-Note- Well, the votes are in. After I posted the second chapter, I sat for a while and stared at the screen and decided that I would have more fun with a relatively laid back, plotless story, thankyouverymuch. Now I have a name for it, thanks to Neoinean: Character-driven. Hurrah! Special thanks to all who reviewed! Reviewer responses for chapter 2 are at the bottom. I've never done this before, so bear with me... And I admit: I'm not so fond of this chapter, but it was necessary I clear things up a bit. There will be more answering of questions next chapter, I promise. : / Keep in mind that it's still Friday.
1 yen (Q)= 144 solar years
-Disclaimer- Not mine.
A Call
He dialed the number carefully, waited.
One ring.
Two rings.
Three-
A dull clunk, followed by a disgruntled, "What?"
"Hello, Elladan."
"Oh! Glorfindel!" Elladan didn't wait for an answer. "Good! Elrohir's next to me, I-"
Another clunk, a muffled oof!, then: "Glor!" Elrohir cried.
"Hey, you! I had the phone!" came Elladan's voice, more distant.
"Put it on speaker, then!"
There was a click, and Glorfindel sighed.
"Have you two got things sorted out now?" he asked.
"Yes," they chorused.
"How've you been, Glor? We haven't seen you in...what, three years?" asked Elladan.
"Same as usual. Same dog, same company, same delightful bachelor's pad." The last bit, dripping with sarcasm.
"Any gray hairs?" asked Elrohir, barely keeping the laughter from his voice.
He sighed again. "No, not today. You know how gracefully I age, little one. How have you faired? What have you been doing?"
"Nothing, really. Neither of us feels much like working again, so we're wandering...or something," Elrohir answered. "Venice, Istanbul, Athens. We did the whole Mediterranean trip a few months back. Paid a visit to Grandfather last year, he's fine. Thranduil as well."
"Good. I've been thinking that it's time I saw them again. I've not seen them in two...three yén, I think."
There was a pause. "You're not...wrapping up your affairs here, are you?"
Glorfindel thought for a moment. "Not sure."
Awkward silence. Elladan broke it.
"Good," said Elladan cheerfully. "Anyway..."
"We were thinking-"
"Because we're in town and everything-"
"That we could grab a bite to eat tomorrow. You can show us around," Elrohir finished.
"Tempting," replied Glorfindel, "but haven't you been here before?"
"Yes. In the last century, no. You know how things are. They change." He said it with careful nonchalance, but Glorfindel knew how true it was, how bitterly they all felt it.
"I suppose. I know of this deli..."
They made their plans, said their self-conscious goodbyes, and when Glorfindel hung up, he felt strangely unsatisfied. The aching loss he had learned to live with seemed to increase tenfold, as if he had lost his balance.
He left the kitchen, threw himself into his overstuffed red chair. Across the sitting room, in a square of moonlight, Alyaran raised his head and twitched his tail half-heartedly against the wood floor. Night fell quickly in autumn, and as it had so often in the past several thousand years, it had crept up on him once more.
He relaxed in his chair, exhaled deeply, scanned the books that lined all four walls. Nothing new, nothing he hadn't read before. Nothing that hadn't been there yesterday or last year, nothing that wouldn't be there when the sun rose the next day, or the next. Mustering his strength, he pulled himself out of the deep confines of the lounger, brushed aside airy curtains, slid open glass doors.
The air on his balcony was cool and breezy twenty-four stories above the street. Almost fresh. A full harvest moon shone gold through the buildings, lighting his own golden hair. If he had come upon himself from behind, he would have congratulated himself on the dashing scene. Neat black trousers, his white dress shirt, hair fanning dramatically behind him.
Alyaran padded softly through the open door, sat expectantly under his left hand. Predictably, the hand began to play with a long, flopping ear. Glorfindel leaned against the ornate, wrought-iron balustrade, looked up.
The orange glow of city lights blocked out the stars he knew were overhead. They were still clear, he knew, in the forests- ghosts of their old realms- Celeborn and Thranduil kept watch over with others who had yet to sail. There were a handful, he knew, who like himself and the sons of Elrond still took part in the world of Men. Someday, though, they would leave. And so would he. But not yet.
Glorfindel turned, with Alyaran in tow, left the balcony. He slid the door shut behind him, wandered into the bathing room.
He showered- an interesting mortal invention, he mused briefly- and then lay in his too-large bed. Alyaran heaved himself up beside him and was soon asleep, drooling on the sheets.
Glorfindel smiled, and thought of Saturday.
--
Thank you for reading!
Responses for Chapter 2:
Uineniel: I agree. There are enough Fellowship Reincarnated Goes Out to Bus Sauron & Co. fics out there- some of them are very good. But it's difficult to keep reinventing the wheel. You liked the answering machine message? Good! I've written the twins once before, and they were practically dripping with angst and brotherly love. So this is something different, though there's sure to be some reminiscing. Thanks for the wonderful support.
Neoinean: Whoa! Thank you! I feel quite happy now. : D I think I answered one of your questions in this chapter...yes, there are more Elves. Not many, and mostly hidden away. I'll try and make the other answers show up in later chapters. In this respect, I think the story goes AU- modern earth is middle-earth a few ages after the fourth.
Saturn's Hikari: Thank you! I'm glad you liked it more than the obligatory thank-you-review. Hurrah! This will turn out to be (I think) a bit of a character study of "modern" Elves. I don't think there'll be a clear antagonist- Sauron, for example- but that's not to say our Elves won't face problems. An Elf in modern times would be like a fish out of water- they just don't belong.
Aerlalaith: What do the twins want? I haven't decided. Maybe just to check in with Glorfindel, have a bit of a reunion. I have to think about that...yeah, it can be assumed from this chapter (or at least I hope it can) that modern earth is middle earth evolved.
Silent Banshee: Yep, "P" for Peredhil! : P I didn't really name them, otherwise. I'm a big twin fan, as well. A big House-of-Elrond-in-general fan, I guess. But Glorfindel is THE favorite Elf. : D Next chapter we'll actually meet Elladan and Elrohir and see what a few thousand years does for an Elf. Besides Glorfindel.
GitaMerah: Yeah, they're here! Or at least, they will be! Helen is a character strictly for the workplace, I think. She's a little too shy/afraid for our Elf. Romance isn't out of the question, but it would only be Elf/Elf romance. I don't want Glorfindel robbing the cradle or something! : P