Vista was awakened sometime later by someone gently shaking her shoulder.  She opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was that one Elf...what was his name....Haldir.  The second thing she noticed was the tray of food he was holding in his other hand.  She smiled and sat up, accepting the tray.  Upon a second glance, Vista noticed that his nose was a bit swollen.

Oh, yeah.  I did that, didn't I.  Not exactly...polite.

"I'm sorry I hit you." she said.

He smiled, "There is no need for apology.  I should not have handled you so; you had been through enough as it was."

            There was silence for a few moments as he watched Vista eat.  That unnerved her somewhat.  Then she was struck by a brilliant insight.

"Ask."  she said, smiling.

He blinked, "Ask what?"

Vista grinned wider, "The question that's written all over your face."

For a moment, she could have sworn he blushed.  But he quickly looked away, then back at her.

"What happened to you?"

She chuckled and leaned back against the headboard.

            "I wish I knew.  I'm walking down the street, about as distraught as I was yesterday.  It's pouring down rain and I'm soaked, and suddenly I'm falling.  And falling.  And falling.  For a while, it felt like I was falling up.  Then, it's back down, but it's a...different down.  Not back to Pike-the street I was walking on-, but into a wilder place.  For a moment, I thought I was going to land in this big field I saw to the....east?  But then it was obvious that I was going to land in this forest instead.  Needless to say, I was completely surprised that I even survived the fall.  So, yeah...here I am."

He arched an eyebrow, "Fantastic tale."

Vista sighed, "I'm not asking if you believe it, because by your tone of voice, you don't.  I'm not even sure if I believe it.  But...I dunno....that's it...that's what happened.  I keep thinking that I fell and hit my head on something, and that I'll wake up and this will have all been a freaky dream."

Vista finished her food and, setting the tray aside, jumped out of the bed and started looking around the room.
"What're you looking for?" Haldir asked.

"I'm looking for a nice, cold shower."

"Cold...shower?"

Vista waved her hand in the air, "Shower, bath, whatever.  Cold."

He nodded slowly, "I understand the need for a bath.."

She glared at him.

"..but why cold?"

Vista snorted, "To wake up.  I've been laying in a bed for...two, three days?  I'm lethargic; I can feel it.  And a cold dunk...hey, isn't there a river around here?"

Haldir gave her a sideways look, "Why do you ask?"

Vista grinned, "Nice cold water."

Haldir shook his head, "No.  You will definately get sick if I let you go diving into the river!"

It was Vista's turn to shake her head, "No, I won't get sick!  I'm not going swimming, I'm just looking for a quick dunk is all!"

He looked confused, "Dunk?"

She rolled her eyes, "You jump in and get out just as quickly.  It's more of a...wake up, if anything.  And besides, a nice burst of cold water gets the blood pumping."

"I don't know if I like this."

She was burrowing through the drawers of the dresser, making disgusted grunts as she went.

"Now what are you looking for?"

"Pants."

"Pants?"

"Yeah.  You don't expect me to go polar-bear in a dress, now do you?"

"Polar-bear?"

*sigh*  "Never mind."

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As it ended up, Haldir had to go find Vista a pair of pants, because she wouldn't leave the room in a dress.

"I do not wear dresses.  Either you find me some pants, or I'll find some."

He'd brought her back a pair of his brother's breeches that didn't fit him right.  In the time he'd been gone, she'd found a suitable shirt-substitute and a towel....

"I still cannot believe I am letting you do this."

"Oh, stop whining; you're being really immature.  We almost there?"

"Yes, it's just through these trees."

They came out of a dense bank of trees to the riverside.  It widened here, and slowed considerably, making it more into a lake then a river.  Vista looked around, delighted.

"It's perfect!"

            That's when he noticed that she wasn't talking about the river.  Her eyes were fixed on a cliff that jutted out over the water.  She shoved her towel into his arms and took off before he could react.  He was about to chase after her, but decided against it.  She would jump off that cliff, with or without his protest.     He watched her deftly scale the rocky face, amazed at her nimbleness.  She reached the top and without a second's hesitation, ran and threw herself with a war whoop off the edge.  He knew the water was deep right there; he just wondered how well she could swim.  She landed with a significant splash and disappeared from view.  After a moment, he began to worry. 

            Then she surfaced not too far from shore.  She was gasping and began to shiver as she stood; but the grin on her face was enough to banish any fears from his mind.  She ran through the water, onto the bank, and over to where he stood with her towel.  She wrung out her shirt and hair a bit before reaching for the towel.  She toweled off her hair, then draped it over her shoulders like a cape.

"Well, back inside I guess."

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            Vista emerged from her room feeling much better about life.  She'd donned the clothes she'd appeared wearing (black cut-off shorts, black AFI shirt, white socks w/green stripes, orange Converses, jewelry) and felt nearly human again.  When she walked out, Haldir regarded her with a slightly shocked expression.

"Your hair is still wet!" he exclaimed.

She blinked, "So?"

They stared at each other blankly for several minutes.  Then Vista understood what he was talking about.

"I don't care what my hair looks like.  I never have time to do anything with it, so I just let it air-dry.  It's not something I worry about."

Then he seemed to notice the rest of her appearance.

"You're a bit...conspicuous.  Why do you not put on the clothes set out for you?" 

Not that he really minded.  He rather liked the shortened pants and tight shirt.  Most women he knew didn't wear pants or tunics, feeling it detracted from their femininity.  Not so, it seemed, in Vista's case.  And now she was already walking down the stairs; heading off to explore.

"I already told you, I don't wear dresses."  she called back, "You gonna show me around or not?"

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            Haldir spent the rest of the day showing Vista around Lorien.  She was extremely curious and not afraid to ask questions.  The people of Lorien were equally curious about her; she answered almost more questions then she asked.  And all the while, they were shooting meaningful glances at Haldir.  He was glad that Vista seemed completely oblivious. 

"What are the letters for?"

They were walking down a -thankfully- deserted path that Vista had found interesting.  He found her profound interest in the forest and his people to be rather amusing. 

"Letters?  Oh, they stand for 'A Fire Inside'.  It's a band."

He gave her a blank look, "What is a 'band'?"

She sighed, "A band is a group of people who get together and play music.  If they want to share it with other people, the make up a name for themselves."

He digested that.  "Oh.  What other names are there?"

Vista laughed, "Oh, dude.  Well, some of the more well known bands are Nirvana, System of a Down, Pearl Jam, Foo Fighters, Good Charlotte, Audioslave...that's barely even a dent into the amount."

He arched an eyebrow, "Strange names.  What do they mean?"

Vista sighed again, "I don't know.  You'd have to ask someone that's in the band.  Usually it's an inside joke between the members, or something else significant."

They walked for a few moments in silence.

"Are you part of a band?" Haldir asked.

Vista smiled, "I'm in one now, actually.  Well, I'm in one...at...home."

Her eyes clouded over and her steps faltered.  Haldir felt guilty for bringing her sadness back to her by asking questions.

"I apologize for my questions, Lady Vista." he said quietly.

She stopped and stared hard at him. 

"Never apologize for curiosity.  Every living thing has it, why shouldn't you?"

He smiled a bit condescendingly, "But I am over 3000 years old.  What right do I have to be curious?  It is best left for the young."

Vista smirked at him, "Yeah, well, I'm changing the rules.  If you think of something you want to know, just ask and I'll tell you."

He arched an eyebrow, "Oh really?"

She giggled, "Yeah.  I might not answer with the truth, but I'll answer your question."