Just a side note- I'll do my best to update next month, but I'm going to have some eye surgery around the holidays (and my birthday…) and will probably not be able to see for a several days and will have poor sight for a while after. This means I might not get around to writing much. Thanks in advance for your patience:)
-Disclaimer- Please see chapter 1.
The River Ocean
They drove past the open, rolling pastures and through the forests. Between the bustling, over-grown towns, the land had not changed much. Not so long ago, it had hardly changed at all; this, Elladan remembered. He remembered how the early Men had sometimes come upon their forest, he remembered the empires and the falls, the births and deaths of great Men.
As he looked at Orophin in the passenger seat, Orophin caught his eye and offered a smile. Elladan returned it, and the silence persisted. For hours they went on; Elladan half-wished Orophin could drive, for his eyes were dulling themselves to the rhythmic appearances and disappearances of yellow lines.
Having left early in the morning, they arrived in the towering city in the late afternoon. The glass and steel buildings cast shadows over them, and Elladan amused himself with Orophin's awed stare.
The roadway led them past a long, crescent beach. The darkening sun shone off the water, the sunbathers were clearing off. Orophin's eyes followed the line of water hungrily,
"That's not the sea," Elladan said. His voice was sharper, tenser than he meant for it to be. "It's not, so don't look at it in such a way." The hungry eyes brought on an ache in the pit of Elladan's stomach. "Please."
Orophin nodded and closed them. "Sorry."
"No." And then, "We're here."
The eyes opened once more and beheld the megalith before them. "He lives in one of those…apartments?" asked Orophin tightly. Elladan laughed and the spell was broken.
"Yes. It's quite nice, I assure you. Lots of potted plants."
"Potted-?"
"Plants. Never mind. You'll see in a moment, won't you?" Elladan watched as Orophin's mouth worked to say something, anything, but it ended up shutting tightly. "It's time to get out, now. That man," he said, pointing to a figure waiting on the sidewalk in front of the glass doors, "will put my car away."
"Oh…"
They exited, Elladan handing over the keys and leading Orophin inside. The parlor was all shiny brass and stone; Elladan could see questions pass through Orophin's eyes.
"Here," he said, taking his friend's arm and deliberately softening his voice, "just follow me."
They stepped onto the elevator. Orophin looked on in mute bewilderment as the buttons were pushed and the doors slid shut. His knuckles grasped the railing and slowly turned white. Elladan felt a surge of something- pity? - and moved closer.
"Really, this is perfectly safe. Remember flets?"
"Yes, but…"
"Safe." The word corresponded with a high-pitched ding and an electronic, female voice telling them they had arrived.
There was a short hallway, and then an oak door. Elladan knocked jauntily and pushed his finger hard against the bell.
(l)
The door swung open quickly, revealing a tall, blonde elf in a tunic and light-colored pants. One hand was reaching out to Orophin and Elladan, the other was twisted around the collar of a very excited looking dog.
"Hey, sorry about this one," came Glorfindel's half-exasperated voice.
"Alyaran, is it still?" asked Elladan, pushing his way in. Orophin, with a brief look back at the elevator (the doors had since closed), followed.
"Yeah, mad old dog. Can't bring himself to greet me anymore when I come home."
"Apparently, Orophin and I are far more interesting."
Glorfindel smiled and shut the door, and Orophin was under the distinct impression that those clear eyes were taking in everything about him. Without warning, he was drawn into a crushing embrace.
"It's so good to see you, Orophin!" cried Glorfindel, releasing him. "How are you, really?"
"Very well, my lord, I-"
"None of that," he said. "Glorfindel, please."
"Very well, Glorfindel. The twins have been showing me around."
"So I hear. No terrible culture shock? You speak their language well."
"Oh, I'd say he was- and is- shocked," Elladan said brightly, walking around the room and inspecting it. "Do you ever move things around a bit here, Glorfindel?"
Glorfindel shrugged.
"Oh," Elladan continued, pointing to a large, green plant at the corner of the window. "There's your potted plant, Orophin."
Orophin approached it, eyebrows raised. "It's a plant. In a pot. Why-? Who thought of-?"
Glorfindel laughed and gestured to a couch and an overstuffed chair set before the fireplace. They sat together; Orophin removed an account of the Fall of Númenor from his seat and placed it gently on the table in front of him.
A fire was started in the grate and the dog- Alyaran- was let loose to harass his guests as much as he pleased. He seemed to remember Elladan, but he spent most of his time with his head across Orophin's knees, licking his pants and drooling cheerfully.
Orophin resigned himself to the role of dog cushion and stared out the window. The sun setting in a blaze of roses and oranges, its reflection painted off-kilter and out-of-proportion on the glassy buildings. Past them, he saw the curve of the water.
He came to himself suddenly and realized he was being looked at by no less than three sets of eyes. Alyaran was punching his nose against his knee, asking to be petted; Elladan and Glorfindel sat on the overstuffed chair and the other side of the couch, respectively, and were fixing their gazes straight at him (alone, they were impressive; together, they were intimidating).
"Well," said Orophin, slightly annoyed but very…loved, "I'm not going anywhere quite yet."
(Tbc)
Thanks for reading!
On the title of this chapter- In Greek mythology, Ocean is the river that surrounds the Earth; he is a Titan.