Another day has passed with no news, good or bad, of Xanir, which is causing me to think that perhaps my concern has been overblown. Surely if he were in danger he would have given me some sign by now. Yet though I know he lives, when I seek for him I only find darkness, and when I call to him my own voice echoes back to me....has he shut me out deliberately? I know the same is true for Xandilif and I can think of no reason for him to be so capricious as to seek to silence us both while he is abroad amongst the world, unaided.
It is all mystery which I must resolve, however I feel my attention wandering as my panic diminishes.In fact, Bree appears to me more and more to be rife with sparkling fascinations, which I have unearthed while seeking knowledge of Xanir from the warm sanctuary of the Pony.
For example, tonight I encountered the charming halfling Avi again as well as her friend Fritzi, amazingly once more in a confrontation with some quite belligerent pirates, or at least ruffians who claim to be pirates. I asked several people that if there were pirates in Bree then where was the sea they sailed upon, or at least their ship...however I received no answer. Yet another mystery.
One of the pirates appeared to be injured in some way, yet none the less had engaged in a clash with Avi, exchanged words which seemed to be barbed though all said with wide smiles by them both. It was clear they were enjoying the hostilities despite the fact they seemed to be in deadly earnest. Earnest enough that even the fierce Avi welcomed the arrival of an intimate of hers, who she named as being a Captain of the Guard in mighty Minas Tirith. This changed the nature of the encounter and though the man of Gondor claimed he simply wished to drink in peace, the so-called Pirates beat a hasty, and no doubt wise, retreat. Soon after a few local constables arrived and Avi led them upstairs to face the piratical threat, though after that I do not know what transpired as I fell to speaking with Fritzi about her own quest. She was seeking men who would enjoy pain on behalf of some friends of hers. I did not fully understand the particulars but then the romantic customs of Bree-land are still strange to me in many ways.
You see, as the night dragged on courting couples came and went in the Pony, each swain assuring their no doubt maidenly companion that they were deeply interested in their troubles and that their trepidations were groundless as they had no base intent at all, which amused me to no end. Still, as they drifted up to the chambers above the Pony both sides seemed happy with their illusions so why should I disabuse them?
As time drifted onwards towards the dawn the issue of the Pirates returned in a most unlikely way. I was speaking with a somewhat nervous local woman in a remarkable hat that I learned later was called Amy Briel...the woman, not the hat. A local constable by name of Adalbart came into the Pony with questions concerning the doings previous with the erstwhile pirates. I told the fine yeoman what I recalled from the incident but then Amy Briel spoke of a confessed thief that had menaced her and a friend previously, which had quite disturbed her. As she was speaking the villain himself came sauntering through the Pony! The poor woman pointed helplessly as he departed through the door and the constable set out in futile pursuit. The thought occurred to me then that my brief glimpse of the miscreant was somehow familiar, but I dismissed it as I sought to console Amy Briel. It was only after both the young lady and Constable Adalbart had departed that I remembered where I had seen the thief's profile before...he had been the man complaining to Avi the first night I saw her of his unrequited love for an elven maid. I am quite certain it was the same man! So many strange curiosities unscroll before me.
As I said...Bree continues to disclose surprises, even as my search grows more frustrating.
