Day 18

[laurefindil]

[Greenhouse]

Glorfindel has been spending a lot of time in the garden, what those on the train called the greenhouse. His flowers were already starting to push up through the dirt, which he was encouraging with his light. He was also singing some songs from his old home, back when Ecthelion kept making up songs for every occasion and then getting them stuck in everyone's heads.

If anyone else is growing something in the greenhouse, it is thriving by association.

He is singing softly to his flowers as he waters them, the room is suspiciously bright.


[Cabin](For roommates to walk in on him if you want to!)
Glorfindel frowned at his bed. It was...functional, but lacked interest. If he was going to spend time here, he wanted to personalize his space more. He knew there was fabric available somewhere on the train. He wondered where he could get his hands on some, and if they had any greens and yellows, if there were sewing kits available, and what his roommates would think of custom curtains.


[Hallway]

Glorfindel stepped out into the hall, glancing out the windows at the colorful display outside. He was on a mission to find a sewing kit. He wondered where to start looking.

Comments

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel laughed. "The Younger Races do consider them gods, so pretty powerful, yes."

Of course he would ask. Glorfindel didn't want to lie. On the other hand, "You should ask Feanor," he advised, with a small smile that wasn't quite a smirk. "If any of my kind on this train would know, it would be him."

[stealsyourheart]

He boggles. "Whoa. Actual real gods?"

"Oh! Feanor-san?" Kami, why do all of them have names with so many weird syllables. "Yeah, I know him. I'll ask!"

[laurefindil]

"They are in the service of Iluvatar, excuse me, Eru, to the Younger Races," Glorfindel said, "But each of them has a significant role in the great Song. Manwë, the chief of them and lord of breath, Varda, the light bringer, Ulmo, who rules the sea, Aulë, whom the Dwarves and Smiths adore, Yavanna, Queen of the Earth and Mother of the Ents, Oromë, the Hunter, Vána, the Ever-Young, who brings spring, Mandos, Keeper of the Halls, Vairë, the Weaver, Nienna, the lady of Morning, Lórien, also known as Irmo, the Dream-lord, Estë, the Gentle, Tulkas, the Valiant, and Nessa, the fleet-footed."

He laughed. "Which is likely more than you really wanted to know. I apologize. Yes, please talk to Feanor. I'm sure he will have much to say."

[stealsyourheart]

Kaito listens avidly but he grins wryly at Glorfindel.

"You got it. I dunno if I'll remember half of that."

Lies, he has all of them memorised already.

"But it does sound pretty cool - in Japan we have kami and youkai, but no one's actually seen them."

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel shrugged. "Aside from the older Elves, there are very, very few who have seen the Valar, but that doesn't mean anything. If you know they exist, and can see the effects of their existence, does it matter if you can see them?"

He entwined two of the growing stalks together. It didn't harm the plants, and it looked appealing when in bloom, after all.

[stealsyourheart]

"Yeah, but see... we don't have anything like that, you know? Like. The tales of Amaterasu and Susano-no are cool and all, but ...An eclipse is a scientific phenomenon, and not a lady who hides in a cave when her feelings get hurt who needs her big bro to hang a mirror outside to tempt her out again."

He shrugs. "In my world, anyway."

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel grinned. "Are you sure?" he asked. "To the Younger Races, they have only ever known the sun and the moon and do not understand when the Eldar speak of the Light of the Two Trees, but that does not make it less true."

[stealsyourheart]

"The what?" He tips his head. "And... well yeah. It's like a fairy story for kids, the tale of Amaterasu and the Mirror. We know how eclipses work now. They definitely don't involve a party outside a cave."

[laurefindil]

"Sometimes things evolve. Like on my world. First we had the stars. Then the Trees, then the sun and moon. It doesn't make the earlier version wrong," Glorfindel pointed out. Of course, he didn't know Kaito's world of Japan, so perhaps it was just an old story to help people try to understand the world they lived in. "And when you say 'fairy story' what do you mean?"

[stealsyourheart]

"Ehhh." He says doubtfully. "Maybe in your world? But like. I don't THINK it went that way in mine. Science has gotten pretty good at our past theories now and I don't see anything about trees involved in light-production."

He shrugs. "It's a type of story! Meant for kids, these days, but it used to be more like... a teaching story. But a lot of them have magic and sometimes fairies, hence, 'fairy tale'."

[laurefindil]

"Magic is like that. It can make the impossible real and make you think it's always been like that," Glorfindel pointed out. "Especially if the gods of your world are trying to keep you from discovering the truth. So they make up something to keep you out of their hair while they go about doing their jobs."

"Teaching stories are excellent," Glorfindel agreed. "But why would you teach your children to believe in something that you feel isn't true? Unless it really was? Or at least, used to be?"

[stealsyourheart]

"I guess." He says doubtfully.

"A buncha different reasons, but in the old days, there was a lot of superstition coz we hadn't worked out how the world worked yet, see? But also... it's fun. Basically. Humans play pretend all the time."

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel laughed. "I have noticed that! But then, playing pretend can keep us sane in a world that isn't." He thought about his own world just now recovering from being under the influence of Sauron for far too long. "And sometimes, if you pretend hard enough," that hope existed and you could prevail against an impossible foe, "you might even make it real."

[stealsyourheart]

"Sounds like you've come from a rough place." He notes.

[laurefindil]

"We have been fighting evil, off and on, since I was a much younger elf," Glorfindel agreed. "First Melkor, then after he was defeated, his disciple, Sauron. It has taken the concerted efforts of many people to finally bring him down. Though in the end, it fell on the shoulders of two young hobbits." He sighed. "The rest of us served more as a distraction, while they snuck in and did what was necessary."

[stealsyourheart]

He whistles.

"Sometimes, its the sneaky people who are more useful that the flashy ones." He agrees. "But man, your world sounds really rough."

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel laughed. "I wouldn't say more useful. Those of us who are more flashy serve our purpose as well. It would have been a lot harder to cross Mordor if all of Sauron's troops had not been pulled to the Gate by Aragon and the combined Armies."

"It has been. But it is also a place of incredible beauty, and most of the people are quite kind. Even the dwarves, though they are a bit gruff and hard to get to know at first. Just, don't touch their gold. Worse than dragons, they can be."

[stealsyourheart]

"I'm guessing you're the flashy part?"

He grins. "That sounds both awesome and terrifying! Do they breathe fire like dragons do too?"

[laurefindil]

Glorfindel laughed. "For the most part my purpose is to lead, and that does require quite a bit of flash. But I also take my turns on patrol, and can be quite stealthy if need be." In fact, he had to consciously remember not to sneak up on people. It was a really old habit.

"No, not like dragons," he said with another laugh. "But they do work with molten gold. I've heard they even make boats to float on it."

[stealsyourheart]

".........isn't molten gold like. Really hot. And how much do they have that they need to have fireproof boats."

[laurefindil]

"Oh, exceedingly hot. But they do have quite a bit of it. That's why the Dwarves of Lonely Mountain were driven out by Smaug." Glorfindel said. "He was a particularly gold-mad dragon."

[stealsyourheart]

"....Your world sounds increasingly terrfying. In a very awesome way, but still... a gold-mad dragon? I'm guessing he wasn't a nice dragon!"

[laurefindil]

"Well, a lot of people have died or lost someone to war, recently, even. But I wouldn't think we were specifically more terrifying than any other world, surely? Doesn't your Japan have carnivores or war?"

Glorfindel paused and thought for a moment. "You know, I don't know that I have ever heard of a nice dragon."

[stealsyourheart]

"Not for ...mm. It's been over seventy years since the end of the second World War, and maybe fifty or so since Vietnam... oh, there was the Gulf War too, that's only what, a decade or two out." He says thoughtfully. "There are small conflicts going on even now, but nothing that Japan is involved in. We're not allowed a standing army after the last War anyway."

[laurefindil]

"Not allowed? That sounds like an interesting tale," Glorfindel said. It rather implied a few things also. Like losing. He was a little curious if Japan was on the side of Light or Dark in that war, but then again, humans could be subtle and not always need that to fight.

"It does sound like wars spring up on your world about as often as they do on mine," he admitted. "Although, ours are more flare ups of an ongoing fight, to be honest."