Everlong

59

Liruliniel was not sure what she expected to come across when she returned to where she last left the dwarves. Perhaps a slight squabble like the one she basically left on. The topic of getting to Erebor caused tensions to run high. Everyone seemed to have an idea, but whether any of these ideas were actually good or possible was something else entirely. She had left to find herbs, and she had returned with what she could find, only to return to no one.

Liruliniel frowned, skipping down the rocky path, her boots lightly skimmed the surface of the grey stone as she stood looking downwards at the small pier. The barrels had gone, the dwarves had gone, therefore they were on a barge to Esgaroth, she figured. Evidently between her leaving and returning the bargeman had appeared, the dwarves being ever resourceful clearly managed to bargain their ways onboard. Liruliniel couldn't help but smile, those dwarves...they were truly something.

Though she was immediately a bit peeved she'd been left here, stranded, she couldn't say she blamed them. They were on a schedule and really, she wasn't part of their plan. Because they clearly had a plan, even if she wasn't totally clued in on it. She looked at the herbs in her hands, the small stems probably wouldn't survive the journey to the town. But not only that, within Lake-town, the dwarves could be anywhere.

Jumping down, Liruliniel's boots lightly crunched against the gravelly ground as she walked to the river bed. Kneeling down, she cupped her hands and shut her eyes while keeping the plants cradled to her chest, she silently whispered words of apology for harming them without a need or cause to. Placing her hands in the cold waters, she let them drift off downstream. She sat and watched them with a small smile, she truly was sorry for killing the plants without needing to, but who was she to know that they'd go before she came back.

Liruliniel tapped a finger to her temple, where was foresight then? Shaking her head, she readjusted her weaponry and turned on her heels to commence walking back up and along the river to a suitable place where she could muse with what to do. Does she return home? Or does she continue onwards, on her own? She knows she said she'd aid the dwarves, but what use was she now they had parted ways?

Frowning, she shook her head, returning home meant admitting to Thranduil that he had ultimately been right, that the dwarves cut her loose as soon as they used her for whatever reason. She had protected them through the journey downstream and out of Mirkwood, what more use was she now? Liruliniel frowned and paused, tilting her head and flicking her eyes around the foliage she quickly darted and climbed up the nearest tree as high as she could go. Hopping and jumping and running along the boughs she paused and lowered herself down to crouch.

She was a good distance away from where she was, but even still she could still see the orc pack that had appeared. She had heard their stomping boots against the mud packed and rock dotted ground which was situated around this entire environment. The shouting and gruff words which were often in Black Speech also aided her in hearing them before seeing them. They were very obvious in their journey, and which way they were all headed. Liruliniel gritted her teeth, there were quite a few of them. And all of them were as grisly looking as the next, the one in charge especially was an interesting character to say the least. Even from where she sat and with her eyes, she looked questionably at the pieces of metal that seemed to be attached to his skin. She shook her head, these were truly morbid creatures that didn't care about clearly maiming themselves in some way or another.

She didn't know what they were saying, but with the way they were looking around it was clear they too were looking for any signs of the dwarves. Liruliniel sat and watched as they ran off and away, they ran in a different direction to where she currently was. Decidedly it seemed that the decision had been made for her: she was going orc hunting. But that many and just her? Liruliniel bit her lip, she had been outmatched before, true, but this was almost suicidal if she went after them.