What's up What's up My Friend! How's the summer going for you? Hot? Busy? I can relate. I KNOW I haven't updated in a while, so I hope this chapters makes up for it.

The next day, Alicia was awakened with a rapping at her door. "Miss Alicia? Tis time to get up. I've a meal that will be ready in a few minutes." Nadhia's voice beckoned on the other side of the door.
Due to the yawn, Alicia couldn't form a nicer responce than, " Eeaaaaaaaaahhh..."
Nadhia opened the door gently enough to peek her head through. "I'll take that as a yes?" She mused.
"Uh huh. Yes I'm getting up thank you." The human stifled another yawn as she clumsily sat up. The islander smoothened down her hair, just dressed and made the bed. She ventured towards the kitchen, greeted by the sounds of dishes clanging, food cooked and grumbling voices.
Gimli was already seated at the table, excited about something.
Nadhia came to the table with a large bowl of something that looked similar to oatmeal. Alicia rolled up her sleeves. " I can help."
Nadhia waved it away though. "Nonsense. Come and sit."
The human did as bid instead. She wathed Gimli with sleep amusement. " You're in a good mood."
"Aye! I've been waiting for this day all week." Gmili said. " I'm going to face Rosk. He's the best axe weilder in my class. I'll be the new champion from this day forth!"
"Oh? Well then. Show him how it's done then, champion." Alicia humored.
Gimli beamed so proudly. " One day can you show me more about that double broad sword you mentioned?"
"Yeah, sure thing." Alicia agreed when Nadhia set down a platter of ham, bacon, and buttered rolls.
Gimli smile as he helped himself to the served food. Another door was kicked open and in came Gloin with his arms full of chopped wood. He stacke it on the metal plate and dusted his hands. "That should last the rest of the day till I can chop more." He smiled at the three before cleaning his own hands.
"You got splinters in your beard." Nadhia said to him, making him look down so that she could flick his nose.
"What?" ALicia giggled when she saw that. "I didn't know anybody still did that." She continued to smile at Gloin's mock pout.
"Oh no trick is too old for my wife to try and pull." Gloin mock grumbled.
"Someone has to keep things lively in this house." The mother retorted.
"Yea." Alicia agreed comically.
"No no, don't you encourage her. Or you too may find your toes rubbed with oil." Gloin said.
"W-what?" The islander cuoldn't resist.
Nadhia had an innocent smile on her face. "Ah yes. That was a classic. Gloin can be a sound sleeper. If you rub oil around a person's toes while they sleep, their bodies will try to rub it off all night long. They'll wake up feeling tired in the morning not having any clue why. But watching them wiggling about at night is hysterical."
"No it's not." Gloin replied.
It was too late though, Alicia shoulders were shaking with boisterous laughter. " I gotta take note of that." She said after finally sobering.
Gloin shook his head at it all until after they had finished eating. " Alright, let's get you to work then."
She led him to the large farm where she worked, the place just startign to come alive with workers.
Casting a side glance over at Gloin, he looked about the place and grunted once, as if giving his own odd approval. " A good day to you lass." He greeted.
"Yes, thanks for the escort." She replied, earning another grunt. It was hard to tell if that was a 'you're welcome', or a 'now stop bothering me' grunt. 'you're welcome now stop bothering me' maybe.
Gloin turned about and sarted back the way he had come, not a man to waste time. 'Dawdling' was what she had learned it was called by the co workers on the farm. Funny word that was, it sounded too close to doodling and made her think it was associated with random art. She giggled aloud to herself, going on to work on the farm again.
She actually was ahead of schedule on her farmwork, so she went to go to her second job as and errand boy.
On her way to the office as the errend boy, she noticed her emplyer was swamped with work. Head down and hands flying to either write stuff or sort stuff. The minute she walked in he is head bolted up. "Oh thank Eru! Come boy I've got a list of tasks for you today!"
She wasn't sure if she ever saw him so, enthusiastic for anything. He must really have been swamped, becuase Alicia had never before seen him move about so briskly. "Here. deliver these to the tailor down the road. these are letters that go to the mayor. this parcel is for the folks down by the town square. And this goes to the house down the other side by the butcher's shop."
Alicia barely was able to grab all of them at once. " Uhh.." she droned out quietly. The man got the message though and found an old throw over bag to suff them in and hand back to her. With that she bolted out the door to quickly carry out her newest tasks.

Alicia planned her route in her head. The mayor was the nearest, so she could start with him, and just loop around to the tailer and the butcher. Excellent! Quickly she paced down the road, pumped at wanting to get everything done in record time. 'I got this. I'm fast!' She encouraged herself as she weaved through the streets and crowds. She had memorized all the important places. Alicia tried to wave at Oin in his shop when she passed by towards the butcher, but he was much too engrossed in his work to even look up. She snickered to herself. " I could have had a jelly bomb and threw it at him."
She would probably never actually do that even if she did have one. On her home island, there was a treat one could buy that looked like squishy jelly balls that one could squish on breads or the like. She hadn't seen them here thus far though. She passed by a floral shop and saw these beautiful gerberas of a magenta color that reminded her of Nadhia. Wouldn't that be a lovely little house gift?
Once she was busy running around, she was nearly worn out and slightly winded rom errend after errend, but the man paid her properly for it. So she went to the floaral shop to buy them. One coin for the potted plant. easy peasy. Maybe if she still hurried she could sneak it on the table before Nadhia noticed, aaaaand maybe her own little prank...
In her haste to get the erreands that The old man had given her, Alicia didn't stop herself in time to preveny from crashing into someone. The person was also carrying a large crate in his hands, and it smacked between the two, causing tools an things to drop and him to lose his balance as he fell back on his rump with and audbible 'Agh!" A few things, including a sheet had blanketed her and him.
"Oh dear. Oh my." Alicia scrambled over to the man to se if he was alright. Hammers, small axes and a few other tools were scattered about, concerning her. She pulled the sheet off the man's head. " Oooooooh there's an axe coming out of your face!" She mildly panicked. The poor man had got injured by one of his own tools and it was all her fault!
He groaned as he sat back up, grmbling in some incohereant speech. Alicia rushed to his side. " Ah here, don't move too much. I know a healer. Let me go fetch him real quick. Just stay still, he's not far." Alicia was talking a hundred miles an hour. She'd pay fro the damages but first she had to make sure she wasn't paying for a funeral. She helped him to a sitting position, then rushed off back down the street to their house.
"Oin?" she came in through the door of Oin's bussiness. "Oin I need help!"
The dwarf straightened up from his hunched over position. " Hmm? what is it lass?" he raised his ear trunpet.
" A man is hurt! I ran into him and he's got a terrible head injury." She summarized, nearly out of breath.
Oin's face was pinched in concern. "Eh? A hut's got a head injury?" Oin lifited his ear trumpet.
"No a man!" Alicia repeated. " I hit a man and one of his tools is stuck on his head."
"What?!" Even with his trumpet OIn still looked at her like she wasn't making any sense. He could see the urgency on her face clear on her face though, and so scooped up his medical satchel
"What kind of injury?"
" A blade is stuck in his skull." She said as she sped down the street, Oin right on her heels.
"Shouldn't you be telling his family of their loss then?"
"He's not dead yet!"
"Is he in shock?" Oin asked, deciding to just roll with it then.
"I don't think so. He was dazed and I helped him to a sitting position before getting you." She said pickig up her pace. Alicia veered around the same corner, just time slow enough to make sure no one was there. " he's just around here." Only, he wasn't. Alicia gaped. Even the mess had been cleaned up. "Where did-? He was just here!"
Oin looked about the ground. " I see no blood.." His head lifted as he sniffed, then turned to a small stand that had wares set out for sales. He walked over it and knocked on the counter. From around the corner came a bright eyed and smiling dwarf with a pipe held between his teeth. "Hullo there Oin. Fancy meeting you here." He smiled a broad smile at the healer. " Here to see about my poor cousin?" he grinned as made a pointed look at Alicia's way. It confused her, maybe even a little offended her, that he was smiling like he was if it was really his cousin.
The grinning dwarf pulled out his pipe and called over his shoulder. " Oi! The lass is back and she brought Oin!"
Out came the injured man she had bumped into, moving about as if nothing was wrong at all. Except, there was still an axe in his head. Alicia blinked at him, rounding on Oin with that shocked look.
"Aye." Oin hummed knowingly. "This is Bifur. Don't worry you didn't do it. He's had that axe years before."
Alicia's mind was just blown.
it took her a second to recover. The other dwarf started chuckling again, catching her attention. "Aye Miss. My cousin told me what happened. He can't speak the common speech so he couldn't tell ya before you ran off see."
Alicia heaved a slow sigh of relief. " Well this is embarressing." She said, earning quiet chuckles from the others. "Glad everything's okay though." she smiled apologetically to Bifur.
The haggard dwarf smiled a kind smile back to her. He said something again in that gutteral voice that she now knew was an actual langauge.
The other dwarf nodded. " He says yer kind for concerning yerself with him. Ya see, most folks don't come back when they run away from him. Oh! I'm Bofur by the way, at your service." He stepped away from the bar, taking off his hat to do a flourishing, sweeping bow.
Oin grunted and turned to excuse himself. "Oh wait now, since you're here, maybe ya brought something for his headaches?" Bofur jumped back to the counter.
" Not on me laddie. I'll have some ready tomorrow." The healer stuffed his hand in his medical bag and pulled out a pouch to hand for Bofur while he traded t with coin. "Oh aye then."
Oin waved idly, nodding once to Alicia before leaving. Oin was never a guy for wasting time. On the bar though, was her plant she just bought with half the flowers missing. Bifur plucked off another head easily, examining it in his hand.
"Are those my gerberas?" Alicia pointed at them.
Bifur froze, looking up at her like a kid cuaght with an extra cookie.
"Ah yes. Eh my cousin is, well, he likes to eat flowers ya see.." Bofur scrambled over to try to save the rest of the plant from his cousin.
Bofur smiled back at her. "If I may have the pleasure of knowin' your name?"
"Oh yes! Alicia. a pleasure to meet you both." She smiled with a small bow of her own. Did she really just forget to introduce herself? How silly.
Bofur rested his chin in his hands. " Alicia. A pretty name that is." he said.
"Why thank you." Alicia replied. On the table had things she wished she had more time to view, however she was in the middle of another job. "Sorry about the trouble and all. I have things to do still so I must be off." Alicia stepped back from the stand. She did turn to Bifur, waving goodbye to him.
Bofur lifted his chin up as if snapping out of a day dream. " Oh yes. Good day to you!"

Alicia was more trying tot run away from her mortification than trying to catch up with ther duties right now. As embarrassing as it was, it also fasincated her in a morbid way. She didn't have as much time to think on it once she arrived at her next stop. SHe was quickly tipped and left for the next list of errends. There truly did seem no end to them today.
Near the evening of the day she was nearly out of steam, now walking much slower than before. On the birght side, she made a killer in payment!
Alicia passed by what looked like some training grounds for various activities and classes. In the middle were seven young adults all male, half were dwarves and the other human.
Alicia watched them as she walked on by, wondering what they were about until she saw a familiar red head.
Gimli!
He was being held back by two other dwarves, a very angry snarl on his face. Uh oh, a fight?
"You must think yerself real entitled now dontcha'?"
"Just cuz yer father's one of the Thirteen, you gotta come an' bully us.."
"My father has more honor than yours and your da's lives together!"
"Oh ya getting mad now are ya? Well go on then turn into a beast!"
Alicia passed the small gate, making a 'B' line for her friend. In doing so she made a cursory glance around the place...Where were the coaches or trainers?
Gimli was the first to see her approach. he blinked in surprise and shrugged the others off to get to her. The way he planted himself in front of her was a clear indication that he didn't want her getting any closer.
Everyone's attention was on the two of them temporarily. Her gaze roamed over them as her own face went stony. "What?!" She grunped in a challenging, manly demeaner. She was getting better an better at the male inpersonation.
The dwarves smirked or snickered in bemusement, the humans snorted or frowned.
"Let's go." Gimli muttered, flicking his wrist as an ushering gesture.
She cast one last cynical look at the group, before pivoting to go back the way she had come.
Gimli easily following her, and once they were far enough away she risked a glance at him. Her poor friend's face was still in a steely stare as he stomped alongside her. She couldn't tell yet if he was willing to talk about it, so she decided to just ask and find out. " What was that?"
"Squabling!" Gimli scoffed. " Blunderheaded squabbling."
"And you were going to retaliate in starting a fight?" Alciai asked with raised brows.
She watched his cheeks turn a subtle shade of red. " They were talking about Da." He grumped.
"Why though?" She frowned. " Why would they say all those random things?"
Gimli's face looked even more pouty. It made her heart ache at seeing it. "Tell ya what, let's get something at the bakery and talk there. My treat."
The young dwarf's face relaxed a little. "I could go for a treat."
Alicia flashed him a smile. It didn't take long to find the bakery. Tantalizing smells coming from the shop.
They found a lonely table that provided them semblence of privacy and shade while they enjoyed the day. "So.." She started. "Do they even know your father?"
"They know of him, and not all of it true." Gimli answered.
"I saw other dwarves there. Ar ethey of like minded opinion?"
"Similar aye, not as open about it. They see my da as practically an outcast."
"What? Why?" Alicia gawked. That was a little hard to believe. She always found him to be a kind man. His whole family in fact were good folks. Was that a bad thing?
Gimli leaned back in his chair, releasing a small sigh. "Da gets much more disdain than the norm. Uncle Oin would too but becuase he's a healer, more people tolerate him better. People are much more wary of us becuase of our relation to the king."
"Relation?" Alicia encouraged him to elaborate.
"Aye. We are cousins to Thorin Oakenshield. My da was one of his best treasurers and a member of the Company." Gimli went on, leaning his head upwards to watch the sky.
"The Company...of Thorin Oakenshield...I heard that before." Alicia muttered to herself until realization finally dawned on her. " Wait so he really is on eof the Thirteen?"
Gimli's head had swiveled to watch her with an odd glitter in his eyes. Like a subtle cross between a threatening glare and pensive confusion. "Aye. So is Uncle Oin." he affirmed in a quieter mutter.
Alicia herself, was too confused to take whatever he was trying to say with his eyes that seriously. "I've heard it so much around town like they are people to fear but, is it a bad thing to be one of them?"
"No it isn't. In fact, it's an honor. Well, it was and should still be." Gimli corrected. "It's just, things have been happening since they left the first time to reclaim our home. Ma and I stayed behind here of course. Under the Princess Dis's rule, rebel dwarves started making illegal moves. They had been planning it for a long time becuase it took a few months to realize what was really happening." Her friend paused to see that she was still following him. " Two rival gangs had gathered enough power try cause one problem after another to make Princess Dis and her line look unfit to rule anymore. King Thorin and the others coming back empty handed certainly didn't help either. We all tried going back to our normal lives, using new industrial projects and trade aggrements to even distract us from the failure. Then, odd accusations pointing to The company of Thorin Oakenshield started happening. They were being blamed for things that were not their doing. By some unfair means, Father lost his job. Ma and Da agreed to move to the town here once Uncle Oin's shop was complete. We then turned it into more of a house and have been making a decent enough living here as a merchant."
Wow. That was an unexpected coconut to the head. The islander was silent, soaking in this newfound knowledge. That was a sad tale and she could only imagine how hard it must have been for Gloin, a real family man, to suddenly be unable to support his family in the way he'd never thought would be compromised.
"And the rival gangs? Have they been stopped at all?" Alicia picked at her pastry.
"The king has been trying to do everything at his disposal to flush ou the rats. But as I've said, they've been planning this for a very long time. They've gotten crafty. And now the people here have this name for us and look upon us like playground bullies." Gimli snorted and ate his last morsal.
"Being a leader is tough. Why would anyn want that responsibilty?" The islander asked.
"The fame, the riches, the power to do whatever you want." Gimli answered raising his brows.
"I guess so. But I can do whatever I want now too." She mused.
The young red head had a smile on his face that died before it had much of a chance.
She did not at all like seeing him so gloomy, even for a guy who was naturally grumpy. "Let's put it behind us for now shall we?" She hopped up. " Let's see if your family needs any help with anything before dinner."
Gimli followed her back home with little improvement to his mood until they reached the house.
"You know, maybe we could do something to spruce up the house more too." The islander spoke.
"What? Sprce it up?"
"Yeah like, make it look nicer, or homier." SHe smiled down at him.
Gimli pursed his lips. " Homey how? What's wrong with it?"
"Nothings wrong with it per say. but maybe doing something about the mud at the sides. Maybe a paint job, somethig to look less, dull." She offered.
Gimli stared at the place as they got closer. " I guess so. You don't plan to girl it up on me do you?"
Alicia snickered. " It is not 'girling it up' when you decide to add color."
"But you're going to add bright yellows and pinks. The place will smell like cheap perfume." Gimli teased.
"Oh please." she smiled. " Do I look like I like to throw up pink all over the place?"
"You could if you got thte chance. You'll make everything look all cute." Gimli jokingly accused her.
Alicia rolled her eye in good humor as they entered the house, welcomed by Nadhia and Oin bickering at each other comically. Nadhia tapping Oin's shoulder with a ladle in some chastising manner, and his face looking like some pouty old man.

Huzzah! As requested, I've added a little of what is going on for the dwarves. I can't put everything though it'll ruin the fun of suspense and guessing. Still, I hope to hear your feedback, thoughts, opinions, concerns, etc. It's what helps keep me motivated to write. You are fabulous!