The Golden Perch Inn

[Folwren]

"I don't know a thing about her, actually," Dick said. He turned to look towards Aeron, following the ranger's hooded gaze. "She just came in a few minutes before you. Never seen her before, and I didn't get around to asking her her name. I thought you might know her, as I thought you were one of them rangers, too, but maybe not. I've been wrong before." And he turned an even more suspicious look on the dark figure, if that were possible. If he wasn't a ranger, what was he? Why was he here? Was he dangerous?

"Why do they call you the Ghostly Wanderer? You're not a ghost, are you? You're as firm as the rest of us, surely."

--

Primrose

"A few pieces of buttered toast with perhaps a few slices of bacon, if it's not too much trouble, friend."

"Tis no trouble at all, I assure you," Primrose replied. "It's my job," she added, half under her breath as she pattered away to the kitchen. She deftly speared two pieces of bread and put them over the fire to toast. Before coming out to the common room she had finished frying up a frying pan full of bacon, and of this generous stock she drew out four thick and crispy slices and laid them on a plate. She reached across to the toasting fork, plopped the toast onto the plate and buttered the pieces generously.

"Here you are! Hope it is to your liking." She leaned her elbows against the counter while Aeron took the plate and began to eat. For a few seconds, Primose watched her without saying anything. "Mr. Boffin seems to be getting along capitally with yonder fellow. I saw you looking at him a few moments ago. Do you know him?"

[xMellrynxMaidenx]

After swallowing a mouthful of the deliciously buttered toast, the young female glanced out of the corner of her eye to the dark corner in which the strange man sat, studying him for a few moments once more. She slowly turned her head back to the food before her, taking a small sip of her beer. Eyebrows furrowing, more so with curiosity than frustration at not knowing the man's identity, Aeron looked at Primrose, shaking her head.

"Nay, I do not, which makes him that much more peculiar."

She spoke more quietly now, still trying to focus in on the stranger's conversation with Mr. Boffin. It was not as odd as it seemed though, the young ranger thought quietly to herself, because even she had not met all of the remaining Dunedain, save for the couple she had crossed paths with in the wilderness or grew up around in the Angle. This did not lessen her wariness of the man, however, it made her even more aware and alert; if that were possible.

[Flame of Udûn]

As the Hobbit spoke he noticed the gaze of the young ranger pass over him and could tell she was wary 'It is always the same whenever anyone meets me' he mused, his ways of acting always put people on their guard but that was how he prefered it he never had any wish for friendship and always found himself happier when alone.

He chuckled at the Hobbits question 'No i can assure you I am no ghost the name comes from a number of things but i suppose my love of solitude is highest amongst them along with my ability to hide myself from all but the keenest eyes when I have need.'

[Envinyatar]

Tolly stashed the crate of smoked trout in the walk-in pantry, the one farthest from the stove and hearth, the one where the foodstuffs that needed to be kept cooler were stored. There was no one in the kitchen save him and Mistress Iris; no one to answer her question.

‘Well, I’m not sure Miz Puddifoot…..about Cook, that is. But I’d heard since my last trip here that she’d gone missing.’ He shrugged his shoulders at her bemused look. ‘Vanished…..and no one knows where she’s gone off to.’

He looked round the kitchen which seemed to be in a state less tidy, less organized than Cook would have her kitchen be in. ‘I think it’s just the serving girls that are trying to keep things going for now.’ He should his head. ‘Though were it up to me I would say that Cook is just not coming back.’

Tolly turned toward the door, intending to bring in the last crate, the smoked perch. ‘Seems like the girls are doing the best they can.’ He shrugged. ‘But being Cook here at the Perch is a big job…..bigger than they can take on and do their own jobs, too.’

When the crate of perch was tucked away next to the that of the trout, Tolly excused himself from the kitchen and went to find the Innkeeper, to let him know he’d brought the smoked fish as was promised.

[Bom Tombadillo]

Hamwill spoke eagerly to the angry hobbit, saying "Well, Brandy Hall itself for one. As I said, I was only there for a short time, and I'm interested in -" He paused, having finally noticed the hobbit's obvious frustration and confusion and mistaken it for constipation.

"Are you entirely all right, Mister Al - um - I seem to have quite forgotten your name . . ." he continued with an expression of deep confusion. "Well, I've gotten off course. As I meant to say, are you all right?"

[Galadriel55]

Al was too busy being mad to pay much attention at first to what the man was saying. Suddenly, Hamwill stopped short in the middle of a sentence, which jerked Al back to his attention. "Are you entirely all right, Mister Al… um… I seem to have quite forgotten your name… " The man said. Oh, how rude! Don’t they ever learn anything?! To forget my name, when I said it twice just a minute ago! And… wait, he said if I’m all right? I’m all right?

“Now, see there, mister, you’re the one who isn’t all r…” All begun to say, when the first part of the man’s rather short speech registered in his head. Well, why didn’t he say so right away? He could have told me that he’s interested in my town! That’s what he’s probably searching for – the most perfect town in the Shire, because he wants to move here from Bree (like all sensible people should)! He should nave spent more time at the Brandy Hall, because it is the only possible option. I mean, where else? Al didn’t notice that he opened and closed his mouth several times while his brain was slowly catching on. Hamwill stared at him as if his nose fell off, but Al wasn’t aware of it.

“Brandy Hall! Why, it’s the most bestest place you’ll find anywhere! I mean, what else could you expect from such a splendid place? Like Larry said – he’s my third cousin once removed, by the way, - so he says ‘where you live is what you are, and what you are is where you live’, you can see this right away with Brandy Hall. And my great-uncle Brisso also says this. Did I tell you Larry is my third cousin? Well, he’s also my second cousin, but either way once removed. You see, we are related from both my mother’s and my father’s side, And his brother Jack too – oh, me and Jacky used to have so much fun together! Well, Jacky’s what we call’im, his real name’s Jack, but anyways, few years back we went swimming down the River, and his leg caught on some very long seaweed, but I kept…”

“No, no, please!” the man cut across Al’s monolog, “That’s not what I meant!” Al couldn’t tell if he was annoyed with him or not.

[Bom Tombadillo]

Hamwill seemed to have at last comprehended the hobbit's irritation towards him with the comment he had just made. "Now see there, mister, you're the one who isn't all r . . ." the hobbit's comment trailed off and Hamwill stared at him for several moments before he launched into his rapidly delivered speech, then cut him off in mid-sentence. He immediately regretted it, but his mouth carried on.

"That's not what I meant, and if you don't wish to speak with me, then have out with it! And if you do, then slow down and don't ramble so much!" At this Hamwill feared the trouble that his overly eager mouth had gotten him into; he acted contrite, saying "Er, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be so rude . . . "

[piosenniel]

Penny

My goodness! thought Penny, watching the little scene play out between the man she’d loaned her little stick of charcoal to and the Hobbit fellow who seemed, at least in her thought, to be a bit prickly . . . and loud!

‘I don’t know about you, Mr. Burrower,’ she whispered quietly across the table to the old gaffer. ‘But things seem to be getting a bit unsettled around here.’ She nodded toward the man and the Hobbit. ‘I think I’ll just go find my Auntie Iris and see if she needs any help.

Penny pushed her chair away from the table as unobtrusively as she could and made her way to the kitchen. A stocky built Hobbit fellow came through the door, nearly knocking her down as she hurried through the entryway. ‘Scuse me,’ she said, easing her way around him.

And there was Aunt Iris, standing in the middle of the kitchen, frowning . . .