[Amanaduial the archer]

"Do you have any water here?" The hobbit's voice broke into the gap before Snaveling could speak. Guiltily a little glad to have an excuse away from this slightly uncomfortably situation, Aman nodded, unable not to smile as she crinkled her nose a little.

"Of course, miss," she replied, not knowing the hobbit woman's name, and inclined her head slightly. "If you'll just come with me..."

The woman looked slightly surprised, obviously expecting to have just been waiting there, but she didn't seem to mind too much, walking beside Aman on the other side of the bar. She even seemed slightly relieved - although the glinting look which had appeared in Snaveling's eye was not, Aman had to admit, something that many people would immediately want to be nearby for long. But that was not the reason the Innkeeper had led her away - the fiddle under the hobbit's arm told Aman immediately who she was: the hobbit who had played that delightful dance, then dashed away so hastily. From the embarassed rush she had been in, Aman realised the hobbit probably wasn't Middle Earth's keenest performer, but the Rohirrim Innkeeper believed that such talent should be rewarded and complimented.

She darted into the kitchen to fill a glass with cool, clear water and handed it to the hobbit as she came out. "No charge - it is only water," she said as violinist reached for her pocket. But as she reached, her fiddle shifted, slipping, and Aman grabbed the neck quickly to stop the instrument from falling. The hobbit looked intensely relieved and smiled openly, taking back the violin.

"Thank you, Aman." Her voice was warm and soft, as mellow as the sound of her playing.

"A pleasure - it would be a shame for such an instrument to break, of course, especially when it makes such a beautiful sound."

The hobbit blushed, but Aman pressed on. "I heard you before - not only in the Common Room, but when you played in the corridor a few moments ago. Don't worry, I don't think anyone else will have heard," she added hastily as the hobbit looked mortified. "I stepped into the corridor for a moment, that's why I had the pleasure. But listen, that is no ordinary instrument, and you are a fine player. Will you not grace the party with a few tunes later on, Miss...?"