There was a ring at the door, and tentatively Legolas pulled open the inner one to see who was there. To his incredulous surprise, it was Haldir! He stood silent and expectantly, hands folded and lips slightly ajar as if he wanted to say something. For a moment, the two could only stare at each other through the tiny metal crosshatches of the screen.

"It's been a long time..."

"It has." Haldir leaned over to peer past Legolas' shoulder and it was then that the younger elf remembered his manners. Throwing open the thin screen door, he invited Haldir in.

The room was pleasant, but too modern for the older elf's likings. He would have preferred something more rugged... something less human.

His kitchen was wide and open, with a long counter that separated it from the diningroom. There were stools there, and Legolas motioned for Haldir to have a seat. There was tea on to boil, and for a moment the elf of Lorien closed his eyes and imagined perhaps that they were young again and the world was still new bearing yet more surprises everyday. His grey eyes had grown dim with his age and with the things he'd witnessed.

"There are few of us left." His voice was raspy, as always, and sad. Haldir spoke for them both, for they were thinking the same thing.

"I know."

It is said that elves are so intuned to the minds of their own kind that they need not talk. Therefore their conversations were always brief with few words on either side.

Legolas poured tea for the both of them. "Chai." He said softly, and he brought the cup to his lips, letting the aroma transport him to imagined lands with elephants and tall trees bejeweled with orchids and dangling vines. Haldir merely spun the mug in his hands, soaking in the warmth.

For a long while, they sat like this. Niether wanted to admit that he was so lonely, bereft of the closeness that they had once shared with their people. The elves had been dying for a long, long, long time.... longer than can be remembered by anyone except maybe themselves.

"How did you find me?"

Haldir considered the thick liquid gone cold. He had not touched it. Time to elves was like sand to the ocean. Lap, lap, lap it away, and yet there is always so much more. He swallowed and his throat was dry. "It wasn't too hard. One can find anybody these days..."

The other elf merely nodded, his medium-length hair brushing over his shoulders. He was still gorgeous. He was a model this time. Haldir thought back to his days as a popstar and could almost laugh. Almost.

"And what are you doing with yourself 'these days,' hmmm?" Legolas gave him a slanted look. There was a gleam in his eye that had long since been extinguished in the eyes of other elves. With a twinge of remorse, Haldir wondered how he kept his spark.

"Something quiet, as usual. Journalism... I'm a writer."

"It's fitting for you." His nod was solemn.

"Aye..."

They relapsed again into an awkward silence. "Have you heard of Glorfindel, or any of them recently?"

Haldir could only shake his head. "I've heard from no one. Although that rich athlete what committed suicide last week in Argentina... looked an awful lot like Elrohir..." He trailed off.

"It might have been an out." Legolas got up and took their mugs to the sink. An 'out' was a way of changing your identity. Among the elves, it meant faking your death. Each one had done it many, many times; countless times. It was a necesity in order to live freely. "What are you going by?" He asked suddenly, on that same train of thoughts.

For a moment, the question had taken Haldir aback. Then he remembered. "I am Coli Thornton... And you of course..."



"...Are Loriel!" Grinning broadly, Legolas took Haldir's hand and shook it. "Welcome to the twenty-first century!"

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Chibi Legolas: Not sure yet where I'm going with this. If you have any ideas, please feel free to drop me some lines. I'd love to hear. :) Thanks for reading.