Walking up the street to the house where she was renting, Adriellyn peered into the lengthening shadows stretching across the yard. Had there been landscaping done? She altered her path a bit to get a better view as she approached. Indeed, there were differences in the yard, though she'd need tomorrow's daylight to be sure of just what had been done.
Forewarned by that change, she was not so shocked as she might otherwise have been when she stepped inside. Still, she stopped in her tracks and looked around in surprise. After a few moments to take it all in, she commented to herself aloud. 'I reckons, wha' with all the comin's and goin's o' folks, I shouldn' be s'prised she got so many Rohirric thin's in.' Another look around was followed by a soft chuckle. 'Though, after wha' she writ 'appent with the las' tenants, I ain' s'prised she din' let nobody put in a fire-pit.'
She finally moved, looking about the rest of the house, and was faintly saddened to realise that it was ready to let out to more people now, just as she was about to be leaving on an extended journey. 'Mebbe I better see to gettin' my thin's into storage somewheres after all, just in case whoever else rents 'ere ain' so trus'worthy.' She sighed heavily as she let herself into her little room on the side. 'Tha's just another problem t' be solvin' afore we takes off, an' soon.'
She undertook the process of removing her armour as she thought about all the things she still needed to get done before leaving for Lothlórien and points beyond. As she finally got the last few pieces removed, her thoughts turned to her journalling, and whether she was ready to write about more of her past just yet. That train of thought was interrupted the feeling of a familiar presence against her mind. She rolled her eyes and attempted to affect an annoyed tone, despite her lack of audience, though the soft smile gave away her fondness. 'Why can' she knock like other folks?'
A quick peek past the curtain usually covering her window answered the rhetorical question. The elf might have needed to announce herself with pressure from her fëa against the young woman's mind, as she was controlling two unfamiliar horses. She had a light-coloured one under her, and a greyish one on a lead.
Adri waved to her friend before letting the curtain fall back into place and diving into a heavy robe for going back out. Emerging from the house again, the young woman eyed the horses as she exchanged greetings with Andrelanor, and they fell to conversing in Sindarin.
'Those look like fine beasts. How was your trip? And how is Cwynbur?'
'They should be. It was as good as one can reasonably hope for. She seemed to be fine, and in good spirits. In anticipation of your follow-up questions, there is still no sign of Breden. She continues to wear the ring he gave her on a chain about her neck, but no longer places it on her hand when the day's work with the horses is done. Her staff are definitely all staff, and not suitors. This appears to be the way she's keeping things.'
The young woman nodded as she considered that news. 'She's doing better over him than I am over Wendy, I suppose – though there's really no reason by now to think he'll ever come back.' She sighed. 'Of course, with no word at all, Wendy probably isn't, either. But I still have to look for her, just in case.'
'Of course you must. For all the odds are poor, your sweetheart was not a simple Bree-land woodsman and hunter, but a far-travelling shield-maiden. She had combat experience, and well-trained horses of war. The situations are not the same.'
Adri nodded with another sigh. 'Yes. True enough.' She shook her head. 'How much do I owe you?'
The elf laughed, accepting the change of subject. 'Nothing. Your guess on what she'd take in payment for your steed and tack was accurate. I might have owed you some back if I'd showed her that young man's pendant first.' She stopped briefly, questioning herself. 'He is young, isn't he? Even as Men count such things? It's hard for me to be sure, even now.'
'He is.' She nodded to reinforce her words. 'He may be a year or two younger than I am.'
An answering nod came in response. 'Speaking of him – as I already hinted, Cwynbur rather liked that pendant. This is for him.' She reached across to the other mare, and extracted a fairly bulky leather bag from a pannier, tossing it to the woman.
Adri saw the heft of it as it was thrown, and was careful of how she caught it. Between its weight and the nature of its jingling, she estimated the worth. 'Almost again as much as you already paid him. Four-fifths, I think. In silver this time, rather than in gold.'
'Indeed. While you two were quoted a price in gold coins for the Beorning tolls, that's not a form of coinage that's easily spent around here. Neither does the horse-woman much receive it, even for her combat-trained stock. You are, of course, with your nefarious experience, correct as to the amount.' The last part was added in good humour, the elf's grey eyes twinkling even in the gloaming.
A pearly grin accompanied the answering giggle. 'It's a bit much to leave out for him when he should be in bed already. I left Rascal in those other stables, since I expected you sometime tonight. I figured that the goat needed some additional care before burdening Leoffrith with looking after another horse like this.' She looked behind her, where the house blocked her view of the makeshift shelter she'd been using for her mount. 'This mare needs to stay up there, and not here.'
'Quite so. And while she's well-trained, she's combat-trained, with the usual spirit. I recommend riding her with footwear, even for you.'
The scout chuckled as she nodded. 'I'll stow this bag inside, then, and be out shortly.' She moved to act on that, disappearing inside without waiting for any answer.
The horses were content to snack on the lawn, and the elf was in no particular hurry. It wasn't all that long before the young woman returned, even so, better dressed for riding, and with an apple to offer to her new steed.
'Considering her colouring, and when you arrived, perhaps I should call her Twilight?' She stroked the mare's muzzle while letting her have the apple, taking a bit of care in getting to that point, as one does when getting acquainted with a horse.
A throaty chortle came from the elf. 'I've been calling her that. Cwynbur had been calling her something with the same meaning in her tongue.'
'I guess that's settled, then.' Once the mare was done with the apple, the woman mounted up, not quite simply leaping into the minimal saddle, but not giving the horse a lot of opportunity to make it difficult. 'To Hookworth, then. While you may not need to sleep tonight, I still do.' She chuckled softly as she set the horse in motion, and Andrelanor tossed her the lead.
'Indeed. And even on a new horse, I'm sure you can still talk and ride.'
The tow-head laughed as she guided her steed along the path. 'I can. You know what I've been looking at for routes already. Our provisions are coming along nicely. We should be able to travel very soon now.'
They discussed further details and plans as they rode, and exchanged mounts for the scout at the stables up on the hill in Hookworth. Despite having warned Leoffrith earlier in the evening that she'd be taking Rascal home after delivering her new horse, she chose to pause long enough to write out a sign on a page from her scouting-book, and then to affix it far enough out of the horse's reach that it wouldn't get eaten before someone could see it. She wrote it out in both Westron and Sindarin. Her penmanship was still much better in the latter, but that was present only in case Leoffrith needed help from Ramield with deciphering the former's 'Hello, my name is Aduial – that means Twilight.'
