Nursing a badly bruised shoulder, Hamfast rapped on the round, hobbit door. The home might have been made for a hobbit, but its current occupant was a dwarf. He had nearly leaped out of his shoes when Anuionin had said he was moving in next door to Hamfast, and had been equally surprised by the news that the dwarf was sheltering an elf, and was on quite friendly terms with Telpheled, as the elf was called. It seemed that Hamfast was doing a lot of leaping these days.
Hamfast shot an accusing look at his son behind him, from which the young hobbit shrunk away with wide, apologetic eyes. The bruise had come from young Dury, from his wooden practice sword, at least. Dury had insisted on his father teaching him to use the sword -- the short-sword, really -- and Hamfast had little choice with his wife backing up her "brave, bearing little" son. Brave, bearing...little? He'll be as big as I in another year, and he's only going to see his twentieth year! It's that confounded stew Isa makes...I'd bet my boots on it. And...she said bearing? Hamfast snorted considerably loudly just as the round door swung open to reveal his friend, bushy eyebrows almost hiding the glint in his eye.
"Why, Master Hamfast!" the dwarf began, grinning rather mischieviously. "Have you come down with the snuffles, then? I can make you some tea with honey to soothe--"
"No, Anuionin," I do not have the snuffles." He paused to grimace, and shoot another glance at his son. But..he was proud of him... "You asked for me to stop by?"
Two men suddenly crouched down behind Anuionin to see outside of the door. At first glance, one of them was quite young, and the other seemed quite a bit older. But then Hamfast saw the pointed ears on the younger that, and the immortal face, marked him as an elf. The other was most certainly a man. Not of Bree; Hamfast hadn't seen him before, at least. Still, there was one thing these two had in common. They were warriors; that you could tell with a second look.
Some instinct or such made Hamfast turn to eye his son, still standing behind him. Sure enough, his mouth was open, and his eyes were ready to pop out. Overall, he looked about to faint. He had obviously seen the pointed ears, too. Hamfast was shaking his head in exasperation as the elf, Telpheled, he guessed, commented, "I advise that you close your lips together, young master, bugs are sure to fly in."
[ July 27, 2003: Message edited by: Durelin ]
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