raindrops {LEGOLAS}

[pandora]

((Hope this is okay- I can change it however you like, so don't worry if you need it changed!))

Morning came, but not with sunlight. This morning, Pandora woke to the feeling of a raindrop hitting her square in the forehead. Blearily she opened her eyes and blinked a few times, sitting up from her curled-up position under the three she'd slept under the night before. Sure enough, the sky was grey, the ground was wet... and so was she. A small frown made itself known on her face, her lips turned almost into a disappointed pout. Soon her lips returned to their normal placement, but her eyes showed a bit of sadness. Pandora disliked the rain. She wouldn't go so far as to say she hated it- a little bit of rain now and again was definitely not a bad thing. But she certainly didn't like it.

With one swift movement, she'd lifted herself from her sitting position into a standing one, her bare feet feeling a bit cold on the soggy dirt. She began walking ever so slowly through the trees- walking in the rain was no longer a problem- she'd already apparently slept in it for a while, as she was quite drenched from head to toe, and was looking a bit disheveled even for a young elf, a few leaves making themselves a home in different parts of her long hair, which was sticking to her back and had lost its waviness, surrendering it and replacing it with a mass of straight and curly hair, all mixed together, making her look rather odd, or more than usual at any rate. Her knee-length sunny yellow dress had a bit of a darker colour in its wetness and was hanging on her rather than being cheerful and floaty like it usually was when she wore it.

Yes, the rain and Pandora weren't exactly very good friends. Apart from the fact that it ruined her appearance (not that this was a very important thing to her in that aspect of things), it also made her horribly sad. Her grey eyes looked just as downcast as the sky as she made her way aimlessly through the trees, waiting for the rain to stop.

[legolas]

It was early, but much like Legolas had been the last of his companions to return in the night, he was the first to rise in the morning and silently venture away from the area which they were settled in. It was truly hard to stay inside in a place like Lothlorien. The place in Legolas' eyes was almost an element of legend or fantasy, the light in many a stories he'd been told throughout his youth. It was one he'd wished for long to see himself, and now could not turn himself away from. The golden wood was a place of wonder, and try as he might, he could not deny its call. All thoughts, all concerns which had plagued him were for a moment put aside in the surroundings which in a sense largely humbled him, and in another offered a feeling of protection which he could not place past his earliest memories.

He was not entirely bothered by the rain which started up shortly after he began walking through the woods. He was accustomed to being out in such circumstances, worse circumstances even -it mattered very little, and though he much preferred the sunlight, it did nothing to make him pause. Certain elements of the nature around him basked in the downpour, others drooped. For all the worldly problems which did not make it into the woods, the rain seemed somewhat unfitting in this state of gloom. Surely the clouds had better places they might pass over. It was not a problem, but it was a thought. A bit of the invincibility, and the legend shattered. It wouldn't be the first time such happened on the journey. Legolas found he could not deny that he was in many ways very naive -he had been, and he still to some extent was- to not have believed that such occurances such as those that had befallen them were possible.

He rested his hand along the branch of a tree and with the other pushed a piece of wet hair behind his ear. Being drenched caused him no chill, but it did provide a certain weightiness he was unaccustomed to. As he was about to continue his way through the trees -even in bad weather they were in better spirits than the trees of his homeland- he noticed another elf wandering about. He heard her before he saw her and even then did not make contact right away. He took in her sopped, somewhat bothered appearance, as her eyes didn't meet the sky. "I did not imagine rain in Lothlorien." He offered a small, wistful smile as the thoughts from before resurfaced in his mind. "I also do not believe we have yet been acquainted; forgive me if I am mistaken. Well met."

[pandora]

Pandora hadn't been expecting another elf to be walking about in this type of rain, so when she heard someone speaking to her, she immediately expected it to be some kind of wandering elf, just passing through. As soon as she didn't recognize him this thought was almost one hundred percent confirmed; however, Pandora preferred it this way, as sometimes the wandering elves were the most kindhearted and accepting ones. Though in some ways it was unfortunate, it seemed as though Pandora always made friends with the people that were only passing by- in other words, her rare friendships never lasted. A small smile spread across her own face at the friendliness of this elf, and she was quick to reply to him, glad for some company on an otherwise dismal day.

"Many travellers think that way," she said, her suspicions now completely confirmed with his words that yes, he must indeed be a traveller. She continued to smile at him, being that she was a bit curious about him and where he had come from, and why he was here now. She wondered if it had something to do with this Fellowship of the Ring that Lady Galadriel had spoken about to some of the elves; apparently there were many different races in this fellowship that went to defeat Sauron; elves, men, halflings, and even a dwarf, who Pandora was anxious to meet, as she'd never seen one before. This was one of the many reasons, she supposed, why all the other elves thought she was so odd- she did not discriminate against dwarves as they did (not to say it was all on the fault of the elves, as dwarves discriminated against elves as well, and so the hate was coming from both sides), but was rather intrigued by them and perfectly willing to befriend them or anyone for that matter, should she be given the chance.

She then finished her earlier thought, saying, "Even Lothlorien needs a bit of rain once in a while to help keep nature in balance. Even a safe haven cannot always escape the sorrows of the rest of the world." It was true as she saw it- rain, as she would often say or think, was nature's way of crying over all the horrible things that were happening, and trying to heal itself.

Then, the wandering elf as she referred to him now, not knowing his name, mentioned the fact that they had not yet met. Pandora nodded and gave another soft smile as she introduced herself. "Well met, indeed. I am called Pandora; I find my home here, in Lothlorien." she hoped that by doing this, she might hear the name of this wandering elf, and perhaps his origin as well. Even if she did not, it was nice to have someone who was kind to her and didn't avoid her- she only hoped that saying her name would not arouse suspicion or memories of the other elves speaking of her to him- she wasn't sure if the other elves spoke of her at all, but she did worry of it from time to time. Only very rarely however, as she did not wish to revolve around only unpleasant thoughts, and certainly would never change or conform to anyone's expectations of her. She was respectful and kind, and that was all she really needed to be, she thought. To be accepted by others was a wonderful thing, but it was not necessary.

[legolas]

The smile he'd offered her didn't quite falter with her words, even though they echoed his earlier thoughts that not even Lothlorien could completely separate itself from the sorrows, the shadows, or without metaphor- simply the world around it and its current peril. He knew not the warrant of his negativity -if it was worthy, or simply his unquelled grief- and he knew not if the enlightenment was one that had sobered the city, or would rest as as secret between just Legolas and this female elf. (If so, who were they to have such entrusted in them?) He did not find himself quite as surprised, or disheartened as he might have had been even a year prior- but instead he understood. And like the darkness cast of the sunlight, there was a very precarious balance being upheld before their very eyes. And the affiliation of rain and tears -thought possibly, even likely- suddenly seemed more silly than anything else, in that appreciation. "I wonder... when the rain became a symbol for our sorrow. Because before it knew what we do now, was it not simply the force which made the earth around us flourish?"

It was a statement and question in one. Legolas claimed no wise words, and expected none, but only said what he felt, and felt so impossibly needed to be said. He nodded politely when she offered her introduction. Pandora, she called herself, and a fitting name he felt it was. He'd heard nothing of her, though if he had, it likely would have meant very little to him. He'd expected that she resided in Lothlorien herself, but she confirmed that as well, and likely wondered what of him. "My name is Legolas. I have come here from Imladris, but I find my home in Mirkwood." When introducing himself, even in the Council, he oft was only represented as an elf, or if some distinction between him and those of Imladris was needed, an elf of the woodland realm- largely for diplomatic reasons. Mirkwood among the men and dwarves and even some elves did not carry the best connotation as as late, for reasons which Legolas could almost not argue (although he would none the less), and to announce himself as a prince of the realm was not always the wisest of choices. Despite such compliance he had no shame in who he was or where he was from, the judgement he dealt with, and so long as it wasn't of consequence to anyone around him, he relayed the information without any hesitance.

"If I may ask, Pandora, what keeps you out this morning?" She certainly did not seem to be a fan of the rain which showered them yet she walked outside like she was in no hurry to leave just yet. He knew almost nothing about her, though he felt like he could identify her, relate to her view of the world around her in a way that he couldn't some of the others they'd been acquainted. He wasn't quite sure of why that was, but he didn't question it. It was in many ways just a feeling, and one of better intent he'd not seen in so long.

[pandora]

[[OOC: I just want you to know, I love your Legolas posts. Your way of writing is amazing, and quite honestly, you write much better than the people in my Advanced English class at school. So much better, in fact, that I would be shocked if you were any less than a A+ writing student. ^_^]]

It was a lovely thing, conversation. To be able to speak to someone freely and exchange thoughts and ideas... it was something Pandora did not often experience. She did not pretend to be wise; she was a young elf still and did not believe herself to be anything other than ordinary. She merely loved to think, and to exchange knowledge with others, even if it was based solely on opinion rather than fact. Many might perceive that knowledge was power and Pandora was certainly not going to argue the point. Rather, she preferred being able to discuss any topic out in the open, without having to worry about having any knowledge on the subject at hand. Opinion, to Pandora, was much more valuable than fact, because opinion-driven conversations could last so much longer, and could end up being so much more interesting than any fact-driven conversation. That is why, even now, when it had barely begun, she valued this discussion.

And so though it was more of a rhetorical question, or seemed one, Pandora still decided to respond to the elf's first statement. She herself often wondered the same things. "I suppose that it has always been this way; ever since the beginning of time, there must have been someone who had an evil thought. If there had been no evil in this world, we could not have based our lives around goodness and repent." her words were thoughtful and she could not help but continue to wonder over his meaning and his words as she spoke her own. Words and meanings were curious things indeed... communication was certainly a wonder, and could transform into many different things, and mean many different things. Pandora herself had hardly experienced any form of communication yet; she was determined, however, to discover them all. The happy, the sad, the angry... though she would not be expressing most of those emotions, to see them in conversation must bring one to peace, in a way- knowing that the world is not yet lost, so long as there is communication between others.

Finally the other elf introduced himself, and Pandora nodded at the name and location- she had always been curious about Imladris, but had never quite been out of the forest. Without thinking, she posed a question, her curious mind always asking them whenever an opportunity presented itself. "What is it like, Imladris?" she asked, remembering to specify her question a bit more so that it was understandable- she added "Imladris" to the end of her question, that, is, so that it was obvious what she was asking about. She tended to be a bit obscure at times, and at other times, quite blunt. Two traits she had to work on, at least, for they often seemed to turn others away, as she used both at the wrong times.

It seemed he was from Mirkwood- that was what he'd said. "I had always intended to travel to Mirkwood, but I've never left these familiar trees." Pandora said serenely, unbothered by the fact that Mirkwood, most recently, did not have a good reputation amongst any race. She'd never been bothered by stereotypes or even truthful warning statements before, and had no intention of doing so now. For example, elves and dwarves were not supposed to get along, but this did not direct her in any way to dislike dwarves. She saw no reason to, after all- in fact she had always wanted to meet one, just to see what they were like for herself, rather than hearing only bad things about them from the other elves. She had heard that one was here now, and was part of the fellowship that had gathered here, looking for help from Lady Galadriel, no doubt. This reminded Pandora of where Legolas- that's what he had called himself- had said he was on his way from- Imladris. Wasn't that where the fellowship had also come from? Pandora had heard whispers of it throughout her forest home but hadn't thought too much about it. "You are part of the Fellowship." she stated bluntly, her eyes staring mistily at him, many questions passing through her mind, but not making themselves known except through her eyes. She did not ask the question; she was almost certain that he was. And if he were, she would be glad, because she knew what the fellowship stood for, and supported it wholeheartedly.

Before she could get lost in thought, it seemed that this elf, Legolas, had asked her a question, too. She immediately felt a bit guilty as she had asked him many, and he had really only asked her one. It was a curious question, but those were the best kind. She thought for a few moments before she decided on an answer- that's why the odd questions were the best kinds, of course, because they were very thought-provoking. "I am always outside, even when it rains. I do not care for the rain, but I do love being around nature, and so...." she stopped, realizing that she really hadn't thought of a very good answer to the question. She herself didn't even know why she was outside all the time, on both rainy and sunny days, and any day in between. She just felt at ease around nature, and hated to be inside, cooped up, when she could be outside enjoying fresh air and nature. "May I return the question?" she then added a bit hesitantly. After all, it was common for her to be walking in the rain like this, but not so much for the other elves. This alone made Pandora decide that she did quite like this newcomer, and that she'd do what she could to help him and the fellowship on their way.