Legolas reaches into the compartment of the back portion of his leggings, "Oh you mean this picture?" he asks with mock innocence. He hands her the picture, and begins to head towards his house. Chimera's eyes are slanted, as she yanks the picture from his grasp and gently places it into the sack at her side. She follows him towards the shanty. Legolas turns his head towards the pretty she-elf, "One question. Why would you speak so freely to a stranger regarding your virginity? unless...." he stops himself from continuing. A sly grin begins to plague his finely chiseled face.

Chimera's eyes widen at the accusation spilling from his mouth. She grinds her teeth while replying, "I never said I was one, I asked if it was your ploy to lead unsuspecting virginal elves into your home.  After all you are a stranger... a very strange stranger indeed." Chimera eyes him and the home suspiciously while thinking, I hope he is not dangerous.

Legolas turns from Chimera. They are only footsteps from his home. Once reaching the home, he places his hand upon the door and turns around. His eyes look at Chimera and then to the horizon behind her. He stares off in oblivion thinking to himself, All I need is a sign. If I put up a sign I would get virginal elves. Hmm, I wonder. A sly smile begins to form on his lips



Chimera stares at him. Agitation begins to sink in on her delicate, dirt smudged features. She taps her bare foot upon the dirt in unamused silence while thinking to herself, What in Middle earth is he smiling about?

Legolas returns from his minuscule departure from the daydream to view Chimera's blatant disapproval. He smiles inwardly at her vexed demeanor. He opens the door to his home, and lets the girl walk in front of him, "Milady." He nods his head to her as he holds the door open for her. "Please take a seat at the table," he indicates the chair to her with his free hand.

She runs her finger over the top of the chair. A thick form of dust is left on her fingertips. Her nose turns up in obvious disgust. She quickly wipes her finger onto her traveled dress dislodging the dirt from her delicate fingers. Chimera turns her head to face Legolas. He is standing at the doorway with his arms crossed and a smug look upon his face. Chimera looks back to the chair. Taking a deep breath she hesitates before planting herself upon it.

Legolas unleashes himself from the doorway and quietly closes the door. He eyes the she-elf at the wooden table and walks to the small fire pit towards the corner. He pulls a black pot from the hearth. There are fish inside. He begins to extract the fish from the kettle, and places them upon a small ragged cloth next to him. Amused he asks the girl, "What will it be? Some fish I caught earlier today, or..." he holds up a foul-smelling slightly graying fish, "some fish I caught two days ago?" He wrinkles his nose while his face contorts with disgust.

Chimera eyes the fish Legolas holds up. A crooked smile grows on her face due to Legolas's apparent revolt from the old fish. "I will take the one from earlier, you may have the one from two days ago."



Legolas removes his eyes from the fish and looks to the complacent expression lurking upon the she-elf's smug face. His face grows into a blank expression as he mumbles, "As you wish." He casts a few wood logs that are piled beside him into the fire pit. He rubs to broken sticks together causing sparks to form as they ignite a fire. His eyes burn as he scowls, staring into the bright flames as they dance upon the disintegrating wood. He thinks to himself, Me get the days old fish? I think not! She will never know the difference. Politely he asks her, "Do you prefer your fish fully cooked?" A sly grin fills his features as he sets the pot upon the fire and places the fish back inside it.

Chimera removes her picture of Legolas, and traces her finger over the faded lines of his likeness while staring at it entranced. Practically oblivious to his words she replies, "Hmm?....sure..." as she continues encircling her finger over the weathered parchment.

 The water begins to seethe and boil, satisfied, Legolas states, "This should be done shortly." He turns from the fire and sets his azure eyes upon the girl  "What are you thinking about?" His eyebrows knit together, interested in her reverie. He stands up and walks to the edge of the table. He quietly looks over her shoulder and notices what the girl is doing to the picture, "What in the Eä are you doing to that drawing? I wondered why it was fading so!"

 

Startled, she promptly clutches it securely to her chest while blushing, "Never mind!" Chimera's green eyes shift to the table below her. She thinks to herself, I know that he is Legolas!

Legolas lifts his eyebrows in mock surprise as he chastises her, "Arestel nethedhel*." He returns to the kettle to check on the fish. He leans against the brick mantle as his eyes bore into the back of her.

Chimera returns the picture to the pouch at her side. She turns around and her eyes slowly travel upon the elf as she looks into his eyes. She bestows him a smile as she thinks, I wonder why he is acting so pecuilliar?

Legolas's emotions refrain from appearing upon his eyes or facial features. He thinks to himself without moving his eyes from the girl, Such a cute smile she has...before i show her Legolas, I must find out what business she has with him. Then again the way she latches on to that drawing, one could only wonder. Quickly he turns from the girl and kneels down to the pit. "All right the fish are ready." He reaches into the pit and extracts a stick that is engulfed in flames. The small flames lick the stick causing the tip to blacken into ash. With little haste Legolas reaches the table that Chimera is planted at. In the center of the table stands a creamy beige pillar candle with drips of wax along it sides to show prior usage. He places the stick next to the blackened wick until the fire sparks ignite the candle causing it to light up the hovel.

Legolas grabs the rag that lies next to him on the floor. He uses it to pick up the pot from the encircling flames and sets it down next to him. He removes his dagger from his side and skewers the fish. He places both fish into the ragged cloth, and removes his dagger from the fish, while wiping the blade with the material. He throws the two-day old, unscaled, wide-eyed fish upon the table in front of the girl, "Mado*." He stabs the fish with his dagger, "You may use my dagger to cut your fish." He walks to a cabinet kitty-corner to the fire pit and opens the wooden door. He removes two white-boned plates and places the fish swaddled in the rag upon one of them. He walks over to the she-elf and sets the other plate next to her. Legolas sits down upon the chair farthest away from the girl and looks at her in amusement.

 

Chimera looks wide-eyed, at the fish in disgust, "Eww!" She nauseatingly brushes the daggered fish away from her. "No, I do not think I will use your dagger," Chimera stands up and sits on top of the table. She pulls up her dress, exposing a dagger at the height of her upper thigh, and smiles seductively at him, "I have my own." She fingers the blade of the dagger until she reaches the hilt. Her delicate fingers grip the dagger and remove it from the strap encompassing her thigh. She reaches across the table, and stabs the fish in front of him, picking it up. She leans over whispering in his ear, "Like I said, I will have the fish from earlier today." Chimera removes herself from the table as she slides back into her chair, all the while smiling sweetly up at him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Elvish Translations:

Eä: The world, meaning the entire material universe, not only the Earth.

Arestel nethedhel: Hopeless young elf

Mado: Eat