After hanging up the phone, Maglor needed to walk outside to calm down. Tyelko had an incredible ability to rile him, and he knew it was the same the other way around. But Tyelko was the one to call about such things.

He took one last look around the interior of the YMCA he was sitting in, picked up his backpack and left before the employee's looks in his direction could get any more pointed.

He was in a nicer section of town now, he'd been meaning to set up along the river but now that he'd talked to Tyelko he had to rethink his next moves. His brother had more or less told him he was overreacting, and Maglor couldn't decide if that's what he'd wanted to hear or not. He'd gotten up momentum for this, and now it had no where to go. But as much as he tried to take comfort in thinking himself foolish, his gut wouldn't give him peace.

It was odd to feel a sense of purpose. He'd been drifting so long, just aiming to make it through another day, and those days blurring together into oblivion. Sometimes he felt like he just woke up after a couple weeks or a month with the realization that he couldn't quite remember what had been up to, and he didn't really care. He hadn't touched drugs in a while, but he didn't need them to get lost in his own mind. To be thinking beyond tomorrow was exhilarating and terrifying.

Well, there were no more shadows lurking where they shouldn't for the present, so now for lunch. He dug in his pocket and counted his money as he walked, and tried to think about what was next. Talking to one brother made him think about the others. He thought about tracking down Moryo. He kept himself distant, always had, and Maglor tried to make it a point to look out for him. Moryo didn't always allow him to, however, so Maglor had to find creative ways to love him. Nelyo was the only one everyone talked to, so he was the only one who knew where everyone was, but as he'd said to Celegorm, he didn't want Nelyo to know about this.

That was another strange thing, he didn't feel the need to go to Nelyo with everything. He'd gotten used to being on his own. Thinking that thought through made something twist inside him but it was true. It had been true for longer than Maglor cared to remember.

He walked along the street for a few minutes before he realized every restaurant in this part of town was way too expensive for him. He sighed. Might as well set up then. The Mississippi river ran through this city, and he had an affection for it as he did with all well-known rivers. When he could, he liked to play his music by water. There was so much music in water naturally, it lent to his own. Maybe the familiar river and the music would ease away the foreboding that followed him today.

The river was a few blocks away, there was a walkway and park along the west bank that would be as good a place as any. It was around noon when he got there, perfect timing. The people who worked in the offices were on their lunch break walk.

He picked a tree and took out his instrument to tune up. A mandolin right now. He liked to switch it up, trade with other musicians or find something old and cheap. He could make anything sound good. It was a scrappy instrument, not very well made, but it got more attention than a regular guitar.

He played for a couple hours, made a respectable amount, and when the traffic dried up he started thinking about moving. Now he really was hungry and he'd have to walk a ways to find a place in his price range.

As he was packing up he saw in his peripheral something gray slinking behind a tree. The hair on the back of his neck rose. He was careful not to look directly at it, and it was daylight. That usually had an affect on these kinds of things. In his ear, there came a whisper.

"I didn't mean to startle you before."

His head came up sharply and he suddenly realized there was no one around. He whipped around.

"Ah, I did it again. Sorry." It said.

In the daylight it didn't appear black so much as shadowy, and like a shadow it moved and shimmered.

"I ask again, who are you." Maglor demanded.

It opened its mouth to respond, but the sound of thudding feet sounded around a curve of the sidewalk and it melted away before a runner came into view.

"Dammit." Maglor muttered, and zipped up his instrument case with shaking hands.

He walked until he smelled something delicious and affordable and then followed it till he stepped into a little Middle Eastern deli. He got a falafel wrap and stayed inside to eat. It was late spring and the afternoons were beginning to make one want air conditioning. While he ate he considered calling Celegorm again, but decided he would say the same thing. These types of things usually went away if he ignored them long enough, and Maglor had all the time in the world, but he had a bad feeling about this. He'd wait for a third instance and then Celegorm couldn't ignore it.

~~~*~~~

Softly glowing eyes watched Maglor leave the deli and collect himself before strolling down the street. Master must know of this. He would be pleased.