Painting

Eleniel and Miluiel: 18

"What are you painting?" Eleniel asked as she looked up from her book, blue eyes falling on her best friend sat further up on the balcony.

Miluiel paused and glanced at the small piece of parchment she was lightly stroking a paint brush across. "Oh, nothing much. Just… trees," she said with a smile, cheeks reddening.

Eleniel frowned and sat up straighter. "Let me see."

"No," Miluiel replied quickly, hugging the parchment close to her.

"Why not? I am sure it is beautiful."

"I just… what are you reading? Is it a good book?"

Eleniel stood up and immediately made her way over to her best friend. "Stop trying to change the subject!" she said with a laugh before reaching down and holding her hand out. "Let me see it."

Miluiel stood to her feet also and turned around, seemingly contemplating throwing the painting over the balcony. "No!"

Eleniel quickly moved forward and tried to grab it, Miluiel squealing and holding on as tight as she could. The two friends grappled for the parchment, Eleniel eventually grabbing it out of Miluiel's hands and looking at it with a triumphant grin. That grin quickly faded, however, as she saw the painting. It was one of the twins, and it looked beautiful. She couldn't tell which one it was, but the young elleth had gotten all the details into his raven hair and storm grey eyes.

"Mil," she said, "it is beautiful." She looked up, and saw that her friend's cheeks were now a bright crimson. Handing the parchment back to her, she tilted her head to the side. "Why have you painted a picture of one of my brothers?" she asked.

Miluiel glared at Eleniel. "No reason!" she said quickly.

The blonde's eyes widened. "Have you… have you got feelings for one of the twins?"

"No, of course not!" But the way she looked at her suggested otherwise.

"Which one is it?" Eleniel asked with a laugh, glancing down at the painting again. "Ro or Dan?"

"Elrohir…"

"Disgusting."

"What?! It is just a painting!"

"Of course, because my brother gets tons of paintings of him from random elves who do not have feelings for him."

"Eleniel!"

Eleniel handed the painting back, watching with a smile as her friend shoved it into her pocket and turned around, hastily packing away her paints and brushes. "My naneth will be expecting me home, soon, so I must go."

The blonde nodded, moving forward to hug her friend goodbye.

"El, have you seen my book anywhere?"

They turned at the sound of a voice coming from inside the Peredhel's bedroom, and suddenly one of the twins walked out, grey eyes shining as they found his sister's. He smiled as he noticed the other blushing elleth stood next to her. "Hello, Miluiel," he greeted.

Miluiel forced a sigh and turned to look at her friend, expression panicked. "Please tell me that is Elladan," she said.

Eleniel winked at the elleth, who groaned and hurriedly spun around and ran off the balcony, brushing past the twin, who looked confusedly at Eleniel, watching as she bent over and laughed.

"Was it something I said?"

Eleniel shook her head. "She was just in a rush to get home, Ro."

"Clearly," Elrohir said, before crossing his arms over his chest when his sister's laughing didn't cease. "What is so amusing?" he asked.

"Nothing," Eleniel told him, straightening and coughing.

"Tell me."

"No!"

"Tell me, or I will really give you something to laugh about."

Eleniel shook her head, grinning as her brother strode over to her, the balcony once again filled with giggles and laughs as Elrohir tickled his sister and asked over and over again why she had been laughing so much, not really expecting an answer but relishing in his sister's happiness all the same.

No, Eleniel would never tell him, but it was definitely something to tease Miluiel about in the future!