Haldir walked into the kitchen, a frown that was nearly a scowl on his face. It deepened when he saw Legolas, the other elf working at making dinner.
"Is Kystrel still up in her room?" Legolas didn't look up, preparing a salad.
"She is." Haldir paused. "When did you become my conscious?"
Legolas gave him a strange look as Haldir sat at the table. "What are you talking about, Haldir?" He spoke in elvish, trying to calm the elder elf.
Haldir shook his head. "I do not wish to talk about it." No, he was not telling the younger elf about what happened earlier. He'd never hear the end of it. "What have you decided to inflict upon us?"
Legolas shot him an annoyed look. "I'm not that bad a cook. Salad, rice, and roasted venison, since you asked so politely," he replied with an edge of sarcasm to his voice, pulling out a nicely-browned haunch of venison. "Are you bringing Kystrel down, or shall I go up to fetch our resident thief?" He turned, raising an eyebrow in question.
Haldir waved a hand, standing. "I'm perfectly capable of telling her that dinner is ready, Legolas." He stalked out of the room, padding silently up the stairs to the unlocked and unbarred door to Kystrel's room.
Oh, brilliant, Marchwarden. You left her the perfect escape route. Do you really think she'll still be here?
Haldir scowled, promising himself he'd smack the Mirkwood elf. He wasn't allowed to be the elder elf's conscious.
Will you? Really, Haldir, you're becoming much too easily irritated.
Shut up! Haldir opened the door, rapidly searching the room. Kystrel was curled up on the bed, asleep. See? She's still here.
You're lucky she is. If she'd thought about it, she'd be long gone. And none of the others would have noticed. They were all outside, after all.
Haldir tucked a blanket around Kystrel, leaving her to sleep, and locking the door behind him. She wouldn't have gotten far.
Would she?
How many times do I have to tell you to be quiet? Haldir gritted his teeth, his hands wrapping around the railing as he reached the top of the stairs.
Legolas appeared at the kitchen door. "Dinner's ready."
Haldir's grip tightened convulsively, and a sound suspiciously like a growl emerged from his throat. Legolas's eyes widened, and he vanished back into the kitchen, as the elder elf stormed to his room.
Kystrel woke slowly, her muscles complaining of being in one position all night long. As she stretched, her feet tangled in a blanket, and she frowned. Who tucked me in?
Probably your cute new boyfriend.
She blinked, wondering when she'd descended the road to insanity.
Come on, Tre. You're not insane.
He is NOT my boyfriend.
Sure he's not, Tre. April's voice sounded smug. And that kiss meant nothing to you, did it?
Kystrel scowled. Don't you start. Haldir is not my boyfriend.
Whatever you say, Tre.
Throwing off the blanket, she stalked to the door, and tried to push it open. It wouldn't budge, and her eyes narrowed.
She drew in a deep breath. "HEY, BASTARD! YOU POINTY-EARED FREAK, UNLOCK THE FUCKING DOOR!"
A moment later, the door flew open, and Kystrel drew back. Haldir's grey eyes were blazing with fury, and he was dressed in nothing more than the loincloth she'd first seen him in. Her fear lasted only a few seconds, before her anger flared again.
"Do not ever yell at me like that again, thief." His voice was a menacing growl, meant to intimidate.
Kystrel's eyes narrowed, and she brought up a finger to poke him in the sternum. "Listen, you bloody bastard. I'm not going to be able to go anywhere without one of you pointy-eared bastards catching me before I get out. You don't need to lock the sodding door!" She paused, glaring. "And my name is Kystrel!!"
Haldir glowered at Kystrel, his temper barely harnessed. He spoke quietly, his voice strained. "Until you can prove you are trustworthy, Kystrel, this door will be locked at night. Until I wake up in the morning. Without a human screaming loud enough to wake an orc!" His voice rose steadily, until he was nearly shouting.
"The last time I heard someone yell that loudly was Aaragorn at Minas Tirith, after Arwen arrived." Legolas was standing at the top of the stairs. "I wasn't aware you two were..."
"Shut it!" Kystrel was as red in the face as Haldir, the two speaking in unison, then glaring at each other.
Legolas shrugged, smirking as he walked down the hall to his room. Haldir clenched his hands into fists, resisting the urge to strangle the Mirkwood elf. He glared at Kystrel a moment, turning his anger onto a different target, and frowned when she didn't react. She had an interested expression on her face, her eyes trailing up his body.
He let out a strangled sound, and stalked back to his room with his dignity drawn about him like a cloak. A whistle reached his ears, and he slammed the door behind him.
Kystrel grinned when she heard the door slam, stretching again with a yawn before padding down the stairs. It wasn't difficult to find the kitchen, and she poked around until she found something to eat, munching on the palm-sized piece of bread as she wandered through the halls. She poked her head into open doors as she passed them, pausing to evaluate the contents for their worth. Most of it was worth little to her, tapestries and artwork she couldn't recognize.
But there were some items that made her grin in anticipation. Antique weapons and some recognizable antique ceramics. She paused in front of a closed door, wiping her hands on the leggings she was wearing. Behind that door were the rings she'd been hired to steal.
Licking her lips, she looked around, checking for any of the house's occupants before she ghosted up to the door. Her fingers ran along the seperation between door and jamb, checking for triggers. Nothing. Kneeling, she ran her hands down the jamb itself, searching for any indication of a motion sensor.
"Nothing. And no signs of pressure triggers. How the hell did he notice I came in?" she muttered to herself as she stood, backing away from the door. The rings could wait. She wanted to know how Haldir had managed to know she had broken in. Next, check the room I came in through.
Haldir watched as Kystrel searched for alarms on and around the door behind which the artifacts of Middle Earth were kept. He'd berated himself for leaving her door unlocked and open once he was in the safety of his own room, and hurriedly dressed. She was no longer in her room, and he'd feared she'd left, until he sensed someone was approaching the locked room.
He'd gone downstairs, ready to stop her from breaking into the room, and found her regarding the door from the center of the hall. Ducking into an alcove on an instinct, he'd given her the chance to try to take the rings, and run. But she hadn't.
"Lost, Kystrel?" he asked quietly, and she spun with a startled expression on her face.
It was there only briefly before her normal wary mask settled into place. "No. How do you do that?"
"Then I suggest we return to the main part of the house. There's nothing of interest here for you." He ignored her question, indicating the hall behind him, waiting for her to move. "Have you eaten yet this morning?"
Kystrel didn't move immediately, though she nodded in answer to his question. "I had one of those small loaves of bread out of the box. Whatever they are, they're pretty filling."
Haldir blinked. "Lembas bread. You ate a whole loaf?"
"What?" Kystreal scowled. "Is there something wrong with that?"
Haldir shook his head, still surprised that Kystrel had eaten a whole loaf of the elven bread. He took her elbow gently, leading her back towards the main part of the house. In the kitchen, he directed her to a chair as he made his way toward the cold box.
"What are those markings on the weapons on the wall? I've never seen anything like them." Her head was tilted slightly to one side, like a bird's, her eyes following as he brought back a plate of fruit to the table. "They're strange, too. Pretty, but strange."
"They're elvish." Haldir sliced an apple neatly into quarters, offering her a piece. "I could teach you how to read them."
And perhaps you will read the accounts of what those rings did, and tell me who has hired you to steal them. Before they send yet another thief into my house, he added mentally.
"Hmm. Maybe." She kept watching him, and he frowned, wondering what was going on in her head.
Kystrel watched as Haldir sliced the apple, declining his offer of a piece. She blinked as he offered to teach her how to read the words on the weapons. Now what is he up to?
"Maybe." She noticed his discomfort with her constant stare, and continued to watch him out of a peverse desire to watch him squirm. Uncomfortable, oh elf? Serves you right for locking me up. I'm going to figure out your system anyway, and then I'm retiring to Tahiti. Where there are no arrogantly handsome elves.
Of course you are, Tre. And the sky is green.
Shut up! Kystrel snapped mentally, an irritable scowl crossing her face. I AM going to retire where it is warm and sunny, and there are hordes of gorgeous men that don't want to lock me up and throw away the key over a few cheap trinkets.
And what if he's telling you the truth, Tre? That those rings ARE more than they appear. What will you do then?
Kystrel nearly growled, pushing away from the table.
"Where do you think you're going?" Haldir's voice jerked her back to reality, and Kystrel's eyes focused on the blond elf.
"Anywhere that's not here. Preferably somewhere warm and sunny with cabana boys, but since you are so determined to deny me that, oh elf, I shall have to make do with that prison cell of a room, now won't I?" The sarcasm in her voice was thick enough to cut with a knife. She stalked away, not giving Haldir a chance to say anything in reply.
She was stopped at the door by a hand locking around her upper arm with an iron grip. Kystrel spun to face angry grey eyes, her own flashing dangerously.
"You are not going anywhere alone, thief. You will stay within my sight, or that of Legolas or the twins at all times while you are out of your room. And you will be locked in at night."
"The hell I will!" She wrenched her arm free painfully, fleeing the room.
Running away again, are we, Tre? You're not going to get laid playing hard to get.
"What?!" Kystrel came to a dead halt, her eyes wide. You have bloody got to be kidding me!
Haldir locked gazes with Kystrel, seeing the temper seething in her grey eyes. She was dangerous left alone, and he knew he had to prevent that.
"You will go nowhere alone, human. You will be within my sight, or the sight of Legolas or the twins, when you are outside of your room. And the door will be locked at night." As much for my sanity as for the safety of the artifacts.
"The hell I will!" She ripped her arm from his grip, and ran, stopping a short distance away with a strangled sound.
He stalked after her, taking her arm to guide her back to the kitchen again. None of the other three were within sight, and he wasn't about to risk her running off.
"Let go of me!" She elbowed him the ribs with her injured arm, and he saw a look of pain flash across her face.
"Come sit in the kitcen while I finish my breakfast. You are not going anywhere without an escort." She glared at him, and he could see her contemplating defience. "If you do not, I will leave you locked in that room except for meals." And maybe I will have some peace and quiet!
"Fine." She paused. "Do you guys have a T.V.? Or a stereo?"
Haldir gave her an odd look as they returned to the kitchen. "No. Of course not."
"Shit." Kystrel scowled as she sat down again. "Life is going to suck."
Angelo glared at Gydeon as the man cowered and grovelled in front of him. "Pathetic," he muttered.
"Pathetic, and rapidly becoming useless," added Penara. "Why you keep him around is beyond me."
"Because we need someone to keep an eye on both the thief, and someone to keep an eye on Ellyson," Edward Kane pointed out. Penara nodded to concede the point to the stock broker. "Sura has her hands full with those twins, and she won't deign to assist us with the other two until she's certain the Grey twins pose no threat."
"Lizabet could be pulled from watching Ellyson, and placed to watch for Tirith, and we can send Gydeon to watch Ellyson. It's simple enough for him." Niniva gave Gydeon a nasty look. "If that meets with your approval, of course, Angelo," she added, turning her simpering gaze on their leader.
There was a nasty smirk on the darkly handsome face that made even Alyca shudder. "Oh yes. Bring our dear Surano here, where she can watch the forest with the elves." He paused, his gaze locking with Niniva's. "And they won't feel a thing, will they, dearest Niniva?"
There was silence, even Gydeon falling quiet and still. Angelo's fist hitting the table sounded like a thunderclap, making everyone jump, and glasses rattle.
"You idiot! Bringing Surano in now will destroy our carefully laid plans. If you would have someone else watch the forest, watch it yourself, Niniva. And never suggest something so incredibly stupid again!"
Niniva cowered, stuttering as she tried to apologize, but Angelo ignored her, turning the meeting to other matters. Such as the upcoming buyout of Ellyson's business by Edward.
Author's Note: I am doing pretty good on getting more chapters written, so hopefully this won't take forever to update anymore. And thank you to Zammy, The Lady of Light, and Anonymous for your reviews!