<b>Allassiel helped Thorgan up, again surprised by the strength the man seemed to possess. For a moment, she thought he was going to continue holding her hand, but instead he gave it a brief squeeze – perhaps it was her imagination – before letting it go. She let it drop to her side, pushing aside the thought that her hand seemed to fit inside his extremely well, and followed him silently back to the campsite. <br/>
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Pegawen was pleased to hear the hobbits readily agree to listen to them, and was charmed by their enthusiasm for the trip. It was refreshing, and a far way from the trepidation she felt about their task. Especially since Lotharn had one of the stones and would certainly be a target of the enemies' attacks. She frowned and glanced over at him, but pushed the thought from her head, instead busying herself with the final touches to the stew. Another trip to the pack horses produced several bowls that seemed to serve as cups as well – very wise – and soon had spooned out enough bowls for everyone. Including Allassiel and Thorgan, who she realized had not yet returned. <br/>
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Before she could tell the others she was going to fetch them, they came through the bushes. Allassiel, she could tell, had been tending to the mane of hair she insisted on keeping. And Thorgan. As he spoke with Lotharn and Timberlane about the hobbits joining them, Pegawen studied his face. Allassiel can deny it all she wants, but his expression doesn't lie. She wondered if she should speak to him instead. He seemed reasonable and intelligent, for a human. Surely he would understand the overwhelming difficulties should he continue this path he was on.</b><br/><br/><b>Finally, with everyone settled and eating, Pegawen took her own bowl and joined Lotharn, keeping her eye on Thorgan and Allassiel. <i>The stew did come out rather well</i>, she thought, <i>or I'm hungrier than I thought. </i>Either way, not much was said as everyone dug into their meal and soon there was a stack of empty bowls. “I'll get these washed off,” Pegawen announced, jumping up to gather everything to take to the stream, “and then we can get them packed again.”</b>