Everlong

60

Jumping onto another branch and running quietly along it, she listened to the breeze shake the leaves slightly. The wind was growing steadily chillier, she had been feeling it the more they had furthered on. But now, now the cold was nipping at her cheeks and nose. Frowning when she caught sight of smoke from a clearing, she huffed quietly. Her breath came out in a small plume, so the orcs too had stopped for the night. She tilted her head and continued on speedily. They did not have too much further to travel, for both parties that is. Esgaroth was looming ever steadily closer, and the closer she got the more Liruliniel's stomach started to twist.

She didn't feel sick, just, nervous perhaps. The last time she came here she was a child, pretending to be a guard. Because that was what she was then, though inducted into training, like heck was she a guard. She could just about hold a sword and block attacks. Her speed was the only thing she could rely on when fighting Oropher, and even then he outdid her. The strength in his attacks had her spiralling, that much she remembered. But she stood her ground and was allowed to come here.

She disliked Esgaroth the first time. She couldn't say she liked it anymore now that she was seeing it with adult eyes. The houses were still too close, roofs touching and slouching and the houses below looking like they were sagging. Everything just looked...worse, so much more rundown with time. This town had not seen kind years, nor been well looked after it seemed. She winced as she managed to hop and jump over what seemed to be a toll gate of some sort. Raising an eyebrow, she couldn't help but shake her head. That would only deter vessels on the icy waters, not those within the trees surrounding the town.

Getting in was easy, of course it was, she was quick, and she was quiet. Her boots didn't make a sound as she ran along the roof tiles, the terracotta colour looked very weathered underneath her feet. She stood there, on someone's house with her hands on her hips. She breathed steadily, catching her breath a little as she looked about herself. It didn't seem to have change, truth be told. The icy waters were still just that, clumps of ice drifted in amongst the small bridges and wharfs of the town, these bridges and wharfs still connected parts of the town to each other. The houses, well, though she hadn't ever been in one still looked close to collapse despite of the cosy warm glows from the windows. As she crouched down, she could see into the window of a house opposite, a roaring fire, though small, was burning away in the hearth and a family seemed to be crowded around it.

Liruliniel smiled, the small child looked rather joyous about something before her father picked her up and placed her in his lap. Leaning her elbow against her knee, she placed her cheek against her palm and just watched the simple, yet comforting sight before her. She was aware if anyone else saw her, they'd no doubt be rather creeped out. But she was caught by the sight of the comfortable family that she felt herself sigh. It was content. When was the last time she truly felt content? And all it took was a child's apparent happiness over being in her father's lap that did it.

Liruliniel may aesthetically dislike Esgaroth, but it was these people's homes and they didn't deserve to lose that because of a dragon. She knew what it was like to lose a home, and it was jarring. There was no need for this little girl to have to lose her home, or life because men were perhaps too proud to put in place a plan to get out. She clicked her tongue, if she remembered rightly, Oropher had said the Master he met with was shrewd, calculating and unkindly.

Her mouth pulled downwards, was this a normal thing? A normal trait even? Liruliniel tilted her head and shot to a stand, there was a ruckus more in town and she was naturally drawn to it. Liruliniel's boots hopped and jumped, her form easily cleared the gaps between some of the houses. Her sea coloured eyes looked downwards when people were starting to come out of their homes to also see what was going on. She took it this wasn't a normal thing? Some carried torches, others seemed to still be dressed for bedtime. Liruliniel's stomach did another twist, oh...she had a very bad feeling here.