[Amanaduial the archer]

***Shire***

Brando had been watching Mikhelm with curiosity and nearly leapt out of his skin as the dwarf yelled out.
"NO!"
The others looked at him quizzically but he just mumbled something about thinking aloud and Brando turned his thoughts back to the story that the hobbits were hooked on.
However after a while, they started discussing the finer histories and points of the story and Brandos eyes drifted back to Mikhelm. The dwarf had been sitting quite quietly all night, his mind apparently on something else, answering painstakingly politely when he spoke. Now the polite face was cracking and he looked bored and deep in thought.

Suddenly he looked up and saw the young hobbit looking at him closely. Heat rushed to Brandos face, embarrased at having been staring at the pensive dwarf, and he suddenly found renewed interest in the table in front of him...
He looked up after a minute and the dwarf was wearing a look of slight amusement instead of the polite mask. He smiled at the hobbit and relieved at not having offended the dwarf, Brando smiled back. The others laughed at something in a new story which Odo was telling and the hobbit lads interest switched to that. Mikhelm seemed to sink back into his thoughts, but his face was still slightly amused.