<b>The din from the main hall washed over Pegawen as she entered, and she glanced around the room warily before making her way up to the counter. There she waited to catch the attention of the rather large, somewhat balding man tending a pair of men at the far end. <i>They appear to be enjoying their drink far too much, </i>she thought with a shake of her head. <i>Just like many such men. </i>It seemed to her that humans inevitably turned to such trivialities in order to rid themselves of discomforting emotions or memories, instead of dealing with them and moving forward. How often had she seen that on the battlefields during the war with Sauron? She'd dare say she could count the stars in the sky faster than the costs to those that had fought and survived those dark times.</b><br/><br/><b>As she waited, she half-listened to the music being played by a bard who had situated himself near one of the larger hearths. <i>He plays well enough, </i>she thought in passing, longing for her own small harp upstairs as she tapped slender fingers against the stained wood of the bar.</b><br/><br/>“<b>May I 'elp ye miss?” came the deep, scratchy voice as the barkeep appeared before her, his expression one of amusement.</b><br/><br/>“<b>I … yes,” she replied melodically in almost flawless Westron, wondering how long he'd been waiting for her to notice him. “I wish to have a meal, and would you have any wine?”</b><br/><br/><b>The barkeep nodded at her request as he grabbed a rag from his apron and began wiping the counter. “Stew's good t'night. An' we've got some o' th' best wines in this town.” As he spoke, he puffed out his chest, nodding emphatically.</b><br/><br/>“<b>The stew sounds fine then, and red wine please.”</b><br/><br/>“<b>Grab yerself a table an' I'll have one o' th' wenches bring it out t' ye,” he replied, jerking his head towards the center of the room, before turning to shout her order out towards what she assumed was the kitchens, before moving down the counter to where an overly amorous couple had recently arrived.</b><br/><br/><b>Following his directions, Pegawen moved towards the tables in search of one out of the main traffic. There were a great many more here than she was accustomed to seeing, even more so than in the great mead hall of Galtrev, where she'd spent more than a few fortnights healing the infirm. The Rohirrim there had been wary of her, they eyes ever watchful and their comments about the magic of elves approaching rude. They'd been grateful enough to be healed though and, after a time, they had relaxed somewhat in her presence. But the experience, and others, had left her cautious of her dealings with men.</b><br/><br/><b>Seeing a table not far away, she started towards it, only to be stopped as a large hand grabbed her by the wrist, yanking her to a stop. Annoyed she turned to address the man – one of the drunkards from the counter – the stench of his breath gagging her as he opened his mouth to speak. </b><br/><br/>“<b>And what do we have here?” he slurred as he sneered up at her, trying to pull her closer. “A pretty girl like yourself, alone? Isn't that a pity?”</b><br/><br/><b>Pegawen pulled away, attempting to release herself from his grasp. “I am not alone, sir.” she responded, her gaze moving around the room as she sought an escape from the man's attentions, falling upon a dark haired man sitting nearby, watching the crowds intently. Her eyes widened slightly, but before she could think about what she was seeing, the room fell silent.</b><br/><br/><b>Her eyes were drawn to the door, where a man towered, his hand wrapped around an old wooden walking stick – <i>no, staff, </i>she thought. Her arm went slack, but she hardly took notice that the man had released her, as she studied the dark brown robes, and the long, black hair and beard of the newcomer. <i>I thought they'd all left, </i>she thought, even as he turned his gaze on her, assessingly, sending a shiver of discomfort down her spine, before he turned to stare at the hir sitting at the table.</b><br/><br/><i><b>How does he know? And what does he want?</b></i>