10
FENELLA
It was Fenella's last night in the Hobbit before the trip to Egypt, and the thought was discomforting and exciting at the same time.
It was strange how the nightly performance had become her routine, her life. Every day, she found herself looking forward to the start of her shift, and she knew she was going to miss it. Still, at least Din was accompanying her on the trip, so she wasn't leaving behind every aspect of her new life that had brought her stability and satisfaction after half a century of uncertainty and constant vigilance to just survive.
"You are quiet," Din said, his hand tightening over hers.
"I'm thinking about tomorrow." She glanced up at him. "Hard to believe that after all the delays, it's finally happening."
He nodded. "Still scared about going?"
"A little, but I want to go. I want to help find Esag and maybe Khiann, if Esag can help with that. It would be nice to find out whether my ability can contribute something meaningful instead of just entertaining drunk immortals."
The truth was that Fenella wouldn't have minded if her ability were only good for entertainment. In fact, she might have preferred it because it placed much less responsibility on her shoulders, but she felt indebted to the clan and the Clan Mother.
"I like watching you entertain people. Anyone who's bringing smiles to people's faces is doing a better service to humanity than most."
"That's so sweet of you to say." She stretched up on her toes and kissed his cheek. "But are you planning to sit in your corner every night I work? Even after we get back?"
"Where else would I sit?" He arched a brow. "Would you prefer if I sat at the bar?"
Had he misunderstood her questions, or was he pretending?
"What I meant was that you must have better things to do than watch over me every night for hours. Won't you get bored? There must be something else you'd rather do than watch me pour drinks and make up stories."
"Like what? Sit at home and watch television?" He shook his head. "I'd rather be where you are."
It was touching, really, but it was a bit obsessive. "If the roles were reversed, would you want me sitting in that corner every single night, just watching you work?"
He considered this as they passed under a large oak tree. "I would, but what would you rather do?"
Fenella thought about it for a moment and realized that she would have most likely done the same thing. "Most nights, I'd want to be where you were. I'd want to be near you. But some nights..." She smiled at the image forming in her mind. "Somenights I'd probably stay home, run a bubble bath, pour myself a glass of wine, and watch terrible movies or reruns of shows I've seen a dozen times."
"That sounds lovely. Maybe I should try that. Though I'd probably read instead of watching television."
"Of course, you would, Professor."
"We complement each other. You introduce me to the joys of mindless entertainment, while I bore you with archaeological journals."
She bumped his shoulder. "You don't bore me. Much."
"Such enthusiasm." But he was smiling. "We should put in a request for our own place when we get back. Somewhere we can both have terrible movie nights or reading nights as the mood descends."
"I've already done that," she admitted. "Not officially, but when I visited Ingrid's design center, I implied that we would like our own place when we return from Egypt."
"Good." He lifted their conjoined hands and kissed her knuckles. "It's time we let Shira and Thomas have some peace and quiet."
"Did either of them complain?"
He shook his head. "No, but I don't want to overstay my welcome. By the way, we could visit Scotland if you want. I can show you the castle, introduce you to my mother…"
She definitely wasn't ready for that. "Let's not plan too far ahead. I prefer to take things one day at a time."
"Of course." He smiled tightly. "No pressure."
As they got closer to the Hobbit, Din suddenly slowed considerably as if they had all the time in the world.
