Faramir's study.
Glorfindel had a good idea of where he would be able to find Erestor. Since leaving Imladris nothing had changed, the Noldo still found a way to bury himself with the work of others. Glorfindel was sure that he really actually enjoyed it and the Vanya considered that to be a Masochistic tendency. But then again, going to Erestor with the sort of information he had he also considered rather self-abusive as well. He wondered exactly what Erestor was capable of and if he could be worse than a Balrog.
Not bothering to knock, Glorfindel entered Faramir's study to find just what he expected: Erestor had at work, less than an hour after sunrise. Though the dark-haired advisor did all he could to ignore the blond Elf, Glorfindel summoned his courage and made himself as well as his confession known at once. "Erestor, it might be best for you to know that yesterday evening young Faramir rode forth with his waterskin containing water from Mirkwood's Enchanted River," he said all in one breath, waiting in fear for Erestor's reply, resisting the temptation to run away.
Erestor looked up very slowly from the parchment he was pouring over. He met Glorfindel's eyes and noted his terror, poorly concealed behind a mask of bravery. There was only one Elf in all of Arda that he knew of who carried that vile water around with him. What could have possibly possessed the idiot Vanya to give it to the Steward of Gondor, Estel's own son? What political ramifications could this have? What could happen to that poor lad when he drank that stuff out in the middle of nowhere? What would the people of Minas Tirith do to them when this was brought to their attention some way? Erestor stared at Glorfindel and shouted, "You gave him WHAT?!" If the people of the city did not kill them first, Erestor was rather sure that he would take care of Glorfindel for them before long.
Finally, the tension broke. Glorfindel breathed again, if Erestor had remained silent much longer he was going to go mad. Now all he had to do was try to explain this in such a way that would calm Erestor down and save his pride at the same time. "The idea was that he should drink it when he went to the riverbank yesterday morning and have some sleep. He did not sleep that night, i could hear him pacing until dawn. When that guard told me he found him asleep i figured it worked. Then when we found him sleeping in the study i thought it just had not yet worn off. In the stable i handed him his waterskin, fortunately i saw he had left it by his desk... i noticed it was a little heavy yet, but i thought nothing of it -"
"Fortunately, you say? You have been trying to find new ways to get killed ever since Námo sent you back here after you slew that Balrog, haven't you? See here now, good Master of the Golden Flower, you will not drag me down with you like a fell demon! If you have any sense of decency left, you will go out there and find that boy," Erestor ordered. He wondered if Glorfindel's choice of words was not meant in sarcasm, but looking at him he knew that he really thought that it was fortunate in some strange way that he had found Faramir's waterskin. In any other situation it would have been, but filled with Mirkwood water it was likely to be their doom. But then again, it seemed that Glorfindel was drawn to doom, or maybe it was just the curse that Erestor thought he bore. Silently, the Noldo reminded himself to work a bit harder on hating Glorfindel again, not that it would be difficult if his lack of common sense ended up getting them lynched by angry Mortals.
Glorfindel looked about, having not anticipated that he would expected to ride out after Faramir. After all, what harm could a little sleep be for him? He knew one thing however - he could not go searching for Faramir with Erestor with him. Between the distraction he had been experiencing lately around the advisor and Erestor's sharp tongue, he would surely not have any luck. "What about you? It would be faster if we split up," Glorfindel offered with what he considered a bit of quick thinking, making sure to disguise his reasoning for not wanting Erestor to go searching with him.
Erestor stared and took a step back behind Faramir's desk. He was not about to get dragged into Glorfindel's latest political faux pas. "Oh no! You got yourself, and that poor young man, into this; now you can very well get back out on your own. Besides, someone has to stay here and keep order with these people, if they don't behead me. I do not believe they are all as educated as Faramir about Elves. Now go and find him. In case you are not aware, he is not going to sleep well for a night like Elrond or i, or you, would under such influence. He will probably be asleep for a week or so. That leaves you plenty of time to find him before someone else does and me plenty of time to end up being deposed or more."
At that Glorfindel left rather quickly and in a high state of annoyance with Erestor. And yet there was a very nagging feeling that seemed to be emanating from somewhere rather near his heart which seemed to tell him that he was not really annoyed with Erestor as much as with himself. The odd little knot in his throat also seemed to tell him that he wished dearly that Erestor would not be so angry with him. Growling at himself for this strange display of weakness Glorfindel did his best to shake the feeling and get on with preparing to leave as quickly as possible.
When Faramir's study was again free from Vanyar Elves of the reincarnated nature Erestor sat back with a deep sigh. Once again, not for the last time, he wished that he had refused Lord Elrond and stayed comfortably at home in Imladris. He would have put up with Lindir's ear-splitting "songs" and Bilbo's elfbane to just not be considered complicit of the current circumstances. In fact, he was really starting to miss nice, quiet old Bilbo.
That day did not get better for the Chief Advisor. Several hours after Glorfindel's quick departure a number of Men calling themselves Aragorn's Council came looking for Faramir. Instead they found a Noldorin Elf who was reputedly in high standing with their new queen's father. The Council was made up of naturally suspicious Gondorians as it was and it took Erestor nigh on three hours to explain to them their Steward's absence to their liking. There were several elder Men who were clearly not so easily convinced and thought themselves terribly wise indeed. Erestor could see why Steward Denethor had kept these characters about, they made him look much more noble.
Every day thereafter was much the same for the Noldo. At least twice a day did someone come looking for Faramir only to find him and then question him fiercely. Finally, it came to the point that the best part of the city had heard that Faramir had suddenly and mysteriously disappeared, leaving some Elf from Rivendell in command of the whole kingdom. Things got so bad by the tenth day since Faramir's disappearance that men and women were standing in the streets below the windows of the Steward's study shouting in a language that Erestor could only guess to be partly Sindarin and partly Westron. That was when Erestor stopped showing himself in any manner when Anor lit the world. The dark-haired one took to the shadows of the night like one of the Avari. He would stay in the chambers Aragorn so graciously granted him all through the day, then at night steal down to Faramir's study to work on as much as he could in the Steward's stead. A number of Citadel guards lost years off their lives when a dark figure with a slight glow about him came sneaking silently around a corner in the dead of night.
Meanwhile, Glorfindel was taking a nice, leisurely, thoughtful ride about the Druadan Wood, patiently waiting to stumble across a sleeping Mortal.