The Golden Perch Inn

[Rose]

‘Fills out his tunic quite well, that one does!’ Penstemon chuckled. ‘That’s what my gran would always say about the ones she took a shine to when the lads came to court and spark my sisters and me.’

She cast an eye at Rhys and gave a nod to Tanni. Leaning toward Rhys, Granny crooked her finger at him, urging him to come closer. ‘She have a fellow waiting back home for her?

Penstemon chuckled again seeing the look on his face. ‘Thought as not!’ She patted his hand as a look of sympathy crossed her features.

[Farael]

Comein!Comein,sir!Let’snotletthenight’schillcreepi ntotheroom.It’sniceandwarminsideYoucanleaveyoursth ereifyouwish.Plentyoftables,Ihopeyoulikemusicsomeofthefolkaresingingandplayingtheirinstrumentsf orustonight.’

The lady hobbit pointed at a table on one corner of the room. Was she even breathing while talking?

Robby was still trying to digest her first outburst of talk when she added ‘JustsetyourselfdownandI’llberightbacktoseewhatyou ’dliketoeatanddrink.’.

Then she picked up a tray full of (empty) mugs and dishes and started walking away. She had not gone too far when she added, mercifully slow enough for Robby to understand, ‘Oh, how rude of me! My name’s Rowan . . . Rowan Muddifoot. Be right back!’

‘That is one busy hobbit’ Robby thought as he settled on a chair by the table she had pointed at. Looking around the room he could see he was not the only guest. It seemed to that there were some other hobbits, two dwarves and many men and women in the room. Some of the men were rather ordinary looking, much like himself, but others were much fairer than most. Indeed two of them were sitting in a makeshift stage, seemingly getting ready to play another song. The two were really good looking, Robby wondered if they were from Rohan. He had heard people from that land were very fair. Yet he had been told the Rohirrim had golden hair and the musicians had dark locks.

“All the same, how lucky of me!” he thought, “I might just be able to showcase my talents tonight… if I could only come up with a song worth singing!” he sighed “Alright, let’s try this again”

Let’s have a drink, for the old times, the good old times
take another sip there’s always… He started humming to himself, but then he stopped short

“What is there always? Good friends? Great company?” … good friends and compan “No, that’s too long… love?”
Let’s have a drink, for the old times, the good old times
take another sip there’s always love…

“Drinking and love? Well, what you feel when you drink is not love, that’s for sure” Robby laughed out loud at his own wit and banged on the table. Then he was aware, very aware, that he was on a common room filled with strangers. Some of those strangers seemed to turn around and look at him with interest. Or were they glaring at him?

“Either way, Appledore you fool! You want to make a good impression on these folks, not scare them away. To go around banging on tables like a drunkard, what were you thinking?” he chided himself. “Well, I better just sit here and keep to myself, at least until Miss Rowan comes back.”

[Boromir88]

Edric approached the door to the Golden Perch Inn. He had been admiring the music that he heard coming from inside. Never have I heard a tune so beautiful, he thought to himself. The Golden Perch, haven't heard of this before.

Edric had been travelling on the East Road when he started growing tired and wanted to find a place where he could get some rest. He had been moving around a lot in the last several years. His great plans of fleeing from Fengel and travelling to Gondor, looking for an oppurtunity of a better life, did not go exactly as planned. He felt trapped and isolated in Minas Tirith, and the Men there were not like his friends and family in Rohan. Bree was a little better, but he still didn't feel like he had entirely fit in, being a newcomer and an outsider.

That's what led Eddie here, to the Golden Perch. He didn't even have an idea of where he was at, 'At least it seems I've found a nice looking place to stay for a while' he said. He approached the door and began knocking on it. The music had stopped (hopefully they were not done playing), but Eddie heard a lot of livelihood and activity still going on inside.

The door opened and to Eddie's shock there stood what looked like a little child with curly hair. Eddie was taken back for a moment, wondering who this was. Edric came out of his awe, 'I'm sorry.' he said embarrassingly 'I must look like a fool to you. Where am I at, if you don't mind me asking?'

[Undómë]

‘My goodness, now who’s knocking at the door?!’ Rowan sat her tray of dirty dishes and mugs down on a table again. Wiping her hands on her apron, she made for the door and pulled it open. She craned her head back so as to take in the very tall man who stood there.

Biting her lip a little, she stifled a giggle thinking of the first man she’d let in just a few moments ago. Though he’d been taller than her, still he was much smaller than this fellow. The long and the short of it . . . caromed about in her head as she looked from one to the other.

‘Rowan Muddifoot, at your service,’ she told him, remembering this time to introduce herself. ‘No need to apologise,’ she tried to assure him as he stood there. ‘We’re sort of off the beaten track for most of the Big Folk. But anyway, to answer your question – you’re in the Shire, the Eastfarthing to be exact. The town you’ve come into is called Stock. And this fine place is The Golden Perch Inn. Great ale, good food!’

She smiled a welcome and motioned for him to come in.

‘Another of the Big Folk just got here right before you.’ She pointed to where Robby Appledore sat. ‘I was just going to drop of my load of dirty dishes and such and then come back and take his order. Would you like to sit with him, then I can see to the both of you.’

[Boromir88]

'Thank you Lady Rowan.' Edric replied. 'I think I will join that fellow over there, again Thank you.' I definitely think I am going to enjoy it here, Edric thought. He even began considering possibly living here for quite some time, as he had been growing weary of constantly moving from place to place.

Edric walked up to the man Rowan had pointed out to him, and started introducing himself. 'Hello kind sir, I am Edric Gulwine, from Rohan.' That's when Edric began talking away as he usually did. 'Well I was from Rohan until I felt like it would be best to move on to better places. To make a long story short, I moved to Minas Tirith, than stayed in Bree for a while, but neither place suited me and I felt disconnected. So, now I find myself here and Lady Rowan told me you had just arrived, is this true? Did you meet Rowan yet? Seems like a nice lady, doesn't she, and a very hard worker at that too? Oh, I'm sorry you'll have to excuse my ill manners, would you mind if I joined you?'

[Firefoot]

“Certainly, Will,” answered Cela, managing to keep most of the amusement out of her voice and face.

At this point she was interrupted in her tea making by Rowan’s entrance to the kitchen to request two plates of food for some late-coming Big Folk. Cela was grateful that she always kept a couple of plates of dinner warm after the normal dinner hours; although many who came in at this time of night preferred just a mug of ale, there were occasionally some wanting dinner as well. Two of these she fetched up and double-checked for their warmth before sending Rowan on her way with the meals.

“Perfect timing,” Cela declared as the tea began to boil just after Rowan left. She poured two mugs, handed one to Will, and took the other herself. “I’ll just come with you now and take this out to Prim. If anyone else comes in wanting dinner, well, they can wait a few extra minutes. I’m not too busy now.”

[Forest Elf]

Gable finally found the dress that she had been looking for and changed into it quickly, knowing she had already been taking awhile. She put on a different pair of shoe’s before heading out the door.

She walked over to the table where Tollers and a man were seated. “Sorry it took me awhile, I couldn’t find my dress.” She told them, her cheeks hot with embarrassment.

She took a seat and suddenly remembered the pony, ‘the pony can wait.’ She told herself, ‘right now isn’t the time to think of such things.’ Hoping to get the pony off of her mind, she asked the man, “I’m Gable, Will’s assistant. You are?”