RADIANT. (ᵃᵘᵗᵒᵖˡᵃʸ)

░░▒ ☼ ———— вυяɢℓαя    

  ❝ D-Darkness? No, I can’t  say I felt anything of the sort. ❞

              But that isn’t entirely true, is it? He has               felt something in the ring.  At the edge of               Mirkwood, when it pulsed in his pocket…               The sharp fear and consuming urgency              when he feared it might be  l o s t .   

    And yet,       perhaps all these things are in his MIND.  Something holds him back from  a f f i r m i n g  it, from  speaking the words out loud.  He smiles at Lady Arwen,  lips pressed tightly together,   though he fears he looks  anything but honest.

           “Well,  I  will always keep them close to me, as they             are also my family, and we do never give up on each             other. Didn’t I say that Hobbits ought to stick together             last  time  we  were in Rivendell? I still stand to that. I             am  glad,  though,  that we are all always welcome to             return  one  day,   and   I  gladly  will  do  so  one  day!”

                “His offer is well-received and appreciated.”

The war against Azog’s forces was won, but at a rather hefty price. He lost hundreds of his kin, which was a sacrifice that he was – and still is – unwilling to make. A reminder of the Elves’ firm alliance was something that he felt he needed, however. It was typical of Lord Elrond to continue to watch over him even after all that had happened. It was why the Lord of Imladris was someone he would completely trust.

                          “Though the effects of war have since faded. My only                             concern now is for the continued safety of my son.”

He gestured for her to step inside his halls, if only to take their conversation to safer territory.

          “I don’t think that, even if I did wish to become the            innocent young Hobbit I once was,  it would work.            I have seen far too much, which I won’t be able to            forget.  But  whether I’m at ease  with  who  I have            become,  I  cannot  say  as  of yet, I’ll have to see.”

░░▒ ☼ ———— вυяɢℓαя    

   His eyes are trained  on her back,     even though she does  not meet his gaze.  While the last seventy or so years have brought  him a great deal of PEACE,   he knows that it is no so for all Middle  Earth.    A number of envoys from various kingdoms have come to  Rivendell just in the past few weeks,    the majority of them seeking  aid or bearing  ill  news.

              ❝ Foul news?  The ring he – my ring, my old ring?          You must be mistaken; it’s merely a trinket. ❞  

                   Trinket though it may be, something clenches in him at the thought                 of Frodo bearing HIS ring.   He had left it to him, along with all else he                 owned, but he had been rather fond of it.  Perhaps he will seek Frodo                 out… ask to see it again.

      ❝ did you REALLY think you       could get away with that ?? ❞

        Bilbo begins to wonder if all residents of Rivendell tend to inquire after the whims of a soul, but he internalizes the query nevertheless.

        ❝ Happy.  Well, I’m not quite certain about that, but it has             been…  An enlightening experience, if you will.  Brings             to mind the differences of cultures between all.  Haven’t             you ever wondered at it? ❞

           “ yeah, but i’d be confused               if it were anything but rough.               m’about ready to drop dead. “

        ❝ Should I be thankful; or should I mark myself as being               in debt for these offerings? You see my unease; it has to               do with where I am.  ❞