More than once during their stay in Rivendell Billana finds Fili and Kili in the library pouring through books and scrolls, muttering to each other or writing frantically. They always glance up when they hear someone enter and usually when they see it is her, they will smile and carry on. She has no idea what they are up to and given the way that they quickly hide whatever they have been working on to start smirking and muttering whenever another member of the Company walks in, she very much doubts that she wants to. Given the number of pranks that have been played over the two weeks they are in residence Billana has become certain that whatever they have been doing in the library a great deal of it has been planning mischief.
She is naturally suspicious, therefore, when she passes a room and hears them bickering inside.
"We aren't all as vain as you," she hears Kili snap as she slips in. "I'm sorry I don't spend half my life with my nose glued to a mirror studying my face and fiddling with my beard!"
"At least I have a beard to play with," Fili snarls back.
If she couldn't hear them, Billana would assume that the room was devoid of life. The only thing that it seems to contain is row upon row of barrels and crates, making it a storeroom of some kind. She works her way through the crates until she finds her friends and she immediately has questions, one of which being to wonder if she accidentally hit her head without realising it on the way in.
Fili and Kili are still ranting at each other, neither wearing tunics or undershirts, the older with his arms folded over his chest and the younger leaning in with his arms spread wide. She hesitates, not sure if it would be wise to get between the two of them, but her questions seem to be burning into her tongue, especially given she can clearly see a second Fili and Kili who are stood silently and impassive watching proceedings.
What in Vána's name?" She mutters. "What has gotten into you two?" She asks loudly enough to be heard. They both turn to look at her.
"That is not my face," Fili replies, gesturing to the silent and alarmingly blank looking version of himself.
"Of course it is!" Kili cries before she can reply. "I've had to look at it every day for my entire life. I know what his face looks like."
"What is it?" She asks, stepping forward to examine the others. They don't move, don't blink or respond to her as she peers up at them.
"Wrong," Fili grumbles.
"Simulacrum," Kili says over him, "we're experimenting with making realistic illusions of ourselves."
She has so many questions from that but the first is:
"Why?"
"Why not?" Kili grins and she decides that she might be better off not knowing. He looks at his brother, who is scowling at his double. "Why don't we let Billana decide how accurate they are?" He suggests and her eyes go wide.
"We'll argue about it all day otherwise," Fili agrees, obviously still bristling.
She licks her lips and nods, gesturing that they should stand next to their doubles and not quite trusting herself to speak. It isn't easy to see if there are any difference to start with, her attention is fixed on their blank expressions and dead eyes which makes it harder. Eventually she resorts to standing on tip toe to examine Fili's face more closely, resting her palms on his bare chest to avoid toppling over.
"If you wanted a kiss, Kitten," he rumbles, their faces so close together that it would hardly take anything to touch his lips with hers, "all you had to do was ask." She pokes him in the ribs and he chuckles.
"Don't you think you might have made Fili's nose a bit big?" She asks Kili instead of replying. He sighs and gestures. "Better," she nods, "and his shoulders should be broader and the muscles more defined."
"You've been paying a lot of attention," Kili mutters as he adjusts the illusion.
"Well the two of you are apparently allergic to wearing cloths," she snips and Fili grins at her. "Don't you start smirking," she says, "you haven't exactly done Kili justice either." She informs him and he shrugs as she pokes Kili to get him to stand still.
"They don't need to be quite this accurate," Kili comments a while later as she walks around both him and his double.
"I'm sure it doesn't," she replies, "but since you got me involved, I'm going to make it as accurate as possible."
If she is honest with herself, and she thinks that she probably should be, she is enjoying having the chance to look them both over properly without fear of reprisals and accusations of inappropriate behaviour. Kili, she has noticed, is more slender than his brother, with an archers shoulders and arms. She lays a hand on the simulacra as she looks over the changes, commenting when she is startled by how warm and solid it feels.
"That's the point," Kili tells her, coming forward to examine the changes. He pulls a face. "Well that's deflating." He mutters.
"Not nice seeing yourself as others do, is it?" Fili mumbles and she looks at them both.
"Is my nose really that delicate?" Kili asks in disgust.
"Do my braids really look that foolish?" Fili responds, reaching to touch one of the beads that hang by his mouth.
"You're a pair of idiots," Billana laughs fondly. "You're both incredibly handsome and any dwarf lady would be lucky to have you."
"What about hobbits?" Kili winks.
"Stop fishing," she replies with a light blush, though she knows he cannot be serious, "it doesn't suit you. Now, I'm leaving so that you two can finish doing whatever it is that you need to do with these creepy things, and when whatever stunt it is that you're pulling inevitably goes wrong I'll be able to pretend that I have idea what you were up to."
"We'll tell you, if you like," Fili offers. She shakes her head, retreating quickly. If she knows what the things are going to be used for, she will never be able to keep a straight face.
She doesn't get a chance to find out what they were planning. Thorin marches in later that night, what can only be minutes after Elrond has broken the illusion spells on the map, and announces that they are all leaving now. Billana is close enough to hear Thorin ask Kili if he would be able to get to the courtyard the White Council are meeting in and find out what is happening.
"I think they would notice a raven at night, Uncle," he replies in a low voice. "Not to mention the listening spells I'm sure they will put up."
"I could do it," she offers, even though she's aware it would mean exposing her abilities to Thorin as well.
"No!" Fili, Kili and Thorin all bark at once. She blinks.
"You are not yet of age," Thorin says, "and as long as Gandalf has to remain here you will be in the care of your other guardian." He looks behind him. "Balin!" He shouts.
"You bellowed?" Balin says as he ambles over with a genial smile. He is one of the few, she has noted, who gets away with teasing Thorin on occasion.
"Will you consent to the role of guardian to Billana Baggins for as long as Gandalf cannot be with us?" Thorin demands and she startles.
"Of course," Balin smiles, "I was about to make the offer myself. Is that acceptable to you, lass?"
"Yes," she stammers, amazed to have been consulted on the matter at all. Truth be told, she had thought they had forgotten about that condition of her continued journey with them. Gandalf, she knows, has been trying to avoid it out of his own reluctance to place her under the possible control of anyone else.
"You don't sound happy," Thorin growls.
"No, I am," she assures him. "Balin would be perfect. I just didn't realise I would be given a say in the matter."
Thorin doesn't reply to that beyond a nod. Then he marches away while telling the others, at a reasonable volume, to get on and get packed because they cannot afford to linger. Balin huffs out a small laugh and follows, and Billana feels something in her ease. She had half expected to be given to the care of Dwalin or Gloin, both of whom seem to be firm dwarven traditionalists in their own way. A glance around, however, reminds her that while the Company are able to pack up quickly and quietly, her belongings are in another room.
She hurries to her room, after telling Kili where she was going, and is dismayed to find the twins waiting for her when she rushes in to collect her belongings. They hold a full pack, newer than her own but clearly made for her. As are the coat, cloak and belt on the bed.
"Ada suspected you would leave as soon as Mithrandir became aware that the council was meeting," Elladan says.
"Will he have given orders to stop us?" She asks, the dwarves will try and fight their way out if they think that Elrond will stand against them and that can only end badly.
"No," Elrohir shakes his head, helping her into her new things. "And we came only to say goodbye and give you these." He pulls a silver flask from his pocket with a grin. "This is Miruvor," he tells her, "and Ada will be most put out with me when he finds that I have taken it for you. Just drink a sip when you most need it, so keep it near." She kisses his cheek when he bends to slide the flask into a pouch on her belt. Grey eyes regard her seriously. "I mean it, Billana, keep it close."
"I promise," she whispers, throwing her arms around his neck. He lifts her carefully when he returns the embrace and sets her back down just as gently.
"Give your princes a message from us, Dilthen Rís," Elrohir mutters, pulling out two small packages. She frowns. "Tell them we expect them to look after you, and that we've sent them these to help them fulfil our request."
"I can look after myself," she tells him.
"We know, but a little extra help doesn't go amiss," Elladan smiles.
"You can also tell them that if they allow any fatal harm to come to you," Elrohir adds in a steely voice, "we will make Smaug's taking of Erebor look like a happy memory in comparison." She stares at him.
"I am not going to threaten them for you!" She hisses. "And I won't give them these if that's what they're for either."
"We're simply concerned," Elrohir tells her, "allow us that, Dilthen Rís."
"Not when it means delivering threats to my friends," she shakes her head.
"Very well," Elladan sighs, although he seems to have expected her response, "at least give them the gifts. For our piece of mind if-"
"Billana?" Kili burst in and all three of them look at him. "What are they doing here?" He demands and looks closely at her. "Are you alright? You look upset."
"I'm well, they were just giving me a few going away presents," she assures him, shoving the packages into his hands. "For you and Fili too, apparently." She grabs his arm and gives the twins a quick wave, hoping to hurry Kili from the room before they can decide to deliver their threats in person.
She realises how futile that might be a moment later.
"A word before you depart, Kili," Elrohir says, his quiet voice carrying over the sound of Kili's confused questions.
Kili disentangles himself with a nod and approaches the elf. Elrohir bends, placing his head next to Kili's so that he can mutter lowly in his ear. Billana cannot hear him clearly, but she already has an idea of what he might be saying, and she wrings her hands at the thought of what this might spark. She sees Kili's fist clench and when Elrohir pulls back to meet Kili's eyes she can see the tightness in his jaw.
"Am I clear?" Elrohir asks.
Kili's answering smile is placid, almost calm, and Billana is as startled as the twins when he slams his head forward into Elrohir's nose. Her friend rears back with a yell, falling to one knee. Elladan rushes to his brother's side, turning furious eyes on Kili who looks down at the two of them with an expression so like Thorin's it is almost chilling.
"We're clear," he says coldly.
A.N: So, a few random points:
Miruvor was also known as the "cordial of Imladris" or "miruvor of Rivendell" and obviously had some healing and energising properties. A flask of it was given to Gandalf during FOTR and was used three times before it was, presumably, lost with him during the encounter with the Balrog. It's probably fairly safe to assume that it's something found only in Rivendell and might very likely have been something that only Elrond would usually dispense.
Simulacra ARE a thing in the secondary source and are employed by a few people throughout the series with varying degrees of sophistication, the best example of which is the use of one to convince a number of people who know a certain character very well that he had just been executed.
And finally, if you think Kili can't go from perfectly lovely and genial to an utterly cold angry thing you weren't paying attention during his scene with Tauriel during BOFTA when he asks her to go with him to the mountain and Legolas turns up. He goes from puppy eyes to death glare in about 0.2 seconds.