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Old 08-10-2006, 09:39 AM   #247
Tevildo
Shade of Carn Dûm
 
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Curled up on Melko's lap
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Tollers

By the middle of the supper hour, Tolers had lost all count of the number of bowls of fish stew and flagons of ale that he'd served up to the customers of the Golden Perch. He felt that his dedicated service in the common room definitely made up for any small shortcomings earlier in the day. But no matter how hard he worked, Tollers could not get his mind off the gold coin with the hammer and anvil tucked inside his vest pocket.

Still, Tollers was careful to pay attention to his duties and, with a wide grin plastered on his face, responded promptly when Dick spoke to him. "Oh, yes, sir. That's exactly what I was trying to do......to keep Jack out of the kitchen. You see, it's as much for his own good as for Cela. Jack is a wee bit afraid of Cela's bite, and he'd rather not step inside her den. For one of the Big Folk, he's got a good head on his shoulders, I'd say, and knows what's best for his health."

Remembering the dishes that he'd stacked up halfway to the ceiling on Jack's tray, Tollers silently promised that he'd be more careful in the future. He did not say anything to Dick about that part. Thank goodness, Jack had managed to keep all the bowls from toppling over onto his customers....at least so far.

Fishing into his vest pocket, Tollers fingered the silver shilling that Skirvir had given him in payment for the ale. He could not keep himself from checking on it every five minutes. Earlier that night, he had deposited twelve pence in the Inn's money box from his own leather pouch so he could keep the silver shilling for himself. Holding the golden coin in one palm and the silver shilling in the other, Tollers had noticed that, although the pictures on the coins were not an exact match, they were very, very close. Looking at the two hammers, he had almost squealed in delight.

It was then that a bold plan had begun to form in Tollers' mind. He must be extremely careful. He mustn't tell the Dwarf or anyone else where he'd found the coin. But perhaps if he spun an imaginative tale he could get more information out of Skirvir or one of his fellow Dwarves so that he could learn what this thing was. It would have to be a wild and wooly tale with no connection to the Inn, the Stock Brook, or even the Shire. And he would need to speak with the Dwarf in private, not here in the middle of a crowded room with so many nosey hobbits milling about who loved to pry into their neighbors' business.

The first place to start was to find out what room the Dwarves would be occupying in the Inn. Tollers' eyes darted back to Master Dick. Trying to sound as casual as possible, he queried, "Those nice Dwarves, especially the one named Skirvir....you wouldn't happen to know what room they have for tonight?"

Last edited by Tevildo; 08-10-2006 at 09:48 AM.
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