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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.
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purposeful_glory
"Not a bit. You will need me if you want to get rid of it without substantially dismantling the building, though."
"Doesn't seem likely. We can pretend it's good stonework. Thank you, Loki. Have a good evening." He pauses. "Please let me know if you'd like to speak to the prisoner before you do so; you can of course speak to anyone else."
purposeful_glory
"I don't really have anything to say to her - wouldn't be worth it to go in just to say 'you idiot' - but I'll let you know if something comes to mind."
He nods. "Then rest well."
purposeful_glory
"Will do."
She sits outside, spellcrafting, until she gets tired.
She sits outside, spellcrafting, until she gets tired.
A few Elves watch her curiously, but most hurry anxiously by. The trial seems to be a source of stress. People also seem to be having long conversations about the contemptible nature of Feanorians within earshot of the Feanorians.
purposeful_glory
Well, that's repulsive, but she doesn't think she can profitably intervene. If nobody wants to ask her questions or get her to soundproof anything or say hi, she will just work and then sleep in the sky at the lowest speed she can maintain without active attention.
She'll do that; no one asks her to intervene.
The trial begins in the morning.
The trial begins in the morning.
purposeful_glory
When the sun's up she wakes and gets her bearings and zooms down into the camp again.
Nolofinwë opens by explaining that his primary goal is to determine what happened, his secondary goal to ensure that actions that serve the Enemy like this are punished appropriately, and thirdly to establish for the benefit of the injured parties that putting people in fear of their lives is always and everywhere unacceptable and should never be overlooked.
The audience seems to enjoy this.
The audience seems to enjoy this.
They establish first that Sarpalarë left the camp on a scouting mission, that she feigned an injury in order to leave her group, that a large bow was built and at some point vanished, and with Fëanorian testimony that she showed up far inside their territory at an angle from which one could attack their camp with such a weapon. Everyone looks unhappy, except Sarpalarë who looks very serene.
purposeful_glory
The fuck is she thinking. ...someone would definitely have mentioned it by now if the Enemy had got her and let her go.
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.
Sure, that looks useful. Can she confirm it's possible to make a shot from that location?
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?