[Envinyatar]

He saw the Hobbit as soon as he reached the third step. Amaranthas, too, had spied him and waved him down the stairs with her cane. He smiled as he approached her. ‘I wonder if I shall ever be as sure of my place in this world as she is!’ he thought. Sitting upright on the chair by the fire, back stiff, and waving her cane at him in an imperious manner, she was much the image of a tiny monarch commanding the presence of her subject.

‘Sit! Sit, young man!’ she ordered, offering him a chair with one hand and with the other waving a server near. ‘Get me and the laddie some more tea, if you please, dear. And a flask of those dwarven spirits I know Miz Pio keeps behind the bar to liven it up.’

Laddie! Derufin chuckled. The tea and the spirits were promptly brought. And he poured two cups of the steaming liquid for them. He declined the Dwarven spirits, but poured a small drop into the Hobbit’s cup. Before he could tip the flask back up, she reached out and pushed his hand back down, giving herself a quite generous portion. ‘It’s cold today.’ she said. ‘I need something to warm the old bones from the inside.’

Amaranthas took a generous drink of tea and proceeded to tell him he had been elected to give her a ride home. On Pio’s horse. And as Amaranthas had certain matters she needed to attend to, she would like to leave as soon as possible.

He told her that would be no problem. All he needed was a little breakfast to take the edge off his hunger, then they could be off. He asked the same server who had brought them tea, to bring him a plate of toast and some jam. While he waited, he leaned back in his chair and drank his tea, listening to Amaranthas talk. This should be an interesting ride, he thought as she ran through the litany of peoples and places of note they would be passing.

[ January 20, 2003: Message edited by: Envinyatar ]