The Green Dragon Inn - Part 10

[Crystal Heart]

Crystal smiled. "Thank you," she said as she took the ale. She looked around. Angry was no where to be found. She wondered where he could have gotten to.
"I am sorry to be leaving this conversation, but I want to tell Angry what has happened. Please excuse me."

Crystal got down off of the stool and looked around the busy Inn for Angry Brandybuck. She hadn't heard a word from him since Arty's brother Bartholomew had come in to tell her the news of her father's death.

Even though she knew that she should be sorry and sad for her father's death, she just couldn't make herself. She was too over joyed by the chain of events. When she had first arrived to the Shire and had met Angry, she had thought there would never be away to stay in the Shire and live out her life. She thought that she would have to leave her heart and soul here in the Shire as she ran from town to town, looking for a way to live off of other's drunkeness. She continued to smile at the world of luck she had found for herself and continued looking for Angry.

[Kransha]

“I admit, it may be some time before I can afford to pay you back, but I will give you whatever surety you require.” finished Snaveling, half rushing and half rueful as he spoke. His words were directed at Tobias Hornblower, but the elder hobbit could tell that several of the folk around now had fixed their gazes on the man who stood before them. Toby’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. He looked at Snaveling, then to a frowning Aman, then to Roa who was nearby, and considered. He could’ve begun any number of mindless rants, but his logical side warned him against it. Thinking for a long moment as a minor silence gathered around the few people nearby, he began to speak quietly and slowly, contemplating every word.

“Snaveling…I am not entirely sure, for once, what to say…” he was nearly speechless, staring with narrowed eyes at the man. Suddenly, those narrowed eyes and furrowed brow softened as if a great burden had been lifted from them. Though it came through a great supply a stuttering and groping for words, Toby began to speak again. “I…I am astounded that you would say such false things to these people! You know perfectly well that the coin wasn’t stolen. I distinctly remember giving it to you as a gift earlier…In simply must’ve forgotten that one of the eleven coins I had ready was given to you. It is my shortcoming, and I cannot fathom why you would try to take the blame for it. You will all have to forgive me, I have been a bit…shall we say, ‘distracted,’ and I see now why my mind became so diluted by these festivities. The gold coin thought stolen was a gift, and I can probably muster more for the inn if Miss Aman would desire as much.”

Toby’s mind was, almost literally, trying to throttle him. He felt a great lump in his throat, but swallowed it. He had never in his life done anything charitable that he could remember. The eleven gold coins was a great and straining stretch, but this was nearly over the limit. Snaveling had robbed him, no matter how small the sum was, but he suddenly didn’t care. If anything, he had been just as much a fool as Snaveling and the man who’d shown him friendship had surely earned this gift after all the pain he’d endured. For all the hobbit knew, this might be the last as well as first charitable thing he’d done, so he would remove all guilt from himself in one fell swoop. It would be good for him anyway, and his resolution was at last made.

[Archsage Isaac]

"I do not mind at all, please, have a seat." he said, removing his gaze from his sheathe and pushing out a chair for Eleniel. He reached down and stroked Arrow's nose. The dog was wagging his tail happily. His cheery attitued made Isaac smile.

After stroking Arrow's nose he turned his attention from the dog to the people standing in the middle of the inn. He hadn't got all of the conversation, but knew that one of them had stolen some gold that was being donated to the inn. In his destraction, he'd stopped rubbing Arrow's nose, who nudged Isaac's fingers to get him to start again.

[Maeggaladiel]

"Thank you, sir," Eleniel said as she took a seat. "I don't mean to intrude, but Arrow here is hard to move if he takes a liking to someone." She smiled, somewhat apologetically. Arrow cast her a smug look as the gentleman scratched his nose.

"What brings you to the Green Dragon, if I may be so bold as to ask? Business? Pleasure?" she asked him.

The man was momentarily distracted by something behind them. Eleniel followed his gaze to the gentleman who had made the speech earlier. It seemed as though he had stolen a coin from the hobbit's donation. Odd, he seemed a pleasant fellow, not at all the thieving sort. Oh well, Eleniel supposed that alcohol had that effect on people.

Arrow shoved his wet nose into his new friend's palm rather forcefully, annoyed that the man had stopped petting him.

"Arrow," chided Eleniel. "Be nice." The silver dog cast her a forlorn glance before licking the man's fingers in apology.

[Archsage Isaac]

"Ah, it's no problem at all, you may ask all that you wish. But please, please, enough of the 'sir' business. I am called Isaac." he said, finally introducing himself. He hadn't said these words forcefully, he'd said them lightheartedly. "I have never been called 'sir' in my life." he added.

Aarow had been scolded a bit and had begun to lick his fingers in apology. This made Isaac smile, rubbing the dog's nose. It was obvious that Isaac had accepted the apology. "As an answer for your question, I'm a mere adventurer, searching for my lost memories of the greater portion of my life." he said in a more serious tone though still fairly lighthearted. "I arrived at the inn in an attempt to rest my weary body before I set out again. But, I pose the same question to you? What brings you to this fine establishment?" he asked, slightly smiling.

[Beruthiel]

Daisy nodded in agreement with the three other hobbit lasses.
"Yes, those three would do very well indeed. The one with no singing in it though, I wouldn't mind dancing to it... Hopefully others in the inn will join in, there are quite a few hobbits in here. How could any of them resist?" She smiled happily.

This reminded her of new years day. Every year Daisy and her family would have a big get together and they would sing and dance the night away. She hoped at least some of the other patrons in the inn would be willing enough to join in.

Daisy listened to the tune Lily was playing on the fiddle. She could tell Lily enjoyed playing it just as Willow had done. The tune had a lovely, fast paced beat and Daisy tried to tap her feet in time with it. However, her legs weren't quite long enough so she ended up shaking them around under her chair. "The one I just played, do you know that one? It is quite common in Bree, but is it known in the Shire?" Lily asked.

"No I haven't heard it before, but its lovely... Are there any words to it?"

Daisy secretly hoped that there weren't, she enjoyed dancing much more than singing. Either way, she was quite used to performing, though she had never performed in front of an audience full of strangers and with three hobbit lasses she had only just met. It was quite exciting in a way. It wasn't an adventure, but it wasn't something that was completely normal either. Just the right mix of new and old for Daisy.

[Firefoot]

"No I haven't heard it before, but its lovely... Are there any words to it?" Daisy asked her.

"There are," replied Lily. "But I don't know them very well. If you like though, you could dance to it instead. I'm sure with an example to follow the other patrons at the Inn would join in the dancing." To this, Daisy smiled happily, and Lily suspected this response pleased her just as much if not more than if she had said there were words which she knew.

"Well, if that's alright with you two," said Lily turning to Willow and Mira. "I suppose we could go talk to Aman now and let her know what we're doing."