Elentir had no trouble finding the shop; he already knew his way around his part of the city. His excitement forced him to push through the crowds like a true urban citizen, and happily he was beginning to notice that the same faces he passed each day weren't giving him odd looks anymore. He had finally fit in. There was no time for revelations, however, for he might finally meet the other Elf he had been chasing for so long. He turned on the street corner and stared at the front door of the shop.
It looked like any other store. "The Brethil" was scratched across in a gold sign. He opened the door and stepped inside; immediately, he felt a presence. The little piece of his heart that ached when he first arrived in the city and sang each time Legolas was near swelled so large he couldn't stand it. The small shelves were littered with everyday items from anywhere—strange, random things that he used to use every day. He caught his breath. It was like stepping back into his old home. Elentir looked down at his hand where the medallion had nearly cut through his skin. He had been clenching it without knowing. The door had caused a soft bell to ring, and he could hear rustling from behind the wooden counter. "Coming!" a sing-song voice more fair than any he had heard in a while called.
"No hurry," he replied, and something dropped from in a back room. Worried, he quickly walked near the door. Then she appeared. She was tall, short for an elf-type, but elegant and graceful compared to all. White golden hair, more thin than even the prince's braids, hung in loose curls down to her slender waist. If his eyes served him correctly, he could spot white and silver strands among the brass. Her dress was of the people: a layer of blue flared tops, a long blue skirt…and what was this? He scowled to find a knitted cap pulled over where her ears would end. Still, her eyes were so crystal blue and bright, catching his attention had that piece of his heart that ached so. She smiled beautifully. He nervously scratched his temple as to sheild his ear. What if she wasn't like him after all?
"Can I help you?" She sat down the chest she was holding and removed a few silver pieces from it.
"I…I…" He blinked; was he not an elf, the most elegant of speech? Why couldn't he think of anything to say. "I just heard that you might know where this came from." He slowly offered the necklace. Instantaneously, her eyes lit and she took it carefully into her fingers.
"Yes! Where did you find it? I mean, it's mine! I lost it a while ago at the cafe down on…"
"I know," he softly smiled, "I go there too." She caught his eye and he watched her expression change as she noticed his beautiful ears. "My friend was just here to buy fey wine, and…I…" He stammered as to what to actually say. "I wanted to know if you were maybe…maybe not from this place…" She cleared her throat rather promptly and turned to set the necklace aside. He worried if he had offended her somehow.
"I know what friend you're talking about. She told me about you and your visitor." Elentir bit his lip. She faced him and smiled again, with less excitement and with hidden pain. "What did she say your name was? Starwatcher?"
"Elentir," he eagerly supplied with a bit of nervousness new to him entirely. "Elentir Starwatcher. Yours?" She drew a deep breath of hesitation.
"Lindi," she almost snapped, smiling quite uneasily afterwards. "Lindi Thompson." Elentir's heart sank. Thompson? "It's sort for Melinda, but nobody really calls me that," she almost laughed. He had to force a grin and glanced to his shoes.
"I guess I just wanted to know where you found…all of this stuff…" She placed the chest on a shelf behind her and sighed.
"In different places; most of it belonged to my father, but he…he doesn't live here anymore." Elentir felt as bad as he did in Mr. Wilson's office for the first time. How could he think that there would ever be someone else like him in such a cold, backwards world. The silence was twice as uncomfortable. "Thank you for the necklace," she quickly chimed. He took his cue and backed towards the door. Before he turned, however, he felt his heart once again rise.
"Lle creoso," he nonchalantly replied. Any elf anywhere would prefer their own language to any.
"Seasamin!" He heard a gasp behind him. Beaming, he turned and gracefully strode back to the counter. She looked terrified.
"I knew it!" he exclaimed with laughter. "No need to hide, sister, my ears are as real as my voice." She didn't seem as relieved as he would have thought. His smile faded and he frowned. "Is something wrong?" She scowled and tried to walk past him to a display. He caught her arm. "You are an elf, correct?" With another desperate sigh, she pulled the cap from her head.
Two exquisite ears with curved tips as shaped as his were revealed, and his soul sang.
He chuckled again and grinned. "Then you are. You are an elf, like me! What is your real name, my lady?"
"Lomelindi," she quietly answered. "Lomelindi Moonbow." It was music to him. "I'm from…the Twilight Valley, but I was born in Neverwinter, near Mirkwood."
"It is the prince of Mirkwood who I entertain!" he happily confessed. She glared at him coldly and looked away. "What ales you so?" he asked again. "Why are not as happy as I to see one of your own kind?"
"You tricked me!" she grumbled. "Not everyone wants to be found out, you know."
"That's a lie," he argued. "Any elf among these humans is a sight for any eye." She acted as if he were right, but continued to stare at the ground. "Will you tell me why you are hiding?"
"With the prince in your company? I think not."
"He leaves tomorrow," Elentir quickly revealed. She glanced up and his very being danced in those eyes. "I can help. It may seem I only know your name and birthplace, but here I believe we have a stronger bond."
"Tomorrow at the café, then," she softly arranged. "Noon." With hands shaking, he agreed in Elven and turned for the door. Never had a better day been born!