Long Lost Leaves

[Aikanáro]

'I am called Tabrîl,' she said slowly, a peculiar stress on the name, tah-BREEL, and then she shook her head. 'But that matters not. I have given you warning, I suggest you heed it.'

She wasn't comfortable around these people, not in the slightest, and for a moment she wondered if she had done the right thing in approaching them. Yet it was done now, and if this elf, whoever he was, would not listen to her? She could not say that she had not tried.

[feawen]

Nami turned around at the sound of something approaching. For a moment her fear of the underground was forgotten and her bow begain to raise. On seeing it was an elf and hearing her warning she turned, a little too excited to Radagast.

"You see, you see, random elf says not to go underground, im with her, lets go home and have tea!"

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf laughed mutely, and couldn't supress a slight giggle. 'Random elf'. Indeed, her appearance before them had been nothing less than random. They all turned to Radaghast. What did he think of this foreshadowing warning uttered by the appearing elf?

[feawen]

Nami cast a quick look at quickleaf. Did he just laugh at her? Who cares there was no way in middle earth she was going down in that dark, damp, lifeless dark! Nasy images of slow, lonely and a dark ways to die entered Nami's head.
Nami eyes wided as she let out a small wimper.

[Aikanáro]

Tabrîl glared. 'I amuse you?' she asked, a flash of anger in her eyes. That was the way with these people, these outsiders. You could go out of your way to help them, and all they would do was mock you. She should have known better. 'Do as you will, then,' she told them.

She did not turn to go, however, but merely folded her arms and stood there, stubbornly.

[Mari]

Ellysa looked at the ordinary cheerful elven girl. She didn't look good. A bit worried she walked over to Nami and put her hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright?" she asked Nami with a soft voice.

[feawen]

Nami jumped a little as Ellysa put her hand on her shoulder. "What! Im ok! Really really ok! Kinda. Yep, Uhm, im ok. Really!" Nami sounded more like she was trying to convince her self than anyone else.

"Dark, deathfulled undergroundness not a problem!"

[Coffeehouse]

"Our apologies stranger, but we are not making fun. We have travelled long today, are fatigued, and are prone to bursts of amusement being in this less than cheerful place. I take your advice seriously. But, what is it that you are telling us exactly? Do you live around here?"
Quickleaf watched the elf carefully. He wondered what had brought her out in the open, seemingly unarmed, to warn us.

[Aikanáro]

When the question of the whereabouts of her home was raised, Tabrîl immediately tensed. That, she was not about to discuss. Momentarily, her hand went instinctively to the hilt of the blade she carried, concealed by her voluminous cloak. What reason could he have, to ask such a thing?

'You have travelled,' she answered, 'long enough and carelessly enough that anyone or anything within miles knows of your presence. And this place,' she gestured about her at the ruins, 'is a place of evil. I sought only to discourage you from going further. Life - any life - should not be wasted so senselessly. It surprises me that none of you knew not to come here.' She gave a slight shrug, that was explanation enough, and far more than she was required to give.

[Mari]

Ellysa looked intensely at Nami. Her looks softened a bit before she spoke softly to Nami, so no one else could hear: "If we really have to go down, please hold my hand. I don't want to be alone down there."

She gave Nami a small reassuring pat on her shoulder before turning to look at Tabril.

[feawen]

Nami blinked and smiled at Ellysa. "Thank you." She wispered back, Nami know full well that the comment was ment to ease Nami's own fears, which it did a small amount. The thought for that dark place fightened Nami more than anythough she could think of. Nami had felt fear before but this was different, this stole Nami of her reason and sense, and it took ever bit of her will not to run away back home to the safeness of the trees and sky.

[Coffeehouse]

The elf was shying away from the more direct questions he posed to her. She was clearly hiding something, or at least unwilling to disclose who she was. That in itself was not strange, but her words were painted with reservation.

"This place that you speak of is indeed no friendly place, but as a company with a purpose and mission we are, whether we will it or not, obliged to seek out what we need to know here."

Quickleaf looked at the rest, then continued speaking to the elf,
"I am Quickleaf, of Greenwood forest. I am no stranger to these parts. The greens all around have been my home for many years. Do not worry about the paths we choose or how we go about them for we have as many ears through beasts, birds and friends as we have enemies."

He paused, let his words sink in;
"Yet our enemies we can clearly identify, and even though they cloak themselves in darkness we can feel their presence. But what is more curious is what neither seems outright friendly, nor hostile. You have yet to present yourself."

[Aikanáro]

'If you could truly feel their presence,' she retorted, 'I daresay you would not be here, purpose or no.' This elf, Quickleaf, he unsettled her with his words, with what seemed almost veiled accusation. She had no need to present herself further. She had given her name, she had stated her warning, and if he and his companions persisted in what seemed folly to her, that was their own affair.

'I will not trouble you further,' she told him then. 'If as you say, I need not worry for you, then I have no purpose here myself.' Not that she had ever been worried, not for these strangers - but her thoughts were something akin to that, even if she could not put a name to them.

[Mari]

"Quickleaf, what is going on? I couldn't understand." Ellysa stared at the new arrival with a lot of interest.
She made a few hand gestures, common in her lands, as a sign of acknowledgement, not knowing if the woman would understand it.

[Earniel]

Radagast was slightly confused, he was expecting the Elves of Lórien that had guarded Dol Guldur's underground entrance to show up, not a unknown Elf with a difficult to place accent and a foreboding warning. Where was that dratted Rámil and his cousins?

"Madam," he said, choosing his words carefully. "Forgive us our somewhat questionable welcome, but we were expecting to meet friends of Lórien here. We thank you for your warning, we shall not tread carelessly on these grounds, but tread here we must. We do not seek to bother dark memories that may remain, but to find something dear that is long lost and whose whereabout we can only learn here."

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Borin took off his glasses and looked up to see an elf standing there. "Why, hello there! Welcome to the group! Radagast, the tunnels should be completely safe. If they're anyting like this door-way. But still, we should exercise caution whilst we are in there."

[orithil]

Hedrim who had been quiet till now decided to speak "Radagast if you need me to go down the tunnels I shall, I can recognize traps if their are any" he looked at the newly arrived elf then looked away again. He got off his horse and came and stood next to Borin at the entrance, he peered in through the blackness, he sighed slightly "Well its not the nicest of places to be sure" Hedrim said "Yes I will go down their I have been in places like it"

[Coffeehouse]

Quickleaf looked about curiously. Would any more creatures come about speaking of dire warnings or dark foreshadowing. He found it odd that this elf, whom clearly had been following them from the shadows, cared not to be more open. If she truly was here to help he wondered what was keeping her from disclosing, outright, whatever she knew about this place.
He opened his flask of water and drank some, quenching his thirst.

[Acalewia]

Aelfwine listened to the exchange in silence. This new Elf was strange. She had lived in Rohan all her life; the only outside contact was with Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli. This Elf's accent was different from Legolas' and the Elves she traveled with now. She wanted to ask her motives, but decided against it. Instead, she turned to Radagast.
"Will I be of use in the caverns? My fear of the going into the passages I am willing to overcome. I am no warrior, I have no talent, but direct me as you will,"

[Willow Oran]

Haldis was examining Tabril, intrigued by this stranger who spoke warnings as though she were a native of this wood, yet whose accent was nothing like that of either the elves near her home further north or of those few elves of Lorien whom she had encountered by chance in recent years. Still watching the elf, who was as intently watching them, she said softly, "With your leave Radagast, I would speak more with this would-be guardian. If she is of an unknown group of neighbors or if they know of a lingering threat here that we have missed, I must find out on behalf of Grimbeorn. I will wait for you here."