(Author: Alasia)
Leila stared at her reflection in the surface of the water. She sat beside a quiet pool far enough from the camp to be alone, but not too far. She was a mess. Her hair was stringy, dirty with grim, dirt and blood. Her green eyes seemed lifeless to her, as if she'd suffered terribly - and maybe in a way she had. She had been the cause of Jairah's breakdown after all. SHe had caused it. She'd been so selfish when it came to saving Boromir that she hadn't thought about the consequences. Sure, she had the love of her life by her side, but nothing else. She sighed, pulling her shirt - which had been cleamed an mended in Lothlorien, aside to look at the gruesome bit on her shoulder. It was swelling, and still oozed blood, and she was positive that if she didn't take care of it she would be infected by whatever germs an orc carried in its mouth.
She looked around quickly before pulling offer her clothes and wading into the until she was neck deep in the water.She sighed in content then, happy to be able to get clean. Sure, the water was cold, but she had brough a dress similar to Jairah's with her so that she could was her clothes. She dunked herself underwater, furiously working at her hair to make it its natural coloure agian. She surfaced and began to furiously scrub at her skin until it was red from the lye in her little bar of soap. She placed the bar of rough brown soap on a nearby rock and dunked underwater again. She surfaced anf whiped water out of her eyes before opening them - She then let out a startled shriek and hid behind the moss covered rock, peeking over the top of it.
Boromir was crimson red. She'd seen him walk into the clearing, obviously
looking for her, but obviously not expecting to see her in her current
state of undress. He cleared his throat and turned around, the back of
his neck red, "Forgive me Leila, I did not know you were bathing."
Leila stared at his back for a moment, shocked that he hadn't tried
to get a good look at her - then she reminded herself that Boromir wasn't
from her world, "It's all right Boromir, I didn't tell anyone. Were you
looking for me?"
Boromir coughed, "I was going to ask if you wished to go for a walk
with me, but you are preoccupied and I will leave you now."
"Boromir," she said softly as he began to leave. He turned to her,
meeting her eyes and she finished her thought, "Give me about ten minutes
to get dressed and I will go for a walk with you."
He nodded slightly before leaving the clearing. Leila sighed and hauled
herself out of the water, quickly wrapping her makeshift towel around herself
and drying off, pulling on the clean dress and attempting to dry her hair.
Finally she gave up and let it loose from the towel, noticing happily that
though it was still damp and slightly stringy from not being brushed that
it was clean. She gathered her things together and walked back to camp,
placing her things in her tent before making her way to the fire where
Boromir sat conversing with Merry and Pippin.
She stopped next to him and began brushing her hair with her fingers. Merry greeted her happily while Pippin complained loudly to her that he was hungry and he didn't understand how the big-folk could stand to eat so few meals. Boromir smiled at her and stood, offering her his arm, which she gratefully took and they headed off on their walk.