom and probably Aunt Carrie and Uncle Jonathan are awake because you once lived here. Lyric and Lark are awake too, but then, we're Maia. Dimension travel is nothing for us." I said amusedly as dad chuckled.
"Point taken. Who's driving?" He asked.
"Apparently I am, since I'm strapped into the drivers seat and there's a wallet in my pocket with a driver's license in it. It's nice to be a Maia sometimes." I said amusedly, and dad snorted.
"Just be careful." He said warily as Lyric and Lark giggled and I glared at them.
"I will, dad. Is mom okay?" I asked.
"She's fine, awake and talking with Carrie. They're fine too." He replied.
"Okay then. Looks like we have a two-hour road trip in front of us." I said with a grin. "There's a GPS in this van, already set for Wiseman." I said, as Lark reached over and fiddled with it. It bleeped and an orange line marked out the path for us.
"Alrighty then, we'll just follow you." Dad said, and I nodded.
"Alright. Celine out." I cut the connection and then nodded to the two who were grinning excitedly.
"This is epic!" Lark squealed.
"Awesome!" Lyric agreed, and then dragged Lark back into the seat, buckling herself into the seat. "Drive, Celine!" She ordered cheerfully, and I snickered as I pulled on a pair of sunglasses from the glovebox. I turned the key, and the vehicle rumbled to life.
"Hey, you awake, Drago, Saphira?" I heard Lark ask, and there was a whine in reply.
*We're here?* Drago asked me groggily.
"Yep, we are, Drago. Can you let me know when any of the others wake up?" I asked.
*Of course.* Was his answer as I adjusted the mirrors and buckled myself in. Glorfindel suddenly groaned, stirring slightly as I put my phone on the dashboard and carefully pulled out of the parking lot. I saw the other two cars, one a Toyota Prias and the other a Kia Mohave, pull out behind me.
"Hey Glorfy, you awake?" I asked as Lark and Lyric chatted in the back, each of them holding a sleeping pup.
He grimaced and put his hand to the back of his head. "Yes, I'm fine." He answered in slurred English. During the time we had taught the elves about American culture, thanks to the Valar we showed them a lot of popular movies and books like Star Wars, and of course The Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, and books like The Mockingbird and other such classics and popular books.
"Where are we?" He asked, looking around at the car and starting as he realized we were moving along the roads.
"We just left Fairbanks Alaska and we are now heading for Wiseman by the directions of the GPS." I answered, and he bent to look at the device.
"Two hours? How long have we been traveling?" He asked, fiddling with it to pull up the clock in the corner. We had also made sure that all of them were up-to-date with the latest technology as well.
"Just for a few minutes." I answered, just as there was a general stirring and groaning behind me. Glorfindel turned to look behind us and I glanced in the rearview mirror.
"Whoa. That was unexpected." Tyelko's voice, debonair and compelling, said as he shook his head.
"Wow, look at that!" Telvo and Pityo were pressed against the window as Lark buckled them in and returned to her seat. Tyelko did the same and pulled out a phone from his pocket, turning it on.
"These clothes are so cool!" Pityo said as he tugged at his red jacket and matching cap and snow pants. All of us were dressed heavily for the wintery climate. Snow dusted the ground outside already with a light blanket.
"How long have we been traveling?" Ecthelion asked, buckling himself in next to Lark.
"Ten minutes according to the GPS." Glorfindel answered.
"Oh, this is amazing." Nerdanel breathed, looking about at the car, amazed, and then looking out the window at the sight of the misty blue mountains, evergreen forests, and white snow.
"Buckle up, Naneth." Káno's voice said softly, musical and gentle as he took his own advice next to Lyric and scooped up the pup Lara into his lap. Esgal and Sky were yipping quietly in Telvo and Pityo's laps, while Celegorm held little Bolt and Nerdanel stroked the happily panting Luno. Drago and Saphira sat at Lark and Lyric's feet.
"Yonya, hanno, are you alright?" I asked, slowing down as we neared a small patch of ice.
"Yeah Naneth." "Yes muinthel." Was the mangled reply as the two strapped themselves in and looked out the window together, chatting excitedly.
Nelyo yawned and stretched, clipping the seatbelt in and pulling out his phone, reading lazily on my kindle account. He was most used to Earth, having gotten here first at the beginning of all of our adventures. "Quite a trip." Was his only comment. He was dressed in a green jacket that made me snicker.
"He looks like a Christmas ornament." I giggled as he glared at me half-heartedly and everyone snickered at him.
"Do we have minutes?" Caranthir asked, holding up his phone with one hand while he buckled himself in with the other.
"Yes." Lark answered for him, pulling out her own phone. Everyone but the twins and Mairon had a phone.
"Hey little brother, are you okay?" I asked, and I heard a yawn from the back.
"Yeah onònë." Mairon answered, and Lyric giggled.
"You look so cute, Annatar, with your little car seat!" She squealed, kissing his cheek as he waved his ring in the air and giggled cheerfully.
"So is everyone awake, buckled in, and okay?" I called, and there was a general sound of assent.
"Where's Carrie and Jonathan and Joy and David?" Nerdanel queried, and Lark answered.
"Behind us, Naneth. They're in the other two cars." She answered and Nerdanel nodded.
"What's Wiseman like?" Telvo asked excitedly.
"We're not entirely sure, Aidan." Lyric answered, and Glorfindel piped up.
"According to this brochure that was in the glovebox, it's a nice-sized city. It's even got an indoor gymnasium complete with a pool, and an equestrian center too. They've got reindeer rides at the resorts and dog sleds." He said interestedly.
There was a silence. Then, "Wolf sleds!" Maeglin and Beleg and Mairon chimed at the same time, making us all burst into laughter.
"That would be awesome." Lark giggled, and Lyric and I nodded in agreement.
"Is it hard to drive?" Nelyo queried interestedly to me, and I laughed.
"On a road like this it's pretty tricky, yeah, Mark. Ice patches can be dangerous." I answered, just as we came to a caution sign. I slowed down to glance at it and then my eyes lit up. I stretched out my senses, and then suddenly slowed down, handing my phone to Gorfindel.
"Loren, call up my dad, will you? Make it a triple call with Aunt Carrie too." I said excitedly.
"O-kay?" He dialed and put it on speaker as everyone hushed to listen.
"David Ravid." Dad's voice said automatically.
"Carrie Pond." She said at the same time.
"Hey dad, Aunt Carrie, I'm gone stop a little bit ahead, okay? There's something that you should see." I said, slowing down considerably.
"Alright. Is everything okay?" Aunt Carrie asked.
"Yep, just fine, it's just something you probably only see here in Alaska. Everyone's awake." I added, and then stopped and turned around, pointing to the phone.
"Hi!" Everyone yelled, and dad and Aunt Carrie laughed as they stopped behind us as well.
"Hey everyone." Was their cheerful answer.
"Here they come!" I said excitedly. "Look!"
There was a silence as a herd of wild elk suddenly came out of the woods and began to cross the road. I suddenly unbuckled my seatbelt and fumbled with the door.
"Celine, what are you-?"
But I was already out of the car and walking to the herd. I paused an little ways away, and one elk stopped and looked at me. I bowed politely, speaking in elvish.
"Mae Govannen, Mellon nîn. Im Míleth, Maia ê Vala Nàmo. Elen síla lúmenn' omentielvo. Quetuvangwë sí ve nildu?" I queried politely, and saw out of the corner of my eyes that dad and mom were looking at me nervously through the windshield.
The elk stood there for a moment, then trotted up to me, sniffing my outstretched hand. (well met, my friend. I am Míleth, Maia of the Vala Nàmo. A star shines upon the hour of our meeting. May I speak to you as a friend, now?)
Then he threw his head and shook his antlers, nuzzling my coat pocket. I laughed. "Elë, i glassui, eh, Mellon nîn? Na, Mauya nin avánië. Mára mesta, Namaarië!" (Wow, you are happy, eh, my friend? Well, I must leave. Have a good journey, and farewell!) I waved at him as he trotted back to his herd and they finished crossing the road. I made my way back to the car, going inside and shaking my head in the warmth.
"Yeesh, it's so cold outside!" I said sourly.
"Whoa, what was that?" Dad asked over the phone.
"Dad, I'm a Maia, remember? They are under the protection of lord Oromë, hence they will accept me." I said amusedly. "They're a wild herd traveling somewhere to new stomping grounds." I said, smiling and kissing Glorfindel's cheek in thanks as he handed me a tissue with a smile to get the drops of snow off of my face.
"Interesting. Well, that was certainly something!" Aunt Carrie remarked.
"Yep." I answered, and we went on, disconnecting the line.
"That was cool, sis!" Telvo cheered.
"I get such nostalgia every time I hear Namaarië." Lark sighed.
"I know." Lyric empathized.
"Geez, I suddenly feel so old, thanks guys." I snorted sarcastically as they laughed.
"How do you feel cold if you're a Maia?" Moryo asked.
"Well, I'm currently in human form, in case you haven't noticed, Carl." I answered, and pushed back my hair to show them my rounded ear. Then it suddenly went pointed. "Better?" I asked with a grin. He rolled his eyes.
"Whatever." He retorted, and curled up in his seat and tapped away on his phone.
Tyelko was glued to his phone. "Hey, how long is left?" He asked, looking up.
"An hour and a half, Teddy." Was Glorfindel's answer.
"Oh. Thanks, Loren." He replied and retreated behind his screen again.
"You all might want to take a nap. I don't know if you're going to suffer jet lag or not, but time here has shifted in case you didn't notice. We left at three, but it's only 9 AM here. We'll probably arrive around 10:30." I said, glancing at the GPS clock.
"I will, for one." Nelyo said, and yawned, curling up next to Mairon's car seat and falling asleep. Mairon was already napping.
"Naneth, am I supposed to call you Mom now?" Beleg asked, turning from his seat.
I smiled through the rearview mirror. "Brian (which, by the way, is another form of Beleg and Bane), yonya, you can call me whatever you want." I answered.
"Okay Naneth! I'll take a nap." He answered, and then curled up next to Maeglin, also already asleep, their silver and black hair mingling pleasantly. Then he suddenly opened one eye. "Is Ada gonna take a nap?" He queried, and I felt Glorfindel start as Lyric and Lark giggled.
Glorfindel turned. "Ah, I might, Brian, yonya." He answered, a tad awkwardly.
"Okay!" Then Beleg turned and fell asleep. Glorfindel muttered under his breath.
"That will take getting used to."
I giggled and patted his hand. "But you were always a role model in the first place, so it's just a new title." I said with a wink, and he smiled amusedly.
"Perhaps." He admitted.
Soon everyone was in various stages of sleepiness or lazy alertness. Glorfindel was asleep next to me, and everyone else except for Moryo and Lark and Lyric were also asleep. Moryo was looking lazily out the window, propped up against the sleeping Tyelko. Lark was leaned against a sleeping Ecthelion and tapping on her phone, and Lyric did the same against Káno.
As the hour passed I hummed quietly to myself, then turned and handed a map to Lyric. "Lyric, can you tell me how many churches are in Wiseman?" I whispered quietly, and she took the map with a nod, paper crackling as she opened it as quietly as she could.
The pups were asleep, though their sire and dam was awake.
"There are three." She whispered. "A Catholic Church, a Protestant church and a Southern Baptist church." She ticked them off on her fingers. "Supposedly the Southern Baptist has a majority black congregation." She added.
"Really? I like churches like that. They're so lively..." Lark murmured.
"True." I agreed.
"Hey, look, we're getting really close!" Lyric hissed, pointing at the GPS. She was right. There was just about ten minutes before we would arrive at the city.
"Time to wake everyone up." I said, and Lark nodded before shooting off a text to the other two cars behind us. Then Lyric gently touched Káno, who stirred and sat up, blinking.
"Are we almost there?" He asked, giving Lyric a kiss which she returned.
"Yes, about ten minutes left." She answered, and Lark brushed Ecthelion's hair back. He stirred and sat up with a grunt, turning.
"Ten minutes." Lark said, and he gave her a sloppy kiss and yawned as she rolled her eyes and I snickered.
Then I reached over and tapped Glorfindel lightly. "Laurëfindel, wake up." I said softly, and he stirred slightly before his eyes opened lazily. Then he stretched, popping his neck and shoulders before turning to me.
"Ten minutes?" He said, looking at the GPS. I nodded. "Hmm." He kissed my cheek before turning around to face the back, where Lyric and Lark were waking everyone up by touching them. The pups were soon tumbling about and waking everyone by licking them. Soon the van was filled with the noises of protest and laughter as everyone began to stir and get ready.
"Here we are!" Pityo yelled as he looked excitedly out the window. We entered the city limits, and began the drive down the road as buildings began to appear along the sides of the road.
"Oh, look!" Lyric squealed. "Baskin Robbins!" She said excitedly.
Lark moaned. "Please, you're making me drool already." She complained as we arrived at the center of the town.
"Hey, where's the GPS taking us?" I asked. Glorfindel checked.
"To the... Northern Lights Community College?" He said, sounding vaguely nonplused.
"Hmm. Interesting. Well, I guess we'll see what happens, right?" I replied with a shrug.
"Turn right at the traffic light." The GPS dead-panned, making Nerdanel start slightly.
"No worries, Naneth, it's just pre-recorded." Lyric comforted, and Nerdanel smiled.
"I know, but it just startled me for a moment." She answered. I turned on my blinkers to let the cars behind us know our direction, then smoothly went into the turning lane.
"How do you know when someone's coming behind you?" Pityo queried.
"These mirrors on the side of the car, Wulf." I answered. "I look in them and I can see what's behind me." I said, turning as the light went from red to yellow to green.
"Hey, take a look at that!" Lark crowed as she pressed her face to the cool windowpane. "There's a German Restaurant!"
"Lark! I'm so hungry it's not funny, stop!" I groaned, and to prove it my stomach growled. I sighed as everyone chuckled at me.
"There is probably a real-estate agency around here somewhere we can go to." Lyric muttered, flipping through the map.
"Northern Lights Community College is on the left in 30 meters." The GPS informed us, and Glorfindel shut it off.
I pulled into the parking lot on the right side of the road and parked, shutting off the engine. Then I unbuckled and groaned. "I need to stretch." I said, and got out of the car, bending and twisting with a grimace. Lark opened the door and tumbled out, and everyone followed her, taking deep breaths of the crisp, fresh air as we all stretched.
"Thanks for driving us, Celine." Lyric said, and I grinned.
"No probs, sis. It was my first time, after all." I snickered, and she groaned.
"Please, I don't wanna think about it!" She turned green, and Lark laughed herself silly as I smirked. The two other cars pulled up to park and soon they joined us in our stretching.
"That was a good drive, though." Uncle Jonathan remarked. "You drove well, Celine." He commented.
"Thank you, Uncle. It was my first time, though I did have fun." I said with a smile as I pulled out my pack. I stuck a hand in and pulled out an envelope, opening it.
"What do we do next?" Mom asked, and Glorfindel wrapped his arms around my waist as he peered over my shoulder.
"Isn't that a message?" He murmured.
"Mm." I answered affirmative as I read it aloud. "Eat and relax, then find the Woods RealEstate firm." I raised an eyebrow and looked at them, and they watched back expectantly. My lips twitched. "That's it." I said, and Ecthelion snorted.
"Typical of the Valar." He smirked, and we all agreed with laughter.
"Why don't we try out that German Restaurant?" Lark suggested, and after agreeing we all piled back into the cars and drove there, parking and clambering out, stomachs growling.
"Okay, don't forget, we're a family who wants to move here and open a business who most recently came from a New York, 'Kay?" Lark reminded, and they nodded as we filed in.
The elves were looking around interestedly, while our parents were giving the waitresses our number. Glorfindel had his arm wrapped around my shoulder as he shook snowflakes out of his hair. We had left the pups and Drago and Saphira in the ban along with the dog food that had been stashed in the trunk of the car.
"Nineteen people, please. It's not necessary to have a single table." Dad said. The waitress gaped at him for a moment before nodding mutely.
"Of course, sir." She answered, tapping it into her computer while Maeglin and Mairon sidled up to me. I picked Mairon up and settled him on my hip and held Maeglin's hand in my free one. The waitress led us to a few booths. By mutual consent, Glorfindel, Mairon, Maeglin, Beleg, Moryo, and I sat in one booth, Nelyo, Nerdanel, the twins, Káno and Lyric sat in another, and Tyelko, my parents, Lark's parents, and Lark and Ecthelion sat at a table across from the booths.
"Welcome to the Schwarzwald." The waitress said, putting out menus for us. Moryo looked up.
"Schwarzwald. That means Black Forest in German, doesn't it?" He queried. Several of the elves had taken it upon themselves to learn some different languages besides English, and Moryo decided that he liked German. To be honest, the harshness of it rather suited him. The waitress looked startled.
"Yes sir, it does." She answered.
"Thank you." I said with a smile. "Could you tell me more about the College- Cassie?" I asked, reading her name tag. Something about it had been nagging at me. Why had the GPS been set for there, and why not somewhere else? Surely it meant something.
Cassie did a double take at me, then smiled lightly. "Of course ma'am. The college is the first and oldest one in Wiseman, with as of now about two hundred and sixty students. There are the regular college courses of course, along with another branch of the College that is called the Ohtar en Oionaaru, meaning Knights of the Eternal Flame in Welsh. It's like a boot camp for people who like to learn martial arts, fencing, archery, and chivalry in general. There's brochures at the college if you'd like to check it out more." She said. We at the table gave each other looks.
Then I turned back to her. "Thank you so much! I think we will look it up." I said, and she smiled and nodded before moving on. When she finally left, all of the tables turned to each other.
"That's not Welsh." Lyric blurted.
"Not by a long shot." Tyelko agreed.
"Which means there are other elves here." Ecthelion finished unnecessarily.
"I had the feeling we didn't end up at the College just by coincidence." I mused thoughtfully. "There's more to this than meets the eye. It looks like we've already got a springboard for us here." I said.
"I had the feeling we wouldn't be needing the courses we mentioned." Glorfindel noted.
"Let's go check it out more after we find this Woods RealEstate deal." Lark said. "And that we're being directed to a particular place for a home is pretty suspicious too, in my opinion." She added.
We nodded and then turned back to the menus, deciding on our food just as the waitress came back with water for all. We ordered our food, most of us ordering schnitzel or pasta. Cassie scurried off, and I hummed thoughtfully.
"According to this map, there's probably a few good places to put our Café." Nelyo piped up, holding up his phone. "I was thinking it might be a good idea to place it somewhere around the college. It's an ideal area since after all a lot of students hang around the college and there are a lot of restaurants around here and not too many dessert places." He suggested.
"If we can find a home in this region." Nerdanel pointed out around her straw. Cassie came back with the lemonade that the twins had ordered and the cokes everyone else had decided on, and then went off again.
"True." Dad admitted. "Speaking of which, who's got the money?" He asked amusedly, and Lark raised a hand as Lyric and I pointed to her.
"She's always the best accountant." I said, and Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Carrie looked pleased.
"We've got an unlimited amount until we've gotten our house and settled in and got our jobs. Then we'll have about, say this much to start us off and we're on our own with what we can earn." She said, holding up her phone with a figure on it. Which was 10,000,000.
"I don't think I ever thought to see that many zero's in our bank account." Uncle Jonathan said with a grin as everyone cracked up laughing.
"Hey, why don't we come up with some drinks and desserts we can serve while we're waiting for our food?" Lyric suggested, pulling out her phone.
"Wait, use this Lyric." I said, and tossed her a bag. She opened it and pulled out an iPad 3G. She raised an eyebrow at me.
"Where did you get this?" She asked as I took a ginger sip of the coke. I coughed and laughed.
"It's from my pack." I answered with a smirk. "You know, the one master gave me when I went to find you?"
"Oh." She answered, then opened up the device. "Password?" She asked.
"Nàmo, complete with the accent over the A." I answered, and she giggled.
"Wow. Difficult much?" She asked as I smirked.
"Well he is too." I answered as she choked and spluttered and everyone else roared.
"I don't wanna know what he thinks of that statement." Lark snickered.
I shrugged. "Hey, we could come up with our own recipes and names for the drinks." Lyric said, typing.
"Like for example, ginger ale mixed with cinnamon sugar and spearmint essence, topped with a piece of rock candy shaped like a lemon. Name it The Fiery Fountain." Lark said with a sly grin.
"That sounds so good." Mom said dreamily. "The spiciness of the mint and cinnamon and the bubbly element of the ale together to be both spicy and cooling."
"Inspired by Ecthelion, of course." Tyelko smirked. Lark sniffed.
"Who else?" She asked as Ecthelion chuckled and kissed her cheek.
"Thank you, love. I think I'd like to try it too." He winked as we grinned.
"Oh, oh!" Aunt Carrie said, sitting up. "Chocolate syrup-coated glass with chocolate milk and mint-chocolate chip ice cream, topped by a candy cane! We could call it- Sweet Shire Supreme!"
I almost drooled. "Oh Valar that sounds so good." I groaned. "How about a sweet blueberry smoothie mixed with caramel topped with whipped cream for The Balrog Slayer?" I asked with a smirk, and they laughed.
"That actually sounds good." Glorfindel wrapped a hand around my shoulder.
"Oh, oh, I've got one." Lyric sat up. "The Minstrel's Madness made of apple cider, lemon juice, and a touch of cinnamon finished off with a cherry." She said, then furiously typed as Maglor raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds... Strong." He said thoughtfully.
"For inspiration." Moryo drawled, making us burst into laughter.
"Oh I've got the best one!" I said, cackling. "Molasses for a dark color and sweet flavor, with ginger ale and cinnamon powder mixed with sparkling grape juice topped with a sprig of mint and a cinnamon stick. I'll call it- Feänoriàn Fit." I said with a wide grin, and everyone collapsed laughing, tears running down their cheeks.
"Oh that was so good." Lyric sighed wiping her eyes as she wrote it down.
"One more, since I see Cassie is coming- how about a simple cherry juice mixed with grape juice and sprite and finished with a piece of lime?" Nerdanel suggested. "That could be called something like..."
"Oh, oh, Yavanna's Yacht?" Mom piped up.
"That's a good one, Nadie." Dad said with a nod. Nerdanel nodded.
"Hey, wait, just one more." Lark said as Cassie came up. "Irmo's Iridescence, made of sparkling water mixed with white grape juice and a shot of passion fruit juice." She said.
"The name fits." Was Nelyo's comment. The twins nodded.
"Okay, last one, I promise Lyric." I said with a sheepish grin, which she took in good grace with a smile. "A coke float upgraded by a touch of cinnamon, chocolate syrup, and mint, finished with a sugared straw." I said with a grin. "Anyone know what I aim to call that one?" I asked.
Mairon spoke up. "I know! Námo's Nightmare!" He said, and I nodded frantically as everyone burst into hysterical laughter all over again.
"Yes!" I said with a grin as we all got our plates.
"Oh you come up with the craziest things, Celine." Dad shook his head as I smirked.
"Well we need to come up with drinks for our favorite characters." I said, waving a hand, and everyone agreed.
After a meal, which everyone agreed was good, we paid and went out to the car where the wolves were happily asleep and full. We pulled out of the parking lot and Glorfindel punched in the coordinates on the GPS for Woods Real Estate, which turned out to be five minutes away. By the time we arrived, it was 12:00 and we were refreshed and eager to start our search for our house.
We entered the large double doors and made our way to the front counter, where Lark was ushered forwards. "Hello, sir." She said with a smile to the gentleman at the desk, who looked up and did a double-take, staring at Lark with an awed sort of expression. I muffled giggles in Mairon's hair as everyone grinned.
"Ah- yes, h-hello. Welcome to Woods Real Estate. H-how may I help you?" He stammered, attempting to gather himself. Dad and mom and Aunt Carrie and Uncle Jonathan had sympathetic smiles, knowing what it was like to be a human in the presence of one of the Maiar.
"I was wondering if I might see your manager. I would wish to look at the avaliable houses around for my family of nineteen." She motioned to us, and the poor man looked like he would faint as he looked at us.
"O-of course. I'll call him right away." He said, picking up the phone on the desk and dialing. Lark turned and winked at us as we flashed her smiles.
"Yes, yes sir. They are, ah-" he looked up at Lark.
"The Russ, Pond, DelaFiore, and Ravid families, generally the Russ family." She answered smoothly.
He nodded. "The Russ family, sir. Shall I-? Of course Mr. Wood." He hung up and stood, pointing to the elevators.
"If you'll go up to the third floor, that's the office of Mr. Ambrose Wood." He said politely, and Lark nodded.
"Thank you." She answered, and we wandered towards the elevators, which proved to accept twenty people. "I wonder who this Ambrose Wood is. I feel that he's important, that's why I asked to see the manager." Lark said, punching the button for the third floor as the lift jerked and began its journey up. Several of the elves clutched the rail, but otherwise were okay.
The door opened, and we entered into a nice office with glass windows looking over the section of the city where the building was stationed. I was one of the first ones out, and immediately stiffened as the door closed and the man behind the desk looked up.
"Lark... I think we've figured out the answer." I said in a strained voice as the man stood, looking at us incredulously.
Glorfindel nearly choked. "Lord Amroth-!?"