Hawke stood near the side door of the Pony under the shelter of the covered porch, most of the cold night wind not reaching him. A sudden movement coming up the stairs caught his eye, but not soon enough. He had about two seconds to see the Banshee, and recognize her, and then she's got her armored forearm shoved against his throat, slamming him back against the stone wall.
He hit the wall hard and dropped his cigarette with a pained grunt. "Wha...the fu--" He was having difficulty speaking, unsurprisingly.
Xandilif smiled, her face a few inches from Hawke's."Whatcha sneakin around for, Hamster?
The young man reached up to grab her arm and try to pull it away from his throat. The metal of her armor was so cold it almost burned his fingers. "Not sneakin'," he retorted, unsure whether to grin or spit in her face.
The Champion of Dol Amroth eased back with her arm..."Yeah...so you say. So the Monk says you wanna go out and see the world, maybe grow up a little...about fecking time."
Hawke breathed a little easier when the pressure to his throat eased off, but he resisted the urge to rub his neck with his hand. "Somethin' like that," he confirmed. The first shock over, this was about the kind of greeting he'd expected on Xanderian's sister arrived in Bree, remembering his previous meetings with the champion.
Xandilif nodded slowly. "Well...ok....but something might EAT ya." She made a snapping gesture with her mouth and laughed.
Hawke grinned suddenly. "It would prob'ly regret it."
"Yeah....maybe...maybe not." Xandilif smiled. "Drink, Hamster?"
The young man nodded readily, always up for a drink. "Sure. If ye stop callin' me that."
The Banshee nodded and was already on her way into the Pony. "'Whatever you want, Hamster" she called back over her armored shoulder.
When Hawke joined her at the bar, she was already drinking a mug of grog."You want a watery ale like most of this rabble, Hamster?"
Hawke snorted. "Whiskey, an' stop callin' me that."
Xandilif nodded and shouted. "BARLEYBUTT....Whiskey for the Hamster here. Cheap stuff is fine, ain't like he knows the difference."
Hawke opened his mouth to protest and then just gave up as his drink arrived. From the look on Barliman's face, he was no happier with the new arrival than Hawke was.
Taking another long pull of Grog, Xandilif ordered another and looked at her companion appraisingly. "Rian says you have been beating the training dummies two out a three bouts now...impressive."
Hawke bristled, "Ha bloody ha. I been trainin' fer sure.'
The champion nodded. "So she figurin to take ya off to Rivendell, so a whole different class of folks can treat you like dirt?"
Hawke nodded. "Aye, that's the plan."
Xandilif smirked..."Yeah...that will go well. I think she is out of her gordamn mind.."
As they spoke a dark man swung the door open and stalked into the Pony, beelining for the bar. His gait was none too steady. Both Hawke and Xandilif noted him but ignored him.
Hawke shrugged. "Ye lived there, so she pulled some favours I guess an' thinks it's where we should go. I ain't lookin' forward to being sneered at by Elves."
Xandilif laughed and slapped her metal gauntlet down on the bar. "Hamster, you will get the best part of that deal. Neither me nor Rian get along well with our fecking peers or play well with others, ya may have noticed that....but this thing with Cyndwin has got the Monk runnin' scared. Scared enough to run home.
Hawke brushed some of his hair out of his face. "Aye, I know it."
The man who had just arrived seemed to be hungover. After snatching up his cider, he turned to the heavily armored elf. "Pipe the f*ck down, won't you?"
Xandilif took a pull on her grog and smiled, facing the man. "'I am sorry, when it is time for a Breeland monkey to speak to me, there are people in line in front of you, wait yer fecking turn."
The man weaved slightly. "I didn't have to wait for anything, I have my drink right here."
"Then bugger off." Hawke hissed, hoping to head off what he felt coming.
The man focused his bleery, now angry eyes on Hawke. 'No.'
The Elleth was getting annoyed. "If ya got it, then drink it while ya still got a jaw...'
The man tried to stand up taller. 'I'll drink it when I feel like it.'
Xandilif smiled, "Be my guest, monkey" and casually slapped the glass out of his hand
Hawke mumbled under his breath, having hoped to avoid this. "Shite." The man spilled what was left on the elf's armor as Hawke hissed 'Well done, now yer both arses."
Xandilif looked down at the wine running off the steel and just smiled. "Easy there Hamster, I promised Rian I wouldn't kill any of these dung monkeys. Of course, this one would look funny without arms..."
The man looked even more hungover, trying to focus. "Strange fetish."
The Champion laughed. "Monkey, you have no fecking idea. Go gamble the rent money, cause this is your lucky day. You get to live until tomorrow."
Across the room, a tall elven man leaned close to his hooded companion. "I will be back, forgive me a moment." He stood and moved to the bar, "May I ask why you are raising your voice in a place meant to hold peaceful conversation."
Xandilif rolled her eyes..."Ah great....here's Uncle"
Hawke was quick to intercede. "No one's shoutin'. This drunk just needs t'go nurse 'is cider and 'is headache somewhere else."
The man, looking for support, mumbled. "That elf spilled my drink..."
Crossing his arms, the newcomer stared at Xandilif as if Hawke were not even there. "You should be a better model of your kin rather then of the cursed maker of the jewels. His temper ended him, make sure yours does not do the same."
Now growing angry, the champion turned to the obviously much older elf. "Look, I ain't your "Kin" Uncle, and as for Monkeyboy here, I didn't spill his fecking drink, I knocked it across the bar."
The elf narrowed his eyes, a sense of superiority surrounding him like a cloak. "No, I would scoff to call you my kin. The only kin you have is Feanor himself and I wish you well in your endeavor to be like him."
Hawke shot the elf a look. He wasn't sure what the tall elf was talking about, or why it seemed to redouble Xandilif's rage, but he was seeing for the first time what Xanderian had described, the arrogance and attitude between elves. Rivendell was sounding less and less pleasant. "Oi, Banshee, y'done playin' yet?"
The champion sighed. "Goddamn Rian and her fecking promises...C'mon Hamster, lets leave Uncle and this farm monkey here to get touchy feely with each other before I show Uncle what kinslayin' really means. Maybe I am my daddy's girl after all. Enough of this...We got serious matters on hand."
The two walked out of the Pony, leaving the others at the bar, staring daggers after them, each for their own reason. Hawke sat on the edge of the frozen fountain. 'Y'shouldn't start fights if y'can't or won't finish 'em.'
Xandilif shrugged, her rage dissipating. "Blame Rian. Now that we don't have to worry about the Monkey and that pretentious Noldo sack of shite...What do you make of the Shieldstrumpet?"
Hawke arched a brow and tilted his head. "I take it ye don't like it much. Xan already said y'don't believe Cyndwin's story."
The Banshee shrugged and looked across the courtyard. "I already had a chat with her...but answer what yer asked Hamster...what do YOU make of her? Figure you spent most of yer worthless life with liars and sneakthieves, you'll know one when ya see em"
Hawke bristled again, feeling suddenly protective of the blonde girl who had welcomed him so kindly. "I would, aye, an' I don't think that's what Cyndwin is. Whether or not somethin' 'appened that she can't explain or doesn't want to, I don't think she's a bad person. Or means any ill-will."
Xandilif shrugged and sighed...."Yeah, I figure so...anyway, ain't no way she could of hid from Rian for a year if she had just gone off to be the company's sweetheart or whatever. Anyway, what would Rian care, and she knows that....'Something is goin on that I don't get, and I don't like...but I don't figure Cyndwin is lyin about it..and that scares me but good."
Hawke raised his eyebrows. "Somethin' scare ye? That really must mean trouble."
Xandilif looked up at the frozen moon, troubled. This was a side of her that Hawke hadn't seen before. "Anything that I can't explain scares me...seen too much of that, in too many nasty spots. I know Rian thinks the little idiot will be safe in Imladris, but I ain''t so sure. And ain;t no sign of the Forgewench in Bree yet?'
That lost Hawke for a moment. "The wha---Oh, y'mean Fille? No, think she's still travelin'. Hawke hadn't met Fille yet, and he seemed slightly anxious about the whole company that was forming up.
Xandilif spat. "It is takin her too long...Course, she might just be being careful. Her daddy is dead as dreams, I outta know...but it still might not be safe yet. Bastards like that got long arms. Rian says the Bree Guard are takin' Dol Amroth gold and the Guilds in Dol Amroth tend to meddle too much where they don't belong.
Hawke glowered, Dol Amroth striking a nerve. "They sure don't belong 'ere."
The Elleth nodded. "I agree...and they sure as hell ain't doin' it for the best interests of King nor Prince. Trouble is Imrahil is busy elsewhere and Lothiriel has got enough on her hands...she ain't watching what mischief the Guilds or the Swan Knights get up to, or who might be making a splash they shouldn't."
Hawke shivered at the mention of Lothiriel, for whatever reason. "Well that's above my 'ead, and most other folks."
The Banshee shrugged. "I suppose we would ask the Princess if she knows anything about some business in Bree"
Hawke stared. "How we gonna ask a Princess of Gondor anything?"
Before Xandilif could answer, Finchley waved to Hawke from across the courtyard. The champion smiled and tilted her head as Hawke waved back to the dark haired girl..
"Who's yer little sweetmeat?", she asked.
Finchley strode over, all smiles as usual, '"Hello, Hawk! And... friend of Hawk?"'
Hawke shot Xandilif a glare, though it was half-hearted. He didn't actually want to make the Elf angry in front of Finchley. "That's Finchley." he muttered under his breath. "Be nice.'
Xandilif spat and looked injured. "I'm always nice..."
Hawke and Finchley made pleasantries, as Xandilif watched, finally smiling broadly at the young man and punched him in the shoulder, rocking him slightly. "You are gettin as bad as Rian...too many damn playmates, Hamster. They'll kill ya young."
Hawke wobbled, refusing to let Finch see how much that punch hurt. He smiled at the newly arrived girl instead. "Can never 'ave too many friends. Oh, Finch, this is Xanderian's sister."
Xandilif smiled more broadly, her eyes sparkling., "Friends, is that what they call em in Bree now? I usually call em..."
Hawke glared and coughed, and the Elleth stopped and laughed again.
Finchley glanced to the elf and smiled. "I knew there was somethin' familiar! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
The Champion looked Finchley up and down, then looked back at Hawke. "This another one of the Monk's?"
Hawke glared harder." No, now shut up will ya?"
Xandilif looked Finchley's trim, petite form up and down again."You sure?"
The young man opened his mouth but Finchley cut him off. "The monk? Who's the Monk?"'
Hawke would have elbowed Lif if she weren't wearing heavy armor, thus risking his own limbs. "Just 'er name fer 'er sister. 'Lif likes t'give names, just like Xan does."
The girl smiled. "Ah, well, as Hawk here said, I'm Finchley. Just Finchley. Or, anything you like really."
Hawke groaned, "Don't tell 'er that, you don't know what she'll call ye.'
Xandilif smiled slowly. "So you know my sister, Sweetmeat?" Hawke smacked himself in the forehead.
Finchley nodded and laughed. "Aye, a little. She calls me 'Small Finchley' often. Never thought I was overly short until then. Then again, all of you are quite tall."
Xandilif smirked, smiling at her laughter."Does she now, the little idiot. Just a matter of goddamn time then."
Watching the strange elf, Finchley suddenly remembered the terms Xanderian had once used to refer to a sister of hers and it slowly started to all click in her head. "Time for what?" she asked, a little nervously.
Xandilif smiled wide and winked...."You'll find out, Sweetmeat."
Hawke rolled his eyes and did elbow the Elleth this time despite the risk. The armor made a thump noise but the Banshee didn't seem to notice as she looked back at Hawke "Is this one coming to Imladris too?"
END PART 1
