[Amanaduial the archer]

Aman stared at the hobbit, amazed at his audacity, then simply laughed - she couldn't help it. Something about the hobbit's showmanlike manner was comical, despite himself, yet in his chirpiness he also seemed so totally sincere. Throwing up her hands, she held a hand out - and down - to Fordogrim and shook his firmly. "An excellent businessman that you are, Master Chubb," she conceded with a grin. "I don't suppose I really have much of a choice..."

"But a wise choice the remaining option makes anyway, Mistress Innkeeper," replied the hobbit, flashing her a grin.

"It's Aman, thanks - 'Mistress Innkeeper' makes me sound rather like a grim-faced, middle aged spinster - and if you say a word to that end, Merry, I shall have your guts for garters!"

The Innkeeper directed the last threat at the hobbit stablemaster who had approached the pair while they were talking. Merry simply gave the Innkeeper an innocent smile, then a wicked wink, and was rewarded for his pains by a quick swipe at his head. Ducking under her arm, Merry put on a face of mock hurt, but couldn't help laughing. "Oi, I didn't say a word, did I? See that, Master Chubb, an abusive employer, that's what she is! An abusive-"

"Ah, shush shush!" Aman grinned fondly at the stablemaster. Drawing herself up grandly, she adopted a superior expression. "Has the common stablemaster something to merit our attention and valuable time?"

"Only to ask if Aman would like to grace me with her prescence in getting these horses in - but then, Aman seems to have gone missing, who is this haughty trollop left in her place, hmm?"

"Ooh, I'll clap your ears such a swipe that you won't know the ringing from your own doorbell for a week!" Aman swiped once more at Merry, still laughing. Shaking her head, she replied, "Is Tim not with you?"

"Aye, 'course, and a grand lad he is too - I merely wondered. Unless, of course, you'd rather get back to that pile o' paperwork up in your rooms there..."

Aman winced, adopting a pained expression. "I shall pretend I didn't hear that, for my sake rather than yours. No, I should go and catch up with Cook - can't leave her with those hobbit goodwives all evening, their tongues would go black from all that gossip! It was a pleasure doing business with you, Master Chubb," she added, turning back to Fordogrim. "And may I bid you a good day, and may it be a prosperous one for us both!"

"I'll toast to that, aye!" Chubb agreed, holding up a hand as if toasting her with an ale mug. Aman grinned back and turned to wander across to the verandah on which Cook and the other hobbit women perched, twittering their busy, busy words excitedly, and wondered what she had got herself into with this diminuitive showman of a business-hobbit.