"Y' could l't me. Y' jus' won'." she muttered. "Is' nothin'." she took another drink. "H'lly pr'bly missi'n ye'." she rested her head on her fore-arms. "I jus' needed a dri'k an' a brawl."

"No, don't try to fool me. What is it? I can see you have feelings for that boy...why the anger?" Mariel suitors a brow.

(*quirked a brow)

"Holly can do fine without me," Morohtar spoke idly. "You...on the other hand...I am not so sure about." He stood and pulled most of Lairiel's weight onto him. "Come along. Time to go home. You need some sleep." He spoke with a tone that emphasized no argument. He led Lairiel to the door.

Holly sighed softly. "I just don't think anything is as it seemed anymore is all. Things feel different for reasons I cannot understand. Maybe we're just not the same people we used to be..." she trailed off thoughtfully.

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"lemme go!" she pushed, then hit his chest with her fists that looked small and frail. "I jus' wanna stay here!" sadness lingered behind the anger. she grabbed the door post in an attempt to stay.

"Or maybe you are just denying that you could work." Mariel suggested. "People do change, but that's part of living. Before...before what happened to her, Lairiel was happy, carefree. She laughed, carried on, joked with the best of them...but she has changed. But that doesn't mean I should still try to reach out to her."

"Lairiel stop it." Morohtar sighed heavily. "I do not want to fight you on this. Please just come home with me. If you do not want to come home just yet...will you come a walk with me instead? Please let me help you Lairiel...It is the very least that I can do." He held her gently unsure of whether she could carry her own weight. He gazed into her glazed over eyes.

Holly stroked her lips. This was a habit she used to fall into when she was thinking. "There's just no closeness between us anymore. He fears what I am. He would much rather..." she stopped that thought dead. "I am being foolish and selfish." She began to pull at the table cloth, unnecessarily straightening it. "What happened to Lairiel?"

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Lairiel watched him for a moment. "No' back t' th' house. I need time." she finally agreed.

Mariel shook her head. "Do you still love him?"

Morohtar nodded. "I'm glad to hear you speaking some sense." Gently he laid his arms around her and lifted her carefully. "Some rest in a comfortable bed should do you good." He stepped out of the stale tavern and breathed in the fresh air. "You know you can always talk to me right Lairiel? I care for you very much and I hate to see you suffering like this."

"Off course I love him. It feels like I have loved him all my life." Holly answered without hesitation. "I think i'm just being silly. It has been a long journey...I think the fatigue is just playing on my mind."

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"Yo' jus' feel obligated." she snorted, shaking her head. "I don' need t' talk. Jus' need t' drink."

Mariel frowned. "What is it exactly that is on your mind. You have my word that I will not tell anyone."

"I do not care for you out of obligation Lairiel..." He sighed heavily again. "I care for you because I want to. Don't you see?" He asked quietly, glancing at her before staring ahead at the road. "I also think you have had enough to drink too."

"I don't really know what is on my mind right now." Holly murmured. "I don't know enough to form an opinion yet. I just feel like something isn't right. Like there is something that isn't working."

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She angled her jaw stubbornly, hearing his words but not commenting. "Ye' should get back t' Holly." she shook her head. "Jus' drop me on th' porch.."

"Like your heart?" Mariel crossed over to her and took her hand. "Do not become bitter and hollow as Lairiel. You have someone, someone who cares deeply for you no matter what the circumstance. Can you not see that? You have that, and yet you throw it away because of slight confusion? No. Do not be so brash as to do that, wee one."

"I would rather see that you were ok, Lairiel." He stepped into the house and carefully laid her on the love seat. "Holly?" He barely glanced at her. "Make a cup of coffee for Lairiel please?" He cast his worried eyes back to Lairiel.

"Maybe you're right," Holly murmured to Mariel, squeezing her hand before disappearing into the kitchen.

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"I tol' y' not ta' bring me t' th' house, damn it!" she growled crossy at him. "An' I also said t' drop me on th' porch!" she swayed, deep lines curving her usually smooth forehead as she frowned.

Mariel watched from a distance, her lips pressed into a thin line. Lairiel had done this the last time she visited too. And the time before that, and the time before that. Usually Lairiel was covered in cuts and bruises from brawls she would pick with men. And what? Mariel silently shook her head as she began setting food on the table.

"Well you're in the house now so deal with it." He glared down at her. "You and I are going to get to the bottom of this after dinner. You cannot go on like this." He looked up to find Holly waiting with the cup of coffee he had ordered. "What's going on?" she asked quietly.

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Lairiel looked away, scowling.

"Best just let her be. Trust me, I've tried to get into her head and it doesn't work." Mariel's clipped tone came from the kitchen. "She's a stubborn old bat, that one. Being half elf does that to you."

Holly disappeared into the kitchen. "Is there anything I can help you with?" Holly spied some dirty dishes and seized her chance to clean them.

"Please Lairiel." Morohtar whispered softly. "Let me help you," he pleaded.

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Mariel glanced at her. "Something else on your mind, I see..." she commented dryly.

"Why?" Lairiel kept her gave averted. This place had too many memories. Too many damn memories for her to even consider feeling comfortable.