18: Setting the Bait

“So who’s paying for this lunch?” Derek asked as he and Alex made their way to the Gold Nugget Café and Emporium a couple of days later.

Alex grinned. “I suspect we will even though the Three Amigos were the ones to invite us.”

“That’s what I figured,” Derek said, grinning back and Alex laughed.

“I meant to ask you how things are going at the lodge. You think you can handle the pressure of being an assistant manager?”

“Yeah, I think so. Can’t be any worse than when I was in the Navy and Marty’s a good guy, very caring for his people. Only real drawback is that I’ll have to work nights one week out of the month. The assistant managers rotate shifts. Marty has a room set aside for whoever works nights so there will be one week a month when I won’t be here.”

“That’s not a problem,” Alex said with a smile. “I’m sure I can manage on my own for a week. I’ll save up all the laundry for you to do when you get back.”

“Yeah, right,” Derek responded and then they were both laughing as they reached the café. Alex opened the door to the Emporium to let Derek enter first and then they were making their way to the left where the café was, stopping at the trellised entrance. “You see them?” Derek asked, scanning the area.

“There, in the back,” Alex said, pointing, and they saw the three ellyn sitting in a booth. The two Mortals made their way through the café and the three Elves looked up at their approach, smiling.

“Afternoon,” Alex said as he undid his coat, hanging it on a nearby peg, and slid into the booth opposite the ellyn with Derek sliding in beside him. “Thanks for inviting us to lunch, though we’re sort of at a loss as to why.”

Finda shrugged. “Is this not what friends do? Even… back home, we did similar things.”

“Do you miss it, home, I mean?” Derek asked.

“A little, but everything is so exciting here, it’s hard to remember what life was like before,” Finda responded. The other two nodded.

“So, going back is not an option?” Alex asked as he looked over the menu.

“Not for me,” Calandil answered. “Before I came here I could not understand the… the attraction. I mean, I could not understand why some of our people chose not to return to Aman. Why would they want to live among Mortals? It made no sense.”

“And now?” Alex asked, giving the young ellon a shrewd look.

“Now, I see why and the thought of having to return to Aman does not please me.”

“Can you though?” Derek asked. “I mean, if you wanted to, would you or anyone else be able to?”

“Theoretically,” Elennen answered. “But it has been my experience that theory and reality do not always coincide.”

“Ain’t that the truth!” Derek said with some feeling and they all grinned.

The waitress came by just then to take their orders and for a few minutes they were busy with that. When she left, Alex asked, “So how are things at home? Everything cool?”

“Yes,” Finda answered with a nod. “Or at least, it seems that it is. We were rather sorry to have missed all the excitement the other day.”

“Especially not being there when Ron took you down,” Calandil said to Alex, giving him a sly look. “I would love to have seen that.”

“We could have sold tickets,” Derek said to Alex with a straight face.

“I was… unprepared. It won’t happen again,” Alex retorted somewhat stonily.

“Yeah, right,” Derek responded, taking a sip of water. “If ol’ Ron can take you, I wonder who else can.”

“Can we drop it?” Alex demanded, giving his friend a cold look.

“Yeah, sure. No worries, mate,” Derek said soothingly. “So you three all set for college? Won’t be long now.”

“We have our books and our classes,” Finda said, ever the spokesman for the three. “We have been granted permission to reside in one of the dormitories, Seward Hall. It is a suite. We each have our own bedroom and we share a common living area and the bathroom.”

“Will this be the first time living away from home for you?” Alex asked. “Though why I’m asking you this as if you were all eighteen, I don’t know. Surely in all your years you should have had the experience of not living at home.”

“Oh yes, but this will be the first time we will be on our own,” Calandil answered.

“Not sure I follow,” Derek said and then conversation stopped as the waitress returned with their lunches. Once everyone was settled, and the waitress had left, Derek resumed talking. “What do you mean about this being the first time being on your own?”

Calandil and Elennen looked at Finda and he shrugged. “You have to understand, Derek, Alex. Alan and I come from royal families, though we are not in the direct lines of our respective kingdoms, and Cal’s great-grandparents, Lord Laurendil and Lady Manwen, are high in the councils of the Noldóran and my Atto’s closest friends. As scions of royalty, or in Cal’s case, coming from one of the noblest families in all of Eldamar, we have always been surrounded by guards and servants and courtiers. Being the son of Prince Findaráto, who is haryon to the Noldóran, meaning he is the crown prince and heir to the throne, I never went anywhere without at least two guards once I was allowed out of the nursery and had my own household.”

“Sounds… restricting,” Derek commented.

All three ellyn shrugged. “It is what it is,” Finda said philosophically. “Until now.”

“Yeah, I noticed a decided lack of guards and servants and courtiers in your group,” Alex said laconically and everyone grinned.

“And for good reason,” Elennen replied. “For one thing, there was not enough room on Vingilot and for another, Lord Findaráto forbade it, saying that once here we would have to live as the Mortals do and that meant no guards, servants or courtiers, for which I am grateful. I never realized just how restrictive my life was until I came here.”

“Yet, I suspect your life was not without its rewards,” Alex said. “I seem to recall you saying that you never had to pay for anything.”

“True,” Finda said, “and thinking back, I know how arrogant we sounded at the time, for which we apologize. We were… prats.”

“Prats?” Both Alex and Derek laughed. “Wherever did you hear that word?”

“On TV,” Calandil replied with a grin. “We had to ask Loren what it meant.”

“Ah, well that explains it,” Alex said.

For a while, conversation ceased as they concentrated on their lunches, but after a few minutes Finda spoke again. “Dan and Roy took us into town the other day and bought us paintball guns so we could play zombie tag in the woods.”

“Oh?” Both Alex and Derek raised eyebrows, giving the three Elves enquiring looks.

“Yes, we had great fun, the three of us against the Twins and Nell,” Finda replied.

“Nell!” Alex exclaimed. “How did she like it?”

“She killed Finda,” Elennen answered, giving his gwador a sly grin.

“She is very good at tracking,” Finda allowed, looking rueful.

“Dan says that there are paintball leagues,” Calandil put in, apparently changing the subject for Finda’s sake.

“I guess,” Alex said with a shrug. “Don’t know much about them.” He flashed them a wicked grin. “I was too busy doing the real thing to bother playing games.”

“The Wilderness Survival Camp idea sounds interesting,” Finda said. “I know some people are looking into it and speaking with the rangers.”

“That’s good,” Alex said.

“Maybe. Not everyone is impressed with the idea, I mean, with the idea of having the rangers help set the camp up,” Finda responded.

“Why is that?” Derek asked. “They know the wilderness like the back of their hands. Even if they don’t necessarily help with the training, and really, that’s not their job anyway, they have more knowledge about the surrounding area than any of you.”

“Yes, and I agree, we all do,” Finda said, gesturing to Calandil and Elennen. “But there are some among us who once were something like rangers, though they called themselves marchwardens, and they had little or no dealings with Mortals and so do not think they are… worthy.”

“Worthy?” Alex echoed. “Worthy of what? Trust? Friendship? Respect?”

The three ellyn looked embarrassed. “It is not that they hate Mortals or anything,” Elennen answered, “but I think they suffer from the same… disillusionment that we did when we first met you.”

“I thought those chosen to come here had to be people who knew and respected us and wanted to work beside us,” Alex countered. “Now you’re saying that is not so?”

“I think the theory did not coincide with reality,” Elennen said slowly, glancing at his two gwedyr.

“Please do not mistake us,” Finda said pleadingly. “I believe that it is this… this culture shock that Ron speaks of. We are all experiencing it to one degree or another and some of us are taking longer to adapt than others. I think once the shock wears off, those who are skeptical now will be less so. You just need to give them, us, time.”

“You can take all the time you need, Lawrence, all of you,” Alex said. “Time is, after all, on your side.”

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Alex assured him, giving him a warm look. “Now, let’s change the subject, shall we?”

“What do you wish to talk about?” Finda asked, looking somewhat relieved, as did Calandil and Elennen.

The two Mortals looked at one another and then Derek shrugged before turning to the ellyn. “Hmm… okay, how about you tell us what you want to do after you finish college. Do you have any specific goals in mind or are you just taking courses for fun?”

“Well, it was Ron who suggested we start with Psychology and Sociology to get an overview of Mortals and their cultures and how they think and see the world,” Finda replied. “Beyond that, we have not really planned what we will do. Do you have any suggestions?”

“Well, it depends on your own interests,” Alex said. “What did you do back home? Did you have actual duties or did you just laze about?”

“We were all involved with government,” Finda replied. “Even though I am my father’s youngest child and my oldest brother rules in Vinyalondë, I have been a part of Grandfather’s court as one of his top diplomats.”

“A diplomat! You?” Alex interrupted with a grin and Derek rolled his eyes.

“Grandfather said I was a natural,” Finda muttered with a blush, not looking at anyone. Calandil and Elennen scowled at the two Mortals in defense of their gwador.

“I’m sure he was grateful for your sharp wit and ability to adapt to any situation you found yourself in,” Derek said judiciously. “I have no doubt he was sorry to see you leave his service.”

Finda gave him a grateful look, smiling shyly. “He said I would serve him best by helping Atto.”

“Your grandfather sounds like a real good guy,” Alex said by way of apology. “I wish we could meet him, but I doubt that will ever happen.”

“Not unless the war commences,” Finda said. “He has promised that he would lead the warriors himself, as he did in the War of Wrath.”

“So, what about you, Cal, Alan? What did you do back home?” Derek asked.

“Well, I served in the Lindarin fleet,” Elennen answered, giving them a proud look. “I was the captain of my own ship and commanded several more.”

“You were in the navy?” Derek gave a low whistle. “But why did you even have a navy?”

“We were responsible for safeguarding the seas for the fishermen and we were explorers, mapping new lands.”

“And you gave that up to come here,” Alex said.

Elennen shrugged. “I did not wish for my gwedyr to have all the fun.”

Everyone laughed.

“So Cal, what did you do?” Alex asked when they had calmed down a bit.

“I come from a line of healers. My great-grandparents, my grandparents, my uncles and aunts are all healers of one stripe or another. My father is also a healer. I actually grew up in Lórien under the watchful eyes of Lord Irmo and Lady Estë and their Maiar.” He sighed, looking a bit rueful. “Unfortunately, I did not show any aptitude for the healing arts. Lord Irmo arranged for me to be apprenticed to Lord Aulë and I eventually had my own business creating jewelry and such.”

“He does beautiful work,” Finda said, giving Cal a warm smile. “See? He made these.” He put out his hand to show them a ring and the other two did the same. The rings were all the same: an emerald mounted on a silver band intricately fashioned. “He gifted these to us when we declared ourselves to be gwedyr.”

“They’re beautiful,” Alex said as he and Derek admired the rings.

“Thank you,” Calandil said shyly. “I told Loren that I would be happy to craft items to sell as you suggested. He said that it would be fine so long as it did not interfere with my studies.”

By now they had finished lunch and were ready to leave. When the waitress came with the check, Alex was prepared to pay for it, but Finda took the check. “Our treat,” he said and all three ellyn fished out wallets and began counting bills. Alex and Derek exchanged amused looks.

“Thank you,” they both said and once the bill was settled they headed out.

“Damn this snow,” Derek groused as snowflakes greeted them. “I should’ve stayed in sunny California.”

“In Tirion snow is rare though it does get cold in winter,” Finda offered. “I rather like it myself.”

“That’s because you don’t get cold,” Alex pointed out. “Well, thank you for inviting us to lunch. Next time it’ll be our treat.”

“Thank you for accepting,” Finda said. “It was very enjoyable. When Zach returns we must get together.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” Derek said. “Do you know when he’s returning?”

“I believe Ron said this weekend. I know Atto would like to invite him to dinner once he’s settled. Perhaps you could join us.”

“Let us know,” Alex said and they parted, the three ellyn claiming they wished to go ice skating while Alex and Derek headed home.

As they got into Alex’s car, Derek gave his friend a shrewd look. “We Mortals are unworthy?”

“I wondered how long you would stay silent about that,” Alex replied, shoving the key into the ignition and turning over the engine, letting the car warm up. He fished about for the snow brush and stepped back outside to clean the car of snow. Derek joined him.

“So, how many of them do you think are disillusioned by us?”

“Probably only a small minority. I think most don’t see us as unworthy of anything. Certainly, I don’t get that feeling from Finrod and the Three Amigos and Nell certainly seem to like us.”

“So what should we do?”

“Nothing for now, except to keep our eyes and ears open.”

“You don’t think we should speak to Loren or Finrod about this?”

Alex shrugged as he flipped the brush around to chip at some ice that had formed on the side windows. “I suspect that was the reason for this lunch. They wanted us to know and perhaps act on the information.”

“You think so?” Derek gave him a dubious look.

“Oh yes. They had a definite purpose in inviting us, but I really don’t wish to run to Loren or Finrod or even Ron and tell tales out of school. If there’s dissension in the ranks, so to speak, it’s not our job to deal with it. They must deal with it themselves.”

“Perhaps they can’t or won’t,” Derek said as they reentered the car and Alex set off. “Perhaps that’s why the lunch. They know things are wrong but have no idea how to fix it and so they came to us. Granted, it was very subtle and no one actually begged us for help, but still, they’re our friends and they need us.”

“I know, but look at it from, say Loren’s viewpoint. We come in saying we know that some of the Elves disparage us and then what? What will that actually accomplish, other than to piss said Elves off and make the situation worse than it already is? All the words in the world won’t change their minds about us. They have to come to acceptance on their own. The only thing we can really do is keep an eye on the situation and interfere only as a last resort. I am not going to be cast in the role of being these Elves’ babysitter.”

“Fine by me,” Derek said, leaning back in his seat. “But I’ll tell you something. Those three were worried, though they put up a good front. They were worried scared and that worries me.”

“Yeah, I know. That worries me, too.”

****

The Three Amigos put on their skates and raced each other around the rink a couple of times and then slowed to skate leisurely side-by-side.

“Do you think they will help?” Calandil finally asked, looking at Finda.

“I do not know. They both stiffened when I mentioned how some of us do not find the Mortals worthy of our consideration, but they did not pursue the matter.”

“They have to help us,” Elennen put in. “Everyone respects them, even the naysayers.”

“Perhaps we were too subtle,” Calandil offered. “Perhaps we should have said something more directly, tell them how we feel.”

“I know and I was going to,” Finda said with a sigh, “but Nell told me it would be better not to. She’s the one to suggest how we should approach this and I trust her judgment.”

The other two nodded. “Well, it will be what it will be,” Elennen said philosophically. “I only hope it will be enough.”

“Násië!” Finda exclaimed and then he began speeding up and soon the three were racing each other around the rink again.

****

Násië: (Quenya) Amen! So be it!