Bain soon realized he could not do anything. That was a puzzling thing to him as it had never happened before. Usually he was able to work at any time and nothing that happened outside would bother him. But it was not so then. It was not like that now, however. It was not that he could not hold the hammer in his hand, what bothered him was that he could no longer work without thinking of anything, his mind bent only at the task at hand. Perhaps he should not be surprised, he told himself. What had happened was too big to be simply put aside.
Frustrated, Bain tossed his hammer. The sound of it clattering as it fell made him strangely uneasy. It seemed almost like an omen. Bain shook his head vigorously as soon as the thought came into his mind. He was not the one to think about omens and other such nonsense.
Not quite knowing what he was doing, Bain headed back to the hall. Company, that was what he needed – the presence of others around him, even if no words were to be said. But when he reached the hall he found that it was almost empty. Of course, he thought, many would not be there as they were now probably busy deciding what they were all going to do next. Bain thought idly for a moment who would now take Balin’s place, but even that thought passed quickly from his mind. He would find out soon enough. No need to trouble himself with that yet, he told himself as he sat down at one of the tables.
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