Dire
The dwarf adjusts his lamp, throwing more light onto the intricate machinery he has laid out on the stone table in front of him. His finger goes again to his upper lip, where he strokes his mustache, furrowing his brow at the mechanism. The fingers on his other hand drum out a staccato rhythm.
A door in the rough-hewn wall opens inward, and the room is suddenly filled with the sounds of war. A figure curls around the open door, leaning back to close it as soon as they are through. In the instant before the door slams shut, a burst of flame emits through the gap, briefly filling the area with smoke.
The dwarf doesn't look up.
The figure, a tall, light-skinned elf, brushes his cloak off, having no real effect but seeming to straighten and regain some composure with the act. The sounds of his booted footfalls fill the room as he makes his way over to where the dwarf is working.
“The western hills are probably lost and—” the elf starts.
“Yer on fire.” says the dwarf calmly, not seeming to look up from his work.
The elf pauses. “What?”
The dwarf nods in the elf's direction, still not lifting his eyes from his work. “Yer on fire.” The elf cranes his neck around behind him.
“So I am.” The elf flicks his cape, which is burning merrily at one corner.
The elf then casually leans on the stone worktable, filling the dwarf in on the details of the resistance efforts. The dwarf occasionally pokes at his work, nodding and looking quite concerned. A few minutes pass like this, the air abuzz with the sort of conversation only old friends can have.
As the elf sets out to leave, the dwarf finally looks up at the retreating form. “Astiril,” he says.
Astiril stops and turns around while clasping the intricate doorknob, regarding the dwarf with a questioning eyebrow.
“Be careful.”
With a self-assured smirk that doesn't quite reach his eyes, the elf says “You just get your part taken care of. Don't worry about me, Brunmik.”
With that, the elf twists the knob and pushes the door outward, into shady grove. As the door swings shut, Brunmik watches his friend leave for the last time.