Nori does not tell Kíli that Thorin has agreed to allow him to leave with her when she goes to the Shire straight away. Instead she decides to give Thorin a few days to speak with his sister before telling the lad, no doubt Dís will have objections and Nori wants Thorin to deal with them before Kíli has to hear them. Briar's business with Balin seems to have come to an end for the moment, after going through her documents over the course of her meeting with him and comparing them to those of the merchants in question Balin has asked the hobbit to give him a week before they meet again. This time it seems that he means it and Nori spends her mornings with Kíli and her afternoons with Briar for the two days following her meeting with Thorin.
On the third day, however, Nori takes Briar with her when she goes to meet her young apprentice, even though part of her insists she would still be better off keeping them apart. She is going to continue teaching Kíli to watch everything around him, it is a skill that will serve him well no matter what part of their trade he comes to specialise in, but she has also decided that it is time to teach him to fight the way that she does and the way that she is teaching Briar to. Cadan will need a fighting style that fits the streets a little more, and a sword which needs to be wielded with both hands is not a good fit. Street fighters use short swords, hand axes and knives. Some use long swords and larger axes, but for the most part they prefer small weapons. Small weapons are easier to hide. Nori has at least fifteen knives of varying size and style on her at any given time. When she is travelling she often carries even more, as well as a long mace. When it is just her, or her and one or two others, it is often easier to keep her head down and out of sight than to risk a fight, but it is nice to have the reassurance of the mace.
She cannot remember why she chose not to take it on that last job with Karn, which probably means it either was not important or she wanted to move relatively unnoticed. Men are accustomed to seeing dwarves with swords and axes, they tend to comment on other weapons as though they know anything about her people at all.
"You're quiet," Briar comments as they wait for Kíli.
"Plotting," Nori shrugs.
"Thinking about whatever put you in such a snit the other day?" The hobbit asks.
"I don't have 'snits'," Nori sniffs and Briar snorts. "And Dwalin isn't worth getting into a snit over anyway." She recognises her mistake as soon as the words are out of her mouth, but it is too late to take it back. So far she has managed to keep her feelings about Dwalin from Dori, having not seen much of Ori for her younger brother to form any suspicions, and Kíli, but apparently Briar has a way of slipping under her usual defences.
"Who's Dwalin?" Briar's face lights up curiously.
"He's my mother's guard," Nori sets her jaw as she hears Kíli answer from behind her. "Why do you want to know?" He looks curiously at Briar before bowing to her, then he looks over at Nori and she curses that he is such a quick learner. "Are you why he's been beating the shit out of everyone he can get his hands on the last few days?" He grins. "Even my uncle is hiding and he's one of the few dwarves who can best Dwalin in a fight half the time."
"A rare moment of good sense on his part," Nori observes with an arched eyebrow.
"He isn't stupid," Kíli objects, "he's just stubborn."
"Sometimes, lad," Nori sighs, "stubborness is just another form of stupidity." She starts to walk. "Come along you two, Briar needs someone new to beat up and you need to learn to brawl, Cadan." Kíli blinks, as though caught off guard by the name.
She glances over her shoulder to make sure that the two are following only to feel her eyebrows shoot up when she sees the lad offer Briar his arm. It is not that her people do not walk arm in arm, it is more that it is something normally only seen in courting pairs. It is an odd sight, Briar is at least a head and shoulders shorter than Kíli and yet as they walk together the people moving around them barely spare the pair a second glance. Kíli's brown leather trousers and olive green tunic are worn enough that they do not look at all out of place, even with the tunic open enough at the neck to display the dark hair that Nori knows coats the lad's chest. There is the lightest flush on Briar's cheeks as they walk together, something else which lends to the idea that they are a young couple. It is not the worst disguise, in fact it is one that Nori has employed herself on occasion in other dwarf settlements, but something about it worries her and it takes a moment for her to realise that it is the fact that this is still a natural seeming sight for all the disparity between the pair of them.
It reminds her that there is still much about hobbits that she does not know, and that she will need to remedy that as well as give Briar a little more information about dwarves. Including, it would seem, the status and age of the young prince who is currently quietly recounting some story or piece of history that has Briar smiling widely.
Still, it is neither the time nor the place, and given the way that passing dwarves either smile fondly or ignore the pair Nori decides to leave it be. Instead she leads the pair to an old warehouse near the river which runs through the town from deep inside the mountains. The building, though appearing in poor repair, belongs to the Thieves Guild and the inside has been extensively renovated inside for training purposes into multiple rooms with training rings, dummies and other equipment. Nori has hired a simple training ring today, the soft sand perfect for allowing Briar and Kíli to toss one another around, although it is mostly for Briar's benefit.
The hobbit has not forgotten her lessons since her arrival, although Nori had not expected her to, and the three of them spend the following weeks alternating between training together and Nori teaching Kíli to observe the activity around him when the hobbit has to go and meet with Balin. It is actually surprisingly good fun, even the mornings where Kíli brings his brother with him ends up being enjoyable. With what she knows about how Fíli died, Nori thinks that he could do with learning some of the techniques that she is teaching as well, so she allows him to join them three mornings a week and the utterly delicious expression of helpless frustration that it puts on Dwalin's face the few times he tracks her down is simply icing on the cake.
Not to mention how funny it is to see Briar use what she knows, and her mule like kick, to wipe the cocky smirk off Fíli's lips a few times. Kíli too. In fact, seeing the diminutive hobbit lass throw the pair of princes around as she uses what Nori has taught her makes the thief wonder if, just maybe, she is giving the future Briar who might never exist some small amount of payback for all the times that the two lads made her the butt of their joke. Mahal knows the pair of them deserved it then. Yet, somehow, that Briar had still managed to fall in love with at least one of them, and watching this Briar Nori suspects she knows which one it was.
She takes a morning while Briar is finalising the new trade details with Balin to advise Kíli that he will be coming with them to the Shire. Fíli is there as well and Nori has taken the morning to teach the two of them a few knife tricks to play with. Fíli, who has a collection of knives already that Nori is truly envious of, is practicing on one side of the room when she tells his younger brother that they will be leaving town in four days. Unsurprisingly, Kíli is excited by this development and Fíli is envious. At first Nori worries that it will be a problem, but then Fíli turns to her.
"You will have him back by my birthday, won't you?" He asks seriously.
"Why would I do that?" She replies. "I'm his sponsor, not his babysitter."
"I come of age on my next birthday," Fíli points out. "I'd like my brother to be there to celebrate with me."
"It's easy to lose track of time on the road, lad," Nori tells him. Kíli had turned seventy-seven while they had been in Rivendell, which had led to something of a party that the elves had found more than a little disruptive. She does not think anyone had bothered to tell Briar or Elrond what it had been about, but then it had been none of their business either. "Winter is a miserable time for travel, too," she adds once she has thought through it all. She sees his face fall. "I'm not making any promises," she grumbles. "I know how little those are worth. Doesn't mean I won't try."
"Thank you," he beams and she huffs.
"Mahal fucking wept," she grumbles. "You two are going to turn me soft. Quit grinning at me like that, you daft bugger, or I'll change my mind, see if I don't." No sense in telling them that a different version of them managed to worm their way into her heart too many years ago for her to be able to effectively tell either of them 'no' now.
"I just wish I was coming with you," he tells his brother as he steps away from her. "You'll have to tell me everything."
Kíli flushes.
"Maybe not everything," he mumbles and Nori narrows her eyes, wondering what he is hoping to get up to once he is out from under the watchful eyes of his mother, uncle and Dwalin. Something that would probably have been right up her street before all of this mess, no doubt.
"You're going out there to learn, lad, not play games with the local lasses, or lads if that's what lights your forge." She smirks at him. "Although I'm sure I can arrange something if that side of your education is lacking as well." He blushes harder and she cackles as his brother chuckles.
"That is well in hand," Fíli snorts.
"Not sure I need to know that," Nori shrugs the statement off with a grin. "Go on, boys, get home with you before Dwalin or your Ma burst something. You can have the next few days with your family, lad," she adds to Kíli, "it'll be a while until you see them again. Supplies are provided, just make sure you bring weapons and clothes with you. And some coin for after we part ways with Briar. Meet me at my brother's place at dawn in four days. Do not make me come and get you. It will not end well."
"Are you insane?" Kíli exclaims. "I get to see the world! Ma and Thorin will have to tie me to the bed to stop me from being on time."
"Don't give them ideas," Fíli mutters. "Ma's still looking for ways around letting you go."
"But that wouldn't be fair," the younger complains.
"Life isn't fair," Nori points out, "but in this case it would be asking to get you in trouble or killed, and your uncle knows it. Go home, get packed. And don't forget your bow. Hunting is always easier with a skilled archer around."
Nori knows how self conscious Kíli is about his skill with a bow. It is not a popular weapon with their people even though hunters will always be revered for their skill and ability to bring in fresh meat and game. So she allows herself a private smirk of satisfaction when he beams at her once more, and when Fíli nods in his own appreciation she returns it with a careful acknowledgement. It warms her heart to see how readily Fíli has accepted his younger brother's path. She only hopes that it can stay that way.
A.N: I had a bad day. Crisis schooling is a nightmare to keep up with. On the plus side, crochet Fili is waiting for his clothes. Which is fun. But it's about all I can accomplish while I'm keeping an eye on the children as they study to make sure they actually do their schoolwork and I answer their questions/help them. So yeah. I hit the end of my rope with it all this morning. And I'm tired. I've been staying up until silly am to get studying done. All that means is that I'm in need of a little love right now of some sort. Comments are love.