Authoress Note: So, I want to thank all of you for your kind reviews/fave/follows, it helped cheer H.M. a lot. In fact he spun around in his chair every time a new one came in. So thank you, he's no longer in a depressed state. However, Kili has been little to NO help when it came to this chapter, so sorry it took a little longer to get up. But you know what? He stole my I-pod and refused to give it back 'til I wrote it. Gawd, that dwarf just likes stealing things from me... my writing, my life, my words, and now my I-pod... what's next? (ALL YOUR FOOD) NNNNNNOOOOO!
EnJoY!
Determined to find out what's happened to his knife, Dwalin stomps down the darken hall. But the intimidating effect is lost when he trips over a chair in the process. He mutters a curse only to look up and see Kili's horrified face in the darkness.
"There you are." He says, ignoring the lads' look of disapproval at the strong language and instead tries to regain his daunting affect coming to his full height. It seems to work a little when Kili has to cranes his neck up to stare at the Dwarf. He does so with wide eyes. But before Dwalin can asks anything, Kili takes off running down the hall making a sharp turn at the end.
Dwalin takes off after the imp, carefully dodging the chairs this time. When he gets to the end of the hall, he catches a glimpse of Kili, cheekily grin before running into a room, banging the door closed.
"Hey!"
"Kili?" Dwalin says, coming to stand by the door. He then grabs the door handle sharply, only for it to move and as he pushes slightly, the door swings open. Kili innocently walks out, acting like Dwalin isn't there. If he had meant to lock the door, it's obvious he failed.
"Hey, lad." Dwalin says, grabbing the boys' shoulder. The brunette allows himself to be turned, only to give Dwalin an impatient look. "Where's my knife?"
An eyebrow raised is the only responds he gets. Dwalin isn't one for games, but he knows how children can be, so he gets down on eye-level with the lad. "Kili,- that is your name, right?"
Kili tilts his head in thought, then after a moment he nods; sure. He smiles up at the tall dwarf.
"Right then. What did you do with my knife?" Kili frowns, and then shrugs.
Dwalin rings his hands, but he's still trying to be patient, so he asks, "What did you do with it?"
Kili just shrugs again, throwing up his hands.
"Look, lad-" but whatever he was going to say is cut short as a loud crashing sound is heard.
He turns to see what it was only to turn back and see the little tike run the other way. "Hey, come back here!" He yells, standing up.
He takes off running after the boy for a second time and finds himself in the living room. But Kili is nowhere in sight. Another loud '!CRASH!' is heard and Dwalin runs toward the sound this time.
But after several minutes of not finding anything a mess he can't figure where it came from. "Kili?" He calls, a little worried.
One more loud crash is heard and the dwarf runs in the direction of the sound, again. He realizes it's coming from the kitchen and right when he's standing amid the doorway he sees Kili, who is covered head to toe in flour. The brunette shakes his head, but to little effect as he in thoroughly caked in the substance. He tries to wipe it out of his eyes, but it doesn't really work, as his hands are a mess with it, too.
At first Dwalin is too shocked to do anything, except stare at the lad in disbelief. But when Kili tries and fails to wipe away the powder, Dwalin wakes up. "Here, here." He says, swiping a towel off a nearby chair. He then bends down and carefully begins to wipe away the flour. After he's done dusting off the brunettes face, Kili begins to giggle.
Dwalin stares at the lad a second time, unsure if maybe the boys' hit his head. "What's funny?" He asks in his deep accent.
But this of course only makes Kili laugh harder.
"What would your uncle say if he were here?" Dwalin mutters the question as he shakes his head and brushes away the flour on the lad's chest.
But Kili goes completely silent at this. Dwalin looks up at the boys' face, surprised at how white it looks even after been cleaned off. Kili turns big eyes on the older dwarf, and Dwalin can see plain horror mixed with pleading. "What? What's wrong?" Dwalin asks, feeling a sudden need to protect the boy from whatever might come.
The lads much smaller hands grab instantly at Dwalin's much bigger ones, pulling him into the pantry where Dwalin just stares at the sight in front of him. The pantry is a mess with suspiciously familiar-looking colorless powder, decorating all food, selves and dishes in a brilliant white. Dwalin then swears in Khuzdul, only to be whacked on the leg by Kili, who glares up at him.
"What happened in here?" Dwalin asks, ignoring the strike. Irritation muddled with realization is on the older dwarfs face as he looks down to the rug rat. "Kili, what did you do?"
Kili then turns big brown eyes up to the warrior, his look begging for understanding. Melted-chocolate meets sky-gray and Dwalin feels the frustration seep out of him at the intent stare from the dwarfling. "Now lad..." He says, trying hard not to give in to the manipulation he feels slowly closing around his heart as Kili almost has him wrapped around his finger. "...We're going to need something to clean all of this up with." He says giving up the fight; unqualified to deal with this.
The boy smiles, ducking back out of the big larder. He comes back soon enough with a broom and rags as Dwalin is slowly setting things back into their respective spots. They spent close to an hour making the place pristine; Dwalin not wanting to have to deal with Thorin's ire about the incident; Kili working quickly, fearing for his hind.
"Right now," Dwalin says gruffly, as he leans the broom against the stonewall. "when do you think that uncle of yours will be returning?"
Kili though doesn't see it for the question it is and starts to fear that even after the hour of clean up he would still be thrown over a lap and-
He didn't want to finish that thought as he could still remember the sting of last time. So he stared up at the tall dwarf; expression a mix of desperate pleading and horror.
"What?" Dwalin says, seeing the rough emotions on the little one's face. "What?" He repeats, as the look doesn't fade, if anything it gets intenser. "We cleaned up the mess, you don't have to worry about that." The boys' face cools slightly and Dwalin realizes what the lads problem was as he continues, "I'm not going to tell yer uncle if that's what has got you so... scared." Dwalin finishes lamely.
The lad smiles brightly up at the tall dwarf, relived that he was on Kili's side. He then sighs content in the knowledge and walks out of the room; Dwalin following close behind, fearing that another mess would show up if he didn't keep a close eye on the lad.
But nothing terrible happens, in fact it's all completely normal as they walk in to the living room. The only thing being the fire that has died down considerably and Dwalin soon sets about making it right, as Kili lies down on his stomach on the big rug.
When Dwalin has completed his task, he sits down next to the boy.
After a moment he tries to peer over the lad's shoulder. Kili is coloring on a piece of paper with the different assortments of colored wax close by, but quickly stops and covers it abruptly, turning to glare hard at the older dwarf. Dwalin frowns deeply at the boy, but restrains his interest and looks away.
Kili though continues to stare at the older dwarf for a moment longer. Determined that he isn't going to try and glimpse a look, Kili goes back to scribbling again, but soon flips the paper over; complete or bored with it. He then slides over; sitting opposite to Dwalin, with the paper and wax between them. He looks up to the older dwarf expectantly.
"What, now?" Dwalin asks, when he notices the look.
Kili jesters to the materials, in an attempt to include the warrior.
Dwalin realizes the effort, but he isn't about to do something so childish as... color. What if someone got word of it? The Great War hero; the great Mr. Dwalin himself, coloring? No. No, the lad wasn't going to win this time. He was not going to color, nope. But before Dwalin can say anything, the lad's eyes stare at him so innocently and curious that the older dwarf can't help himself.
Besides, if who would ever know?
He sighs; caving and lays down on his stomach, mimicking the position of the lad, grabbing a small colored stick and starting on one end while Kili begins at another.
And that is the way they stayed for the rest of the night, turning one page after another; 'til they both got very sleepily and feel asleep on the big rug.
~TO BE CARRIED ON...~
Authoress Note: I know, an abrupt ending. But what can I say? I got classes in the morning and my insomnia got the better of me and I've been working on this chapter for far to long. However, next chapter we will see some Fili and Thorin; just take a moment and imagine them walking through the door to this. Opps! I've said to much. -er *wrote. Whatever. You know those reviews are what make the cap happy so please send them in before HE steals the keyboard. Altho he is much nicer about it.
123petmaster: I love this. I think I shall use it as a title for something. Because we all know that is what he is ;).
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR REVIEWS/FAVES/FOLLOWS. I hope the second chapter lived up to expectations.