[Child of the 7th Age]

Meeting with Berilac, Rosco, and Griffo:

"You'd best watch your tongue, young lady," Andreth snapped back, on hearing the server's words and even more her tone of voice. She was one of the newer servants at the Inn and had been there no more than a week. "The Pony is known for treating all with respect: rich and poor, big and little. I'll not have that changing now. Especially now!"

She turned around swallowing her anger and strode down the corridor, wondering just how hard it was going to be to change people's attitudes and teach them to treat others with respect. Entering the Common Room, she saw the three hobbits seated at the center table, surrounded by a sea of Big Folk who were peering at them from all sides. Walking up to the bar, she raised a flagon and announced, "Good morning to you all. Tis chilly outside. Servers, offer all our guests a flagon of steaming cider in honor of our hobbit visitors whom I don't believe have been at the Pony before." she pointed over at Rosco, Berilac and Griffo, grinning widely.

The stiffness in the room seemed to melt a bit at Andreth's anouncement, as workmen and burghurs raised their cups and proposed a toast to the Innkeeper. Nothing was said of the three hobbits, but the hostility in the air became noticably less. The surrounding Breelanders continued to stare at the hobbits, but more out of curiosity than any open anger.

With that out of the way, Andreth sat down next to Berilac who introduced her to Griffo. The Innkeeper took an immediate liking to the hobbit and began chatting quite freely with him. If anyone could get good work out of his own crew and grudging acceptance from the Big Folk, this hobbit would surely be the one. She was not so sure about Rosco. He said relatively little and seemed to eye her and those around the Inn with suspicion. Andreth knew nothing of hobbit customs or ways, but she would have sworn that he was in a bad frame of mind, as his attention seemed to periodically drift and a scowl came to his face.

For the next few minutes, Griffo and Berilac informed her about the various type of wagons available, the farms in the surrounding countryside, and when various crops would be ready for harvest. They seemed to have an amazing knowledge of the intricacies of farming, one which surprised her. Andreth was no farmer, but their grasp of the subject was such that even she could not fail to be impressed. Whether or not they had the determination and the brute strength to do the job was still not certain, but she was willing to give them a try.

By the end of the meeting, they had agreed on a basic plan for approaching the hobbit farmers, how the carts would make their way from the fields to the Inn, and where the crops would be unloaded and stored. Andreth promised to talk with the Mayor again to see about any volunteers from the Big Folk, although she secretly thought that unlikely. Just as they were ready to leave, Berilac reminded the Innkeeper that he would be coming to take a number of the children with him after school ended. Then they shook hands and parted for the morning.

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Annunfuiniel's post

After the meeting with the Innkeeper at the Prancing Pony Rosco and Berilac saw their brother-in-law to the south gate and waved him off with greetings to be taken to their sisters. Then the brothers turned and strolled slowly back the main street, Berilac watchfully taking in all he saw along the road, Rosco deep in his own musings.

"I'm off to Mausi's now, and then to check the hedge with the kids… Will you join me?"

For a second Rosco took his eyes off the dusty road to glance at his brother. Then, lowering his gaze again he muttered into the folds of his cloak: "I'm not so sure I'd be welcome…". Knowing what Beril was about to say next, Rosco continued as if his brother had already spoken his thoughts out loud. "Yes, 'tis childish - and we need to speak things through… But now I must run some other errands; a promise I made last night needs to be fulfilled."

And so the two departed near the inn, Berilac heading up the road for Mausi's, Rosco turning east towards the Town Hall in search for the Mayor…
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Child's post: Start of the first school day.

Saying her goodbyes to Rosco, Berilac, and Griffo at the front gate, Andreth hurried to the side door of the Inn. The Pony was nestled at the very foot of Bree-hill. At the base of the hill facing in a north-easterly direction, a series of steps led up to the Inn's side entrance, which was set back a distance from the road.

This is where the children would arrive; Andreth would greet them and send them back to one of the empty storerooms that had been newly scrubbed and furnished. Small tables with benches were scattered about the room along with empty storage shelves loaded down with books and supplies.

Getting enough materials on such short notice had not been easy, but Cook had somehow managed to put together a respectable assortment. She'd found a number of slates for the younger ones; a small stack of vellum sheets was set aside for those who had already mastered their basic reading and sums. But even this would not be enough. With the number of children expected, they would simply have to share the slates and take turns writing out the lesson.

Her eyes scanned down the list that matched up children and slates.....her own son Edmund was paired with Kali; Fippi with Willofain; Lily with Kari; Ella with Mondy. Andreth was at least familiar with those children, but there were a number of other families listed whom she had never met. That included three hobbit children--Marigiold Woodruff, who was 10; the siblings Pearl and Hamson Comfrey, aged 8 and 6 respectively--along with two of the Big Folk, twelve-year old twins who seemed rather cocky and went by the names of Rollo and Randy Butterbur. She'd just have to get to know these children gradually.

For the next half hour, she stood at the door, beaming a welcome at each of the students, who were then escorted back to the storeroom by the young stable lad Ban whom she'd also promised could attend the class. He was several years older than the others but was a steady lad who had never learned to read or write.

Once all the children had arrived, Andreth hurried back towards the classroom to finish introducing all of them to each other, and to explain something about the work that they would be doing this morning. She set a number of simple sums on the board for those who had at least some background. Then she sat down with the others who did not yet know any letters or numbers and began to show them, starting with "A,B,C" and "1,2,3".

Not surprisingly, a large portion of the hobbits fell into the latter group. The enroaching shadow of the Witch King and the resulting migration had disrupted all semblance of normalcy even in those families like Mausi's that might normally be expected to read and write. Andreth heard several barbed titters from the twins as they jabbed their fingers in the air, pointing towards the gathered group of Little Folk who could not yet read, even those who were older. She shot a withering glance in their direction and finally separated the boys, putting them at tables on the opposite side of the room. She heard a number of further giggles at that on the part of the hobbit children, which she silenced with a single look. As Andreth worked with the children in groups and individually, she wished she could somehow slip inside their minds and find out what they were thinking.....

[ October 29, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]