An Adventure of Hobbit Proportions RPG

[Kitanna]

The stranger appeared to be struggling with his food. Peony wasn't inclined to see the poor fellow choke on his food, it would be a waste of food and of life. She jumped from her seat and hurried to his side. Her brother, Nick, was often the culprit of eating too fast and so Peony knew how to handle this.

"Come on, now," Peony gave his back a good hard smack and whatever he'd been eating made its way back up and onto his plate. "There now. Best to chew your food next time, friend." She smiled and patted his back. Color was returning to his cheeks, that was always a good sign.

"Thank you," he rasped.

Peony turned and it seemed her group had left. She was a bit hurt they had simply left her behind. She gave the stranger one more friendly smile before heading out herself. It'd be no good being left here, having to go home before the adventure even began.

Outside her mood changed almost immediately. Gaffer Hugo was just lying there. Rudy and Mira were crying and she felt her own eyes tearing up. But he couldn't be dead, right? He had been alive minutes before.

"You only must go home if you are truly needed there right now." Tansy said, putting her hand on Mira's shoulder.

"But how can we go on without Gaffer?" Peony choked back a loud and unseemly sob. "He wanted to be as much a part of this as the rest of us."

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

After receiving the not-at-all-gentle smack to his back from the rich-haired lass from the group, Michael finally caught his breath. His color was still changing, from regaining the lost air as well as from the embarassment he felt for causing such a commotion. As his saviour patted him rather friendly on the back, Michael managed to produce a faint "thank you" from his throat, along with the last piece of breakfast that remained there. He wanted to say more, the thoughts rushed inside him, but engulfed in total chaos and still not fast enough. Before he could come up with anything to say, the hobbit lass turned away with a smile and left the room.

Michael spent a short time trying to calm himself down, both from the struggle for breath and from all the other events that happened during the breakfast. He wasn't very succesful. However, suddenly one thought struck him with unexpected power, and chased away all the other thoughts: the travelers are gone! Alarmed even more than before, Michael jumped off from the table. However, at the very same moment, the figure of that other young male hobbit appeared in the doorway. Michael stood like frozen, as the guest walked slowly towards him, then stepped aside and sat back at the group's table. Michael gave out a quiet sigh of relief, and as it seemed that the travelers are not leaving yet, he picked up his empty cup and went to the back of the room. When he was returning a minute later with a mug of fresh milk, the hobbit was still sitting there.

Now it is the time to think of something, Michael thought as he sat down to his table. Are they going to invite me to their table, after all? Would it be possible for me to be so lucky? But right now, it seemed as if everybody had disappeared somewhere, except for that hobbit who was just sitting not that far from Michael's table. Perhaps this one - now that he is alone here - would be good to talk to? But how can I talk to them when I have lied to them before? And what should I say anyway? Such thoughts were rushing through the young tramp's head.

You could lie, something whispered to him suddenly. You could lie once again and tell them that you may accompany them and show them the way where they need it... They won't realise. The Shire sure looks all the same in the Northfarthing, where they are heading, too. You can make up something.

Childish fool, something else told him. Also, something pressed his chest, as he thought about lying again. He felt miserable. But was there any other way? He felt as if he were pulled against his own will. With clenched fists and teeth, he got up from the table, and with a few steps, he stood next to the now lone traveler's seat.

"Excuse me, sir," Michael realised his own voice is trembling more than usual, but that could not stop him from speaking. He felt like an observer, whatever was happening did not come from him.
"I have been talking with your friend, Rudy, and... miss Bunny... And now I remembered," that was the first lie – he certainly did not remember, but had his mind on it all the time, "that I overheard you talking about the North Moors." The pace of Michael's speech was increasing and increasing, while his sight was dimming and red and black wheels started to appear in front of his eyes. "And I thought if perhaps you could use somebody else to accompany you, somebody who has the knowledge of the places. I do." And that was the end. Michael felt as if he were just drowned into a hot, boiling water and he was not far from collapsing right on the floor. He felt his heart somewhere in his stomach, and he felt the sweat from his palms soaking the hems of his vest, as he clasped them. That was the end. He could not think any more. He could not do anything more. The only thing that could happen was... that something would happen.

[Valier]

Bunny exited the out-house at the back of the Inn. She felt much better and thought she might have just one more pint before they left.
Such a shame that already the old Gaffer was showing signs of his age, she thought. She knew they should never have let him come. Now that he was needing assistence to even get around (which she was sure Rudy and Brown would grow tired of quick), thier trip would be alot less fun.

As Bunny rounded the corner to the front of the Inn, fully engrossed in her own thoughts, she was snapped back quick when she saw what was playing out before her. There on the ground lay the old Gaffer, Rudy stood pale as a ghost beside his cring sister and a symathetic Tansy and Peony.

Bunny's face blanched, she had indeed been thinking just moments before that they should leave Hugo behind. She had never wanted anything like this to happen and she felt ashamed at her thoughts.

"My goodness!" Bunny exclaimed as she hurried to the small huddled group. "What happened?"
Rudy cleared his throat, "He just well....died. He just fell over just like that and...." his voiced trailed off. Mira began to cry louder and Snatch began to howl.

Bunny was at a loss for words. She did not know what to do. Would they all want to go home now? Should they even continue? Was it right? She knew there would be a funeral, and that meant many, many Hobbits attending (as it was at most Hobbit passings)
She had no intentions of sticking around for that, she knew her Family would surely find out that their young daughter Bella had indeed been in Budgeford, when she was supposed to be in Buckland with Tansy. She was ashamed that that was the first thing that came to her mind. She felt very sorry for their loss and was saddened that she hadn't been nicer to the Gaffer. She did not want to seem uncaring but there was no way that she would stay here any longer then she needed. She would carry on even if she had to go alone.

Bunny noticed then, that Brown was not with them. He had probably gone back into the Inn, she thought maybe she should join him, seeing as she was not directly related to the mourning family.
But everyone seemed to not know what to do, so Bunny piped up slowly, "I think we should move his body. Then figure out what to do after we've done that. Tansy or Peony do think you could bring Mira inside and get her a drink? I'm sure the rest of us can move him."

[Gwathagor]

"As a matter of fact," said Brown cautiously, "It's not my decision. You'll want to talk to Bunny, who I suppose is more or less in charge right now - at any rate, this whole thing was her idea."

Brown wasn't sure what to make of this curious fellow, who looked as if he was asking to have his leg amputated: pale as a sheet and sweating bullets, he could hardly put two words together without sounding pained, much less even look Brown in the eye. Brown lost all idea of the hobbit being a rascal out to rob them or such mischief; he was far too...awkward. And frightened. That much was obvious.

"I may as well tell you," Brown continued in a concerned tone, trying to be forthright without sounding stuck-up, "That I know the North Moors as well as any hobbit who hasn't lived there. I'm - I'm not certain that we need any help finding our way..."

The hobbit's shoulders drooped visibly. Why did we want to come with them so badly? And why was he so afraid to ask? Brown was at a loss and he didn't want to be responsible for this.

"Why don't you go talk to Bunny? I think she's outside."

Brown pointed the hobbit toward the door.

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Michael's mind was in such state that he could not even think about what the hobbit had told him. He was afraid, but after being sent to ask Bunny, he just nodded and, feeling the sweat all over himself, he more stumbled than walked towards the door.

Almost outside, finally the words of the hobbit caught up with his confused mind. "I may as well tell you that I know the North Moors as well as any hobbit who hasn't lived there. I'm not certain that we need any help finding our way..." Michael stopped.

I'm not certain that we need any help finding our way...

The thoughts came once again flowing through his head: They don't need any help. They can do well without me. Why should I go and ask that Bunny? What if she just says plain "no"? That would be even more embarassing than everything that already happened... Michael's teeth was rattling. Better not go there, he thought. Better just run away, quietly creep away, these people will forget me and I will never meet them again...

But at that moment another thought came to his mind. Never. That will mean losing the chance to go with them, and after all, this chance is close now... Are you really willing to throw it away? a quiet voice asked inside his head. Now that you have followed them all the way up here? And if you throw away your chance like that, how will you know if they wouldn't, after all, have taken you with them?

And then suddenly, from the knot of Michael's thoughts another one came up.

***

The day was cold and the autumn leaves were falling down, slowly, covering the road from Bywater to Frogmorton in a many-coloured carpet. Mist was climbing out of the fields on both sides of the road, and the silhouette of a round, long-legged hobbit treading the path was at times lost in the haze. The traveler was wrapped in a warm coat, but the feather behind his hat trembled in the chill air.

A young hobbit, also wrapped in a thick, bright yellow cloak, suddenly appeared out of the field at one side of the road and almost ran into the lone traveler. Only at the last moment he noticed somebody standing in front of him, gave out a loud shriek and stumbling, he fell on the ground. An empty basket flew from his hand and rolled away into the mist.

The long-legged hobbit stopped, and reaching his arm, he helped the youngster to get up. As he lifted him, suddenly a glimpse of smile appeared on what could have been seen of his face.
"Mishka! Good to see you, laddie."
The youngster's eyes widened, gazing at the long-legged hobbit. "U - uncle Richard! It's you?"
"No, I am the Mad Baggins coming to haunt you. Of course it is me. How did you end up here?"
Mishka cleared the dust and leaves off the front of his coat and looked over for his basket. "I was - um - going to visit grandpa, to Frogmorton."
"Ah, were you? I will be going there too. Even though I have also some official... hmm... business there."
"A Shiriff business?"
Uncle Richard smiled. "Yes, a Shiriff business," he said, looking directly into young Michael's eyes. "Look, Mishka, I don't know whether you look at me the same way your father does, but I am not ashamed to be a Shiriff. Now when I have finally become one, I am happy of it, because it is something I always wanted to do. I may have decided to back away from that when the family did not approve, but instead I went, and I do not pity it."

***

Michael took a deep breath, and picking all the courage he could find inside him, he stepped through the door. What he saw, however, was something he did not quite expect.

[Boromir88]

"You only must go home if you are truly needed there right now." She said this to Mira, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder, but she let her eyes travel to Rudy by the end of her sentence.

Rudy didn't have a response, he couldn't hold Tansy's gaze, and turned away. It wasn't because he was trying to be rude, he just didn't have an answer; he didn't have the slightest clue about what to do.

"I think we should move his body. Then figure out what to do after we've done that. Tansy or Peony do think you could bring Mira inside and get her a drink? I'm sure the rest of us can move him."

Rudy might have thought Bunny was queer for a hobbit, but at this moment that's not what he was thinking: Praise the Vala for this young hobbit. Rudy was quick to agree with Bunny's idea "Go inside with Tansy, Mira. I'll be in shortly." Mira and Tansy made there way back toward the inn. Rudy looked at Peony and Bunny, "Well, let's do it."

The three hobbits decided to lay Hugo back down on the ground. They did it with relatively little trouble, although Rudy let the Gaffer's head smack off the platform as they were lowering him. Bunny and Peony pretended they didn't notice. But, before long, Hugo was back down on the grass.

He thanked the other two hobbits for their help and said "Obviously, we can't leave him lie here, forever, but it will have to do until I figure out what I'm going to do."

Rudy wanted to get away from the Gaffer's body, and they all headed back towards the inn. Rudy didn't pay any heed to the hobbit, Michael, who was standing at the door; he went straight to the table Mira and Tansy were at. Mira's eyes were red, but she wasn't crying anymore. Tansy got up to leave, but Rudy said she didn't have to, and asked her to stay if she liked. He thought the more friends and family around the better. How was he going to break it to Mira that they couldn't continue the adventure? Lo and behold! to Rudy's surprise he didn't have to.

"I'm not in the mood for adventure anymore, Rudy. I want to go home."

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Shocked by the scene presented before him in the courtyard, Michael stopped at the door. The travelers were crowded around the motionless body of that old Hobbit, the one with the dog. The dog, however, did not seem to be happy and running around anymore. It was not clear to Michael what happened, but the outcome was obvious and the tweenager saw that this was not the best situation to go and ask Bunny about the journey. His newly found courage had faded again, and only a tiny spark of it remained in his heart. How came? Perplexed, he followed with his eyes the deed of moving the old Hobbit's body. Then, the travelers turned and headed inside. They passed him by, unattentive to his presence; one by one they were disappearing inside the inn. He stood motionless like a statue carved next to the doorway; until at the last moment a clash from the outside world roused his senses. Bunny, who was the last in the line, stumbled - who knows how she managed to do that on the flat ground - and she fell. Instinctively, Michael reached out his arms to catch her. Not fast enough, but he at least awoke from his frozen state and helped her to get up. Her friends have already disappeared inside.

"Thank you," she said. "Oh, this was so clumsy, sorry, I nearly crushed into you..."
Michael hesitated again. For a moment he had this uneasy feeling of talking to others, but then, pieces of recent events returned to his mind: his decision to go, and to ask Bunny... and now here she was, right in front of him.

"I - it's okay," he stammered, looking into her eyes. "Uh - erm - I am sorry whatever happened to your, err..." He stopped. He started to feel worse and worse. He had no idea what to say on such occassions, what worse, he had no idea what the dead Hobbit was in relation to Bunny. He was once again starting to sweat. Fortunately, Bunny finished for him.

"He is..." now she stopped for a while, too. An expression of something like a shock appeared on her face, as if she now realised the tiny difference of what she just said and what the truth was.

"He was my friends' grandfather," she corrected herself. "He was going with us..." and once again she stopped, too, apparently realising that she does not want to elaborate about her and her friends' plans to this stranger after all.

Now, said the strange voice in Michael's head.

"I - I was -" he started. Bunny gave him a puzzled look. "The... guy inside..." Michael continued, with not much better result. "He... he told me I should ask you if I could go with you," he finished in a trembling voice. "Erm... I mean, I told him... I know the North Moors... I have been to... There... If you needed any more... help..."

For who knows how many a time in the day, Michael Smallburrow felt like fainting in the next moment.