From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 17:24:16

*is just on his way out of the palace after some sort of one-sided conversation with Elu about tardiness and possible demotion that he didn't really listen to*

*spots you right away* I can perform the search myself if you'd prefer it.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 17:28:30

*puts her hands on her hips* No strip-searches, Mablung.

*smiles at you anyway* How are you? How's being the boss suiting you?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 17:31:01

*smiles a little too* Suits me perfectly. I've been getting action like you wouldn't believe.

*politely* In town for the races, Cúthalion?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 17:34:46

*arches an eyebrow* And to think the only action I used to get was you.

You're looking well. Considering the stress of the job.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 17:37:41

*inspects his nails* Perhaps I've just learned to use the position to its full advantage?

*laughs* Stress? Ohhh. Right. You mean stress. *shrugs* I manage. It's not as high-impact as being a diplomat, I suppose.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 17:43:36

As far as being a diplomat goes, I think Hithlum must be the lowest-impact place in which to practise. *shakes her head* Really. Fingon has practically given me the keys of his office, you know? And his secretary is positively delightful.

*looks at you through narrowed eyes* Well. When are you going to invite me for coffee? I don't have all day.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 17:49:12

When are you going to invite me for coffee?

*rubs the back of his neck* Um. Seeing as I just got chewed out by the big cheese? Maybe next year sometime. *sheepish grin*

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 17:54:53

*tries not to look too crest-fallen* *is totally oblivious about how easily her expressions can be read*

Oh. Okay. Another time?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 17:58:19

*tries to be strong and pretty much completely fails within seconds*

*throws an arm around your shoulders* Aw, fuck it. I'll tell him we were in conference or something. *looks at you closely* All right, marchwarden?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:01:49

*rests her head against your shoulder* I'm OK. A bit homesick still, I guess.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 18:04:59

*simply* We miss you too.

I hope you don't mind the walk. The best coffee in the city, as you know, is far, far away from Thingol. Far.

*sticks his hands in his pockets* *shifting gears smoothly* There's got to be a better way. Can't you just teleconference with Fingon in this day and age? Or something?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:08:37

*laughs and pokes you in the side* You coward. But, yeah, the further, the better. The Noldor are so amazingly peaceful these days that he's not going to enjoy the reports I gave him.

*bites her lip* I'm sure I could but there are times when I'd just like to be a marchwarden again, you know?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 18:13:59

You coward.

*nods in complete agreement* That's me! One hundred percent yellow-bellied.

*diplomatically* I guess it's just a question of which times outweigh the others then?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:16:00

*giggles and tickles your side* Yellow-bellied? I never noticed.

*falls silent for a moment* Well, so far? Delving is winning. As much as I like the fresh air in Hithlum, it's not my home.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 18:19:20

*shrieks like a girl and cuffs you good-naturedly*

*clears his throat and considers you very seriously* Nobody would hold anything against you if you came back, you know. Maybe Not even Thingol. Everyone knows I'm irresistible.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:29:04

*grabs your wrist and twists your arm behind your back* Play nice now. *releases you and cuffs you round the back of the head*

Who says you're the irresistible one?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 18:37:02

*shields his head with his arms* Don't beat me just because you can, you bully.

*stares at you in mock horror* Wait. I'm not??

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:38:54

*plants a noisy kiss on your cheek* Just showing you who's boss, darling.

*steps away from you and laughs* Oh, oh no. Did I hurt your ego?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 18:41:29

*reaches for your hand* I'm wounded. Fatally. Come on. You owe me a real kiss for that.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:43:12

*takes your hand but places the forefinger of her other hand over your lips* Do I?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 18:46:44

*wraps his other arm around you* *playfully kisses the tip of your nose* Yes. You do.

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 18:54:01

*nearly walks right into you, having had similar thoughts of coffee*

*smiles at Beleg as though he'd expected to see her (which of course he did, if not quite this early)* Don't I know you two from somewhere?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 18:56:14

*spins away from Mablung and smiles at you, tucking her hair behind her ears* I don't know. Do you?

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 19:01:04

*bites his lip* Hmm. Looks like Beleg.

*wraps you up in a perfectly warm hug* *cheekily* Feels like Beleg.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 19:02:40

*closes her eyes briefly and murmurs quietly, so that only you can hear* You'd know, of course.

*pulls back from you* *raises an eyebrow* Well. Will I pass?

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 19:06:07

*sappy grin* *deadpans* I think I'll need to see some shooting, actually. Didn't the real Beleg have a quiver fused to her spine or something? *looks at Mablung for confirmation*

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 19:07:27

*steps back and looks back and forth between the two of you*

*wide-eyed* Whoa whoa whoa. Whoa. How cunting long has this been going on then?!

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 19:08:21

*looks at you, startled* What?

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 19:10:57

*blinks* Huh?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 19:13:51

*continues gaping*

You... *looks back at Beleg* ...and you... Wow. Ahahaha wow. Seriously, guys? After all those ages of being really boring?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 19:20:14

Boring? Who's boring? What?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 19:22:44

*laughs and shakes his head* I could just flat-out tell you it's really obvious that you're fucking, but I kinda like watching you squirm. *shakes his head again* I can't believe you guys didn't tell me.

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 19:25:02

*shifts his weight to his other foot* *awkwardly* We didn't mean to not...I mean it's not like we...we just didn't think about...

Wait. What?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 19:33:26

*gravitates towards you, instinctively* Uhm?

I didn't tell him.

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 19:36:50

*head-scratch* *really can't recall having kissed you in the middle of the street or anything*

*bewildered* Well it wasn't me!

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 19:37:55

*slings one arm around your waist and the other around Beleg's*

Shut the fuck up, both of you, and buy me an erufucking coffee already.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 19:39:36

*hides her face against your upper arm* I hate you, Mablung.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 19:45:30

You love me. But I hope you fully expect me to milk this offense for all it's worth, kids, because I'm never forgiving you. Eru wept.

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/28/2007 19:46:20

*dryly* You'd hardly be you if you didn't, Mablung.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/28/2007 19:48:03

*leads the way into the coffee shop, not making eye contact with anyone at all*

	From: mablung	Date: 05/28/2007 19:51:04

*finds a table and sits down*

*folds his hands neatly and waits patiently for you two to serve him with the most wonderful and expensive drink on the menu*

*smiles!*

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 03:20:23

*rests her hand on Túrin's leg, under the table, and looks at you*

What are you waiting for, Mablung?

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 06:51:48

*a little seriously* Why didn't you tell me? It explains a whole hell of a lot. But mostly... *shrugs* I'm your best friend.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 13:02:43

*frowns a little* Well. It never -- I never thought of telling anyone. *looks puzzled* I don't know why. *smiles warmly at Túrin* It's not like it's a great big secret or anything.

It's not, is it?

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/29/2007 13:07:45

*smiles back at you* I didn't think it was.

*to Mablung* It's like she says. *shrugs* It just didn't occur to me. *has the notion you really are a little bit hurt by this* I'm sorry, mate. We didn't mean for you to be in the dark.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 13:11:46

*reads a whole lot more than just fucking in those smiles*

Oh. *laughs uncomfortably* Well I guess I've kinda been the third wheel for a while now, huh?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 13:14:31

Hey, don't say that. *reaches across and chucks you under the chin lightly* You're my best friend. I'd never have survived marchwarden training without you.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 13:25:23

*really does laugh this time* You survived marchwarden training? I think I missed that memo.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 13:28:00

*grins* Hey, I'm in one piece, aren't I? And so are you, might I add?

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/29/2007 13:31:49

Are you sure he is? I dunno. I think the experience might've been too much for his b-r-a-i-n? *whispers to you* Or was he always like this?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 13:33:21

*whispers close to your ear, her lips brushing against your cheek* I think he was.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 13:35:38

*hides behind a menu* *grins* *irritatedly* If you two are going to canoodle in front of the rest of us innocent patrons, you are damn well going to do it while buying me a cup of coffee.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 13:54:39

Oh, we're canoodling now, are we?

*glances at the menu, absently letting her hand move higher up Túrin's thigh* I'm just going to have a small coffee and salad, I think. But you don't hold back there, Mablung.

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/29/2007 13:59:22

*orders himself a hot chocolate and looks really very innocent*

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 14:00:32

*shoots you a suspicious glare*

*lifts his chin* Oh, I will, thank you very much.

*proceeds to order approximately six different things and fully plans on eating/drinking all of them*

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 14:15:33

Are they not feeding you properly at the barracks? *reaches for her glass of water and sips it delicately, while moving her hand up to Túrin's waistband, to play with his belt-loops*

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/29/2007 14:30:28

*gives you a glazed Look* Come on. 'Properly' for Mablung is, what, eight squares a day?

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 14:48:03

Is that all? *looks at Mablung as she slips her hand under your waistband* I'm pretty sure he's going to waist away in front of our eyes if we're not careful.

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 14:52:45

*wryly* Yeah. You two comedians are pretty much made for each other.

*sees Túrin's eyes widen* Oh, shut up.

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/29/2007 14:56:39

*forms the word 'what' with his mouth but doesn't hear any sound come out* *gives it another go* What??

*stomps on Beleg's foot*

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 15:00:29

OUCH!!

*withdraws her hand in a hurry* *tries not to giggle*

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 15:04:18

*looks between the two of you* *buries his head in his arms* You know what? I don't even want to know.

	From: belthronding	Date: 05/29/2007 15:07:49

*uses this opportunity to kiss the corner of Túrin's smile before composing herself*

*folds her hands on top of the table and waits for her food to arrive, the very image of propriety*

	From: mablung	Date: 05/29/2007 15:10:27

*gives you both puppy eyes* One night. Just one?

	From: gorthol	Date: 05/29/2007 15:11:13

*lays his arm casually across Beleg's shoulders*

*smiles sweetly* NO.