Kili prepared to spend another night camped by the river. He struggled with the ridiculously long ties on the Elf bedroll. He was about to cut them off when Rhavaniel interceded.
"Here, let me show you what this is for."
She spotted some appropriately spaced trees, and climbed up with one length of rope.
"These are meant to be tied to trees, to keep you off the ground." She jumped to the nearby trees, and secured all four corners.
"It does take a bit of practice." she told him. "We Elves do this for ourselves from when we are little, needing to nap without being underfoot."
"Jump up. I will steady you." she promised.
Kili threw up his weapons first, and Rhavaniel secured them on handy branches. Kili then climbed a tree and jumped across. The bedroll swung a bit, but Rhavaniel steadied them and he found his footing.
She secured him under the covers. "I do not want you to fall out. Elves do not thrash in their sleep the way you Dwarves do."
"I do not thrash!" Kili protested.
"Humor me, then." she smiled, "See, there are many Elf ways that can used by Dwarves with a little adjustment."
"Are you going to lie down for a while and pray or think or whatever it is that you Elves do?" Kili asked.
"We could talk until you fall asleep, and then I will stand watch." Rhavaniel suggested.
"I am curious about something, if it is not too personal to ask." Kili started. "You say you are a very good liar?"
"Yes, I am. What do you want to know about that? Do you want to know if I have lied to you? I have not." Rhavaniel offered.
"No. I am curious as to how you got good at it. My brother and I lied plenty growing up, 'I don't know who cut Uncle Thorin's beard in his sleep'...'The neighbor's rooster died of natural causes'...'Fili started it'... but my mother never believed me. How did you master it?"
Rhavaniel laughed hard enough to make the bedroll sway a bit in the trees.
"I am serious." Kili told her, "This is a survival skill that I am lacking."
Rhavaniel composed herself before explaining, "You are a boy, and as such, your lies are probably meant to cover actions that have serious consequences. I pick lies about little things, that spare people's feelings. I say things they want to hear, because it makes their lives a bit easier. I do not feel particularly guilty about that, so guilt is not carried in my expression."
Kili had lied to Rhavaniel about his ultimate destination when they first met in the Woods. He certainly had not felt guilty at the time, because the lives of the entire Company depended on secrecy. But in the following days, as he grew to trust Rhavaniel, he feared his secret would become harder and harder to keep from her.
"When did you figure all of this out?" Kili asked.
"Hmmm." Rhavaniel thought about it, "I was sixteen. I was supposed to go for the next quarter-moon to the home of my eldest brother, Máfortion, and his wife, Melima. I walked in to the kitchen. Melima was cooking a large batch of cakes with her sisters, daughters, and granddaughters. She turned, saw me and sighed 'so soon?'. I could tell that she wanted to take the words back. So, I laughed and said I came to get a nut cake because hers were the best and I was staying with a friend from school, as previously agreed. Melima was happy, and I got a whole nut cake to myself out of the lie. I wasn't lying about her cakes being the best. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Oh, and always mix some truth in with the lie! It helps."
"Seriously," Rhavaniel continued, "Was there not one lie that your mother believed?"
"When I was eight, my mother had a little girl. Her name was Isa. She was blond and blue eyed, just like Fili. Dwarf women are strong, but they start off very fragile. Isa got sick one winter when she was not yet two years old, and died. A year passed, and it was close to the time when Isa died. Fili was very sad about it. Mum comforted him, then asked if I was alright. I said I could not be sad because I had no memory of her. That was the only lie my mother ever believed - that I did not remember Isa."
"You were not lying to protect yourself - you were lying to protect your mother?" Rhavaniel asked.
"I wanted her to have one less thing to worry about." Kili nodded, "So I guess you are right. Maybe there is more to it, though. Maybe you have to want the lie to be true for it to be believable?"