Let's Waste Time Chasing Cars

[fracturedbeauty]

Who: Yukari and Curufin (closed)
What: The first date of the two adorkable babies
Where: Delight's Bar; The Silent Hill Zone
When: Backdated to January 28
Warnings: Innuendos, updated as necessary. (Curufin broke it, I'm sorry. I should have known better.)


After a flustered conversation of what happened between Yukari's Double and Curufin, Yukari and Curufin confirmed a time and place for seeing each other. Yukari burned the pesky letter from his Double (no sense in keeping around something so uncomfortable), before continuing his beauty regimen. Not that he's taking extra care just because he's going out with his new partner; he's always cared about his looks. But there might be some extras he's putting consideration into just for such an event. You know... just to see if he'll notice. Just a little.

He pulls on his jacket, sheathing his sword, and checks himself as he passes by the mirror in the living room, just to be extra sure. Satisfied with his appearance, he heads out and makes his way to Delight's Bar. Upon his arrival, he looks around for the Elf, to see if he made it there first. With no sign of Curufin, he chooses a table in the corner, in the hopes of being more isolated from the rest of the people in the bar. He drapes his jacket over his chair. Since he's waiting, he orders Curufin a vodka on the rocks and himself a cocktail. It was his remembrance of the first time they were here, after blowing up the Colosseum together. How Curufin could drink straight vodka is beyond him; he must have tastebuds and a throat of steel, but he hopes this will make him happy.

Come to think of it, for a first date, this is certainly no candlelit dinner. All the conversations they had about what delighted them most about people and ideals. He remembers another thing they had spoken of, as well. The Dark Place on the other side of the River. Perhaps he will bring that up after they've had a few and they can finally go explore it together, after talking about it for so many months. Who knows what they'll find? The mystery is part of the thrill, never knowing how much danger you'll get into.

When Curufin arrives, Yukari smiles as he waves over at him, holding up the vodka-filled glass for Curufin to see. Did I get it right? When Curufin walks over to the table, Yukari chuckles at him.

"You're late, Curufin-san. I took my time getting here." He clicks his tongue in mock-disapproval. "What am I going to do with you, hmm?"

Comments

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin has spent the day on Guard matters. First he got up early and went to work on repairing the partially ruined headquarters building, which Rey's double had bombed. Then he showered, changed his clothes, donned his blue sash, and headed out into the city on his regular patrol shift. And after that, he rushed back to his house, showered again, pulled on his best clothes, and hurried to Delight's Bar.

Now, walking through the door, he looks swiftly around, breaks into a smile. He comes to join Yukari at the table in the corner. For a moment, before he sits down, he just looks at his friend, appreciating him. The extra glow and sparkle is obvious. "I'm sorry I'm late."

He sits down and takes the glass of vodka. Oh yes, you got it right. Tastebuds and throat of steel. He lifts the glass to clink it against Yukari's. "You look especially beautiful this evening." Curufin's eyes are glowing as he looks at him.

[fracturedbeauty]

"I suppose I can forgive you, this time." He smiles as he mocks a disappointed, forgiving tone. "But next time, you'll have to make it up to me."

He tolerates being stared at for the moment. He knows it's just Curufin admiring him, and what's the point of dressing up a little more if you don't expect to get noticed? He can at least reason out that much for the newfound attention. There's an excuse to be stared at. He raises his glass to meet Curufin's, sipping it shortly thereafter.

And what Curufin says next causes him to choke on his drink a little. That, he wasn't expecting. He coughs roughly as he feels the burn on his esophagus, trying to regain his composure, and covering his reddened face by hovering a hand over it. He glances through his fingers at the Elf. Just what is he supposed to say to that, in public of all places? He can't say he didn't dress up for him.

"Erm... Thank you..." he manages to sputter out as his coughing dies down. He makes a mental note to get Curufin back for that one later. "What took you so long anyway?"

The faster he can get the attention off of himself, the easier this will go along.

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin laughs. "All right, I suppose I owe you. I'll turn up twenty minutes early next time."

They clink glasses and drink, and Curufin can tell Yukari is a little bit embarrassed by the attention, even before chokes on his drink, turns red, and covers his face. Curufin's eyes soften, and he refrains from teasing the poor man who apparently doesn't know how attractive he is. Or perhaps he knows, but just isn't used to people pointing it out.

"I worked a double shift. Guard Headquarters was damaged by one of the doubles. Apparently, I'm not the only one here with a stash of explosives. So yesterday I volunteered to recruit a repair crew and rebuild the office end of the building, and today we started work. And then I had my regular patrol shift. And then I had to cover for part of somebody else's at short notice. But I should have texted you to say I was going to be late. I thought you'd appreciate it if I didn't turn up all hot and sweaty from fighting a monster who got loose from one of the tunnels, so I dashed home to take a shower."

And to dress up a little himself. He's all in black, as usual, but his swashbuckler-style shirt is black velvet, his boots are polished, and he's braided his side-locks, Elven-style.

[fracturedbeauty]

Yukari's eyebrows shoot up with intrigue.

"You're with the Guard?" Considering he was just harassing Captain Chivalry yesterday. And to come to find out that he's dating one? This is going to be priceless. Yukari can't help but smirk at this new information. He was already planning on giving extra trouble to Henry, but now Curufin's a factor. Curufin might have his hands full at work from now on, because a certain pretty boy has nothing better to do in his time. He wonders if he should start subtly, making it a mystery game of Whodunnit, or if he should start blatantly and make it a game of tag.

"Well, I certainly do appreciate you putting in the time and effort to make sure you're presentable enough to be seen with me." A light taunt in the edge of his tone, there. He does have to admit, though, Curufin looks extravagant in velvet. He smiles as he looks him over more properly. "You do look rather dashing, yourself." He certainly has no problem giving out compliments where he is afraid to accept them.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Yes, did I not mention that?" he asks, blithely. "My son joined when he first arrived here. And so after a while, I did, too, so that I might stand by his side. Of course, it's more complicated than that, now that I am involved. I am very active in the organization."

He grins at the compliment, and all the more so because he can hear the playful taunt in Yukari's voice. "Thank you. I did not want you to be scandalized when a ruffianly soldier came dashing into the bar with his hair uncombed, to sit down at your table and claim to be your date." (Pun intended.)

And he's still looking at Yukari with admiration in his eyes, despite his teasing back.

[fracturedbeauty]

"You hadn't." Yukari chuckles. "What else are you keeping from me?"

That's right, Yukari had almost forgotten that Curufin had family here. Still, it strikes him odd that they would come from a background of war and rebellion and decide that being on the Guard is what suited them best. Although Curufin is certainly not uptight and pompous (unlike his impression of another someone of the Guard), he figured that was the sort of work for the chivalrous; a word he and Curufin had discussed before. It seems rather contradictory to what Yukari expected of the Elf.

Well, at least Curufin's son is in the Guard, too. More fun to be had that way. He'll have to step aside and take the time to learn the Guard to chart some proper harassment techniques.

"Who's claiming what, now?" Yukari scoffs. A date? Who said that's what this was? You did, Yukari. Nevermind that the enhanced appearances of the two make it obvious that it's exactly what it is. "Well, I suppose it's true that all dogs can be domesticated, hmm? Curufin-puppy-san."

Back to that again.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Wouldn't you like to know?" retorts Curufin, chuckling. Never mind that he hasn't in fact got any more secrets. (Well, maybe one or two.)

A background of war and rebellion may be the best background to have when joining an organization of those who believe in law and order. It means Curufin has plenty of practice at what he's supposed to be combating. Besides, he regards it as a possibly temporary gig -- considering that he knows very well that nobody in either Hadriel or his last world, Arda Marred, or for that matter, his first world, the original Arda, can count on permanence of life or permanence of anything, including a job or an employer. This causes him not to worry so much about the implications of his actions or of other people's ideas or expectations -- not even Yukari's. He doesn't think of his guard work as chivalry.

"Oh, now I'm not merely a ruffian, but a dog?" He laughs. He has no intentions of arguing about whether or not this is a date, since it's obvious to both of them that it is. "Well, in that case, maybe I should crawl under the table and chew your slippers?" Wicked grin.

[so_dark_a_road]

To Curufin's surprise and delight, Yukari reaches out to touch him with a hand and then with his lips. Curufin's cheek tingles with that kiss, and he gives his friend a look of tenderness. And Yukari doesn't let go of his hand when he sits down. His nervous glances around the room before and after don't in the least detract from the gesture, nor from the moment. Curufin curls his own fingers around Yukari's, telling him in silence that his peace offering is accepted with gratitude.

But he thinks maybe it would be best if he waited until some other moment to respond in kind. Yukari has just taken a big risk, and he seems to need them to return to something more ordinary for now. Curufin is certainly willing to go along with it, if it will make his friend happy.

"I remember. Yes, we could go tonight, if you like?" He doesn't care about the clothes. Anyway, he has an everyday shirt in his satchel.

He gives Yukari's fingers a very gentle squeeze, indicating that he can let go if he likes. It will be all right.

[fracturedbeauty]

"I would like that alot, yes." Either way it goes, they will either run into something to enjoy together, or be completely alone. Yukari won't have to worry about prying eyes; or at least that's what he hopes. He certainly hasn't determined how often people travel to such an area. He hasn't heard much of anything about it, though, from other civilians in Hadriel. So, it is his educated guess that people won't be there when they are.

Even with that gentle, reassuring squeeze, Yukari remains holding on to Curufin's hand. That much isn't so bad, not at all. In fact, he finds himself welcoming it in this moment. As though letting go of that hand would take all of his security with it. He didn't expect it to be so comforting as it is. Maybe he could tolerate this much in public on a regular basis. He gives a reassuring squeeze of his own.

"Should we head to your place after drinking so you can properly change, then?" In favour of practicality. He'd hate for that beautiful, velvet shirt of Curufin's to get torn.

[so_dark_a_road]

Yukari is right about that. It's unlikely there'll be anybody else in the Silent Hill area -- people avoid it. And on the pathways that lead to it and around it, there won't be many people, since that area is in the far northwest corner of Hadriel, distant from the more central and frequented areas. Tranquility's temple and the moped lot are the only nearby places likely to draw people, but they are like islands in the darkness.

Curufin smiles when instead of letting go of Curufin's hand, Yukari keeps hold of it. He twines his fingers with Yukari's. He looks into his friend's violet eyes and sees the welcoming, and a shy sweetness that both evokes his compassion and enchants him.

"All right, we'll go to my place so I can change. But what about you?" Yukari has taken some care to dress in his best, too. "Should we run over to your house first?"

[fracturedbeauty]

"And just what am I supposed to do if you peep on me?" Yukari asks half-jokingly. Would he mind? He's not sure. It would probably feel fairly awkward. For that much, he's particularly glad that things didn't progress between his Double and Curufin to the point of exploring each other's bodies. Thank you, Curufin, for having that restraint. Initially, he had no plans to change. But if they're going to be in the housing area for Curufin to get changed, he might as well stop by his place as well.

Yukari finishes his drink before standing up, turning back to Curufin with a sly smile.

"Well? Shall we, then?" In the name of adventure. He's kind of curious to see what it's like where Curufin lives, anyway. Until now, Curufin had always come to him.

[so_dark_a_road]

"I promise faithfully that I will hide my eyes," Curufin answers, with a smile. "In fact, I'll stay in the livingroom and you can shut the bedroom door." Curufin, too, is glad that he did not go further with Yukari's double than affectionate kisses and cuddling. If Yukari ever recovered his double's memories, it would have been an ambush, an insult to him -- at least, that is Curufin's feeling about it.

The one thing he has to thank the double for is that the simple affection he gave to Curufin was something that Yukari himself actually wanted to give. Curufin might not have known for a long time, if ever, how sweet Yukari really was. And if Yukari wants him to know that now, Curufin is very willing.

He finishes his own drink and sets the glass down. "Let us go! We are closer to my house than yours, so we should go there first."

Delight's bar is across a field and a few roads from Delight's Housing, where Curufin lives. They head out into the night of Hadriel. It is always night here. A ten minute walk takes them to the recessed spiral of houses, and along the cement walkway to #06, Curufin's house.

Celebrimbor and Maedhros are both out, Celebrimbor on his guard shift, and Maedros, who has told Curufin he will join the guard also, presumably out on the same errand.

Curufin shows Yukari to a seat in the livingroom and then changes quickly in the bedroom. He emerges in more casual clothing, black jeans and boots and a black shirt and jacket. He is carrying his blue guard sash and he holds it up in his hand with a grin. "Think I should wear this, too? In case we meet any monsters, no doubt they'll see the dreaded emblem and run away immediately!" He is joking, of course.

[fracturedbeauty]

An insult, and an embarrassment. For it may have been Yukari's body, but it wouldn't have been Yukari that Curufin had gotten to know. It would cause an emotional dissonance between them, often making Yukari's actions to the already teasing notions even more awkward. Yukari would probably have shut down around most of it, instead of turning red and behaving like a defensive child. It would have done so much more harm if the Double had succeeded in his goal.

Yukari patiently sits down while he waits for Curufin to come back. As Curufin sweeps back into the room, Yukari's eyebrows shoot up as he sees the sash, reiterating Curufin's compliance to join the Guard.

"Or give them something to strangle you with. They actually make you wear that? They should give you a vest or a jacket. Or even a badge. A sash seems like a poor choice if you're going to end up in battle. Shouldn't the Guard think of such things ahead of time?"

He's actually more mocking the appearance than actually being worried. While it could be a valid point of attack for a particularly skilled and difficult enemy, he's pretty confident Curufin is not so easy to take down.

"Besides, you could get it torn." He stands up, straightening himself. "Unless you're looking to use it as a proper means for them to identify your body after you've been maimed beyond recognition, you should probably leave it here."

Of course, he knows the likelihood after death is resurrection. So, the sash is a moot point altogether.

After they get to Yukari's house, he changes into his usual attire and removes his makeup, ensuring his sword is secured in place. He hardly thinks he'll break a sweat, but just in case, then there's no makeup to smudge and cause a distraction with. He returns to the living room where Curufin has promised to obediently stay while he changed. He gives a chuckle. "Such a good Curufin-san-puppy. You didn't even chew my slippers."

He reaches out to pat Curufin's head in mock praise. "Shall we, then? While the night is still young?"

[so_dark_a_road]

"Of course, but then wouldn't I have to drag everybody off the battlefield, one by one, in case of missing the one who most likes surprises? Sounds like a lot of work." And certainly Yukari is right! -- if one were going to pass out applications, one should not restrict the applicants to enemies, but hand them out to friends, as well. That is to say, the one before him.

"All right, the foot of your bed sounds fine." Sidelong glance. But he refrains from taking shameless advantage of this opportunity. "Only, I'll be waking you up at six in the morning. 'Yukari, get up! It's time to go for a walk! I wanna play!' " And he mimes the big galumphing puppy pawing the oblivious sleeper, then jumping down onto the floor, yipping, and then bounding up onto the bed again to jump on the sleeper's feet, back to the floor, rinse and repeat.

In the Silent Hill territory, they suddenly find themselves caught. Curufin notices instantly when Tranquility's light cuts off. As they run, there is now no obvious way out. The fog doesn't thin, the sirens don't fade, and the ground under their feet doesn't change from wild grasses to the more domestic lawn grass of the temple grounds, nor to the pebbly dirt surface of the moped lot.

And as if that weren't enough, there is suddenly a dark form coming swiftly out from between the trees. Yukari is foremost and leaps out of the way, swinging his sword the instant he has a stable foot to balance on. He shouts in warning.

Curufin snatches his own sword out of its sheath and comes in with a diagonal cut to the beast's shoulder -- at least, that's where he's aiming.

[fracturedbeauty]

"Certainly not. You just have to listen as you grab them. For the variations of 'No! Stop!' to the delicate and playful, 'No, stop~'." He peaks his voice higher for the latter of the no, stops. "You obviously need to be trained properly."

"Sounds like I'll just have to get you a muzzle and a crate then. Can't have you being annoying in the mornings."

The beast feels the deepening cut and charges past Curufin, roaring in disapproval. It skids to a stop and swiftly changes direction back at the two trespassers, determined to take them effectively down, determined to make them regret showing themselves here. It flies into a feverish rage as it charges, the bones protruding further and releasing the smell of decay from its wounds. First at Curufin, then Yukari.

Yukari covers his nose and mouth as he gags from the smell, quickly trying to shrug it off as the beast charges at him. He charges his sword with Electricity and stabs directly toward the monster. The Bereskarn swerves to the side, missing the full on stab, but still getting a gash in it's neck, protruding even more of it's nauseating scent. The monster briefly spasms from the dose of Electricity introduced to it via Yukari's blade. The sleeve on Yukari's jacket gets torn along his forearm by a protruding bone during the swing. Yukari falters back from the overpowering scent, having to fight back the urge to dry heave.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Lack of experience, obviously!" He grins. "Thanks for the kidnapping tip. I'll start paying attention to voice pitches and tones next time I attempt a battlefield interview."

"No muzzle and no crate. I'll just sleep on your front porch. Then you can latch the door until you've had your coffee and feel like playing with a hundred and seventy-five pounds of enthusiastic wolfhound."

Nothing like a disapproving monster to alert you to the fact that you're on somebody or something else's front porch, and it doesn't like you there. Curufin's own sword shimmers as his power flows into it. He sidesteps, pivots and swings from overhead, and both his sword and he are knocked into a tree by the force of the creature's charge. Curufin gets swiftly up off the ground, amazingly with no major damage from those protruding bones. The scent is nasty enough, but not much worse than that of a three-day-old corpse-piled battlefield.

"Yukari, are you all right!" he exclaims, seeing his friend faltering.

[fracturedbeauty]

Yukari has to swallow the bile in his throat before he can answer.

"I'm fine...!" Ick, this smell, though. "The scent is just something I'm not familiar with. It's nauseating." He's completely disregarding the cut on his forearm. He can tend to that later. It's not like it hurts him. The perks of having a high pain tolerance. There's no reason to make Curufin worry in the middle of battle. When things have subsided, he can clean it later. It seems to be mostly superficial, anyway. Although, if Curufin allows himself to look closely between charges, he'll see a bloodline in the opened slit of the jacket sleeve, dripping around the width of his arm in a place or two.

He tries to observe the beast as it gets ready to charge again. What can he do? He thinks about digging his sword into the earth and letting out a massive electric pulse. But Sans' Double's words permeate his mind: Bone is a shit conductor. It had to be this type of monster, didn't it? How lucky for him. It starts charging for Curufin again.

"Curufin-san, how much power can you channel into a single attack?" he shouts to his partner, dragging his sword into the ground loudly as he runs behind the beast, trying to attract the beast his direction. Yukari might just have a plan. He hopes it will work. It narrowly misses Curufin as it scrambles to change direction toward Yukari.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Smells like corpse to me. Rotting blood and who knows what else."

Yes, Curufin has caught a glimpse of Yukari's bloody sleeve, but he'll focus on the fight right now. A terrific adrenaline pump is a great obscurer of worry. He'll sit his friend down and render first aid later. Right now they need to defeat this crazed bear.

The bereskarn hears the scrape of Yukari's sword and swerves in mid-charge, misses Curufin, and goes after Yukari again. Curufin takes off after it. No way is it getting another piece of his friend.

"A lot," he replies. Like all the Finwean line, when the situation gets serious, he can step up the voltage. Electricity is not precisely what it is, but his strike can pack quite a wallop.

[fracturedbeauty]

Well, that would be why he's not used to the smell. Despite being a mercenary, he never particularly hung around dead bodies long enough for them to reek like this.

Yukari stops his runaround and allows the Bereskarn to charge at him. He takes a deep breath, focusing. If his plan fails, he is so screwed, and his face might resemble just being so slightly nervous as the beast gets even closer.

"If you can strike it from above, then do so!"

As he says that, he emits his Colourless Aura to form a barrier around the Bereskarn, trapping it into a box-like condition with nowhere to run. As the beast crashes into, and recoils from, the nigh-invisible wall that suddenly appears before it, Yukari lets out the breath he was holding onto, but doesn't release his focus. He's waiting for that final blow from Curufin, and hopes it will be enough to destroy it.

Too bad he hadn't thought about using this back when he fought the Sans Clone. He probably would have stood a much better chance.

[so_dark_a_road]

"My brothers were all fairly skilled. Especially Caranthir, the fourth of us -- and that's rather funny, because he was so heavy-handed in most respects, but we all went to him if we needed stitches. He had an absolutely dainty hand with a needle and thread." Smile.

And he nods. Yukari knows himself and he's dealt with injuries before; he'll go to the clinic if he needs to. Got it.

And he gives another half-smile when Yukari sets his hand on his hip in half-humorous indignation. (The other half looks to be serious.)

"Of course I'm trying to spoil you. You've divined my evil plan." The smile widens. And yes, he notices that hint of smirk.

"Go change you shirt. I promise I won't sneak down the hall after you this time. I'll be chopping carrots like a good boy." He returns the amused look with one of his own.

He does enjoy their banter.

Lol, glad you approve.

[fracturedbeauty]

"....Well, I suppose your evil plan has just worked it's magic on me. You get to cook dinner." He gives his trademark airy chuckle. If Curufin's going to offer to let Yukari's arm relax, he might as well accept. Besides, he gets to boss Curufin around a little. That's definitely worth something. Think of all the taunts he can make.

Yukari's prompt in the changing of his shirt, taking careful notice of the bandaging on his arms as he strips it off, sighing when he gets a look at the tear in the sleeve. That's both his jacket and his shirt that will need a stitching later. It's a good thing that beast is already dead, or else he might have gone back and gutted it for good measure. He pulls on a short-sleeved, button up type to make pulling it on a bit easier without agitating the bandages. He fluffs his hair out from the tuck of the collar and heads back into the living room, glancing at Curufin's handiwork over the bar that separated it from the kitchen.

Without wasting a second's breath, he begins his taunting.

"Gracious, no. Where did you learn to cut carrots? This isn't taking the barn animals out to the slaughter." He clicks his tongue in teasing disapproval. "I thought you said I could trust you with this, Curufin-san. Or perhaps you were peeping after all and this is a rushed job to not have gotten caught."

Of course, he's joking. Attempting to push many a button, but joking nonetheless.

*showers you with approval*

[so_dark_a_road]

Curufin smiles. "I knew it would. You're a pushover, when it comes to evil plans."

And he is expecting to be taunted. In fact, if he wasn't, he'd be disappointed. Either that, or he'd be worried! -- surely Yukari would never turn down a chance like this, if he was feeling well.

He looks up, pausing in his slicing of the unfortunate vegetables. "What, you mean cutting carrots isn't the same as cutting throats?" He hrumphs, loudly. But he is having a hard time keeping himself from laughing.

He finishes cutting the carrots and then starts on the next vegetable, undeterred. Then he looks up with yet another grin. "Say. . . why didn't I think of that? -- I could have sneaked up the hallway, gotten an eyeful, and sneaked back here before you knew it. Alas, a wasted opportunity!" And he lifts a melodramatic wrist to his forehead in mock-grief.

[fracturedbeauty]

"Only your evil plans. And you'll be missing a tongue if you tell anyone." There might be a slight tone of allusion there. Just a hint of one though. He'll wait and see if Curufin catches on.

Yukari feigns surprised horror at the mention of cutting throats. "You barbarian! Cooking is a delicate art. Don't make me come in there and kick you out.

When Curufin jokingly comments that he should have followed such a novel idea, Yukari picks up a piece of carrot and throws it at Curufin's head. "Jerk. Don't you dare start peeking."

He managed to deflect that blush, but only barely. His tone might have been a bit more serious than he wanted it to be, but he's still learning how to clear the hurdles Curufin sets for him by acknowledging a dirty mindset in such a teasing manner.

[so_dark_a_road]

"Oh, really?" Curufin answers, smiling broadly at Yukari. "You mean I'm special in some way? Or my evil plans are exceptionally evil, so that you can't resist them? But don't worry, I won't tell."

And he can't help laughing when Yukari calls him a barbarian. "I told you I was a savage Elf from the savage First Age of Arda! You're lucky I didn't drag that dead Bereskarn in here and cut him up for our dinner." His shoulders are shaking with laugher.

He isn't expecting the carrot and he moves to duck, but it bonks him on the side of his head. "Ouch! Don't worry. I'd never risk death by carrot, just to catch a glimpse of you shucking your shirt. Besides, I'm an honorable man. Believe it or not." Even through the joking tone, though, the promise is real. And he hopes Yukari knows that.

[fracturedbeauty]

Yukari scoffs. "I have far more evil plans than you could dream." That's either a challenge to the Elf, or means that he is indeed special enough for Yukari to give in. Can you guess which, Curufin?

Okay, the image of having Bereskarn for dinner might be a little too much for Yukari. He knows it's a joke, but he can't fight back the dry heave from it. Remembering the smell of it, he gives an involuntary shudder and covers his mouth with a hand as he tries to politely disguise a hurking sound.

Don't worry, Curufin. He believes you. But he's going to toss another carrot at you for good measure anyway. "Death by a thousand carrots if you aren't on your best behaviour."