Thorinuldum never changes, Nori muses as they pass through the gates. It is a busy, noisy place half outside the mountains that bustles with dwarves and the odd Man. Out of habit, both she and Kíli dip their fingers into pockets and purses as they make their way through the crowded streets, their movements quick and careful.
"Better get you home, lad," she says to him as they pass the busy merchant district and make their way inside the mountains. "You've been gone a long time."
"I should change first," Kíli says, "no sense in dragging Cadan into my mother's home."
Nori hums, looking over the boy's road-worn clothing. Kíli has filled out a little bit more over their time away. Dwarves reach their full height before they turn thirty to thirty-five, which is when they generally start looking for their craft. Some are early bloomers, like many of those born in Erebor in the three decades before Smaug arrived, others never find a true craft. While they reach their full height early on in their lives, dwarves do not attain their full strength and build until they are between sixty-five and seventy-five. Which is why they set the coming of age at seventy, roughly a third through the normal expected lifespan of their people. Aside from those of the line of Durin, who either die very young in battle or live to be ridiculously old. Kíli has filled out a great deal over his year and a half away. His shoulders are broader, the muscles of his arms and chest more defined in the way that Nori knows many archers are. Kíli is skilled for his age, as is his brother, enough that she knows that Asger will have noticed it while the lad was helping the younger dwarves keep up with their practice, and it shows in his body.
"We'll need to sort you out some new clothes now we're back as well," she tells him. "All it's going to take is you reaching for something and the whole square is getting a show." He flushes.
"It is a bit tight across the shoulders," he admits.
"Well," she quickens her step slightly and alters direction, noticing a guard who seems a little bit too interested in their presence, "you're in luck. I know someone a couple of streets away who keeps a good stock of simple tunics and trousers in. She should probably be able to sort you out a coat as well come to think of it." Out of the corner of her eye she sees the guard shift and she makes a brief gesture to indicate that they have eyes on them.
"Might as well sort it while we're in this part of town," Kíli shrugs, the Iron Hills brogue clearer now that he knows they are being watched. "I've repaired this shirt more times than I care to count while we've been on the road."
Nori grins at him, steering him gently in the direction of her friend's shop. Nori knows a lot of people, and has a lot of friends of varying levels of intimacy. Bryli is one such friend and the red haired dwarf greets her cheerfully as they enter the store. A short time later, with a lot less coin in his purse, Kíli leaves with his pack stuffed with new clothes and the old ones left with Bryli to be rendered either into rags or turned into smaller garments. The guard is nowhere to be seen when they emerge and Nori frowns. It is unlikely they were both seen stealing, that normally results in a lot of shouting and running, and she doubts that Dwalin would be stupid enough to compromise Kíli's identity no matter what idiocy Thorin and Dís might attempt to order him into. It is possible, of course, that the guard is one of those paid off by Mavik. Not every guard has taken on the role because they are called to it like Dwalin. Some have taken it because they do not have a craft or trade that they have been called to and that means that they can be bought by less than savoury individuals with a desire for information.
Given everything that happened in Labamgarel Zarrakh Nori can imagine that Mavik is eager for news of her arrival if word of it has reached him.
They make their way from Bryli's shop to Dori's so that Kíli can change into the well made tunic that he had been wearing the night he left home. He also needs to adjust his braids from the lattice he wears on the road, leaving him with the two simple braids on either side of his face and his dark beard, which is now likely longer than his brother's thanks to the herbal tea she gave him, needs to be combed and clipped once under his chin. Or that would be the plan at least, if Dori were not waiting in the sitting room when they slip in. He has several bags at his feet and although her brother's face is the picture of calm, she can see the minute tightening around his eyes which clearly shows that he is keeping a tight hold on his fury.
"I told you that you could live with me as long as you do not bring trouble to my door," he grinds out as soon as he sees her. Nori gestures to Kíli behind her back telling him to wait downstairs.
"And I don't," Nori replies, tilting her head. "I've been gone for a year and a half, what can I have done?"
"Kidnapped a prince," Dori says. "At least, that would be what Lady Dís accused you of when she brought her guard down here to turn my store and home upside down looking for evidence of it the afternoon after you left with your apprentice."
"Come off it," Nori snorts. "You know full well I don't go in for kidnapping and extortion. That's low even for me."
"I don't care," Dori declares. "I tolerate your antics as long as they do not have any effect on me or my business. Find somewhere else to stay, find somewhere else to live, and don't try to take your nonsense to Ori. He can't afford your antics any more than I can. Perhaps even less. My reputation, at least, can take the knock. I'll rebuild it quickly enough. He's still too new in his craft."
Nori blinks, stunned by this development. She had known that Dís would be unhappy, she had even considered the possibility that she might come to Dori's trying to find her son regardless of the fact that to her knowledge no one had ever told Dís where to find her. She had never imagined, however, that the princess of Durin's folk would draw so much attention to her family life and go after someone apparently unconnected to it all. Dís' involvement in it all, however, is the only part that surprises her. Dori has always told her to stay with him in the hope that living under his roof would keep her from causing too much trouble. There have been times in the past when she has brought trouble back with her, although it had been relatively minor, but apparently this is the final straw. Truthfully, Nori has been expecting Dori to decide he can no longer stomach the fact that she continues with her way of life for a while. In her previous life, he had been very close before she had begun her relationship with Dwalin. The position of Wolf is not exactly something you advertise holding and Dori had been unaware of it right up until they reached Erebor.
"Alright," she nods after a beat. "You mind if I leave my things here until I find a place?" She asks. Dori's jaw twitches but he nods. "One more thing? You paid the guards in the market to look out for me?"
"I did," he confirms. "I didn't want you getting too comfortable when you got back before I could talk to you."
"Understandable," she resists the urge to shove her hands in her pockets and hunch as she once did as a child when her mother berated her. "Don't do it again. Me being confronted by guards is how guards end up dead. I'll be back in a few days for my things." She turns. "Cadan!" She bellows as she walks. "We're leaving, grab your shit."
"What happened?" Kíli asks, obviously alarmed by her change in attitude.
"Not important," she snarls. "Let's just get you home. I've got a few choice words I want to say to your Ma. None of them particularly nice. And then I'll be looking for somewhere new to live."
"Your brother threw you out?" Kíli grabs her arm, halting her in the middle of the street. "Why?"
"Your mother..." Nori grits her teeth, stopping herself from saying anything which might cause the lad to take the blame on himself. "Did you tell her where to find me? At home I mean."
"No," Kíli replies quickly. "I only ever told Dwalin." Which she should have told the boy off for before now, but she understands the habit of telling the burly guard where one of them might be at a given time. "You don't think he told her?"
"If he had he would have warned me," Nori shakes her head. "He wouldn't have just let me come back to find that your Ma had stormed into Dori's with torches and pitchforks searching for us a couple of days after we left."
"He wouldn't?" Kíli presses.
"He knows what's good for him," Nori mutters. Dwalin is not the sort to deliberately drop her into a steaming pit of trouble. Not this Dwalin, not the Dwalin from her first life. "And he's not as stupid as he likes people to think. He'd have mentioned it if he'd taken Dís to my brother's place to look for you. He was mad enough about it all when we met up to have thrown it in my face." She shakes off the niggling thought that Dwalin might actually have been angry enough to keep that sort of information from her. That is not the sort of thing he does.
They are drawing closer to Kíli's home now, and they have not found somewhere for him to change. The shop Ori lives above is not far from here, his master owning a fairly affluent bookbinding and printing shop. Nori knows that Dori does not want her imposing on their younger brother, and she understands why he wants that. She would rather keep the mess that is her life away from him. In this case, however, she knows that it is still important to keep the truth of Kíli's identity from the guards. She is not so angry at Dís that she will simply undo months of work to hide the truth of the lad's craft from everyone.
"Time for you to meet my other brother," she mutters, tugging him down several streets in the wrong direction until they make it to the shop that Ori works in.
It is getting late now, late enough that the owner is locking up as they approach. Nori curses softly, she has no desire to draw attention to herself as a member of Ori's family, there is little enough in the way of similarity of appearance to connect them to one another. Kíli, on the other hand, bounds around the corner happily, pausing in front of the owner and smiling winningly as he asks about ordering a special copy of a certain book. Ori's master is obviously keen to leave, and just as keen for the gold that such a commission will bring in. She sees Ori emerge from the store, then sees him pause when he spots her lingering not far away. With his attention on her she flicks a few quick gestures in Inglishmêk. Her little brother looks worried, he was never good at hiding his emotions, wringing his hands for a moment. Then he turns to his master.
"Go home," he says, "I can discuss this order and lock up after."
"You're a blessing, laddie," the older dwarf drawls. "I'll see you in the morning then." Nori watches him walk down the street for a few moments, then approaches her brother who immediately pulls her into an embrace before frowning and pulling away.
"What's going on?" He asks.
"Mind if we come up?" Nori gestures to Kíli and then to the door to one side of the store window.
"Well, I have to lock up, and I'll need to tell Hjalmer something when he comes in and there's no commission waiting but…"
"Oh," Kíli smiles brightly once more and Nori sees her little brother flush. "That won't be a problem. I can still order it, and I'm sure Uncle would appreciate a copy, even if it'll turn Ma's beard white. I've heard a lot about the quality of work from here. Balin raves about it whenever he gets something new."
"Balin, son of Fundin?" Ori's eyes are wide, and Nori remembers that Balin has something of a reputation among the scribes for his skill with a contract and the spoken word. "You know him?"
"Inside," Nori hisses, "before all of our secrets get spilt for everyone to hear."
A.N: *ducks flying objects* Well, if it isn't the fall out of one of Nori's bad decisions coming back to bite her. Because let's be fair, she should have found a way to send Dís a note or something telling her that Kíli was with her and she was going to make sure he was safe rather then let him run off on his own. Also, you were all so lucky to get Monday's chapter, five minutes after I hit post we had a three hour power cut. I always hate the way it makes us realise how much we rely on technology these days, but I did get an early night. Swings and roundabouts.