[Amanaduial the archer]

As she sent a delighted Carl on his way, plans of Pride-growing running delightedly through his mind, she saw Ruby and Buttercuo hurrying towards her with, apparently, utmost haste, a look of grim, determined panic on their face. It was not an expression to inspire any sort of gladness in Aman's heart. She stepped forward out of the cool shadows to greet them and Ruby was the first to speak, brandishing a piece of paper as she garbled what might have passed for an explanation. In a different hemisphere maybe. Aman held up her hands against the torrent of words calmingly. "Woah, woah, slow down - who died?" she smiled, her expression light even though her heart was sinking.

Ruby brandished the piece of paper at her again with a squeak of "It's from Derufin! About Cook!" The Innkeeper plucked the parchment from the hobbit maid's hand, noting Derufin's hand, not very familiar to the Innkeeper herself, and began to read.

After a second, she turned as pale as the hobbits had a moment before and clutched at the wooden scaffolding nearby, ignoring shouts from above when Regin quelled them. The dwarf looked over, concerned at the Innkeeper's so-sudden change of demeanour. "Everything alright, lass?"

Aman didn't quite trust herself to speak and simply nodded mutely before looking back at the two servers. For an instant, a trick of sound caused her to think horses were coming down the driveway and she leapt aside, staring down wildly, expecting to see the doom-laden wagon bearing the vengeful Vinca at any second, then, when thankfully greeted with no such apparition, looked guiltily back at the pair in front of her. She opened and closed her mouth once, waving the letter limply and Buttercup nodded haplessly. "Indeed, Miz Aman, indeed!"