"Boys boy boys," Kali leaned in the archway, shaking her head, "Burning Elven furniture for your own gain?"

 "It was Kili's idea," Gloin grinned, pointing a finger at the youngest nephew of Thorin.

 Kali moved further into the room, "How dare you not invite me?" sitting near the fire, a grin formed on her face, "What are you eating, Bofur?" clearly it was a sausage, but Kali wished to find where he'd gotten it from.

 His eyes flickered from the sausage to Bombur, who was seated on a small table near the railing of the balcony they were camped out on, "Bombur!"

 Bombur looked up from his already overflowing plate to quickly catch the sausage. However, the small amount of extra weight was too much for the table legs. Bombur shrieked as he and all his food fell crashing to the floor.

 Everyone (on the floor, anyway) rolled over laughing. Even Dwalin, sitting against a pillar, was snickering at the incident. 

 Kali faked a gasp in shock, "Master Dwalin, was that a snicker I heard?"

 Dwalin grinned slightly, "I am not as emotionless as you make me out to be, Miss."

 She quirked an eyebrow, "You still have not learned my name, have you, Dwalin?"

 Next to her, Bofur snorted and shoved a slice of ham into his mouth, "Take no notice of him, Kali. He's known me for at least a hundred years and barely remembers my name."

 Dwalin shook his head, clearly done with the conversation and no more noises came from him. Gloin yawned, "The sun is setting."

 Balin was quick to agree, "Aye. I think it best if we get some rest. We'll want to leave early in the morn."

 "You get some sleep," Kali announced, moving to stand, "I have much energy left and therefore will take the nightwatch.

 Ori objected, "But we're in Rivendell! No one would attack us here! Get some sleep."

 Kali smiled, but shook her head all the same, "Thank you for your concern, Ori, however I enjoy the nighttime. I assure you, though, if I feel exhaustion I shall lay and sleep."

 It took quite some time before everyone settled in for the night, piled practically on top one another on that cramped little balcony. Nice and cozy, I like to think, Kali thought fondly as she put the dying flames out of their misery with her boot.

 The peaceful quiet of of the Valley brought a childhood song back to the forefront of Kali's mind. Quietly, she began humming the gentle tune as her feet carried her away from the Company. Ori was correct, they will be perfectly fine without a lookout. 

 Down a flight of stairs, around a corner and up another two staircases, her footsteps hardly making a sound as they carried her around and about the quiet balconies. Feeling slightly bad for disturbing the peace, though, her feelings were not bad enough and so she broke the silence by singing under her breath as she walked.

In the quiet misty morning

When the moon has gone to bed

When the sparrows stop their singing

And the sky is clear and red

When the summer's ceased its gleaming

When the corn is past its prime-

However light the footsteps behind her were, they were no match for her fine-tuned hearing. Kali's suspicions were confirmed when a light voice came from behind her, "You've got a lovely singing voice."

 She did not turn to face him, "Shouldn't you be asleep, Mr Baggins? You've a long day ahead tomorrow."

 Bilbo stepped in front of her, "I should say the same thing of you Miss Silverarm."

 Kali brushed past the hobbit, "According to Thorin I am not welcome on this adventure, Bilbo. When Rivendell is put behind you, I will be with it."

 Bilbo was persistent, keeping pace with the dwarrowdam, "Come with. Why should Thorin be the one to command you around? It is your choice-"

 "But it's his quest, Bilbo," she argued, stopping on a balcony. The overlook to a small pond below was far prettier in the moonlight, the waterfall creating small, gentle ripples in the surface. We're only one level above the Company, I'd better keep my tone down, "As much as I wish to come and do my part in taking back Erebor, it would be wrong of me to intrude without permission."

 "Are you saying," Bilbo began quietly, watching Kali, "That you don't care enough to fight Thorin's power?"

 "Of course I care, Bilbo!" Kali finally looked at him, and the full moon did nothing to hide the tears brimming her eyes, "It was not only they that lost their home. Erebor is my home as well and I am very exhausted from all my travelling trying to find a suitable substitute for the never-ending halls of that Mountain. But, as stated before Thorin doesn't want me along."

 Bilbo, however, didn't respond. His gaze was fixed on something across the water, "Of course I was going to tell you," came Gandalf's quiet tone, "I was waiting for this fitted chance. And really I-I's think you can trust that I'd know what I'm doing."

 Kali and Bilbo both took a step away from the wall, back into the shadows a bit to remain unseen, "Do you?" Lord Elrond replied coolly, "That dragon has slept for sixty years. What will happen if your plan should fail? If you wake that beast?"

 The two men of high power were walking slowly, side by side, across another hand-railing-less stone bridgeway built over the small lake, "But if we succeed?" Gandalf looked at Lord Elrond in hope, "If the dwarves take back the Mountain our defenses in the East will be strengthened-"

 "It is a dangerous move, Gandalf." Lord Elrond interrupted darkly.

 "It is also dangerous to do nothing," Gandalf replied, a hint of urgency hidden in his voice, "The Throne of Erebor is Thorin's birthright. What is it you fear?"

 Lord Elrond stopped, blocking the path as he turned to face Gandalf, "Have you forgot, A strain of madness runs deep in that family. His grandfather lost his mind, his father succumbed to the same sickness. Can you swear Thorin Oakenshield will not also fall?"

 "He will not," Kali began to herself, drowning out the two men across the way, "Thorin is strong and bullheaded... he knows better than to let that damned sickness get to his head." Bilbo cleared his throat quietly and Kali turned to look at him and froze. Behind him stood Thorin, "Thorin!" Kali whispered at the other dwarf, then her eyes darted across the water once again, "Thorin you needn't be hearing the two of them speak with one another."

 He still said nothing, ignoring her, even, "Gandalf," Lord Elrond continued solemnly, "these decisions do not rest with us alone. 'tis not up to you, or me, to redraw the map of Middle Earth..." By now they'd disappeared around the corner, and Thorin turned, defeated, to go back down the steps.

 "Thorin!" Bilbo went after him.

 The look on the King's face had been so broken, Kali couldn't help but feel sorry for him, despite his ill-manners towards her. She too chased him down, "Thorin!"