Sailing Away RPG - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Firefoot · 02-21-2005, 05:14 PM

Sondo was taken slightly aback by how warmly Falco was received by the others. Sure, it was one thing to be friendly to him, but this? One would think Falco had been separated from them accidentally rather than striking off on his own, abandoning them all. Sondo said nothing, however; he did not care for another argument, and if he started it, they might side with Falco this time. What they would do, he wasn’t sure, but ultimately he wanted them united, and with him as leader. Still, he couldn’t help but wish that they were at least a little bit more hostile... like Sassy, he thought, noting his sister’s attitude. While not openly unfriendly, she was certainly the least welcoming of the bunch. Falco had noticed it, too, as had some of the others. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. He had an idea.

He put a scowl on his face and directed it at Sassy, as if annoyed with her for not being more welcome. It was easy enough - he had plenty of practice being angry with her. “Sassy,” he said gruffly, “Come with me for a moment.” He didn’t say it loudly, but sometimes the lower voice drew more attention. He knew the other hobbits had heard, whether they acknowledged it or not. For a moment Sondo thought Sassy would refuse (how like her! he thought. Just when I really need her.), but at a look from him she followed after.

A little ways away he murmured, “It’s an act. Play along.” He took her far enough so that he knew they were out of earshot, by not out of view. Everything about his posture and gestures would suggest he was giving her an upbraiding.

“Listen closely, Sassy,” he said softly. “I can tell you don’t trust Falco. Neither do I at this point, though they do, seemingly.” He gestured off towards them in case any were watching. “But I can’t act upon those mistrusts. It’s my job to keep them all together and get us home. But you - you’re ‘just’ the little sister that isn’t even supposed to be here in the first place. They probably expect a wrong word from you, and that mistrust doesn’t seem so out of place coming from you. They don’t pay as much attention to you; they’ll probably say things around you that they might not around me. I’m not so sure that Falco isn’t up to something - you may have noticed, he hasn’t apologized yet, or even said anything to me except the general greeting to everyone.” Sondo knew he was running a risk by confiding in Sassy like this, but based on the others’ reactions to Falco, he didn’t trust any of them with something like this. “I want you to keep an eye on Falco for me, let me know if he does anything that seems suspicious, okay? And, please, be discrete about it. If they suspect... just don’t draw attention. If you need to, wake me up during your watch at night. Okay?”

Primrose Bolger · 02-22-2005, 03:11 PM

As Sondo was talking to her, Sassy grew a little irritated. Here he was wanting her help and saying all the wrong things. Did he really think she wanted to be reminded that she was ‘just the little sister’ and that she wasn’t really supposed to be here at all. Sometimes he was so annoying!

The sincerity of his request did sink in as he talked on. And she began to soften a bit, because in her heart she agreed with him. Falco was a sneak, big rat. And she was going to keep her eye on him anyway. Her impish nature, however, was not going to let her agree to Sondo’s plan so readily. He was her big brother after all. And how many chances did she get to make him squirm a little. A mischievous twinkle glinted in her eyes as she raised her grimy face up to him.

‘Well . . . I could help you. ‘Cause you’re right, no one really takes too much notice of me. But . . . why should I help you?’ She put on a sour face and planted her hands on her hips. ‘What are you gonna do for me?’ She let him stew a bit, then threw out an offer.

Sassy pulled her little sling from her pocket. ‘You know . . . when we lost the raft and all got dunked in the river, I lost all my nice round stones for my sling. And we’ve been walking along so fast, I haven’t really had time to find many new ones.’ She pointed with her chin toward the area beyond their little camp. ‘Four eyes are better than two, Gran always says. And it wouldn’t take as long to get more stones if you came along.’ She looked up at him expectantly. ‘So . . . fair trade? You help me first, then I’ll help you . . .?’ She started toward the outskirts of their camp. ‘Come on!’

Boromir88 · 02-22-2005, 07:18 PM

Day after day Rory continued to slowly plod on with the rest of the hobbits. Reggie and Falco were now back, like I didn't see that one coming, he thought to himself. Sondo may not be the best lad for the job, but he only saw Falco's attempt of leading, ending rottenly. It was not surprise, to Rory, when they both returned.

It seemed like weeks had gone by, but it was only a few days. The path was rough, and slow. Rory had not had a good meal since the first couple days of their journey. Everyone was counting on Sassy and Bingo to bring back some food for them, but so far, it's been little success. Rory had to count on whatever berries he could find, if any.

He then looked down at his shirt. It was so worn, and stained, he couldn't tell what color it was supposed to be. He tucked in his shirt, since his pants felt much bigger. Oh what I wouldn't give to be back at Brandy Hall again. Back in the warm beds, and waking up to the smell of bacon and fried eggs. He came back to reality. Just like the previous days before, he began to slowly trod on, barely being recognized.

Kitanna · 02-22-2005, 07:38 PM

Marroc was happy. All the Hobbits were together again. Reggie had returned first and now Falco. Marroc sincerly hoped they could all get along this time.

"Glad you came around, Falco." Marroc said patting him on the back. When Falco first left Marroc was annoyed at his arrogance, but seeing Falco standing there, looking tired and hungry, he thought how humbled the young hobbit looked.

It seemed Marroc was not the only one happy to see Falco. Bingo and Sam had greeted him with warm smiles. It was Sassy who was the most annoyed with Falco's return. She probably still saw him as a traitor. She had every right to, but Marroc hoped that her mistrust subsided soon.

Sassy had been pulled aside by Sondo. He was giving her a little talk, no doubt about her attitude toward Falco.

Marroc looked away from the brother and sister and back to Falco. "You should rest a bit Falco, you look too tired to stand."

Crystal Heart · 02-23-2005, 12:24 PM

Sam smiled, but he could see that Falco was not his regular self. He placed a hand upon the young hobbit's arm and looked at him concerned.

"You should really rest. You do not look well, Falco. Are you alright?" Sam asked concerned.

Sam's mind whirled with memories. He was unsure if everything had truly had, but he realized that this journey had changed him. Changed him in such a way that he would never be the same again. He owed everything to this journey and he was truly, deeply thankful that he had taken this journey with these hobbits. To him they would always be his closest friends, united through this journey's bond. Sam had never felt a feeling like it in all of his life.

Firefoot · 02-23-2005, 03:30 PM

Sondo ground his jaw in irritation. He should have expected that she might try to bargain with him. He knew she had a point though; there really wasn’t anything in it for her. He did need her, however, so he nodded in resignation to her request.

“Deal,” he agreed. “But hang on, Sassy, I’m supposed to be scolding you here.” He winked. “Try to act like I told you to be nice to Falco, whether you would listen to that advice or not...” He sighed. She could be so difficult. “And I can’t exactly help you look for stones right now - it would look pretty bad if I yelled at you and then helped you.” He expected her to see the sense in that. She was young, but smart enough. Too smart for her own good. My own good, he thought ruefully.

He took a step to go after her back to the others when he halted abruptly, frowning. He heard voices, and not hobbit voices either, or he was a Dwarf. He glanced over his shoulder uneasily. The people the voices belonged to were hidden by a broadly sloping hill. He was thankful for that. It meant they couldn’t see the hobbits either. He would bet that they had heard them though, and they didn’t sound like nice voices.

“Sassy,” he whispered urgently, “go tell the others to be quiet." He would have told them to hide, too, except there wasn’t anywhere to hide, unless he counted the occasional hill or the distant tree cover. “I hear someone, over behind that hill. I’m going to find out what’s going on.” He hurried off toward the slope, keeping low as he ascended. He lay flat upon reaching the top, poking his head up so he could see. What he saw worried him.

There were four of the Big Folk down there. No, five, Sondo corrected himself as he saw another approaching from the left. Had he not been so concerned, he might have been fascinated - he had never seen any Big Folk before. The shortest of them was probably twice his own height, and all of them were burly and rather muscular looking. Their hair was dark, their skin tan. But their looks were not what caught Sondo’s immediate attention. They had supplies! Currently, they seemed to have stopped for lunch, same as the hobbits had been about to do. The difference was that they actually had food (they seemed to be cooking a stew of some kind) - and plenty of it, judging by the lumpy saddlebags on their horses, which seemed quite large to Sondo, being used to short, sturdy ponies as he was. His stomach rumbled at the thought of a square meal, and he began to wonder if there wasn’t some way to filch some food off of them, be it steal or otherwise.

“They should prove easy to catch,” the approaching one was saying. “They look young, and mostly unarmed. There’s somewhere between five and ten of ’em.” Sondo winced. They had been not only heard but also seen by these horrible Big Folk! How had they been so careless as not to know of them before? What was more, these men seemed intent on capturing them! Just why, Sondo was unable to figure out, and once the fifth man got close enough to the others, their voices got quieter and Sondo couldn’t discern the words. Hastily, he edged away from the top of the hill and upon reaching the bottom he sprinted off toward the others. What could they do? They would not get very far if they tried to run, because of the men’s horses. The men knew they were there; where could they go? Besides... he wanted some of their food.

Despite the situation, Sondo could not be more happy with the challenge. These were the type of problems he was deft at figuring out, the types of plans he might cook up at home. By the time he had reached the group, he had a sketchy plan worked out. Most of them would stay up here and act as the ‘bait’ for the men. Sondo never even considered that some of them might be caught; the men were bigger, but Big Folk were just that: big and clumsy and probably not so smart. A few, however, would sneak down there, and when the Big Folk came after the ones left, those couple would get into their supplies and take what they needed. Then they would just have to escape. He grinned wickedly to himself. This was what adventurers were supposed to do! (Though perhaps they usually went after gold and not food, he amended to himself, and banished the thought.)

Upon reaching the group, he quickly explained the problem, telling them about the Big Folk and their supplies and horses, and how they wanted to capture them. He did not, however, explain his plan, or even say that he had one. He wanted to hear their ideas first, then spring his idea, because otherwise he might risk the whole of them going against him. With Falco recently returned, he wanted that not at all. “The biggest problem,” he finished, “is that they know we’re here, and our situation. If we try to run away, they’d probably find us pretty quick on their horses. And there really isn’t much place to hide around here. So now we have to figure out what to do.”

Primrose Bolger · 02-24-2005, 02:59 PM

All thoughts of getting the best of the deal with Sondo flew from Sassy’s mind.

They looked like giants to her. Following after Sondo despite his telling her to go back to the others with his message, she’d only had a quick peek before Sondo sent her off again, and already her imagination had them tall as the trolls her Granny had told her stories of. Not bedtime stories, which would have scared her half to death – her and Granny both! No, these tales had always been told in the bright sun, while they shelled peas or fixed the snap beans. It was sunny now, but still Sassy shivered at the images of those tall, rough looking creatures.

She ran as quickly as her little legs would carry her back to where the others were talking and joking and laughing. ‘Shhh!’ she whispered, as loudly as she dared. They looked at her, some with dismissal in their faces. But before any could say, ‘Oh, it’s only Sassy . . .’ she motioned for them to gather near her.

In a low voice and as hurriedly as she could manage, she told them what Sondo had spied. He’d be back soon him she told them to let them know what to do, but until then he wanted them just to keep very quiet.

-o-o-o-

In short time, Sondo had returned and laid out his plan to the others. Sassy could see the boys nodding their heads. And then some began to speak up with additional ideas. But Sassy was scared. She was not as big as any of the boys. The giants would probably boil her up for stew with taters and carrots! Her imagination ran away with her completely and she began to panic.

Edging away from the boys and Sondo, she hurried to a little place she’d noted earlier. Two thick bushes grew near a small boulder. She was just small enough to wriggle in beneath the tangle of roots and thick limbs. Through the thick leaves she could just barely see out, enough to know when to close her eyes and quiet her breathing if one of the Big Folk got near. Sassy settled her back against the rock. She drew her knees tight up against her chest, her arms wrapped round them. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears and she hoped the giants wouldn’t hear it.

02-22-2005, 07:18 PM	#3
Boromir88 Laconic Loreman Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 7,521	Day after day Rory continued to slowly plod on with the rest of the hobbits. Reggie and Falco were now back, like I didn't see that one coming, he thought to himself. Sondo may not be the best lad for the job, but he only saw Falco's attempt of leading, ending rottenly. It was not surprise, to Rory, when they both returned. It seemed like weeks had gone by, but it was only a few days. The path was rough, and slow. Rory had not had a good meal since the first couple days of their journey. Everyone was counting on Sassy and Bingo to bring back some food for them, but so far, it's been little success. Rory had to count on whatever berries he could find, if any. He then looked down at his shirt. It was so worn, and stained, he couldn't tell what color it was supposed to be. He tucked in his shirt, since his pants felt much bigger. Oh what I wouldn't give to be back at Brandy Hall again. Back in the warm beds, and waking up to the smell of bacon and fried eggs. He came back to reality. Just like the previous days before, he began to slowly trod on, barely being recognized. Last edited by Boromir88; 02-25-2005 at 08:06 PM.

02-21-2005, 05:14 PM	#1
Firefoot Illusionary Holbytla Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 7,547	Sondo was taken slightly aback by how warmly Falco was received by the others. Sure, it was one thing to be friendly to him, but this? One would think Falco had been separated from them accidentally rather than striking off on his own, abandoning them all. Sondo said nothing, however; he did not care for another argument, and if he started it, they might side with Falco this time. What they would do, he wasn’t sure, but ultimately he wanted them united, and with him as leader. Still, he couldn’t help but wish that they were at least a little bit more hostile... like Sassy, he thought, noting his sister’s attitude. While not openly unfriendly, she was certainly the least welcoming of the bunch. Falco had noticed it, too, as had some of the others. The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. He had an idea. He put a scowl on his face and directed it at Sassy, as if annoyed with her for not being more welcome. It was easy enough - he had plenty of practice being angry with her. “Sassy,” he said gruffly, “Come with me for a moment.” He didn’t say it loudly, but sometimes the lower voice drew more attention. He knew the other hobbits had heard, whether they acknowledged it or not. For a moment Sondo thought Sassy would refuse (how like her! he thought. Just when I really need her.), but at a look from him she followed after. A little ways away he murmured, “It’s an act. Play along.” He took her far enough so that he knew they were out of earshot, by not out of view. Everything about his posture and gestures would suggest he was giving her an upbraiding. “Listen closely, Sassy,” he said softly. “I can tell you don’t trust Falco. Neither do I at this point, though they do, seemingly.” He gestured off towards them in case any were watching. “But I can’t act upon those mistrusts. It’s my job to keep them all together and get us home. But you - you’re ‘just’ the little sister that isn’t even supposed to be here in the first place. They probably expect a wrong word from you, and that mistrust doesn’t seem so out of place coming from you. They don’t pay as much attention to you; they’ll probably say things around you that they might not around me. I’m not so sure that Falco isn’t up to something - you may have noticed, he hasn’t apologized yet, or even said anything to me except the general greeting to everyone.” Sondo knew he was running a risk by confiding in Sassy like this, but based on the others’ reactions to Falco, he didn’t trust any of them with something like this. “I want you to keep an eye on Falco for me, let me know if he does anything that seems suspicious, okay? And, please, be discrete about it. If they suspect... just don’t draw attention. If you need to, wake me up during your watch at night. Okay?”

02-22-2005, 03:11 PM	#2
Primrose Bolger Wight Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Near Bywater Pool Posts: 196	As Sondo was talking to her, Sassy grew a little irritated. Here he was wanting her help and saying all the wrong things. Did he really think she wanted to be reminded that she was ‘just the little sister’ and that she wasn’t really supposed to be here at all. Sometimes he was so annoying! The sincerity of his request did sink in as he talked on. And she began to soften a bit, because in her heart she agreed with him. Falco was a sneak, big rat. And she was going to keep her eye on him anyway. Her impish nature, however, was not going to let her agree to Sondo’s plan so readily. He was her big brother after all. And how many chances did she get to make him squirm a little. A mischievous twinkle glinted in her eyes as she raised her grimy face up to him. ‘Well . . . I could help you. ‘Cause you’re right, no one really takes too much notice of me. But . . . why should I help you?’ She put on a sour face and planted her hands on her hips. ‘What are you gonna do for me?’ She let him stew a bit, then threw out an offer. Sassy pulled her little sling from her pocket. ‘You know . . . when we lost the raft and all got dunked in the river, I lost all my nice round stones for my sling. And we’ve been walking along so fast, I haven’t really had time to find many new ones.’ She pointed with her chin toward the area beyond their little camp. ‘Four eyes are better than two, Gran always says. And it wouldn’t take as long to get more stones if you came along.’ She looked up at him expectantly. ‘So . . . fair trade? You help me first, then I’ll help you . . .?’ She started toward the outskirts of their camp. ‘Come on!’

02-22-2005, 07:38 PM	#4
Kitanna Child of the West Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Watching President Fillmore ride a unicorn Posts: 2,132	Marroc was happy. All the Hobbits were together again. Reggie had returned first and now Falco. Marroc sincerly hoped they could all get along this time. "Glad you came around, Falco." Marroc said patting him on the back. When Falco first left Marroc was annoyed at his arrogance, but seeing Falco standing there, looking tired and hungry, he thought how humbled the young hobbit looked. It seemed Marroc was not the only one happy to see Falco. Bingo and Sam had greeted him with warm smiles. It was Sassy who was the most annoyed with Falco's return. She probably still saw him as a traitor. She had every right to, but Marroc hoped that her mistrust subsided soon. Sassy had been pulled aside by Sondo. He was giving her a little talk, no doubt about her attitude toward Falco. Marroc looked away from the brother and sister and back to Falco. "You should rest a bit Falco, you look too tired to stand."

02-23-2005, 12:24 PM	#5
Crystal Heart Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Rohan Posts: 568	Sam smiled, but he could see that Falco was not his regular self. He placed a hand upon the young hobbit's arm and looked at him concerned. "You should really rest. You do not look well, Falco. Are you alright?" Sam asked concerned. Sam's mind whirled with memories. He was unsure if everything had truly had, but he realized that this journey had changed him. Changed him in such a way that he would never be the same again. He owed everything to this journey and he was truly, deeply thankful that he had taken this journey with these hobbits. To him they would always be his closest friends, united through this journey's bond. Sam had never felt a feeling like it in all of his life.

02-23-2005, 03:30 PM	#6
Firefoot Illusionary Holbytla Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 7,547	Sondo ground his jaw in irritation. He should have expected that she might try to bargain with him. He knew she had a point though; there really wasn’t anything in it for her. He did need her, however, so he nodded in resignation to her request. “Deal,” he agreed. “But hang on, Sassy, I’m supposed to be scolding you here.” He winked. “Try to act like I told you to be nice to Falco, whether you would listen to that advice or not...” He sighed. She could be so difficult. “And I can’t exactly help you look for stones right now - it would look pretty bad if I yelled at you and then helped you.” He expected her to see the sense in that. She was young, but smart enough. Too smart for her own good. My own good, he thought ruefully. He took a step to go after her back to the others when he halted abruptly, frowning. He heard voices, and not hobbit voices either, or he was a Dwarf. He glanced over his shoulder uneasily. The people the voices belonged to were hidden by a broadly sloping hill. He was thankful for that. It meant they couldn’t see the hobbits either. He would bet that they had heard them though, and they didn’t sound like nice voices. “Sassy,” he whispered urgently, “go tell the others to be quiet." He would have told them to hide, too, except there wasn’t anywhere to hide, unless he counted the occasional hill or the distant tree cover. “I hear someone, over behind that hill. I’m going to find out what’s going on.” He hurried off toward the slope, keeping low as he ascended. He lay flat upon reaching the top, poking his head up so he could see. What he saw worried him. There were four of the Big Folk down there. No, five, Sondo corrected himself as he saw another approaching from the left. Had he not been so concerned, he might have been fascinated - he had never seen any Big Folk before. The shortest of them was probably twice his own height, and all of them were burly and rather muscular looking. Their hair was dark, their skin tan. But their looks were not what caught Sondo’s immediate attention. They had supplies! Currently, they seemed to have stopped for lunch, same as the hobbits had been about to do. The difference was that they actually had food (they seemed to be cooking a stew of some kind) - and plenty of it, judging by the lumpy saddlebags on their horses, which seemed quite large to Sondo, being used to short, sturdy ponies as he was. His stomach rumbled at the thought of a square meal, and he began to wonder if there wasn’t some way to filch some food off of them, be it steal or otherwise. “They should prove easy to catch,” the approaching one was saying. “They look young, and mostly unarmed. There’s somewhere between five and ten of ’em.” Sondo winced. They had been not only heard but also seen by these horrible Big Folk! How had they been so careless as not to know of them before? What was more, these men seemed intent on capturing them! Just why, Sondo was unable to figure out, and once the fifth man got close enough to the others, their voices got quieter and Sondo couldn’t discern the words. Hastily, he edged away from the top of the hill and upon reaching the bottom he sprinted off toward the others. What could they do? They would not get very far if they tried to run, because of the men’s horses. The men knew they were there; where could they go? Besides... he wanted some of their food. Despite the situation, Sondo could not be more happy with the challenge. These were the type of problems he was deft at figuring out, the types of plans he might cook up at home. By the time he had reached the group, he had a sketchy plan worked out. Most of them would stay up here and act as the ‘bait’ for the men. Sondo never even considered that some of them might be caught; the men were bigger, but Big Folk were just that: big and clumsy and probably not so smart. A few, however, would sneak down there, and when the Big Folk came after the ones left, those couple would get into their supplies and take what they needed. Then they would just have to escape. He grinned wickedly to himself. This was what adventurers were supposed to do! (Though perhaps they usually went after gold and not food, he amended to himself, and banished the thought.) Upon reaching the group, he quickly explained the problem, telling them about the Big Folk and their supplies and horses, and how they wanted to capture them. He did not, however, explain his plan, or even say that he had one. He wanted to hear their ideas first, then spring his idea, because otherwise he might risk the whole of them going against him. With Falco recently returned, he wanted that not at all. “The biggest problem,” he finished, “is that they know we’re here, and our situation. If we try to run away, they’d probably find us pretty quick on their horses. And there really isn’t much place to hide around here. So now we have to figure out what to do.”

02-24-2005, 02:59 PM	#7
Primrose Bolger Wight Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Near Bywater Pool Posts: 196	All thoughts of getting the best of the deal with Sondo flew from Sassy’s mind. They looked like giants to her. Following after Sondo despite his telling her to go back to the others with his message, she’d only had a quick peek before Sondo sent her off again, and already her imagination had them tall as the trolls her Granny had told her stories of. Not bedtime stories, which would have scared her half to death – her and Granny both! No, these tales had always been told in the bright sun, while they shelled peas or fixed the snap beans. It was sunny now, but still Sassy shivered at the images of those tall, rough looking creatures. She ran as quickly as her little legs would carry her back to where the others were talking and joking and laughing. ‘Shhh!’ she whispered, as loudly as she dared. They looked at her, some with dismissal in their faces. But before any could say, ‘Oh, it’s only Sassy . . .’ she motioned for them to gather near her. In a low voice and as hurriedly as she could manage, she told them what Sondo had spied. He’d be back soon him she told them to let them know what to do, but until then he wanted them just to keep very quiet. -o-o-o- In short time, Sondo had returned and laid out his plan to the others. Sassy could see the boys nodding their heads. And then some began to speak up with additional ideas. But Sassy was scared. She was not as big as any of the boys. The giants would probably boil her up for stew with taters and carrots! Her imagination ran away with her completely and she began to panic. Edging away from the boys and Sondo, she hurried to a little place she’d noted earlier. Two thick bushes grew near a small boulder. She was just small enough to wriggle in beneath the tangle of roots and thick limbs. Through the thick leaves she could just barely see out, enough to know when to close her eyes and quiet her breathing if one of the Big Folk got near. Sassy settled her back against the rock. She drew her knees tight up against her chest, her arms wrapped round them. Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears and she hoped the giants wouldn’t hear it.