2nd Floor Common Room, Sunday Morning

[crimson_sister]

It must be the strange day she had had yesterday, because Lucille's sleep had been interrupted by bad dreams. They had involved the past, an imagined future here and a mingling of the two, all of it disturbing. Late in the morning she had decided that a cup of tea would be the best way to remind her of familiar comforts and so she was now rummaging through the cupboards of the common room kitchen, trying to make sense of the appliances. How come even boiling water would be impossible? Where did one light the stove and where was the firewood? Her mood was in no way improving.

[Open, of course! Because I can put up a common room post, yay!]

Comments

[dwarvenswagger]

Ah, the perils of coming from a different time. Or universe. Or being short, but only compared to menfolk. And elves. But fuck elves, man.

"Greetings," Thorin said, pausing as he passed through the doorway in deference to the new person.

[crimson_sister]

Lucille was neither short nor from another universe, but she had some problems all the same.

"Good morning," she greeted the short man entering the room, smiling a little tensely. "I am trying to make some tea."

Hopefully he would understand that she was asking for assistance.

[dwarvenswagger]

If course she was.

"Trying?" he asked instead, lifting his chin to survey the little kitchen area. "I should think anyone capable should they put their mind to it."

[crimson_sister]

"If one doesn't consider the lack of firewood and a proper stove, then yes, I would think so too," she replied with an icy sweet smile. "But I suppose you can make water boil by just looking at it." Or using one of these odd appliances. Either way, he had no reason to be rude, and she was definitely not going to offer him any tea.

Once she had managed to actually make some.

[dwarvenswagger]

Somehow he would manage to soldier on with his tea-less life. There would be tears in private, but he would hold up a brave front.

At that he smiled. "Ah, yes. The stoves they use here are quite ingenious."

Thorin turned the little dial on the stove, letting the little burner flare to life. It was possible he'd had an entire week of making his roommate show him these things when he first arrived.

[crimson_sister]

That was an improvement in his behavior, at least. Lucille looked at the flame, frowning a little. "Gas? How... convenient." It was, she had to admit, and placed the pot of water on the fire to boil.

"Thank you," she said politely, because she did have manners. "My name is Lucille Sharpe. I don't believe we've met."

[dwarvenswagger]

"Thorin, son of Thrain," he said with a polite, little bow of his head. "At your service."

[crimson_sister]

Clearly he had manners too, when he decided to use them. Lucille replied with a small curtsy, out of habit. "I assume you are not from this time and place either," she said, having noticed that that was the best way to open a conversation with a stranger here.

[dwarvenswagger]

When he decided to use them, yes. It was a thing.

"No, not at all. My home is... very different from here." Understatement. "Though the differences can be amusing with time."

[crimson_sister]

"Mine is different too," Lucille replied. "But I was told yesterday that I will adjust." She found it unlikely that it would go further than making her life here acceptable.

[dwarvenswagger]

Absolutely likely. Even though Thorin had grown a little fond of the place, he did regularly check to see if the magic binding him here had finally loosened its grasp.

"I have heard that too. May I ask where you come from?"

[crimson_sister]

"England, 1885," Lucille replied. "And yourself?" His name had sounded a little old English to her, but that might not mean anything.

[dwarvenswagger]

"My home is a city called Erebor," he replied, obviously a little proud of his mountain. It was the best mountain around. "I am a Dwarf."

Obviously. Just, you know, don't mention his totally scraggly beard. It was growing in! Honest!

[crimson_sister]

"A dwarf?" Lucille took a closer look at him. He was short, but to her a dwarf was someone even smaller, with our without a beard. "I wouldn't have guessed," she added.

[dwarvenswagger]

"I'm tall." FOR A DWARF. "And few seem to have heard of my people."

Or think he was being really un-PC. Which. Rude.

[crimson_sister]

"Oh, you come from a dwarf people." It was a lot less strange than ghosts and blue girls who changed shape, so Lucille wasn't going to question it.

The water was boiling, so she poured it over the leaves in the pot. Since Thorin's behaviour had improved somewhat, Lucille changed her mind.

"Would you like a cup if tea?" It wasn't poisoned, honest.

[dwarvenswagger]

Which was nice of her! The whole lack of poison thing. Though, to be honest, she would get a whole lot of money from him.

Right now. Not so much in a few years.

"Please."

[crimson_sister]

She could use some money, actually. Especially for a new winter coat.

Lucille poured two cups and offered Thorin one. "Shall we sit down?" she said, gesturing towards the table. "And perhaps you can offer me some advice regarding this place."

Thorin didn't come across as very clever, but he also gave an impression of honesty, despite occasional lack of manners.

[dwarvenswagger]

Hey now, the lack of manners was better than it would be in the future. Where he'd get into a bitchfight with the person holding him captive.

"What sort of advice?" he asked, taking the cup before walking to take a seat at the table.

[crimson_sister]

Yes, clearly not very clever.

"Let me think," Lucille began. "So far I have been told that this is a good place to have fun, that I should use glitter for camouflage and that the librarian is a little rough around the edges. What are your opinions? Is there anything I should be concerned about?"

She took a sip of her tea.

[dwarvenswagger]

"Glitter." It wasn't even real gold or silver powder. What was the point? "I have yet to meet the librarian, so my opinions on him are... lacking. There will be strange days where you wake up not as yourself."

Luckily he avoided being a serial killer who thought he was a red dragon, though. Which was nice.

[crimson_sister]

"Not as yourself? As who then?" That was after all the only vaguely interesting thing he had said.

[dwarvenswagger]

"One weekend I woke as though I had been born female." With a better beard. It was super annoying. "I looked quite a bit like my sister."

[crimson_sister]

Lucille's eye widened a little. "That must have been quite disturbing."

The comment was perfectly honest, this time. Had she known about the beard it would at least have been slightly amusing.

[dwarvenswagger]

Dwarves, yo.

"Luckily my roommate was willing to assist in finding me suitable attire."