Nighttime, Kali was grinning inside and out as she climbed up a tree, "My favourite time of the day."

 She'd just settled in, laying across a branch with her back to the trunk, when there were footsteps beneath her, "Kali, I saw you leave the firelight. Wherever have you gone off to now?"

 When Kali opened her eyes, she looked down and saw indeed the voice belonged to Bilbo. He looked slightly lost, spinning in small circles the way he was. In his hands was a small bowl of soup. Do not answer and he'll believe you'd left. Kali settled back down, closing her eyes for a small nap. But, as Mahal would have it Bilbo found her, "Kali! Come down and eat something!"

 She inhaled sharply, "No. Thorin wishes for me not to eat anything, nor sleep near the fire. So be it; I have survived worse."

 Bilbo briefly contemplated climbing up to her, but he'd remembered her temper flaring in the past (resulting in his entire Hobbit-Hole being completely torn apart inside and out) and decided against it, "You needn't 'survive' anything. Join us down here and let me deal with Thorin."

 Kali's brief laughter shook her so violently she'd almost fallen from the tree, "You think -- You think that you can handle Thorin? Bilbo you can hardly handle a stray chicken from the Shire!"

 Bilbo looked hurt, "I've changed, Kali. I can handle myself perfectly fine, in case you hadn't seen me murder an orc back there to save Thorin's life."

 Kali was sic of talking to the leaves, and as a conclusion jumped straight from her branch to the ground. She landed catlike in front of Bilbo and scared the wits out of him, "You think that Thorin will accept you simply because of one act of heroism?" saying this, she stood up from her crouch, towering over the hobbit as she inched nearer, "Just because you were the only one able enough at the time to put yourself between him and danger, you think he will automatically like the fact that you are on this quest? Because no matter how many times you act out of the ordinary towards Thorin, how many times you decide to put your life on the line for his, he will never -- ever -- get over the fact that you are just a halfling who wishes no more than to be back at home in his armchair, reading a book and sipping a cup of tea!" After her sudden outburst Kali spun on her heel, secluding herself further into the woods and higher in the trees.

Bilbo was somewhat frightened as he shuffled awkwardly back towards camp, giving the bowl to Bombur (who downed it eagerly) before going to settle between Nori and Dori. Dori looked at him, "Didn't want any, I presume?"

Bilbo wasn't sure how to answer, really, and he looked around for an answer, "She never... really answered, Dori," Bilbo rested his confused gaze on the dwarf.

"Nori," Fili warned from across the fire, "Put the burglar's pocket-watch back in his pocket."

Bilbo turned around to, in fact, find that his pocket watch was in the hands of Nori and not in his pocket where it should be, "Hey!" Nori only laughed and set the watch in Bilbo's lap. Bilbo stuffed it in an inside pocket.

Dori shook his head, "Best not worry about Kali, Bilbo. I'm sure she knows how to care for herself."

Bilbo nodded and leaned back, resting against the base of a tree, "I do believe I am in need of a nap."

However, he'd just closed his eyes when there was a presence felt looming over him. When he opened his eyes, Bilbo's vision was obscured by a dwarf, "Which way had Kali run off?"

"Fili!" Thorin barked, "Leave the burglar alone."

 Fili looked back down at Bilbo, who answered quickly, "North a little ways, I believe. Why, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Fili!"

"I must speak with her about something," Fili rushed out before disappearing through the thicket (before Thorin became too enraged), "Kali?" he called out, not too loud, "Kali?" something his ears picked up made him stop in the middle of pushing a branch out of his way. 

It was gently rushing water mixed with a low song.

When adventure's

Lost it's meaning

I'll be homeward bound

In time 

Bind me not

To the pasture

Chain me not

To the plow

Set me free

To find my calling

And I'll return

To you somehow

Fili followed the mix of peaceful noises almost blindly, and soon found a small river, "Hmm... I don't remember this being here." still, the song carried on, so he followed it downstream.

If you find it'sme you're missing

If you're hoping I'll return

To your thoughts I'll soon be listening

In the road I'll stop and turn

Fili finally found the end of the river: it ended in a small lake and thus ended the search for the song. Fili had found whom he'd been searching for as well, her bare back turned to him, "Kali?"

 The sudden breaking of the quiet had Kali up to her neck in the water, now facing the intruder, "Fili! Now is not the time to be visiting!"

 If she'd have been closer to Fili, Kali would have been able to watch as the beautiful grey-blue of his eyes became clouded with a darker sapphire, "You are alone?"

 She still hadn't moved up, but had in fact moved backwards, away from Fili, "I had been, yes. Fili, what troubles you?"

 "We are currently being hunted by an orc pack," Fili stripped off his stockings and boots and, rolling up the legs of his trousers, he sat on the bank of the lake, "It is unwise to be out alone."

"That statement suggests you doubt my undeniably perfect fighting skills," Kali's grin was infectious and had Fili grinning soon as well. Kali sunk lower yet, so the dwarf on shore could only see her smile-on-up,"You know for a fact I can defend myself."

"Are you really prepared to jump from the lake and take on an orc pack completely in the nude?" Fili challenged, a smirk pulling at his lips.

Kali laughed, "No, I suppose you've made a point..."

The silence that followed was not good for either of the two. Kali had continued to gently scrub at her body while looking everywhere to not meet Fili's intense gaze. His dark eyes were following her every move, and although it may seem he was in the present his mind was really in the past, "I really am truly sorry for what I did, Kali."

Kali froze, not lifting her gaze from where her hand rested on her forearm, just below the water's surface, "Fili, I have told you time and again I've forgiven you."

He sighed, "I realize that you've forgiven me. It's myself I cannot find forgiveness from."

Kali wanted to be near him, but as all her clothing was on shore next to him she had to refrain, "Fili, what troubles you?" she repeated. Those were the only words she could find.

Fili hesitated greatly, choosing his words as carefully as possible, "I feel as if I'd taken advantage of you, Kali."

"Fili," Kali sighed, "That may have been what I'd said, but those words had been said during the peak of my dislike for being-"

"Kali?" Fili looked behind him at what she was staring at, prepared to attack if it was danger. He only sighed, "Kili, what are you doing?" when Fili turned around Kali was nowhere in sight.

Kili moved up, removing his boots and stockings as well, however he did not roll up his trousers before slipping his legs in the water, "What are you doing, brother?"

The tone in Kili's voice was accusing. Fili gave him a look, "I had come to talk to Kali."

"Is that why her clothing is strewn about the grass?" Kili's bite back was quite harsh and quite uncalled for.

"KilI!" Fili was taken aback by his brother's sudden outburst, "For your information Kali had been in the lake when I first arrived. I'd stayed to keep her safe in case of an attack and also so I could talk to her in private."

"What had you been talking about?" Kili swished his legs around, watching the surface. The shape of the lake, the way it dove straight down in some parts along the bank, told the dwarf it had help in being created.

"Something that is not for your ears to hear," Fili replied far too quickly for Kili's liking. The last time Fili answered that way, he'd been withholding the condition of a sparring injury he'd received from a friend in the Blue Mountains.

"Fili, what are you not telling me?" Kili pressed.

"I do believe that is none of your concern, Kili," the boys turned around to see Kali, fully clothed (how she'd gotten her clothes on without either of the two noticing was far beyond Kili's knowledge) in her very male attire. Her grandmother would be turning in her grave should she have found out what Kali was dressing in (not her mother, however. Kali's mother hadn't cared what Kali wore).

"How did you do that?" he asked, looking up at her. Her demeanour gave away that the two of them were hiding something and Kili wanted to find out what, "And what are the two of you not telling me?"

"I'm very light on my feet," was Kali's stiff reply to Kili's first question. She began walking away to let Fili deal with his kin, "The next question is something that Fili can answer for you."

"Where is she going?!" Kili demanded, looking quickly between her retreating figure and the body sitting next to him, "Fili where is she going?"

"Kili, calm yourself!" Fili was becoming slightly worried, "I suppose she's gone back to camp, possibly to tell the others she's found a place to clean off."

"Why wouldn't she tell them before?"

"I suppose she wished to be alone while she cleansed, Kili," Fili was surprised Kili hadn't pieced together the information, "She is, after all, a woman, and she maybe thought being in the lake with them all at the same time would have been a bit too..."

Fili trailed off but Kili understood, "Oh. I can understand that... Now what are the two of you hiding?"

Fili slid off his jacket and threw it to the side. It was quickly followed by his tunic, "I do believe I am in need of a bit of cleaning as well. Don't you think brother?"

Kili stood when Fili stood, "Fili-" he turned his head to avoid getting water from Fili's splash in his eyes. Kili couldn't help the bout of laughter that threatened to bubble up, and indeed he couldn't contain it when a pack of stark-naked dwarves ran past into the lake.