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Alferad strutted to the door with a haughty air, grinning widely. He did this every time he went to the local tavern – after all, his family was relatively well off, and he never forgot to display this importance to other hobbits. He came into the Common Room, and began a greeting.
“Good day to y…” His voice faltered; the speech that he carefully planned out beforehand came to an abrupt end. His broad smile faded into a look of confusion. Every pair of eyes in the room swung to him. Al was feeling more than a little uncomfortable. The guests of the inn were not only hobbits, which shocked him. There were a few of the Big Folk. Al wasn’t used to them: he’d only seen a man once in his life, and it was long enough ago to make the impression wear off.
He cleared his throat. “Er, I mean, good day to you, sirs and ladies!” he said, recovering from his first surprise and trying to cover his confusion. The guests turned their attention to their conversations again. He looked around. In a corner, he saw a man sitting with a huge tome in his lap who was also looking around. What a queer man, he thought. Al’s curiosity got the better of his apprehension of men, so he steered himself toward the stranger, at the same time calling for a mug of beer.
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