Nila's rules are simple: 'Do not track in dirt, be on time for meals, and unless you miss a meal for a very good reason, such as a shift, do not expect her to keep a plate warm. Rooms are to be kept clean and tidy, other guests privacy and space is to be respected, and no overnight guests. If you get lonely, go somewhere else to handle it.' Dwalin and the boys agree to the rules easily, not that Nori expected otherwise, and by the time they have all returned from the bath house with their coin purses a little lighter still, and a small amount of bread, ham and cheese to eat as a quick lunch the room has been moved around just enough to fit the additional two cots in.
They have enough to get them through winter with ease, even with the slightly higher cost of the room in the boarding house they are only expected to provide themselves with one extra meal a day if they want it. Nori is perfectly accustomed to living on only two meals a day, one in a pinch. Besides, she and Kíli can always pinch a bit more. They will steal a little more because keeping in practice is essential and not only if he is going to make it through his training, it is also essential if he is going to be effective at his future job.
They spend the next few days exploring as a group. Employment will be necessary if they want to get through the winter with some small amount of sanity, but it does not hurt them to be unemployed for a few days while they familiarise themselves with the city. For the most part they explore together, mostly since Nori knows the city better than the others and that closeness prevents any of them from being targeted by the local thieves while simultaneously forcing Nori and Kíli to practice their sleight of hand in order to prevent Dwalin from seeing what they are doing. She is a little surprised, while ambling near the back of their little group, when she feels the subtle shift that indicates a hand is reaching for her purse and hers shoots out to grab the wrist of the perpetrator without thinking.
It is somewhat odd to find herself once again looking into the wide dark eyes of a young dwarf, although this one is of firebeard descent.
"Who's your sponsor, lad?" She asks as she sees his eyes fall on the buttons on her cuff and the colour drains from his cheeks. This one, at least, seems to be an apprentice in the local guild and she uses her other hand to draw the cuff of his own coat up to reveal the simple cloth band. "Well?" She prompts, flicking her gaze to Kíli who seems to be watching from slightly further ahead with a faintly sick expression.
"Ordan," the boy mutters. "He's over there," he jerks his head and Nori looks over to see a slender dwarf, tall for one of their people, with steel hair and a jaw which is tightly clenched beneath his short cropped beard approaching them.
"We've met," Nori says coolly, releasing the boy and turning her attention onto his sponsor.
"I told him to try you," Ordan sneers, "I thought you'd lost your touch. You aren't the sort to come in with a caravan unless you've robbed the captain and the merchant blind."
"Jealousy is unattractive, Ordan," Nori observes, "and makes you look stupid." Her companions all shift, Dwalin reaching for a handaxe he keeps at his side. She moves her hand automatically in a gesture that they once used to tell each other to hold, then mentally curses when she remembers that he does not know any of the signs she would have once taught another version of him. "Unfair to your apprentice too. He's fortunate I'm not the sort to reach straight for my knives."
"A failing," Ordan says.
"It's worked in my favour so far," Nori smirks. "Got me a great apprentice out of it. And unlike you, I don't see any advantage in humiliating my students." Ordan's gaze shifts, moves to Fíli rather than his younger brother. She carefully keeps her confusion from her face, noting that Kíli shifts a little closer to Ordan, who had walked right past him.
"Pretty enough I suppose," Ordan says after looking Fíli over, "but a little too eye catching to be effective." Behind Ordan Nori sees Kíli's expression take on a cool hatred she has only ever seen on any version of him a handful of times. Then his hand slips from his own pocket into the hidden one in Ordan's coat. All thieves have them, Kíli even has them in his 'prince' clothes these days. "But then, perhaps you have him apprenticing in something else," he leers.
"I always knew you were disgusting," Nori replies.
"Pa," Kíli pipes up, having moved a little further away and to one side. Dwalin stares at him.
"Aye, lad," he says slowly, his hand still close to his smaller axe even though he is quick enough to take the hint.
"We've got that interview down the blacksmith's," Kíli continues, "not a good look if we're late."
"You really have gone soft," Ordan sneers after giving Kíli little more than a cursory glance. His distraction is just enough that Nori manages to land a punch before the taller dwarf can react.
Ordan is a skilled thief, although not always the most observant, but he is not very handy in a combat situation. At all. Something Nori had learnt to her detriment when she was in her mid nineties. She has the scar on her left hip to prove it. It would seem that in the decades since he has put no effort into improving himself and while he is still reeling from Nori's fist connecting with his nose she is able to grab his arm, twist and throw him to the ground. It is somewhat telling that his apprentice scuttles away from her rather than coming to his sponsor's aid.
"Been looking for an excuse to stick you for a while now," Nori almost purrs as she pulls out a knife and presses it to Ordan's cheek, close enough to his eye to force the other dwarf to still. "How my crew and I operate is not for you to judge. We get a job, we get it done. I don't need you breaking the rules and drawing attention to us." It is probably luck more than anything that they are moving in a quieter part of town. The few who pass them seem to take one look at Dwalin and hurry on their way. "You want to go bitching to the Guild Master? Go right ahead. I'll be more than happy to point out what started all this, and happier still to make sure you meet the business end of one of my knives." She glances over at his apprentice, who has drawn far enough away to have bumped into Kíli. Her apprentice steadies the nervous lad with a gentle hand. "And I don't think they would much like to hear that your apprentice is so terrified of you that he didn't even consider trying to come to your defense. Kid nearly pissed himself when I grabbed him."
"With that bruiser behind you," Ordan gasps, "I'm not surprised you think you have the upper hand here. But when he's gone…"
"When he's gone I'll still have the upper hand," Nori breathes, twisting her fingers into his hair and moving her knife so that she can slash a handful from the top of his head. "Keep away from me and mine. Next time you try anything it won't be your hair I leave all over the street." Then, for good measure, she takes what is left of his hair and uses it to help her slam his face into the stone beneath her.
Dori is famed for having the family strength, but it did not pass Nori or Ori by either and she is stronger than she looks. There is an audible crunch as Ordan's face makes contact with the stone beneath them, and he is still when she stands. Nori looks at the apprentice who is staring at her with wide eyes as though expecting her to do the same thing to him. Then she makes a gesture, two fingers of her right hand pass in front of her lips run. He takes off as soon as Kíli lets go of his arm and Nori turns her attention to Dwalin, expecting to see disgust or disappointment on his face. Instead she sees something that almost makes her forget that this is not her Dwalin.
"We should go," Dwalin says, a familiar rasp to his voice that makes her shiver slightly, "the guard'll be on their way. Can't imagine they haven't been alerted by at least one of those passers by."
"Good point," she takes a breath. "Drink?"
"Back to Nila's," Kíli objects, holding up two items. The first is Ordan's purse, fat and heavy with what is probably stolen coin. He was never good at keeping his money when he had it. The other is a letter, the seal broken, that is covered in angular writing.
"Nicely done," Nori smirks, taking them from him and scanning through the letter, a deep frown coming across her face as she does. "That orc shagging son of a…"
"Later," Dwalin hisses, taking her arm in his hand and if she was not so upset by what she just read she would probably have snarled at him for touching her. "Move now, worry about whatever he's involved in once we're safe."
They hurry back to the boarding house, Nori muttering under her breath the entire time. Slowly, things are beginning to make sense when they did not the first time she went through these years and she is not happy. Still, this will make some things a little bit easier later on. Or harder.
"Alright," Dwalin says as soon as they are in their room and the door is locked behind them, "what's got your beard in knots?"
"Read," Nori slams the note against Dwalin's chest as she paces to the sideboard. There is a bottle of the local spirits on the top shelf, something that they bought on a whim with some gold that she and Kíli had managed to pinch, and she pours a large amount into two glasses as the boys look on. Fíli looks alarmed, Kíli looks… Kíli has an expression of intense concentration on his face and Nori knows that he has to have read the letter after grabbing it.
"Where…?" Dwalin looks at Kíli. "This is what she's been teaching you to do?"
"Among other things," Kíli shrugs. "Does it mean what I think it means? Does it mean that Uncle didn't kill Azog?"
"That's exactly what it means," Nori hisses. "Is there any chance he knows about this?" She asks the guard, feigning ignorance since she knows that Thorin has no idea at all.
"Do you really think those two would be out here if Thorin had the faintest idea?" Dwalin snarls. "Do you honestly think he would let me bring either of them anywhere near the Misty Mountains knowing that filth is still breathing?"
"You know him better than I do," Nori responds. "You tell me."
"What does it matter?" Fíli asks. "We can't tell Uncle, you know we can't."
"He needs to know," Dwalin disagrees.
"Especially if everyone else does," Nori adds, taking the note back and reading it once again. "This says there's been more than one sighting of him on the route between here and the Iron Hills. Why wouldn't Dáin say anything?"
"You're asking me?" Dwalin laughs bitterly. "I know Thorin, but his cousin isn't someone I know all that well. He usually leaves me with his sister and these two when he goes that way, takes others with him if he bothers at all."
"This isn't something to trust to a letter," Nori mumbles. "We'll have to tell him when we get back there."
"Fee's right," Kíli shakes his head. "If we tell Uncle he'll gather as many of us together as he can and go on a white orc hunt."
Nori and Dwalin exchange a long look and, for the first time since she arrived in the past, he seems to understand exactly what she is thinking. Perhaps it would be better not to tell Thorin about this after all.
A.N: I don't really have much of anything to say on this one. Except that crochet Kili is only waiting for his coat, gloves and belt and he'll be done. His face was a lot harder than I thought it would be and four attempts later I gave up out of sheer frustration. He's nearly there though.