[Maeggaladiel]

Eleniel smiled at Alameth's flood of questions.

"Curiosity is nothing to be ashamed of," she said. "Indeed, where would we be if not for curiosity? We'd have no art, no inventions.

"Well, to answer your first question, owning a shop is both a pleasure and a curse. It's a lot of work-- inventory, accounting and whatnot-- but for me it's well worth the effort. Income changes depending on the market, obviously; if people are safe, economically sound, and have time on their hands, then business is good. If we're under attack or are suffering from financial hardship, then my shop gets fewer customers. Right now, things aren't going as well as expected; we're still suffering from last spring's flood. It washed out a bridge and flooded nearby farms, and Laketown is still repairing damages. I suppose that's the downside of living on a river. If the snow melts too quickly, we all end up swimming to work. That means people have less time or money to buy anything other than food or building supplies.

"Obviously things would get a bit difficult to manage while I'm out searching for merchandise, so I've hired a few people to run things while I'm gone. Otherwise I'd have to close shop for several months. Not very good for business.

"I sell a little of everything; I try to gather things from all across Middle Earth to interest the people of Laketown as well as visitors. Clothing, weaponry, pottery, jewlery, sweets, musical instruments, quill pens and everything in between."

She took a sip of her ale.

"I've told you a bit about my life," she said. "What about yours? What is it like in Rohan? I've visited there a few times, but only for a few days. Where do you live?"