[Tevildo]

Tevildo made his way about the Common Room on silent velvet paws, at first being very careful to avoid the wicker basket that the golden haired hobbit lass clutched tightly on her lap. He could barely see the small pick nose of the grey tabby poking out above the woolen blanket. Everyone in the room seemed to be making quite a fuss about Mushroom's two-leggeds, particularly the stout fellow whom they greeted as the "Mayor". Tevildo had no idea why this should be so, but he had observed that two-leggeds could be overly friendly even with people they barely knew.

His own kind, he noted, were a much better judge of character. Tevildo would never lower his dignity to fawn on strangers or to act in an unduly friendly fashion even towards those who knew him. Still, in this particular case, it would probably be better if he attempted to straighten things out with Mushroom. From the adoring look on the face of the Dragon's old tabby when Mushroom had entered the room, it was apparent that the Gamgee cat was likewise regarded as a local celebrity. There was no accounting for taste!

But what could he do to win the favor of a tough old barn cat who obviously considered him an unwanted outsider? It was then that he saw it: the table that had sat in the courtyard. The hobbits had now moved it inside the Common Room. Such wonderful legs for scratching, he mused, as a pur escaped from his chest. With a sharp meow to the grey, and a nod of the head that gave just a hint of an apology for the events of the evening before, Tevildo pointed Mushroom towards the table, assuring her that "The Table" was a quite amazing scratching post and totally free for the asking...