Long Lost Leaves

[Mari]

Ellysa easily evaded the seemingly wild slash from Borin. She'd practiced evading for years now and she was confident that she would not be touched by any ordinary person.
Borin came at her with some more precise slashes, as though he was testing her defense. These were still easily avoided.
She wondered how good the dwarf was if he really tried... Could he really break through her defenses?

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

"All-right!" shouted Borin as he backed off a little from Ellysa. "No more Mr. Nice dwarf!" He jumped, flying through the air at increadable speed, but Ellysa was faster. Borin hit the ground with a harty *thump*. Whe Ellysa came over to see if he was okay, he rolled over, spat a large mouth-full of dirt out of his mouth and said- "Ugh. Let me try that agian!" And so, he did. And the result was the same. After numorus mouth-fulls of dirt, Borin waved his hand. "All-right all-right! Enough of that! I'll just stick to normal sparring then." He got up said- "Where's the ale?" and fell down, dazed. Ellysa came over to see if he was okay, and he was. "Have you ever seen a more beutiful sight?" He asked, looking up at the stars. "And, if you don't mind me saying so you got two things goin' fer ya, madam." when she asked what they were he replied-" One- You're fast. Realy fast. And two, if you don't mind me saying so, you're a nice person.."

[orithil]

Hedrim looked around at the group and took his sword out, he came up behind Abasi and plunged his sword into the ground next to him. He sat down and began sharpening it, he looked into the sky and sighed. "So don't quite like their company do you? I don't really either. I figure you should never have to rely on anyone, otherwise its to risky...people are always trying to back stab you?"

[Curufin]

Abasi made no movement other than to raise an annoyed eyebrow at Hedrim.

'No, I have not had that problem,' he said stiffly.

[orithil]

Hedrim rather lost for words "Er...ah yes of course, so why is you don't like to..." he paused searching for the right word "converse with the others?"

[Curufin]

Abasi looked back at his finely made dagger, and continued sharping it.

'I see no need to do so. It is not that I dislike it, only that I see little purpose in it. Friendship indeed I have known in years past, but there is no way back to those years.'

He paused, and gave his dagger one more sharpening, before putting the stone away and sheathing the blade.

'Your leader. He is...h'van...I believe you say, wise...but I do not know him.'

[orithil]

Hedrim relaxed slightly "Yes Radagast is indeed wise, and you have a rather interesting story yourself" Hedrim decided to continue "So what do you think of the other elf, if i'm not being to bold to ask?"

[Mari]

Ellysa looked at Borin in surprise. "Thank you good sir."
She looked up at the stars. "They do not tell you about the future, or the past. Nor can they teach you something or be useful in any other way then for their beauty. Yet their beauty is all one needs to feel at ease."
Suddenly she remembered she was not alone and she blushed a bit, though it was hard to see that she did.
"Thank you again for the sparring match, but if you don't mind I'd like to finish the basic figures I started." Ellysa smiled and bowed, before returning to her practice. Her bo moved slowly at first, but the figures she made became more advanced, making it seem like the bo was leading a life of its own.
At the end of her practice, her mind was empty and she was ready to join the others again.

[The Sasquatch of Fangorn]

Borin was still dazed from falling over and over agian. "My people, on the rare occasion we see them, can tell the futre from the stars. They say that they also tell stories. Look!" he said pointing at a constolation. "That grouping of stars tells the story of Bilbo Baggins."

[feawen]

"Bilbo?" Nami said looking up from her work. "I met him once. It was after the battle of the 5 armies, in new founded Dale. Very nice he was, funny little fellow!" Nami went back to her work, but not before having a quick look at Ellysa. "Are you ok? You look a little tired." Nami smiled kindly from Ellysa to Borin and back again. "What have you done to him, he looks a little worse for wear!"

[Mari]

"I'm fine, thank you. I have been slacking off lately and not doing the whole routine, so doing it now took a bit more of my energy than it is supposed to." Ellysa looked at Nami and wondered how old she was. Then she looked at the others in the company and wondered what they had seen in their lives, what stories they had to tell. She liked listening to stories.
"May I sit with you?" Ellysa asked Nami. Nami nodded and Ellysa sat down, taking out a piece of wood and a knife and silently started carving in it.

[feawen]

Nami sat silently with Ellysa for a few moments. Ellysa was looking at Nami like she wanted to ask something. Nami cast her a side ways look and smiled while she selected a new bit of wood to space. "If you have a Ellysa, you can ask it, i dont bite!"

[Mari]

Ellysa felt quite busted. She let the silence continue for awhile before breaking it. "Well... if you don't mind me asking... how old are you? You said you were at the founding of Dale. Can you, uhm, maybe tell me something about it?"
She quickly added: "If you want to, that is."

[feawen]

"I'm sorry i didnot mean to sound funny with you. Of couse i will tell you anything you want!" Nami smiled and thought back. "Well, lets think how old am i?...erm...i was born at the begaining of the second age, about a 100 years into it, so im not that old really. I was at the second founding of Dale in the 3rd age when Bard killed Snung. I was at the battle of the five ages, in the back ground though, firing arrows! It was at the end of this battle, after everyone had huged and made up! That i first met Bilbo and of couse Gandalf! The elf lord of Mirkwood hadn't really been very nice to Bilbo and the drawfs so he had helped to rebuild the old kingdom in the Iron mountains and help rebuild new Dale. They were some good partys! We needed it! Times were dark and soon they got darker with the coming of the shadow over the land. Good food, good wine, good company! Although we lost many good leaders in that battle."
Nami looked up at the stars and back at Ellysa. "Is there anything else you want to know? Oh there was the time once when i was in my teens, well as far as an elf can be a teen! When i thought i'd go and explore some as the old paths of Mirkwood, far from the well trodden pathways. I got lost for days! Was kinda fun really! Oh and then there was the time when i was about 50 and i fell out with this elf that lived nearby and was about the same age. We had a massive fight, we didn't talk for a 100 years!"

[Mari]

Ellysa chuckled. It wasn't hard to imagine the cheerful girl running around in the forest.
"Those are wonderful stories. It reminds me of baba telling stories in the evenings near the fire. She knew a lot of those, many stories of the North. I still wonder where she learned them, for we lived far from the Northern people. Thank you." She continued to smile and looked at the little figure she had roughly carved.

[feawen]

Nami smiled. "Thats ok! i like talking about the past. The longer you live the more you forget! And all the older elfs want to talk about is war and the first age. Its interesting and all that, but sometimes its like they look down at you course your not first, second or third generation elf. Its not by fault i wasn't born!" Nami gave a little cheerful laugh, "All the older elfs are moody. Lighten up!" Nami looked at the little figure in Ellysa's hands. "Who's Baba? If you dont mind me asking?"

[Mari]

"I don't know really. She appeared out of nowhere and took me with her from the village I was at. She saved me. We traveled for a while and she taught me many things, told me many stories. Then one day I woke up and she wasn't there anymore. She left me some of her things, many memories and even more questions. But don't get me wrong, she wasn't kind. Not in her manner, nor in her teachings. She cared for me nonetheless, and I cared for her."
Ellysa had been staring into the fire, but at her last words she looked back at Nami and smiled. It amazed her a bit that someone asked her to tell a story, but with this group a lot of things which previously had seemed inconceivable now seemed not so strange.
"Do you think Radagast can find our bearings before tomorrow?"

[feawen]

Nami listened to Ellysa's story, she wondered why this Baba had taken her from a village and what had she taught her? Nami thought it best not to ask at the moment. Instead she laughed and replyed. "Im sure the master of maps will find where we are! Ive noticed no ones asked me where we are and i live here! Come to mention it..." Nami looks around herself a little, "I think i got lost here once!"
Nami set the last bit of wood down, then with quick, praticed figures she started to wind bits of twine around the feathers to attach them to the shift.
"Really" she carried on, "As you get older you dont mind getting lost, it kinda breaks up the years! Sooner are later you find your self, anyway we cant really get lost! I know where i am, im here under this tree so im not lost!"

[Curufin]

Abasi paused before answering Hedrim's question.

'I do not know that it is my place to feel one way or another about him,' he said slowly and carefully. 'He is what he is, and anything above that is not my concern. My concern is with weapons and combat, not with interpersonal relations.'

[orithil]

Hedrim was slightly annoyed but also impressed with this answer "You are indeed wise yourself. I shall return to practicing" Hedrim stood and walked off to begin practicing. The beginnings of a plan were forming.