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Tumunzahar makes Menegroth look like a contract project. Which, the Dwarves assure her, it was. The stonework is astonishingly careful and beautiful, silky to the touch up close while from a distance it gives the impression of stretching on forever above, a sky of stone with crystals for stars. Vast natural cave systems are connected by dozens of perfectly smooth, gently sloped broad stone pathways from which the fall, if she fell, would be several miles down. There are handrails. "We use those to move materials carts," someone explains to her, "we're not going to be reckless."
There's an amphitheater, a place where a hundred of the stone walkways twine around to create space for a hundred thousand people to sit in close proximity, and someone is giving a lecture or a demonstration at the base of it, the seats closest to him filled with eager, tiny, bearded Dwarf-children.
And they spiral down, and down, and down, past waterfalls and egg-sized gemstones left half in the rock and halls of crystal. Everything grows gradually more ornate and more perfectly maintained and the clang of hammers fades behind them. "People say," her guide says, "that we only have a council instead of a single King because there were nine winners of the competition to design the throne so we couldn't just select one person to sit it." And they push open the doors to reveal, indeed, nine thrones so elaborate it would be hard to choose between them, and nine squat bearded people sitting them.
Her history comes up around midday; she was unmarried, had a parent and a sibling die on the ice, nothing unusual. She has not been captured or released by the Enemy, that would definitely have been mentioned.
purposeful_glory
What is up with the creepy serenity. She isn't rigged to explode, is she? Planning to get herself executed and go meet Parent and Sibling in the Halls of That Fuckhead?
Loki can make it look like her eyes are aimed steadily at Nolofinwë while her gaze flicks around to check for other incongruous expressions.
Loki can make it look like her eyes are aimed steadily at Nolofinwë while her gaze flicks around to check for other incongruous expressions.
Artanis looks unhappy. That's not very incongruous.
There are two identical twins on opposite ends of the crowd, identical down to the hair and clothes, one looking happy and the other carefully disinterested.
Findekáno looks unhappy for probably a different reason than Artanis.
There are two identical twins on opposite ends of the crowd, identical down to the hair and clothes, one looking happy and the other carefully disinterested.
Findekáno looks unhappy for probably a different reason than Artanis.
purposeful_glory
...Loki tucks images of the twins complete with facial expression into her illusion notebook. Might be nothing, but it's weird.
And then Sarpalarë gets to explain what happened.
She came back to camp, realized that her hand wasn't that badly injured, and set out after her group again, grabbing the nearest weapon. Somehow she got lost, and was found close - but not that close, she couldn't have made the shot, the accusation is absurd - and explained to everyone she was lost and they refused to believe her.
It is a ridiculous story. Nolofinwë looks exasperated.
She came back to camp, realized that her hand wasn't that badly injured, and set out after her group again, grabbing the nearest weapon. Somehow she got lost, and was found close - but not that close, she couldn't have made the shot, the accusation is absurd - and explained to everyone she was lost and they refused to believe her.
It is a ridiculous story. Nolofinwë looks exasperated.
purposeful_glory
If anybody looks like they want Loki to confirm that she saw the shot made from the very location Sarpalarë herself said she was caught, she will.
purposeful_glory
Loki stands up. "I spoke to Sarpalarë when she was in Fëanorian custody and asked her to show me where she had been when caught. Tyelcormo later showed me to that same location, and hit a one-inch target I left for him on a door inside the camp from there with the same bow."
This causes a stir.
"Well, Tyelcormo," someone says loudly. "He could probably make a shot from anywhere on the mountain-"
Nolofinwë glares this person into silence.
"Well, Tyelcormo," someone says loudly. "He could probably make a shot from anywhere on the mountain-"
Nolofinwë glares this person into silence.
purposeful_glory
"I am told he's an exceptional shot, yes. But most vital organs are more than an inch in diameter, and recently shot people are not at their best advantage in getting out of the way of a second or third shot."
Sarpalarë spends the rest of the afternoon steadfastly denying that she realized she was that close to the Feanorian host.
purposeful_glory
Maybe she swore something to someone. Maybe she can't do other than what she's doing. Could be the calm of choicelessness.
Suspicious twins status?
Suspicious twins status?
One still there. One not. Not everyone in the host is, though; some people have wandered off to guard duty.
purposeful_glory
Hrm. She doesn't have anything to accuse them of besides creepily dressing alike, anyway.
And maybe that's a trend among Quendi twins, because there's another pair, again quite a distance apart.
She hadn't met any previously, but how many Quendi has she talked to? When evening comes Nolofinwë gets tired of asking Sarpalarë questions and declares an end to the day.
"Hey.
Why the fuck not just say it? 'I wanted to shoot Fëanor, so I took a bow and did it?' This way, we're all looking for accomplices, for crazy conspiracies, for someone keeping her silent. That way, half the crowd would be applauding."
Why the fuck not just say it? 'I wanted to shoot Fëanor, so I took a bow and did it?' This way, we're all looking for accomplices, for crazy conspiracies, for someone keeping her silent. That way, half the crowd would be applauding."
purposeful_glory
"I have been thinking about that all day." That and, is it customary for Quendi twins to wear matching outfits?
"If she asked Father to understand I think he would. This helps no one." I thought Telufinwë was dead?
"That occurred to me. But taking an oath not to confess to something you did is honestly stupider than shooting my uncle." Fëanaro's youngest two sons are the only twins in all of Valinor. They did sometimes dress alike but Telufinwë is dead, so when would you have seen them both?