Peredhil had stayed up pacing long after he had returned to his room at the Glenview Tavern. The conversation with Juliane had ended in an awkward silence at a crucial moment. The morning hours had dragged on with some boring business he had to take care of. After a quick lunch, he had walked over to the Lark, hoping to catch her at home.

While no answer would be given to a knock at the front door, the steady jingling of the shop's bell would indicate to those within earshot that the Silver Lark was having a decent stream of customers. Or rather potential customers. Many came to look and finger, few actually purchased.

As the last wheel-kicker exited the shop, Juliane slumped down on the stool behind the counter with some relief. She was exhausted. Sleep had not come easily for her either, and she felt rather responsible for not pressing the question to him before the Nexus intervened. "Ya'll never learn, will ya, Juls... never in a million years."

After knocking fruitlessly on the half-open door, Peredhil stuck his head inside. "Hello?"

The sound of a muffled query reached her ears. The Shop was connected to the residence for the convenience of Johnny and Si, and Juliane stretched and pushed the swinging shutter door open to yell back into the house. "Tali? Tha' you?" The younger sibling and Soap the cat had made a visit earlier in the morning.

A familiar voice called out from some unseen room. Raising his own voice, he replied, "Juli? It's Peredhil."

A quick glance to the window gave no indication that anyone would be entereing the shop imminently. Crossing through the swinging shutter and the small backroom, she took the six steps two at a time. The lower half of the dutch door opened into the hallway that connected the front door to the kitchen. "Peredhil?" She'd looked first to her right, but upon turning towards the door, she paused and offered him a small smile.

"If ya were goin' ta open th' door, ya could've walked on inside, yeah?"

He opened his mouth to protest his innocence, then shut it and offered her a shy grin. "Sorry for barging in on you. I hope I didn't interrupt anything."

"No 'pology needed. Not like ya knew I was in th' shop today. An' it's quiet fer th' moment, but I'll need ta keep an eye on it, in case someone comes in." She smiled and waved for him to follow her, calling out over her shoulder. "Jus' shut th' door behind ya, yeah?"

He closed the door then followed after her as instructed. "It's a nice day out. A shame you are stuck inside."

"Yeah, I know, bu' it's part of m' weddin' present ta Jo an' Si. Can't really complain, ya know? B'sides, once he gets home it'll be m' turn ta get some sun and enjoy a bit of a break from th' Lark." Snagging an extra stool from the back room, she brought it out and placed it behind the counter for him before resuming her previous seat.

He settled on the stool with a murmur of thanks. "I hope so. Have you had many customers today?

"Not tha' many." She shrugged lightly. "Can't control tha' though."

He nodded. "Aye, I suppose not."

Unsure how to broach last night's subject again, he waited for her to bring up another topic for small talk.
She bit her lower lip, as unsure as he was.

Meeting her gaze, Peredhil wondered again how he could have ever let her get away from him. He knew that until he achieved some sort of closure, Juliane would continue to haunt him. Stifling a sigh, he spoke in a soft voice, "I know that it's uncomfortable for both of us, but I feel like we did not get a chance to finish last night's conversation. Granted, the inn is not the best place to discuss certain subjects, so I stopped by today to steal a few moments of your time in a place that offers us more privacy."

She nodded softly. "It's no' uncomfortable as in painful. Jus' like there's so much ta be said and no clear way ta begin so tha' it all makes sense." A gentle chuckle blossomed into a smile. "Makes me wish I was more gifted like Si is, yeah? She never has a problem sayin' anythin' ta anybody."

He chuckled softly at Juli's remark about her sister-in-law, but decided not to comment on it. "It shouldn't be painful. And it doesn't have to make sense. I think it's better to just say whatever it is we feel and deal with the consequences rather than try to hold it in."

She nodded again, agreement and humor in her eyes. "Mmm, it couldn't be any worse ta deal wi' than how we've gone 'bout it thusfar, yeah?"

He laughed. "I don't think it could. So shall I go first or do you want to start?"

Laughter erupted in a short spurt. "M' ma always said age should precede beauty... so I think it's up ta you ta start, yeah?" Butterflies hammered against her ribcage as she quieted down. She did not want him thinking she was making light of whatever it was he was going to share.

He feigned a glare. "Is that so?" His frown was quickly replaced by a disarming smile at her humor, which he greatly appreciated to diminish the anxiety that he had carried within him since the previous night.

"Yep, 's what she's always said." Nodding certainly as if her word solidified her mother's point.

Running his hands down his pant legs, he dropped his gaze to the counter and then brought his green eyes up to Juli's face. He allowed himself a small chuckle at her reply, then paused until he had recovered his train of thought.

"Juliane, before I begin, I want to reiterate what I said before that I do not expect anything from you. I just need you to hear this. I hope it does not influence what you might say, because that is not the point."

He nodded. "Exactly."

Peredhil stood and took a few steps towards Juliane. He paused a short distance from her. "Juliane, for what it's worth, I've never met anyone like you."

She nodded, the same holding true in reverse. "It's worth a whole lot ta me, Peredhil, as I can easily say th' same thin' 'bout ya. Yer people should be very glad and real proud ta have someone like ya leadin' 'em."

"Thank you, Juli. That means a lot, hearing it from you." He reached out hesitantly to take her hand.

She allowed her hand to be taken and shrugged lightly, looking to the window again. "I'm no' anythin' special, yeah? Jus' a farm-girl... " Pausing a moment. "... an' yer friend."

He released her hand and followed her gaze to the window. "If you could only see what I see in you, Juli..."

Her hand hovered in the air a moment before dropping back to her side, gaze slanting to the side to watch his profile. "A gangly woman wi' paint an' ink under her nails?" The tentative attempt for humor fell flat.

He stepped over to the window, his eyes resting on a few pedestrians walking along the road. "You are not just anything... not ever. And I don't care if you are a farm-girl, or you have paint under your nails, or you are a bit gangly..." He turned back to look at her, laughter dancing in his eyes. "The woman I fell in love with will always be something special to me."

Her mouth had been open, about to inform him that he was supposed to tell her how she wasn't gangly, but the clear expression of his feelings left her stammering. "Y-ya did what?" The walls she had been building around her heart all spring were beginning to crack and crumble a bit rapidly. Fingers gripped the edge of a display case to steady herself.

His eyes shone a clear green as he stood there admiring her. Months of holding those words in, trying to convince himself that he did not mean them. He felt like a thousand shackles had been flung off. Now that he had said those words, he had no trouble repeating them. "I fell in love with you, Juliane."

He had said those words before. But something told him this time was different. Regardless of how she might react, he would be able to return to Elessar with a clear conscience. He had accomplished what he needed to in Rhydin. Closure would come either way.

Her brain quickly shuttered through a myriad of images. That night she had attempted to deliver the stew to the house, the scene on the street where she ripped the image for him from her book, the afternoon in the Studio with papers strewn about. The night of her implosion, Peredhil teasing and talking with Katarina.

The truth of the matter way, such words had never been said to her before. Juliane tried to take a step back and collided with the case behind her. His words had an actual, physical impact. They rocked her, and set up a roller-coaster whirl in her chest. She could feel her heart racing as she shut her mouth with a snap, but the sudden and completely unexpected revelation had another unexpected side-effect. She could feel tears welling in her eyes, and whirled to turn from him.

He had been prepared for most reactions, including rejection, but was unprepared for this. Peredhil watched with growing concern as Juli first backtracked and then turned her back to him.

She had shed hot tears upon learning that he loved another. Never would she have imagined that the process would be repeated upon knowing that those feelings were reserved for her. Long fingers wiped at her cheeks. Juliane's voice came out as a a whisper, thick and clogged with tears she was struggling to repress. "Why're ya tellin' me this now? When yer abou' ta leave without comin' back?" His letter had been plain enough -- he was cutting ties. Would he be going back on his plans?

He spoke to her back, his voice full of tenderness. "I just thought you should know. And I cannot come back to Rhydin... at least, not permanently. Elessar is my home."

"Maybe some day..." He cut off, unwilling to make empty promises that he might not be able to keep. Studying her, his voice carried just enough to reach her ears. "Tell me what you're thinking, Juliane."

"Tha' I don' know which is harder ta deal wi'. Havin' ya here in th' arms of another or knowin' how ya really feel and ya havin' ta be gone. Either way I lose. Either way I'm torn ta pieces."

Fortunately, she was looking the other way, because he gave her a confused look. His plan -- full of good intentions and attempts to clear away the walls that had been erected between them -- was quickly unraveling. "I'm sorry, Juli."

He did not know what else to say.

The apology was a sting. Having no experience in confessing intimacies, Juliane had attempted to make it as clear as possible how she felt. A deep breath before she squared her shoulders, giving a final wipe to her cheeks. "Ya don' need ta be. Fate set yer path and gave ya th' care of yer people. She made Elessar yer home." She turned slowly to face him again, her lower lip quivering. "Jus' like she uprooted me from Hope an' planted me here, where our paths crossed and parted, only ta cross and part again."

"Doesn't mean I have ta like th' partin', does it?" A lone tear escaped unbidden and streaked down her face.

He wanted to protest, to exclaim that they would find a way to make it work, that love involved sacrifice and suffering. Instead, watching that single tear stream down her face, he realized that there was nothing he could say to resolve the situation. He belonged in Elessar; Juli belonged here. "No, it doesn't. I don't like it either. Perhaps I should not have told you how I feel. They say ignorance is bliss." He attempted a wry smile.

His acquiescence sounded in her ears like a death knell to all the possibility that had been unleashed when she first heard his words. In spite of their reality. In spite of her fears or his obligations. "Ignorance is jus' ignorance."

He barked a laugh. "I agree." Reluctantly tearing his gaze from her, he stole his first glance back in the direction of the door. The conversation had apparently stalled. No solution lay in sight. Perhaps it was time for him to leave.

She had no real sense of what options were left to her. Did she have a right to add more to his plate? To ask him to juggle his time between the realms? To invite herself to go along. Her feelings for him ran deep but she lacked the courage in the moment to ask more than just the one question. "Ya said yesterday ya knew what ya wanted most in th' world. What is it?"

He answered without a second thought. "Love and happiness."

They were two things actually, but so intertwined that there was no way to separate them.