Reveiws:

Remember to Feel Real: The Process of Elimination does work well when you only have a limited number of named elves.

Queen Islanzadi: In Rivendell, on Thanksgiving, Kelsey went crazy cuz there was no Turkey. We mentioned it during the Chrismas Tree Episode. (ch15, FotF)

Gina: Well Nickel is "just weird". :)

That looks funny . . . are you new or are you lazy?

Chapter 12

What is in that drink?

In which Aragorn throws a party, and Mandy gets drunk - well what did you expect?

Nickel's PoV

That evening Aragorn organized a sort of feast on what must have been the shortest possible notice. I insisted that Glorfindel sit next to me – just as Kelsey insisted that Haldir sit next to her. Afterward, there was dancing and some people sat around like wall flowers. But not Kelsey for once: Haldir swept her off her chair and dragged her onto the floor – gracefully, of course, so that no one but those of us closest to her would notice. Legolas was sitting moodily with the Hobbits, Mandy sitting at his knees, worshiping the step of the dais that he sat on. As for Glorfindel and I, we danced a bit, but then he went off somewhere with Erestor – the Johnny Depp elf.

I wandered over to where Elrond was berating his sons.

"What were you doing with that Palantir?"

"Uh . . ." Elrohir looked around for an excuse.

"We were going to give it to Nicole!" Elladan seized my wrist and dragged me over.

"Yeah, ask her why she wanted it!" Elrohir and Elladan fled.

Elrond raised an eyebrow.

I raised two (the one eyebrow thing is beyond me). "We'll enact a suitable revenge later."

"Of course. . ." Elrond seemed distracted as he pulled me out to the courtyard, "Nicole, I thought I ought to tell you, seeing as you were with Glorfindel at dinner, about him."

"Besides the fact that he's as nutty as almonds?" I asked.

"He was married, when in Gondolin."

I was quiet.

"His wife vanished just after he died though; my father said she must have been Maia – a very secretive one."

"I know about Gondolin." I told Elrond, "But a Maia . . ." I smiled, and then laughed and laughed and laughed.

Glorfindel and I were dancing again, trying to get close enough to Kelsey and Haldir to sneak a spoonful of butter into either one of them's hair. The only problem is that when people are dancing, they have someone looking each direction.

"I need to talk to you." Mandy said from my elbow.

"Just a moment." I swatted the spoon, and then gestured for Glorfindel to follow us. For a moment, Mandy looked like she might want to protest, but decided otherwise. "What about?" I asked when we were outside.

"It's about Legolas." Mandy sighed plaintively.

"What about him?" I asked as we wandered to the gardens.

"He's so perfect." Mandy ran her hand over a bush, "OW!"

"Well then don't run your hand over rose bushes!" I snapped – I wanted to get butter in Haldir's hair.

"Calm down, Nickel." Glorfindel laid a hand on my waist, steering me away from the dangerous bushes, which I was starting to edge toward. Some higher deity must be having fun with me right now, torturing my poor mind.

"Well, then why does this have to be so secret?" I asked, "If he's perfect, you can tell him yourself, because I'm certainly not telling him."

"But that's the problem, Nickel, he's an elf."

"And?" I asked, "So are you in case you didn't notice . . . sort of. That chemical reaction must have addled your brains too; you've never been so stupid before."

"Ha ha, very funny, it's all that perfectness that concerns me, he's always on time, well dressed, he's hot, he's polite and considerate, I swear he reads my mind-"

"He probably does, you know." Glorfindel interjected, "Not to worry you or anything."

"If you're reading my mind, Glorfindel-" I let the threat hang.

"You'll strangle me with a neck tie."

"I knew it!" I screamed, "You are reading my mind!"

"He just knows you too well, Nickel." Mandy pointed out, "which is the thing I'm finally getting to, Legolas is perfect and all, but his only fault is that just because he's going to live forever, he seems to think he can take forever to get serious."

"That's the usual thought on the subject." Glorfindel comforted her.

"Then why did you propose to Nicole after knowing her only two months? Were you dropped on your head as a child or is impatience a symptom of dying and being reborn?"

Glorfindel glared at her, "For your information, some people are lucky enough to know at first sight who it was Eru made for them."

I giggled, "Uh, Glorfindel, that 'love at first sight thing' is a symptom of your rebirth, back in the first age we were great friends!"

"Just friends?" Mandy asked.

I kicked her. Eru, the clichés were mounting, next thing you know someone would start nodding.

"How do you know this?" Glorfindel asked, "And were you around in the first age?"

"Oh, drat, I forgot to tell you . . ."

"Tell me what?' Glorfindel asked.

"Erm . . . We were married in Gondolin before you died.

"We're WHAT?" Glorfindel started hyperventilating.

"You're WHAT?" Mandy yelped, at the same time.

I felt the deity start to make me nod, "Elrond told me – though I already knew you were married."

"How does he know that?" Glorfindel looked rather horrified.

"His father told him."

"Why would he do that?" Mandy asked, trying to show her meager historical knowledge to the best advantage, "Glorfindel died before Elrond was born – so why would it matter."

Glorfindel and I glared at her.

"That's not what I meant!"

"I know." I dismissively turned away to go inside.

Mandy's PoV

I stared at Nickel's back, "Was it something I said?" I asked.

"She's been kind of tetchy lately." Glorfindel apologized.

I stared at him, "Firstly, where did you learn the word tetchy? Nickel doesn't say that. Secondly, you only just arrived today, so how do you know she's been moody – which, by the way, you're right about?"

"I just know." Glorfindel insisted, "And Elrond always says tetchy to describe Erestor when he's feeling moody – I think he picked it up from Estel."

"Oh, okay . . . who's Estel?"

Glorfindel stared at me incredulously. (A/N: I love the word 'incredulous'.) "Aragorn." He stated simply.

"Oh." I stared at my feet. "Hey, where are you going?"

Glorfindel gave me THAT LOOK again, "Inside, Nickel and I still haven't gotten butter in Haldir's hair."

"Go for Legolas's." I advised angrily, "He's preoccupied."

Glorfindel's inscrutable expression cracked into a grin, "Nickel would like that . . ."

Ah . . . revenge is sweet. But, that was enough of my petty notions. I peeked inside and was reminded forcibly of the Christmas Eve party in Rivendell – except this time I had no urge to set up speakers and crazy music. Singing softly to myself, I wandered down into the lower city – where the real party was.

Kelsey's PoV

Where'd Mandy go?" I asked, glancing over Haldir's shoulder to see Nickel and Glorfindel had given up on Haldir's hair and attacked Legolas instead.

Haldir swung me around so he could see, "You know, they are perfect for one another." He commented, "And Mandy is either lost, or angry at Legolas, because she's not brandishing a sword in attempted defense of him."

I glanced back over my own shoulder, "No, she isn't, maybe someone should drag her back here before she puts some strange music on."

"What do you mean?" We danced closer to the chaos.

"We had a party like this in Rivendell and Mandy scared all the elves with her rock and roll. It calmed down after a while, but the party more of less ended with Nickel threatening Elrond with a fork and spoon."

Haldir choked with repressed laughter. We had stopped dancing now, and were ascending the dais.

Nickel fled from a vengeful Legolas, engaging quite a few stares, "Kelsey, help!"

"Why should I?" I taunted, "You were going to do the same to Haldir."

"No, we weren't; we weren't!" Nickel was on top of a rather unsurprised looking Elrond – which was odd in itself until . . .

A flock of birds flew in.

"Those aren't birds!" Haldir exclaimed, "They're just feathers." He looked around at the quiet hall, "Right?"

But we were all staring – not at Legolas, whose head was covered in feathers – but at Elladan and Elrohir who looked like they'd been tarred and feathered. Elrond and Nickel, the leaning tower of conspirators laughed viciously. And the twins couldn't get revenge on their father. They glanced at each other and then at Nickel, who had stepped across to Glorfindel's shoulders where she sat happily drinking something.

"Anyone have a towel?" Elladan asked.

The whole crowd burst into laughter.

Nickel's PoV

"So why did you have to attack Legolas's hair?" Aragorn asked me sternly.

I stared innocently back at him. The Twins – still feathery -, Glorfindel, Kelsey, Legolas, Haldir and I were all in a side room at Aragorn's insistence. What he wanted was a quiet party. Yeah right.

"Mandy told me to."

"And you always do what Mandy says?" Aragorn asked, rolling his eyes at Kelsey.

"Well, I think about it, but when she has a good idea, yes."

Legolas moaned.

"What's up with him?" Elrohir asked, "It's just a bit of butter and feathers in his hair, at least he isn't covered."

Legolas glared at him, barely repressing his laughter – the twin did look ridiculous. He sighed, "Mandy told you to?" He asked disbelievingly.

"Yeah." I answered dismissively, "But I don't know why she didn't come to see the fun."

We all looked at each other.

"Mandy wouldn't want to miss a crazy party." Kelsey said slowly.

"She's not likely to stay where it's stuffy." I added.

The elves all stared at us.

"THE LOWER CITY!" We all yelled, running for the door, Kelsey, Legolas and I in front, the others following, leaving Aragorn staring after us with a rather bemused expression on his face.

The lower city wasn't necessarily bad, by comparison to modern cities; it was quite nice, actually. But the thing was, Mandy could never take care of herself even in the nicest of cities unless it was a Disney village and even then, she might get lost. We split up into two search parties – Legolas with Pastrami and I, and the Twins with Kelsey and Haldir – splitting up the city. Legolas checked one side of the street, while Glorfindel checked the other, and I checked the piles of drunk partiers we occasionally came across.

We finally found her in a dingy little pub that had a rather skilled band playing something that sounded suspiciously like a rather dirty song based on the Lay of The Children of Hurin. (Not recommended for small children). Mandy was drinking something that might have gotten her arrested back home, humming along and occasionally offering up new horrors for Turin to face – such as frying pans and spiders. I covered Legolas's eyes with Glorfindel's hand and plunged into the crowd. Somebody handed me a drink – I threw it on the counter as I dragged Mandy out into the warm summer air.

"Is she all right?" Legolas asked nervously.

"Huh? Oh yeah." I whacked Mandy with somebody's shoe, "She's just drunk."

"Note to Self:" Legolas announced, "Do not let Mandy near fermented substances."

"Or pipe weed." I added.

"I don't smoke." He bristled.

"But the Hobbits and Gandalf do." I pointed out.

"Hi, everyone." Mandy blearily realized where she was, "Legolas, where's my ring?"

He stared at her.

"My ring, Legolas, go make me one!" Mandy waved her arm and whacked him in the nose.

"Ignore her." I advised and began to drag Mandy back up to the citadel, "In fact, go tell the other group we found her."

Legolas set off down hill, while Glorfindel and I lugged Mandy up, me muttering about sassy elves and the negative effects alcohol had on people.

Well this was random