Sailing Away RPG

[Firefoot]

Even though Falco assured him that it wasn’t, Sondo still couldn’t help but feel slightly threatened. He was becoming increasingly annoyed with Falco’s direct manner, and he had noticed his hesitation before answering the previous question. Did Falco think that he was unaware of the fact that nothing had gone very well yet? None of it was his fault, but he was doing the best he could to correct it, and here was Falco criticizing him! Sondo took a deep breath before responding. Getting mad at Falco would do no good - it may even cause more disunity among the lads.

“I shouldn’t have to worry about that. It’ll get better,” answered Sondo, unable to keep a slight edge out of his voice.

Falco shrugged. “I’m just telling you how I see it.” It was then that Sassy announced her catch, and Sondo directed his vexation her way once more. What was she trying to do, win them all over with food? First the cookies, then the fish? They wouldn’t be able to cook the fish, since they weren’t stopping until night. Enough time had already been wasted ashore. Sondo realized he was hungry, though, and so probably was everyone else. None of them had eaten much since breakfast.

“Let’s go get something to eat - we brought plenty of food,” said Sondo abruptly, ending the conversation. He was pretty sure that it was about over anyway. Falco agreed. Carefully so as not to tip the raft, the pair made their way over to the covered supplies. Sondo untied a corner of the oilcloth, revealing a good store of food.

“Hey, everyone!” said Sondo to get the lads’ attention, though some had already caught on. “Let’s have some lunch.” The prospect of a meal seemed to cheer them all to a greater or lesser extent. Rory especially seemed glad to have food not gotten by a girl. Sondo dug out some bread, cold chicken, and fruit to pass around. Being hungry, most took generous servings, and Sondo fleetingly wondered just how long their food supplies would last - after all, two people had been added to their coterie since stockpiling the supplies, and they were growing hobbits. As quickly as the thought had come, it was gone, and Sondo ceased to worry about it. Mostly the hobbits returned to their previous locations on the raft after receiving some lunch so as to balance the weight.

Sondo took the time to notice several things about the group at this time. The first was that for all her fish and cookies, Sassy had not been above getting some lunch like the rest of them. The second was that though Reggie had not been originally included, he fit in well, and seemed to be forming a friendship with Rory. Sam had remained unusually friendly, a change Sondo hoped would last but doubted it. Last was that Bingo seemed unusually moody since they had set out again. Sondo supposed that if he was to fear mutiny, Bingo might be the one to instigate it. He seemed genuinely unhappy with the adventure thus far, and he was more independent than most of them and generally well-liked, besides having a staunch supporter in Reggie. Sondo supposed that Bingo might even be annoyed with him, what with allowing his brother to come along, and then his own sister showing up. Sondo almost thought that he could sympathize with the other hobbit, though Reggie was decidedly older and a boy besides. He didn’t have nearly the control that Sondo did however.

So the day waned on. Sondo knew of nothing to do to raise the morale except hope that Sassy stayed out of everyone’s way and that a good night’s sleep with full stomachs would cheer everyone. Eventually Sondo had gone over to sit near Bingo for some company. Bingo was the one Sondo felt he was able to relate with most, at the moment.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” Sondo had asked, plunking down.

“Go ahead,” Bingo had answered.

“It’ll get better, you know,” said Sondo after a while. “Right now, we’re all sort of getting used to this.”

“I hope so,” said Bingo. After that they hadn’t said a whole lot. It wasn’t really the uncomfortable sort of silence, though; simply neither of them had much to say to the other. Suppertime came, but due to the late lunch and lack of activity afterward no one had said anything about being hungry. The sun cast long shadows stretching eastward, and golden light glinted off the river, flickering with the current. It was ironic that the day which had started so poorly would end in such a dazzling show of light. It’s pretty, really, thought Sondo, but he didn’t realize that he had spoken aloud until Bingo responded softly, “Yeah.”

Sondo realized that it would be too dark to sail soon, and figured he had better start looking for a place to stop for the night and cook dinner. With a word of explanation to Bingo he got up and gathered up a rope to bring them to shore. He called to Reggie who was still chatting with Rory and now Marroc, “Reggie, you were able to catch a tree earlier today - do you think you could do that again now?” Then more generally, “Everyone else, start gathering up what we’ll need for the night - we’re stopping.” Reggie acquiesced, and Sondo soon found a promising spot on the eastern shore. Reggie cast the rope out and it caught, bringing the raft to shore without mishap. The hobbits all seemed glad to see the end of the day, and with more enthusiasm than they had had since before the raft tipped, they set up camp. It had been a long day, and Sondo dearly hoped that his adventure would pick up after the rocky start.

[Primrose Bolger]

As good as the bread and chicken looked and smelled, Sassy passed them up. She was not immune to the barely concealed disgust with which most of the others viewed her, and she figured that eating their food would simply make them all the madder. She did take an apple, for they seemed to have plenty of those.

The others gathered together in their little groups, and offered no invitation to sit with them. Oh, well . . . she said to herself, shrugging it off. I’m the odd Hobbit out as Gammer Brandybuck would say. She gathered her pack and moved as far away as the surface of the raft would allow. She hung her legs over the side of the raft, just far enough to let the water riffle against her feet. There were still a few cookies left in her pack, so she fished one out and ate it with her apple. Stashed in the side of one of the front pack pockets was a packet of dried, smoked coney strips, the sort her uncle took with him when he was venturing far upstream to fish and wouldn’t be home til next morning. She took out a whole one, then thinking better of it, broke it in two. Who knew how long this trip would be.

Light played prettily across the water as the sun headed off for bed. Sassy fixed the picture in her mind, intending to share it with her Gammer once she’d got back. With the encroaching darkness, the air grew a little chilly, and Sassy pulled her little wool cloak about her shoulders fastening it securely beneath her chin. Pulling her knees up to her chin, she clasped her arms about her legs and watched the banks of the river with their rushy edges and stands of cattails slide by. Here and there a duck paddled along, leaving a wide ‘V’ of water in its wake. And once, in a marshy little inlet pushed in against a bend in the channel, a heron poked along among the rushes in the muddy flat, looking to spear a tasty fat frog.

When it was almost dark, Sondo called for Reggie to cast out a rope and hook a tree. The throw was successful and soon the raft was brought up onto the river’s bank for the night. Sassy stood to the side as the others hauled their needed supplies off to a little campsite they’d picked. She trailed along, half hoping that someone would ask her to join in, but knowing they wouldn’t. She fetched her little fish from the stringer in the water, plucking a few stalks of the tall cattails as she did.

Sassy found a dry, cozy spot near the boys’ camp. At the base of a wide old willow. She spread leaned her pack against the trunk then looked about in the failing light for what she needed. There were plenty of small twigs and branches lying about, and she gathered them into a small depression she dug out in the soil a short ways away from the tree’s trunk. Fetching her flint from her pack, she got a little fire going. She didn’t need much, just enough to cook the fat trout she’d caught earlier. She gutted it carefully making sure not to slice her own fingers with the sharp knife, then spitted it like her uncle had showed her and cooked it over the fire. It was her Gammer who’d told her about the cattails – peel the stems and salt them a little and they tasted just like fresh, sweet cucumbers from her Ma’s garden. She picked every bit of the tasty meat from the fish once it was done, licking her fingers as the juice ran down them. A mug of cold water dipped from the river washed the feast down. And with another, she splashed her hands to clean them.

Her little fire had nearly burned down to ash by the time darkness fell fully. Sassy covered it with dirt to put it out, then sat listening under the cover of night to the sounds from the boys’ camp. ‘I wonder what they had for dinner?’ she thought sleepily, snuggling down after a bit near the willow’s trunk, her head resting on a low root and the rest of her wrapped warmly in her little cloak. It had been a long day and soon sleep found her, sending dreams of grand adventures to come dancing beneath her closed eyes.

[Boromir88]

Rory perked up at the sound of food. It's amazing how much merrier Rory is on a full stomach. Once you are full, you don't remember ever being hungry. Chicken, apples, bread...now all we'll need are a few good pints and we'll have a meal fit for a king, Rory thought. Ok, maybe there will be no pints on the journey, but atleast there's good food.

Most of the hobbits were in their cheerful conversations. Rory, Marroc, and Reggie were telling stories of when they got in trouble, since those were the best. "I told my younger brother, Madoc, that Mirabella had taken his mushrooms. He threw his tea on her." Reggie and Marroc began to laugh, "It was the funniest thing I've done in a while." Somehow, above all the other conversations, Sassy heard what Rory did to his sister, and thought how low and wicked it was, but let it go. Then Reggie began to tell how he took all the Sackville-Bagginses' spoons, "And to this day I don't think they've gotten them back." Rory said he would have never thought of that and Marroc chimed up, "Good I don't like them Sackville-Bagginses."

Then Reggie was summoned to pull in the raft, since it was getting dark, and it would be tough to see soon. All the hobbits enthusiastically nodded their heads, agreeing it was time to call it a night, they didn't want to have anymore setbacks today.

All the hobbits were safely pulled ashore. They began to discuss what would they do tomorrow, while all chowing down on more chicken. The hobbits got tired after their supper, and decided to call it a night. Sassy was off by herself, eating her fish. Despite all the problems today, Rory was full, and enjoyed his conversation with Reggie and Marroc. Today was a good day, Rory thought to himself, and tomorrow will only be better.