3: Getting Acquainted

Daeron stopped at the Twins’ room which was three doors down from his and introduced them to Jud. The Elrondionath looked at Jud’s parti-colored Mohawk with interest and Daeron could almost see the wheels spinning, as the saying went.

“Han ú-nautho,” he muttered, sure that the Twins would hear him. They both gave him a ‘What-are-you-talking-about?’ look that did not fool the older ellon.

“Sorry, did you say something?” Jud asked him.

Daeron shook his head. “No, just clearing my throat. Ah, here is another friend.”

They looked to see Glorfindel coming down the stairs with a Mortal in tow. Glorfindel took in Jud’s hairstyle, the innocent expressions plastered on the Twins’ faces and Daeron’s arched eyebrow all in a glance and muttered, “Lá nó tyelë randa sina.”

The Twins sighed almost as one and Daeron hid a smile. Then introductions were made all around as they continued towards the front wing where they met up with Nimrodel, Mithrellas and their respective roommates. The Elves were amused by the expressions on the faces of the Mortals, for the two young men stared at the ellith with the same look of awe as the two young women stared at the four ellyn. However, with practiced ease, the Elves ignored the flustered reactions of the Mortals and engaged them in conversation, asking about their families and such. By the time they reached the cafeteria and were working their way through the line, the four Mortals were more animated and relaxed in the presence of the Elves.

Looking around for a place where they could all sit, Glorfindel spied Cassie and Matt sitting alone at a table. Cassie was scanning the cafeteria line and when she saw him, she smiled and gestured for them to join her.

“We saved the table just for you,” she said as Glorfindel and the others approached.

“Thanks,” Glorfindel said and made the introductions, though Cassie already knew Zach and Shane, and Matt knew Lily and Jud. The main discussion around the table as they ate was why they had applied to the Academy.

“I w-w-want to major in to-to-tourism,” Zach told them. “The c-college in my city has a g-g-good program. M-m-my dad thought th-this ac-c-cademy would be a g-g-good place to start.”

Shane stared at Zach. “You cold or something?” she asked bluntly.

Zach gave her a blank look and then turned bright red in embarrassment. Mithrellas, who was sitting next to Shane stepped on her foot.

“Hey!” she protested as Mithrellas gave her a significant stare. “I was just asking.”

Glorfindel looked at Zach and smiled. “Your dad seems very encouraging,” trying to divert Shane and Mithrellas.

Zach nodded, looking proud. “H-he is,” he said. “He was the one who s-saw the ad and convinced me to apply, but I don’t th-think anyone will hire me even if I do fi-fi-fnish the course.”

“Employment is guaranteed,” Daeron pointed out. “I would not worry about it too much. You have four months. Perhaps we can help you with your stuttering.”

“How?” Zach asked. “Not even the sp-speech therapists could help.”

“Darren is a master of languages and speech,” Glorfindel said. “He may know a trick or two of which your speech therapists are unaware.”

“It won’t hurt to try,” Daeron said with a shrug. “What do you have to lose?”

“Darren is correct, Zach,” Nimrodel said. “What do you have to lose?”

Zach nodded, giving them a shy look. “Th-th-thanks.”

Then the conversation turned to other matters. Everyone was surprised to learn that Shane was Jewish but thought it was a good joke. “We don’t really celebrate Christmas either,” Elrohir told them, nodding towards the other Elves to include them in his statement, “but we liked the idea of the Academy and decided to apply, especially when we all happened to lose our jobs around the same time and didn’t have anything else to do.”

“Odd that,” Glorfindel said. “The more I think about it, the stranger it seems that we would all lose our jobs the way we did. You and Dan had been working at the electronic print shop for years and all of a sudden you’re let go.”

“Well, what about you?” Elladan asked. “How long were you working in Search and Rescue and then all of a sudden there’s a budget cut and in spite of your seniority you’re out of a job?”

“That budget cut was long in the making and it was only a matter of time before I would be asked to retire.”

“Except that they didn’t retire you, they simply dismissed you just before you would’ve been qualified for retirement benefits,” Elrohir stated.

Glorfindel shrugged. “It matters not. It has happened and we are all here now. That is the important thing.”

“Loren is right,” Daeron said. “We’re here and hopefully we will all have new careers when we leave.”

“Hmm... you guys don’t look any older than we,” Shane said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion, “yet Loren is talking about retirement and if you two” — she looked at the Twins — “have been working for years in one job, when did you start? When you were ten?”

“We’re a bit older than we seem,” Glorfindel said smoothly, “and we work hard at keeping fit and trim.”

“Genes help, too,” Elladan added blandly.

“I guess,” Shane said doubtfully, but she did not pursue the matter further, much to the relief of the Elves.

By now they had finished eating and were clearing their trays from the table, grabbing various soft drinks (all six Mortals), tea (Glorfindel, Elladan and the two ellith) and coffee (Daeron and Elrohir) before returning to their seats, for the orientation meeting was to take place in the cafeteria, it being the only room large enough to accommodate everyone. A section of the room had been set aside with a low platform on which stood a microphone and a table with some chairs. Three older Mortals, two men and a woman, entered the room and sat behind the table. Behind them came another woman who went to the microphone. She was middle aged, perhaps in her mid-forties, with ash blond hair pulled back severely into a bun and ice-blue eyes.

“Good evening, everyone,” she said with a bright smile, and the room quieted down. “I want to welcome all of you to the first class of the Northern Lights Community College’s Elf Academy.”

There was the usual applause and whistles from the young crowd and then the woman continued. “My name is Marian Goodfellow and I am the Chief Administrator for this Academy as well as one of your instructors. With me are your other teachers. Deirdre Clannach will be teaching courses on Elf Etiquette, How to Make Gingerbread Cookies and Other Christmas Goodies, and a very important course on Dealing With Children of All Ages.”

Deirdre Clannach was younger than Marian by about ten years, with bright red hair and flashing green eyes. She stood and waved at the students before sitting down.

“She’s going to teach us how to make gingerbread cookies?” Elrohir whispered so only the other Elves could hear and it was evident in his voice that the idea did not appeal to him.

“Shush,” Nimrodel admonished him.

Marian continued the introductions. “Next to her is Paul Pettingill, who is a Ranger for the National Parks. He will be teaching you about the wildlife in this area, as well as winter survival skills and first aid.”

Paul Pettingill was a competent looking Mortal with sandy hair that was cut close to the scalp and grey eyes that missed nothing. He stood and gave them a short bow before sitting.

“Ex-military,” Glorfindel whispered to Daeron. “I’ll bet my place on the Last Ship.”

“Considering that the Last Ship left a long time ago,” Daeron retorted with a grin, “it’s not much of a bet, but I agree. Definitely ex-military. Probably Marines.”

Then the last person was introduced. “And finally, we have Roland Smith, who owns Midnight Sun Safaris and is the President of our local Chamber of Commerce. He will be teaching you the finer points of being tour guides and will also be in charge of Job Placement.”

Roland Smith was a nondescript older man with salt-and-pepper hair and glasses. He smiled faintly at them but did not stand.

Marian then explained the schedule for the rest of the weekend and how the classes were set up. “I encourage you to spend some time looking over your orientation materials,” she said at the end. “All the information you need is in the package, but if you have any specific questions or concerns, I will be available tomorrow between one and three in the afternoon. My office is labeled on the map that is included in your packages. Enjoy the rest of the weekend and we’ll see you bright and early on Monday.”

Then the meeting was over and people got up to leave. Glorfindel and the others at their table rose as well. “Well the night is still early,” Jud said. “Any plans?”

“There’s a welcoming party starting around eight,” Matt said. “They were setting up in the quad while the meeting was going on. We’ve even got a local band to come play for us. They’re quite good.”

“Oh?” Daeron said with a look that could only be described as one of professional interest.

Cassie nodded enthusiastically. “They call themselves ‘The Arctic Fringe’. Matt’s dating the lead singer, Gloria Richards. She’s hot.” Her expression turned somewhat salacious. Matt blushed bright red and wouldn’t look at anyone while the others grinned.

“Well, why don’t we go see if this band is as good as you say?” Glorfindel suggested and they all agreed.

The quad — the Elves all took note of the word — was already filling up with students. A stage had been set up against the back wing and musicians and technicians were busy with instruments and sound equipment. Tables and chairs taken from the dining room were scattered about where people could sit. In the foyer, snacks, soft drinks and beer could be had. It turned out that Zach and Lily were still under age so they grabbed a couple of cola lites while most of the others chose beer — Glorfindel opted for root beer — and everyone took a bag of popcorn and they headed outside, finding an empty table to the left of the stage where they could see the band well enough.

“There’s Gloria,” Matt said, pointing to a vivacious looking young brunette wearing a bright red tee-shirt with the words ‘Arctic Fringe’ in white with the letters covered with icicles. There was a screenprint of a polar bear on an ice floe in between the words. A pair of black jeans and a black fedora sitting jauntily on her head completed the ensemble. Other members of the band also sported similar attire, though not all the tee-shirts were red. Some were either ice-blue or black, but they all had the same logo on the front. Glorfindel decided it must be their signature style.

“Why don’t you go say hello?” Lily asked.

“She doesn’t like me disturbing her when she’s working,” Matt said. “I’ll introduce you to her and the others later when they’ve finished playing.”

The band was still setting up as people came into the quad. Glorfindel turned to Cassie. “So I take it you and Matt are locals?”

Cassie nodded. “About half the class is from Wiseman or nearby towns. The rest either come from elsewhere in Alaska or out-of-state.”

“Given the nature of the Academy,” Matt went on to explain, “when they were designing the building, it was decided to provide dormitories for those who were coming from outside the area. The rest of us live at home or have our own apartments and just commute like everyone else who attends the college.”

The Elves nodded but before anyone else could comment, the band suddenly started playing and everyone turned to listen. The first song turned out to be a popular tune that had been playing on the radio for most of the summer. Many of the students were softly singing along with the band. Gloria had a rich contralto voice that suited her, Glorfindel decided. He glanced over at their resident minstrel to see what Daeron’s reaction was. The Sinda had his eyes closed and was swaying slightly, a faint smile on his lips. Glorfindel was suddenly reminded of Lindir listening to someone in the Hall of Fire. Nimrodel leaned over to speak to Daeron.

“She’s not bad for a Mortal,” she said in Sindarin.

“She’s not bad for anyone,” Daeron said in the same language without opening his eyes.

“I like her,” Elrohir said, also speaking Sindarin. “Too bad she’s taken.”

“What are you guys all saying?” Shane asked, giving them a puzzled look. “What language is that?”

“Welsh,” Glorfindel answered without hesitation. “We all took a course in it just for fun once and we like to keep it up so we speak it every now and then.”

“You guys really like to do things together, don’t you?” Lily asked, looking a bit envious. “I wish I had friends like that. No one ever wants to do the things I want to do.”

“Like what?” Elladan asked.

“Like wanting to be an elf for a month,” the girl replied with a laugh. “Everyone back home thought I was nuts. I tried to get my best friend, Bobbi, to apply with me. I thought it would be fun, you know, doing something crazy together, but she wouldn’t do it. Said I was being stupid and I should grow up.” She gave them a disgusted look. “Who wants to grow up? That’s too boring. My parents are grown up and they’re nothing but stick-in-the-muds. Their idea of a good time is watching re-runs of Gilligan’s Island.”

The other Mortals started laughing while all the Elves had knowing smiles. “I kid you not,” Lily insisted.

“M-my dad is r-r-really okay,” Zach stuttered. “He’s always doing th-th-things with me. We go hiking a-a-a-and camping and stuff like that. He’s great.”

“What about your mom?” Glorfindel couldn’t help asking, curious about the young Mortals’ and their lives. He and the other Elves lived among them but rarely interacted on a purely social level, knowing that their lives were all too brief and the grief when they were lost to Time was too poignant for them.

“Oh, she’s okay, too,” Zach said. “I know she was a bit... well, you know, but we do th-things to-together, too. We both like to go to flea markets. M-m-my dad hates them.” He gave them a huge grin.

By now the band was in full swing, having finished the first song, and was now in the middle of the next one, something that was a bit more rollicking and lively. Gloria was quite the charismatic singer and the crowd obviously enjoyed her. Elladan offered to get refills for everyone and Shane and Jud went with him while the others continued listening to the band and talking. Cassie asked Glorfindel about his job in Search and Rescue and he began describing some of the things he had done.

“I enjoyed the challenge,” Glorfindel said when Matt asked him why he had gone into Search and Rescue. “I’ve always liked protecting others and rescuing them from peril.”

“Ah, so it’s an adrenaline rush for you, huh?” Matt asked.

Glorfindel shook his head. “No. No one seeking thrills should be in Search and Rescue. The joy is seeing someone brought to safety and finding those who are lost. It’s a serious job and not to be entered into lightly. Not all Search and Rescue personnel make it home alive. There is often a great deal of danger involved.”

Elladan, Shane and Jud came back just then with everyone’s drink order. Glorfindel noticed that they had brought back extra beer cans. When he gave Elladan a questioning look the younger ellon just grinned. “Saves having to go back for more,” he said and Glorfindel let the matter go. Although it was now nearly ten o’clock, the sun was still up and would not set for a couple of hours or so, and even then only for a short time before rising again. People were now beginning to dance as the band continued playing. At one point Elrohir stood up and gave Shane a significant look. She smiled and the two of them joined the dancers. Elladan looked at Mithrellas and she nodded and they joined them. Then Jud asked Cassie if she wanted to dance as well and then Zach was taking Lily out, leaving Glorfindel, Daeron, Nimrodel and Matt behind. Glorfindel looked on with amusement at Matt trying to get up the nerve to ask Nimrodel out to the dance floor and wondered if the elleth would end up asking him first, for he could see she was eager to join in the dancing, her feet tapping to the beat, her body slightly swaying. He leaned over to speak to the Mortal.

“She won’t bite, you know,” he said with a sympathetic grin. “Or is it because Gloria’s watching?”

“What?” Matt asked in confusion and when Glorfindel nodded towards the stage the young man shook his head. “She’s not the jealous type and besides I doubt she can see me in this crowd.”

“Then ask Della to dance,” Glorfindel said.

Matt looked at the elleth sitting across from him and gulped. Glorfindel could see that he was intimidated by Nimrodel’s ethereal beauty and perhaps sensed on an unconscious level her extreme age, though that was only a guess. However, before the ellon could offer Matt additional encouragement, the song ended and the opportunity was seemingly lost. Glorfindel sat back to sip on his root beer. Daeron, he noticed, had pulled out the music notebook that he always carried with him wherever he went and was writing furiously, ignoring everyone else. Then the band started the next song and Nimrodel stood up, reaching over to grab Matt’s hand.

“C’mon,” she said. “The night’s not getting any younger and neither am I.” Her elvish strength allowed her to pull the hapless Mortal to his feet with ease and then she was dragging him out to the dance area, a look of terror mingled with delight on his face. Then they were lost in the crowd of swaying bodies and Glorfindel sat there looking on in amusement.

And so the evening went. The band finished its set to great applause and then someone put on a cd so people could continue dancing. As promised, Matt took them all to introduce them to the band and Gloria in particular. Daeron struck up a conversation with the lead guitarist, a young black man with orange hair whose name, oddly enough, was Darien. The two of them went off together speaking the arcane language of musicians. Matt and Gloria went their own way as well, while the others went back to the party.

All the while, Glorfindel noticed that both Elladan and his twin were drinking rather heavily, for they were taking turns going into the foyer for more beer. He wasn’t sure why they were doing so, for it took a great deal of alcohol for the Elves to feel any kind of buzz, never mind getting drunk. The beers and wines of this present age could not compare to the wines of Dorwinion or the ales of the Dwarves and Hobbits. He kept a wary eye on them, hoping that the beer would run out before they did. The two ellith, he noted with approval, were being more circumspect in their drinking.

As the midnight hour approached, the music was turned off, but people continued to gather in groups around the tables, drinking and munching on snacks and engaging in soft conversations pierced by occasional laughter. The sun had set shortly before and they were enjoying the twilight as stars began to peep out. At their table, the conversation rambled in seeming non sequiturs as people jumped from one topic to the next. Glorfindel was sitting quietly with Nimrodel, speaking softly in Sindarin, reminiscing about people and events in their respective pasts, not really paying much attention to what else was going on. Then, suddenly, Elladan started climbing up onto the table, followed by Elrohir, while everyone else laughed.

“What are they up to?” Nimrodel asked but the answer came almost immediately when the Twins began dancing arm-in-arm and singing the silly tavern song that Pippin and Merry had sung often enough, extolling the virtues of the beer at the Green Dragon.

“They’re drunk!” Mithrellas exclaimed unnecessarily, for it was obvious to everyone that that was the case.

“They’ll break the table,” Nimrodel said, “or their necks.”

Glorfindel shook his head. “No, they will not,” he said. “They’re Elves, after all.”

“Half-Elves,” Nimrodel corrected, but her concerns were unfounded, for the Twins danced with the lightness of the Firstborn, barely touching the table. The Mortals at the table were laughing uproariously at the Twins’ antics and some of the people at nearby tables were applauding the show. When they finished the song, Matt and Jud opened new cans of beer and handed them to the Twins while others called out for more. The Twins downed their beers in three gulps and then Elrohir started singing ‘The Elf and the Fruit Vendor’, which Daeron had translated into several Mortal languages, including English. Naturally, the Twins could sing the song in all of them.

Glorfindel groaned and closed his eyes in dismay while Nimrodel and Mithrellas started laughing. It took the Mortals a couple of verses before they caught on to what the song was really about and there were appreciative cat-calls and whistles and much laughter.

“Please, don’t sing verse thirty-one,” Glorfindel whispered, almost as a prayer, knowing that it was hopeless. The Twins were enjoying themselves and the attention they were getting immensely and they were not about to back down, swigging more beer at the end of each verse. By now, the Mortals had picked up the chorus and were singing along, the laughter growing louder as the verses became more and more outrageous. Glorfindel just sat there in stony silence watching the antics, fantasizing about all the things he would do to the sons of Elrond to punish them. Making them get up before dawn for a thirty-mile run was at the top of his list, followed by scrubbing all the floors of the Academy with toothbrushes as his second choice.

But then, as if the Valar had heard his prayer, the Twins finished verse twenty-nine and were each downing yet another can of beer when Elrohir suddenly stopped drinking. Glorfindel could see the ellon’s eyes beginning to cross. He uttered a curse as he jumped up to catch the ellon as Elrohir dropped his can of beer and then passed out. Elladan stood there looking down at his twin rather stupidly for a second or two and then shrugged, downed the rest of his beer and started singing verse thirty even as Glorfindel was dragging the younger twin off the table. The audience didn’t seem to notice or care that only one of the Twins was still standing.

“They’re probably all drunk enough that they’re seeing double anyway,” Glorfindel muttered to himself in disgust as he lowered Elrohir to the ground, wondering if he should just put a stop to the whole thing, but not sure how to go about doing it. Nimrodel and Mithrellas were no help, for they were happily singing the song along with Elladan, though neither one of them bothered to climb onto the table. However, just as they ended verse thirty and were about to go into the infamous verse thirty-one, Elladan’s singing faltered and then, rather gracelessly, he stumbled, nearly falling off the table. Jud and Zach managed to catch him just in time, laughing all the while as they eased him to the ground.

Glorfindel rolled his eyes to the heavens. “I crossed the Helcaraxë for this?” he exclaimed to no one in particular. Then he lowered his gaze to find Daeron standing there with a grimly amused expression on his face.

“I’ll take Elladan if you’ll take Elrohir,” the Sinda said and proceeded to lift the older twin up. Glorfindel sighed and bent down to pick up Elrohir who came awake long enough to give him a bleary look.

“Whersh the beer?” he slurred.

“Sorry, but the party’s over,” Glorfindel said as he lifted the ellon onto his shoulder.

“Oh, too bad. I wash jus’ beginnin’ to haf fun,” the ellon muttered and then passed out again.

Glorfindel sighed as he followed Daeron towards the men’s wing while the party continued without them.

****

Han ú-nautho: (Sindarin) ‘Do not think/conceive it’.

Lá nó tyelë randa sina: (Quenya) ‘Not before this Age ends’.