All Hues and Honeys by Dawn Felagund

Well Now

Nerdanel gathers her remaining colleagues after the Darkening. A drabble for Jubilee instadrabbling, for the challenge Restoration and Rebuilding: "People rescue each other. They build shelters and community kitchens and ways to deal with lost children and eventually rebuild one way or another." ― Rebecca Solnit

The gathering of craftspersons was small, and they were not the best. Those had mostly gone with Fëanáro. These were the failed philosophers and artists who painted walls and pounded out horseshoes. But they were here.

"Well now," said Nerdanel.

She found herself saying that a lot lately, like she needed to drag everyone forward and anchor them in the now, to find them in the darkness. But she never knew what to say next.

She couldn't make out their faces or their eyes in the dark.

She turned and opened the lantern behind her, flooded the room with light.