A/N: maybe soon you all will be awarded with an excellent beta and be saved from my error ways. Besides that I've looked into the future and find that I feel a bit of a dread before the Love that binds us. Love isn't easy task to live up to in writing so I hope I will suffice when the heart starts spilling out... or will it?
Thorin greeted coolness of the stream. It suited his soul to feel the cold. He submerged below the surface feeling how the water reaches his skin underneath his hair. There were times when his hair got regularly washed, combed and beaded. His beard was grown and groomed. The braid on his beard had shown how far he had to go before his beard could be respected and ornamented with signs of power.
After they've ben desolated into the world he had cut of his braid and shorten his beard ever since. It was not mentioned among his people but they had noticed for they had been longbeards. It was a rebellion of sorts, refusal to groom his beard as he expects to have a kingdom which it would represent. It showed his acceptance of circumstances they had found themselves in. In other aspect, he thought it gave his people certain kind of reassurance that he will not follow his elders into the wild and mad, that he will not abandon them in their need.
When he emerged from the water the sun had moved and there were no sunlight on his part of the shore. That's why he moved along to find some sun to dry his skin. He found a perfect spot and started to enjoy himself. Although dwarves were indifferent to hot and the cold there were certain pleasure in colliding of warm sunbeams and cold water drops. Thorin sighed relaxing into the silence and solitude, he had no time of peace in a very long time, and in that moment there came a noise that made other one present.
Thorin opened up his eyes just to be met by wet Hobbit face staring right at him like they've just encounter each other in some random social occasion.
"It seemed like a good spot for a dive" he said with his chattering voice. "I haven't swam in ages. These waters are tricky thing, gave me a bit of scare there. Should have gone with others in safer shores."
"They would probably drown you" Thorin said suddenly with raw voice and Hobbit looked startled and Thorin cleared his voice to sound less menacing. "That's what they do, they use water as excuse to battle each other. It involves lots of splashing around."
Little Hobbit nodded looking even more scared. Thorin thought Halfling couldn't look any less scary but with his hair soaked around his head he looked like some small drowned animal and for a second he felt sorry he'd been so hard on him. That's why he talked on.
"I prefer streams and solitude, less contact, more water" Halfling gave him that tight smile that Thorin didn't trusted and stood still. Thorin watched him for a moment in silence wondering how long will Halfling sit there maintaining eye contact. Isn't he cold by now?
For the look of it his skin went even paler than usual so Thorin broke eye contact in case that's what's bothering little Hobbit.
The water was still dripping from his hair down his back so he leaned forward and in few swift moves shake off excess of water. Then he scrubbed his scalp to warm it up. When he opened up his eyes Halfling was all flushed and pink in his cheeks looking at his distant clothes. Then it got to Thorin that little on was shy about his appearance. He did mention privacy earlier.
That's why Thorin removed himself from the sun and went to dress up. Maybe it's better that they talk with their clothes on. Thorin looked over his shoulder before he turned behind a rock. Hobbit was still there in the same position staring at nothing. That seemed odd to Thorin but then again nothing was ordinary on mister Baggins, he sure didn't act as any dwarf would do.
Clothes really is like an armour, Thorin thought as his skin got covered by layers, it protects you from feeling too much of your surroundings, without it even a soft breeze could provoke certain weakness in your chest.
hi hi, love this part before realization comes in.