They met only once, but both held a deep respect for each other years after; Cormac going as far as to cross a courtyard to say hello, clasp hands warmly, and smile at Ordhan as if they'd parted only a week before. "That sounds terrible... why wouldn't people believe them?" It seemed inconceivable that humans would take a threat so lightly; dwarves fought them everyday, dying in the far stretches of the Deep Roads. "I mean, they know they exist right? The last Blight was only fifteen years ago, surely they couldn't have forgotten."
Falina felt sorry for the villagers, anger knitting a deep in her brow. "I'm glad that the two of you were able to help- at least I'm guessing you both helped. Neither of you seems the kind of man who could walk away if people geniunely needed help." She did smile as Ordhan confessed that Cormac was a good man, her expression softening under the weight of the sentiment. "He says the same about you, you know. He really respects you. Cormac likes you, and that's rare enough to mean something to me."
She looked around the library, gauging the overly tall stacks and sliding ladders. Tables littered the flagstone floor, and everywhere the dwarf looked, there was leather binding. "So... this- is where the books live, huh?" For the first time she felt overwhelmed by pen and ink. Each book housed a hundred secrets that she couldn't decipher. Each handpicked and shelved for Warden use--- was she supposed to know all of this? Or would she learn it on her own?
She shook it off, silently remembering that she'd let the conversation drop. "Of course, I think so... thirty-six isn't even half of a lifetime." Falina dropped her hands, resting them on her hips as she examined the library one last time, and then turned to face Ordhan.
"I was on the Surface, I'd just stepped out of the Gates when some- jerk started hassling me. He'd seen me steal a warmer cloak, and I don't know if he wanted me to pay him off or something- but he grabbed me, and- I just saw Cormac from across the camp, and ran over, screaming for my dad the whole way."
The girl looked carefully over at Ordhan, unsure if she'd lost him at the admission that she'd stolen something. If he was a knight, he might have been silently objecting to it. She pressed on though, seeing nothing that would have caused alarm. "He was the biggest that I could find, and I grabbed him, hoping that the jerk wouldn't follow- Cormac said he'd give me fifteen minutes of his time, then later promised to get me down the mountain safely. The Warden Commander got to us that night, but Cormac stayed."
She smiled apologetically for rambling. "I probably would have died that night if it wasn't for him. I didn't know which way was North, or how long it was until dark... he'd die of embarrassment if he knew I said this, but he's my best friend."