The Golden Perch Inn

[Forest Elf]

Gable shook her head to clear her thoughts. She looked around the room again. She noticed that both of the Cir’s were in the room…she knew that Cir would be wanting to hear about the wolves, but first she had to find the kind people who had helped her.

She headed into the kitchen to see if she could make herself useful with anything since she couldn’t see anyone in the dining area who had helped her. She walked in and found Tollers eating some apple pie.

Gable bit her tongue to keep from laughing since she had seen the children leaving the kitchen. Once she could speak without laughing she said, “Hi Tollers. I guess I never did thank you for helping me with the wolf attack earlier…so, thank you.”

[Tevildo]

"That's alright Gable. No need to say thanks. I don't like wolves in the Inn any more than you do. But isn't it funny how those creatures came down and attacked. It's been a long time since anything like that happened. I'd love to know why they did that. What riled them up or made them hungry so they were desperate enough to approach the Inn? They had to have been pretty upset to do something like that. My granny used to say that when she was a wee lass, there were a few wolves lurking in the great forest near Buckland, but that they were kept back in their place out of Buckland and the Shire by Master Brandybuck's hedge. It almost makes me wonder if there could be some problem with that hedge. Maybe a hole or something? Or maybe the Trees are getting so restless that even the wolves didn't feel comfortable there?"

He glanced over at Gable and explained, "That hedge is a scary, scary sight. Have you ever been over to see it or to walk among the trees in the forest? And while you're telling me the answer to that, come sit down and have a piece of pie." Tollers gestured towards the pie with his finger. For some reason, he felt comfortable with this particular elf. He only hoped that Cook didn't notice that they were making a large dent in her apple pie.

Jadelen leaned against the wall which sent shivers down her spine as the wall was cold. She wondered where to start looking for her friend Cir. Knowing Cir, Jadelen assumed she would perhaps be outside exploring, or in the kitchen up to mischief, or even still sleeping! Her eyes wondered around the room, searching the room one last time before searching other places. A group sitting around a table caught her eye, a tall elf sat there with long, braided dark hair, like Cir’s hair always is and an elf that looked somewhat like her brother Cir. It was Cir! Jadelen smiled and their beautiful grey eyes locked for a second. Cir looked a bit startled and surprised.

Cir got up and approached Jadelen excitedly. "Mae govannen!" Cir called as she reached Jadelen's side. "I am so glad you've come, the things I have to tell you!"
Jadelen smirked, “don’t just stands there! Give me a hug.”
Cir opened her arms and placed them around Jadelen. They both giggled and had a slight buzz about them, due to the excitement of seeing each other again.
“Oh, I have missed you so much my dear friend!” Jadelen said, still smiling.

Cir locked her arm in Jadelen’s as she spoke to her, “let us go sit somewhere where we won’t be interrupted.” Cir paused as her eyes searched the room for two vacant places to sit, and then carried on talking while moving towards the chairs, “now, do tell me the impossible of how you got your mother to allow you to come.” Jadelen smirked mischievously and her eyes twinkled. Cir gasped with delight, “you ran away! Oh my, you are in for a lot of trouble Jadelen. It is all worth the adventure though, isn’t it. Tell me all about it!”

Jadelen took off her deep purple cloak before sitting down and continued to talk. “I haven’t much to tell you, it was a rather dull and not an adventurous journey.” Jadelen sighed disappointingly. She continued, “It was lonely and I was worried at times but nothing did ever really frighten me or intrigue me, just a silly little footpath here and there and at times the trees looked as if they were staring down on me. I carried my bow and quivers with me just incase. I was at least hoping to use them once.”
Cir rolled her eyes “it is funny how many wish for a safe journey like yours and you and I wish for danger and excitement. So typical of you Jadelen.”

Jadelen realised they had been talking far too much about herself, she took Cir’s two hands in her own and smiled, “it is so great to see you. Really. When you first approached me you told me that you had so much to tell me! Hopefully more exciting than my rather dull story, please do tell!”

[Firefoot]

Cela hadn't been paying much attention to Tollers - he was in and out of the kitchen often enough that she hadn't felt the need to supervise his every action.

That's what she had thought.

She was just turning around to ask him if there was anything he needed when she heard him comment to Gable, "Come sit down and have a piece of pie." She whirled around and spotted one of the apple pies she had set out to cool now sitting on the table in front of Tollers - with whole slices' worth missing!

"My pie!" Cela exclaimed indignantly. "Tollers, what ever do you think you're doing?" Both Tollers and Gable had frozen, caught in the act. "That was for dinner tonight, you ought to know that! And you ought to know that the food in this kitchen isn't just for your personal pleasure!" As she raged, she snatched the disfigured pie from in front of Tollers and set it back on the shelf next to the others. "Really, I would expect better of you, and maybe I ought to have a word to Master Dick about all this, because it seems lately like every time we turn around you've gotten up to something. Really! Now what have you got to say for yourself?"

[Forest Elf]

Gable was just about to reply that she wasn’t hungry since she didn’t really have an appetite after the wolf attack. She knew that the pie was for later tonight and she would hardly be hungry anyways. But she could sit down. Then Cook whirled on the two of them before she had a chance to even answer Tollers.

Gable, having seen the children leave, figured that they had done something with the pie and Tollers was trying to keep them out of trouble. “I think that Tollers may be trying to keep the children out of trouble that were in here.” Gable said looking over at Cela.

[Holbytlass]

"Have fun but keep your wits about you."
"Oh, she'll be alright. Hurry along now, dear."

Those were the last words Sydney heard from her parents amid the goodbyes and the cheers of her siblings. She left them for the first time in her life during the wee hours yet it seemed a lifetime ago. Sydney was on her own.

There were two older brothers, Sydney, then two more brothers. These fours sons worked with their father cutting and delivering timber. Then the second daughter, Lindsey, who had just turned twelve last week. She was now old enough to handle all the responsibilities of caring for the five youngest children. Forever etched in Sydney’s memory is Lindsey’s proud little face as she stood by their mother, so glad to be able to do her part.

Hours and miles sped by as the trusty pony, Clyde, kept a steady pace. Sydney could hardly believe how quiet the daytime actually was. It was almost deafening. Her ears were forever filled with talking, squabbling, crying, and joking voices.

In almost perfect timing, Sydney’s stomach grumbled painfully as she neared an inn-The Golden Perch. She could hear all the talk and movement going on inside, “Ah, music to my ears”. She tethered Clyde to the post and stepped through the door.

Loud sounds are familiar but this sight was so foreign! There were beings here that she had only heard of. Quickly Sydney found a table out of the way. She tried to act like she had done this before but the big cheesy grin gave evidence to the rising excitement inside her.

[Mänwe]

Aside from the odd looks that he had received having planted himself at a table of patrons uninvited with not so much as a nod or any eye contact what so ever he also had to worry about how exactly to engage the Dwarf. Who appeared to have calmed a little and the Hobbit having briefly returned to the table with parchment and quill had retreated toward the door behind the counter.

His observation of the exchange had told Limaris that he would not be returning to the table unless asked. The buzz of conversation at the table he had sat himself had picked up again after his rather abrupt appearance, and Limaris took advantage and stood once more and strode toward the table at which the dwarf was seated. As he approached he cleared his throat politely as if something were irritating his throat and immediately spoke;

“A shining and unblemished coat of mail, no missing links nor any replacement links, each looks as if it had been but made yesterday, straight from the forge! Yet here you are, tired and dusty clearly from long travels. Nay cannot be steel, there be only one metal that could remain so polished and unbroken.”

At his next words he stepped right up to the table and looked at the dwarf and proceeded to seat himself lowering his voice slightly,

“A fine coat of mithril sir! I am known as Aranholt, I have a passing knowledge of smith craft, and how by the blessed life of my mother did you come across such piece?”

He continued to hold the gaze with the dwarf, it would be best if he appeared confident and merely curious. Boy but was he complicating things, two wholly different characters he’d created now in as many hours.

Would that he had kept things simple, should Dick return and call him by another name, things would certainly get complicated. And again his thoughts could not help but return to that of assuming a different role and how far he might press the individual for information. A non stop and attempted subtle interrogation this was turning out to be. Offering his hand to shake he blocked out everything around him, he and the dwarf,Dick and the other Hobbit would be the only ones in the Inn, certainly they were the only ones he had to worry about for now; he would need to tread carefully.

[mormegil]

Kuric received the parchment and writing implement and wasn’t sad to see Tollers leave. While he had enjoyed his brief conversation with him, Kuric wasn’t much of a conversationalist and really wasn’t in the mood to be chatting, unless it was grand tales that were almost too outlandish to be true. He had also realized that his assessment of hobbits was closer to the mark than he had thought when young Tollers began talking of adventure and had caused his hopes to rise. With a degree of disappointment focused on the parchment. He was looking forward to quickly jotting down a note and heading up to take a brief respite from his travels. Unfortunately for him, Kuric wasn’t great at his letters and was never much one to write with any degree of eloquence.

He sat deep in thought as to how to begin his letter to Bilbo and had finally resolved to start by simply writing:

Billbo,

The trouble was, as Kuric saw it, he didn’t know if he had spelled it correctly and wasn’t about to ask if he had, maybe he would have somebody write it for him. He never liked learning or being taught as he found it extremely tedious and boring, but he hated letting people know he wasn’t as well educated as he should be too. So showing his possible typo was off, perhaps if he paid sufficiently he would get somebody to write it. While musing on his current quandary, he was surprised when a stranger began to talk to him.

“A shining and unblemished coat of mail, no missing links nor any replacement links, each looks as if it had been but made yesterday, straight from the forge! Yet here you are, tired and dusty clearly from long travels. Nay cannot be steel, there be only one metal that could remain so polished and unbroken.”

Kuric watched as this newcomer proceeded to sit down at his table and tried to size him up, without a thought Kuric subtlety reached for his mace that was at his side, hoping not to be in a threatening posture, hoping it wasn’t even noticeable but decided that it really didn’t matter and he would rather be in a state of preparedness than taken unawares. Kuric had been questioned before about his mail and too often the results of the conversations turned bloody. His troubled mind flashed to the last group of thieves who thought that his coat belonged to them and wondered what this newcomer had in mind.

“A fine coat of mithril sir! I am known as Aranholt, I have a passing knowledge of smith craft, and how by the blessed life of my mother did you come across such piece?”

His previous troubles of the writing now forgotten, the dwarf focused on the newest problem at hand and wondered if he would find any peace here.

“Aranholt, did you say? Well what do you want to know about me mail for? How it is mine is for me to know and I’m not to be sharing with the likes of you. Now if you have nothing else to say I suggest you leave!”

With that he gave a dismissive grunt and began to look at the parchment again trying to appear interested and hoping that this newcomer wouldn’t cause any trouble. Peace was not Kuric’s lot in life though there were times when even he enjoyed such times. His hand would stay on his mace until he felt more secure with the situation and stranger before him. He would, as always, have to be prepared for the worst.

[Folwren]

Little Begonia lay shrieking on the bed, demanding her mother’s attention with fierce and furious cries. Her mother’s attention could not switch immediately to her, she had seven other children to deal with.

“Mom, Mom, can’t we eat breakfast?”

“Mom, I’m hungry!”

“Mom, can I go fishing today?”

Mrs. Thedgethistle was driven to distraction. The baby screamed louder. Finally, she turned from her older swarm and picked up Begonia. “Daisy, take everyone but Bill and Meg out, will you?”

Lil leapt to her feet, off of the bed where she had been sitting looking through a picture book. Five year old Bill and three year old Meg threw themselves on their mother, begging with all their might to be allowed to go out, too. Lil didn’t want her mother to change her mind. It was bad enough that Iris, who was a whole year younger than her, got to go, too. If Mom let Bill go, disasters might happen.

Lil grasped Daisy’s hand and pulled her towards the door. “Come on!” she said. “Let’s go exploring, please!”

[Finduilas]

Elorn paused when he caught sight of the sign of The Golden Perch. He knew it was a good inn by hobbit standards, but he had no clue what hobbit standards were. But he also knew that something was often better than nothing. And hobbits seemed pleasant creatures, once you got used to children that were entirely grown up.

He decided to stop and as he entered the inn, he looked around for a seat. Seeing a chair that was out of the way and close to a corner, he made his way to it. He had first seen a hobbit just a few days ago, and wanted to be able to observe them without being overly observed himself.

A dwarf’s hand on his mace and half ignoring the man across the table from him, caught Elorn’s eye. It looked like a possible argument, and though Elorn didn’t like trouble, arguments were usually interesting.

[Folwren]

Dick had helped his newest customer and found himself standing with nothing to do behind the counter. He looked over the common room several times, but everyone seemed well and happy, with food and drink before them. From behind him, in the kitchen, he could hear Cela’s voice break out in protest. Something about an apple pie… Tollers again, Dick figured, and promptly shut out the sound of a possible row. His eyes scanned the room again and he was just about to go see if he could find Rowan when a new comer entered the inn.

It was a tall man who came in, young and handsome. His eyes scanned the room quickly as he entered and immediately, he made his way over to a far, shadowed corner, away from the light of the windows, and took a seat. Once more his eyes passed around the room and Dick saw them settle on the dwarf and the man that he had previously been speaking with. Dick’s eyes followed his gaze and he, too, saw the hand clenched on the shaft of the mace. His eyebrows lifted and then lowered with concern. He didn’t want an argument and he didn’t think trouble would be interesting enough to pay for the trouble it would cause.

But an argument had not been declared and trouble had not begun. Dick didn’t want to address the dwarf without need and therefore he wouldn’t. Instead, he would see if the new guest needed anything.

He went about the counter and pattered quickly over the solitary young man and drew his attention to himself as he arrived by speaking.

“G’day, my dear sir! May I get you anything? Ale? Wine? Beer? Breakfast, maybe, instead? We’ve got biscuits and eggs and bacon and perhaps anything else you want?”

[MaskedNicci]

Alassë

The Golden Perch, the sign said. Alassë figured that it would do no harm to go inside and have something to drink. She wasn't about to get drunk and chatter away loose-tongued with the locals, but she couldn't deny being parched for thirst.

Stepping inside wearing her comfortable and well-worn traveling clothes, she ventured to look openly around. It was cozy inside, and she had just entered in time to see another figure seat himself. It was a human, and he looked a tad suspicious to Alassë, though he wasn't the ugliest of his race, and there was no outward signs that should cause her to suspect him of anything but traveling to see a relative. Yet she suspected, just the same. He was observing his surroundings quickly and with curiosity, which Alassë still did not like. Seating herself not too far from him, she took her turn at observation.

[Finduilas]

Elorn gave a start when a hobbit, apparently the landlord, addressed him. He had stopped thinking about the man and dwarf, or even about the inn, and had been thinking of home.

“Oh. Good day,” he replied. “ Um, yes, I’d like… ale for now. Thanks.”

As the hobbit turned to go Elorn stopped him. “Excuse me, but how would I be able to get a message to a Farmer Maggot? Where exactly does he live? And I would like to get a room here. I don’t know how long I will be staying.”

[Folwren]

“A room! Aye, indeed, sir, as soon as you want it. And I can give you directions to Maggot’s. He lives down the road south*, several miles. You’ll see it. He’s got a lane branching off from the road, with a gate and fence by it. Beautifully kept lands. He keeps a couple of wolfish dogs, so make certain you stay on the road and approach his house by the lane.

“I’ll go and get your ale for ye.” He started away quickly, pattering over the floor and around tables as though he’d done it all his life. He stepped behind the bar and filled the mug full and foaming, and started back towards his customer.

He had almost reached the man when something happened to Dick that had never happened to him before. His eyes strayed upwards, drawn by the presence of a newcomer. His attention left the ale in his hands and the path that his feet took as he looked towards the elf who had just taken a seat. She was near the man he was serving and her eyes were slowly looking around her.

It was at the moment that his mind grasped the idea that she was actually studying the people around her as though she expected to see something suspicious that he bumped into the edge of one of the heavy tables. He stumbled sideways and his feet tripped around themselves, and Dick went plunging down towards the floor.

He gave a squeaking cry as the ale mug flew up and out of his hands. He didn’t watch where it landed as he concentrated on catching himself. But when he had shaken his head and slowly mounted to his knees and looked around, his eyes grew larger and his body froze.

The elven girl was standing up, her cloak and clothes soaked with the ale that he had fairly thrown directly into her lap. Dick groaned inwardly and paused before rising to address the problem.

---------------------------------------

*Still don’t have a map by me, so I may be wrong. Subject to possible changing.

[Finduilas]

Elorn waited as the landlord filled his order, and watched, slightly amused as he tripped over himself. Elorn’s amusement faded when he saw where his ill fated ale landed. He quickly jumped up, helped the confused Dick to his feet, and then went over to help the elf.

“Apologies for any inconvenience, ma'am,” he said as he picked up the empty mug, and offering her his handkerchief.

Elorn stifled his impolite inclination to laugh, knowing that it probably wouldn’t go over the well with the injured elf. He righted her chair, which had fallen over in her hasty rise, and offered it to her.

[Tevildo]

Daisy turned around and grinned impishly at Tom, relishing her triumph of being the one whom mother picked to care for the younger siblings. "Yes, mum, I'll do that," she responded pertly, taking Lil's hand and heading towards the door.

"Where are we going?" the younger girl queried. "Let's do something exciting....a real adventure."

"We'll see in a minute. For now, let's go down to the common room and then we'll figure things out."

Daisy swept into the hallway with the four other children following behind her. The very last in line was Tom, who still had a sullen expression on his face. After filing into the Common Room, they sat down at one of the tables and began peering around at the other guests.

Within two minutes, Lil was complaining loudly to her older sister. "I'm hungry," she wailed. "Maybe we could get something good to eat? A big piece of pie? It's no fun just sitting here."

Daisy shook her head. "I spent all my pennies the other day in the market. We haven't any money. Not even a ha' penny."

"This isn't exciting. It's not an adventure. And I want a piece of pie," countered Lil in a dejected tone.

"Behave, Lil! Everyone is looking at us. Mum wants us to be good." Daisy gave her a stern face.

"I am being good. But this is boring..... I want to do something different than sitting in this dumb old room and watching other people eat."

"I have an idea....." A soft voice rose from the end of the table. Tom withdrew an object from his pocket and placed it triumphantly in front of the others.

Daisy turned around to look. Her jaw dropped open in surprise, as she exclaimed, "Tolman Hedgethistle! Where did you get that? Ooh....you're going to get in trouble. Big trouble!"

[Kath]

"It is so great to see you. Really. When you first approached me you told me that you had so much to tell me! Hopefully more exciting than my rather dull story, please do tell!"

Cir laughed as Jadelen stopped her runaway tongue long enough to await the answer to her question. She had almost forgotten the joy of speaking to one near her own age that was not her brother. Her brother, ah yes, that was what she'd wanted to talk to Jadelen about.

"My story isn't a great deal more interesting. Cir and I managed to slip the watchful eyes of those pilgrims and made our way here for a bit of fun, but the journey was as easy as you say yours was and we had a very warm welcome once we arrived. It was what happened this morning that I wished to tell you about! But not here. It seems however quietly you speak in this room there is always someone you haven't noticed who happens to overhear!"

Taking Jadelen by the arm again Cir began walking back to the room she and her brother had shared the night before, ignoring the feel of eyes on her back, knowing it would be Cir attempting to apologise with the soulful eyes that had got him out of trouble with her many times before. She was sure that had she been alone she would have turned and fallen prey to them, but Jadelen's presence gave her the company she would otherwise have been bereft of had she stayed mad at Cir and she stalked out of the common room without a backward glace.

Once they reached the room Cir watched as Jadelen stared round with unabashed fascination, before finally settling down on one of the beds and fixing her with a sharp look.

"So, I noticed some hostility between you and Cir back there, is that what you wanted to talk about?"

Cir nodded sadly.

"Well what on earth happened? You two have always been so close!"

"He kept things from me!" Cir cried out, the anger that had been coursing through her before returning with a vengeance. "He overheard our parents saying some not very nice things about us and rather than tell me he kept it to himself. He broke the rules. We always tell each other everything even if it's horrible, you know that. He just made me so cross!"

Realising she was reaching a level of agitation not really suitable for one of a race known for being cool and collected Cir stopped to allow herself to calm slightly and turned to her friend for reassurance.

"I'm not being stupid about all this am I Jadelen?"

[MaskedNicci]

She hadn't been seated very long at all, when suddenly a loud noise reached her keen and listening ears, and she barely had time to look up to see a mug of ale flying in her direction. Unable to stop the inevitable, she stood up in shock, staring down at the mess of ale quickly soaking through her traveling clothes. Alassë uttered a sharp sound of disapproval, her eyes darting around to fall upon the one who had may as well have walked over and dumped it over the disgruntled female.

The figure she had been watching came over and apologized 'for any inconvenience'. Alassë couldn't help but narrow her eyes ever more in distrust. It just seemed too coincidental that the innkeeper had 'accidentally' thrown drink all over her, just as the man she had been studying leapt up to eagerly 'lend a hand'. Turning back to her wet clothes, she gave a sharp intake of breath before swallowing what was left of her pride.

"I am fine. Or I will be, once I am dried." She let out a sigh, her tone as flat and strict as could be. Alassë desperately tried to subdue forward questioning and interrogation of either of them - an action that was clearly pushing itself foremost in her mind - and deal with the problem at hand.

She knew there wouldn't be other clothes she could change into, and delicately took the handkerchief from the man. "Thank you," she muttered under her breath, begin to dab away at the seemingly endless ale.

[Folwren]

Dick was mortified and utterly speechless. The man who had supposed to serve came to lend him a hand to his feet. Dick was practically picked up and set upright before Elorn turned towards the elf. The man offered his assistance to making her comfortable again.

Dick was still aghast with embarrassment and a feeling of utter clumsiness and stupidity.

He heard the elf reply shortly to Elorn’s offered help, taking his handkerchief and beginning to dab up ale.

“I’m so sorry,” Dick began to splutter out. “I’m so sorry. I’ll run and fetch a towel. I’m so sorry.” Still repeating the words, he hurried away to the kitchen. Tollers and Gable and Cella were there, but he hardly spotted them as he made directly for the towel drawer and pulled out one of them and hurried right back out again.

“Here you are,” arriving again at the scene of the accident. “That will help you more. I am so sorry. Can I offer you anything?”

Looking truly repentant as he offered her the tea-towel, Dick hoped nothing worse would come from her. It was an awful mistake, and the fact that he would happen to trip for once in his life, with a full mug of ale in his hands, right in front of a new customer was too great to fully accept immediately.

[Firefoot]

"You stay out of this, Gable," snapped Cela, taking a passing notice as Dick hurried in, grabbed a towel, and dashed out again. She turned back to Tollers. "I don't see how helping yourself to the pie has anything to do with keeping the youngsters out of trouble - just the opposite, I'd say you're setting a very bad example for them!"

Tollers at least had the grace to look slightly abashed but offered up no words of explanation. Cela couldn't see any excuses that she would accept, anyhow. "Now you get on back out there and do your job like you're supposed to. Master Dick's looking mighty frazzled, and cleaning up spills is your job more than his. And you, too, Gable; I don't need any help in here. Both of you, out!"

The pair quickly obliged, leaving Cela alone in the kitchen. She shook her head. She was the cook, not the disciplinarian - truth be told, a disciplinarian ought not to be much needed around here, but that was such a false statement that Cela nearly laughed out loud. "Now let's see what we can do about that pie," she muttered to herself. She took a knife and cut off the edges where Tollers had fooled with the pie and irascibly tossed out those scraps. All told, at least a quarter of the pie had been wasted, and the common room seemed to be filling up quickly, from the sounds of it. Done is done, she told herself, and set the pie back on the shelf. There's other work to do.

[Child of the 7th Age]

"So? So what?" Tom stared down at his precious treasure and then grinned defiantly at his older sister. After that he snatched up the key with his right hand and began swinging it back and forth just an inch away from Daisy's noise, while continuing to talk, "Anyways, Lil is right. Nothing's happening here. Just some old gammers sawing away at each other. I'm bored. I want to go on an adventure. A real adventure doing things we've never done. This could help us. It really could. Who knows what we would find? Maybe a magic sword or a piece of treasure."

"But that's not yours." one of the siblings objected. "It's one of Master Dick's keys. He carries them on the big iron ring."

Tolman was quick to offer an explanation, "Yes, Master Dick has lots of different keys. He just didn't want this one. He left it sitting in a little basket on the top of the bar. I was trying to help him tidy up the room so I stuffed it in my pocket. That way, it won't bother anyone."

Tom stuffed the key back in the pocket of his knickers and ofered his grimy hand to his younger sister. "Come on, Lil. You lead the way and we'll all follow. I know the key is to the rooms that are just off the common area. It's the same hallway that has the stairs that lead down to the cellar. I think this might even open the cellar door. We can check that out later. Meanwhile, let's all have some fun. We'll find lots of candy to eat and maybe some other nice things." He pulled his sister up on her feet and then stared around at the others. "Well, are you coming, or are you just going to sit here like a bunch of dolts?"

[Folwren]

Lil had no question but to do as her older brother asked her to. He had always had her unswerving devotion and taking a kea wasn’t going to shake it. She didn’t question whether or not he had been wrong. Tom couldn’t be wrong. He was too smart to do that. He never got in trouble, he was so smart, except a few times.

She reached out for his hand and hopped up from her chair. He mentioned that candy might be found when they used the key to get into the rooms. Candy! One of Lil’s many weak spots. Tom payed his followers (or slaves, practically) well, when they did what he wanted. If the yield was good this time, Lil had no doubt she’d be rewarded.

Off she went, Tom’s hand holding onto hers, leading the way back into the hall from which they had just come. Hamilcar, a brother just a year older than Lil, came just behind. Next came Iris, and last of all, dragged most reluctantly by the hand, came Daisy, pronouncing prophecies of doom and destruction, but coming just the same.

Lil finally stopped, nearly half way down the hall, before a promising looking door (although it looked just the same as all the others). “Try this one,” she said, stepping back and looking at Tom.

[mormegil]

Kuric moved with speed that belied his massive girth, slamming his right hand down on the driving his metal spikes into the table splintering some of the wood on the table. Gripping his mace firmly in his left, he set his face within inches of Aranholt and through his gritted he managed to speak,

“Ye don’t speak enough and when ye do ye speak the wrong things, if ye can’t speak then don’t sit with me. I’m tired as it is and then you come and annoy me with your prying questions, I’ll warn you once, if ye do it again there won’t be much left of ye to send back to wherever yer from.”

With that he quickly spun on heels, hefted his pack onto his back and began marching through the crowd of people towards the hallway that would lead to his room. He longed for rest; it had been far too long since he had slept in a proper bed, and oft times the hard rock was his bed and the stars his ceiling. This was, after all, a dwarf who, despite his adventurous spirit, was brought up in relative luxury living with the thriving colony of dwarves living under the lonely mountain.

“I’ll be in my room if anybody needs me, though I don’t expect THAT to happen.”

With the emphasis placed on ‘that’ Kuric thought it should be obvious that he did not, under any circumstances want to be disturbed. His interactions in the common room had put him in a foul mood, and despite the ale coursing through him he wasn’t pleased. First, a hobbit who claimed to love adventure had falsely gotten his hopes up and then some young ruffian was asking about his mithril suit. He would need to be on his guard. With that thought in mind he climbed the stairs clutching his mace and making certain that everybody around knew that he had it with him.

Arriving at the entrance to the hallway he turned to glance all in the common room, taking stock of all the new comers. He saw the keeper of the inn busily mopping up a mess he had made. Normally, the sight of an elf in such a plight would have been the cause of great mirth and amusement but even now he couldn’t enjoy such a scene.

“Durned elf, probably deserved it anyway”

He left with that imagine stuck in his head, hoping that it would allow him to be in a bit better mood. He found his room in short order, and true to his word Tollers had given him a rather large room, he would have to ‘thank him’ Kuric thought, which usually meant giving him a little coin.

Kuric immediately sat on the bed and began removing his boots. Placing his ring and necklace on the table in front of him and placing his pack on the ground on the other side of the bed, he lied down, still fully armor clad when he realized that he had better wash up a bit. Putting his boots back on he trudged off down the hallway to the washroom, making sure to lock his door and bring his mace, he could ill afford to be unarmed with such ruffians about as he had just encountered.

[MaskedNicci]

The innkeeper continued sputtering his apologies, rushing off and fetching a towel to aid in her half-hearted clean up. He asked if he could offer her anything, looking dazed.

Alassë tried to refrain from any harsh insults she could throw at the innkeeper, deciding that to try and appear friendly would be the easiest way to find out more of this strange coincidence. Perhaps the innkeeper and the man were in a secret society, and they were going to tactfully interrogate her and find out if she was an enemy figure. Trying to offer a smile through clenched teeth, she murmured. "Oh, it's quite alright. I don't melt, good sir. Just something to drink would be nice. What would be even better, would be if I didn't take it all over. Keeping it in a cup would be just grand."

Mentally rebuking herself for a failing in her attempted guise of behaviour, Alassë gave out a tight-lipped sort of sound to resemble a laugh. "No harm done." She said, looking sideways at the stranger she had been inspecting upon entry, and she held up his handkerchief. "May I make arrangements for this to be cleaned, before I return it?"

[Forest Elf]

Gable sighed; she wasn’t even going to of had a piece of pie. Sometimes cook got on her nerves. When would cook learn to stop making assumptions? Doesn’t cook know by now that I don’t take baked goods, just a plain apple or a slice of older bread when I'm hungry before meals? Gable wondered to herself as she watched a leaf floating on the breeze out the window. She sat down at an empty table and closed her eyes. She put her hands on top of each other and laid her forehead down on them. She needed to think things through, though why she did though, she didn’t know.

Whose locket is that? Why are the wolves attacking? It doesn’t make sense…why would wolves attack the Inn? Why did they come and attack in the first place? What if Tollers was right and there is a hole in the Hedge? Or what if something is driving them mad enough to make them this desperate? Does it have something to do with the pony’s owner’s disappearance? Or does it have to do with one of the customers here? at the Inn?

Gable sighed…so many questions that couldn’t be answered. If she kept this up she would be getting a headache. Maybe I should take another look around the area where I found the pony…there has to be some sign of the owner, or tracks that I missed since it was dark and I can see better now that its light out. Then she began troubling herself with the question of, Should I bring someone along to help or not?

[Finduilas]

Elorn felt like laughing when the clearly ruffled Elf offered to have his handkerchief cleaned. He refrained from doing so, knowing that it probably wouldn’t improve her present state of mind.

“No thanks, ma’am. It won’t be necessary,” he replied as he took it back.

Once he had wrung out his handkerchief and returned in to his pocket, he stood, wondering what he should do. The Elf didn’t seem in the mood to talk, but he didn’t feel it would be very nice of him to leave her, seeing as she was still soaked, and in bad humor. Elorn sincerely wished that either the Elf or the landlord would help him out of this awkward situation.

[ElentariGreenleaf]

Lynaata sat on a low wall just outside a town of which she did not know the name. By the look of the place, he was a hobbit's town. Lyn wasn't entirely sure why she was sitting on that wall. She was desperate to buy more supplies, but at the same time she was nervous. Hobbits were such lovely folk, and she felt incredibly conscious of her tatty appearance. What would people think of her? Her boots were too large, and her dress was faded, and that was how she had looked before she left Bree. Now her boots and the skirt of her dress were caked with mud from her time travelling. Her hair was full of knots and the odd burr, as she had often hidden in the bushes on the road side if ever a horse rode past from the direction of Bree. Rowan had been offered a large dowry to take her for his bride, and she doubted he'd let that opportunity pass him by easily. The Inn Rowan had inherited verged on the edge of debt, as it was not in the best location on the outskirts of Bree and the Prancing Pony attracted most of the business in the town.

In the end Lyn's stomach won. She was hungry, as her remaining food was either stale or mouldy. She took out a coin purse and counted out her gold. She had stolen as much as she could from Rowan, but he only kept a small amount out of his locked moneybox for day to day business in the Inn. She had enough for now, but eventually she would need to find work, or learn to hunt. The idea sickened her.

As she wandered through the town, Lyn admired the Hobbit architecture. It was odd to her seeing doors in the sides of hills or the odd chimney poking out of the ground. She had never been to such a place as this before. The Hobbits were no bigger than human children, and if they had their backs to her, Lyn could quite easily mistake them for so.

Eventually Lyn found what she had been looking for - before her stood an Inn. The sign read "The Golden Perch Inn". Lyn smiled to herself, glad she had found an Inn here that was designed to accommodate humans as well as Hobbits. She stepped through the round door, ducking as the door was still more Hobbit sized than human. The Inn instantly struck her as a welcoming, homely place. Well, what she imagined other people to consider homely, as she hoped it was nothing like her home. She went to the counter and ordered a beer, handing over some of Rowan's gold with a large smile. He would feel the sting of the amount of gold Lyn took being stolen, that was for certain. Lyn hoped Rowan slipped into debt and his Inn closed. He deserved everything bad that would happen to him.

As Lyn went to find a table to sit at, she noticed a beautiful woman mopping her elegant dress with a handkerchief. Lyn studied the woman for a moment. She had never seen a woman with such grace before. When the woman had finished her attempt at drying her dress she brushed her long hair behind back from her face, revealing a pointed, very much elven ear. An elf! Lyn had never seen an elf before. For a moment she stood staring at the elf, until she noticed people had begun giving her funny looks.

Lyn found a table near window, from which she could both admire the town and study the elf. She felt almost happy while she sat there. She could tell things were taking a turn for the better for her.

[Folwren]

“No, I'm guess it's good that you don't melt...A drink,” Dick repeated. “By all means. Yes, I’ll keep it off you. Yes, in the cup would be marvelous. A drink...a drink at once,” and still muttering, he pattered off once more behind the counter. He drew for the elf the finest brew they had, and then, placing it momentarily on the counter, darted back into the kitchen.

“Cela, dear,” he said, panting and out of breath, “do you mind serving something nice? Pie! Is it fresh? Will you put a large slice on a plate? And start some tea. Be quick, now!” And he went out again as quick as a humming bird. He picked up the mug and started on his way back across the room. He slowed to a careful walk as he approached the elf and the man and set it gently on the table before her.

“There you are, ma’am,” he said. “Again, I’m very sorry. Is there anything else I can offer? I’m having the cook get you some tea and a slice of her fresh pie. I hope that will amend matters some. Oh, sir!” he cried out suddenly. “I forgot to get you another mug full. I’m so sorry, I’ll be right back.” And so saying, he was off once more.

[Tevildo]

Daisy held her breath as her brother inserted the key in the lock, slowly turned it, and pushed the door open. The children trooped into the room, with Lil leading the way. After that, they began to rummage through the satchels and drawers, inspecting the belongings of the occupants. "Some of the big folk!" whispered Tom triumphantly as he drew out two pairs of oversize heavy boots from the closet and tried them on one at a time.

Daisy sat miserably in the corner and refused to join her siblings in the general pillaging, squirming uncomfortably while glaring at her brother. Tom was always going off on some madcap scheme, but this did not feel like a prank. It felt downright uncomfortable. Daisy kept hearing echoes of her mother in her ear. saying how disappointed she was that her children were acting just like young ruffians. The young lass wished she was anywhere but here. She even considred running out the door and back down the corridor and then going to the room to speak with her mother. But the others would never forgive her. And, as much as she wanted to do what was right, she did not want to face the disapproval of her brother. He would never forgive her if she ratted on him.

The children were sitting cross legged in the middle of the room and were inspecting the trinkets that they had managed to pilfer. Despite Tom's assurance that they would turn up many treasures and jewels, their pickings looked extremely thin. There were several farm implements tossed in the middle of the circle, along with a few vest coats and a somewhat withered looking apple. Several of the younger ones were grumbling to Tom about not finding any candy or goodies.

Daisy stood up and went over to the door, pushing it slightly ajar. She squinted through the crack and surveyed the hall from one end to another. She saw one of the dwarves stamp through the corridor carrying an interesting assortment of weapons plus an oversized satchel. He stopped in front of one room and disappeared inside, closing the door firmly behind him. An interesting thought flashed across the girl's mind: where there were dwarves, there was always treasure. Daisy had always been told that it wasn't right to steal candies or pennies. But no one had ever mentioned anything about treasure: coats of armor, axes, swords, or sparkling piles of jewels and gold. In the stories ma told, there were always little boys and girls who made off with such marvelous things, and nobody scolded them when they returned home. She expected that removing things from a dwarf's bedroom wasn't too different than taking them from a dragon's lair. Squinting intently down the hall, she saw the door open again and the dwarf leave, bearing only a large mace in his hand.

Turning to the others, she proudly exclaimed, "You ninnies. If you want real treasure, you can't go into the room of some old farmer. You'll just get junk. You must find a warrior and treasure hunter. And I happen to know where there is one." She motioned for them to join her at the doorway. "You see right there...that room. I just saw a dwarf go inside and then leave. He was carrying weapons and a big bag, probably filled with gold and jewels that he stole from some dragon. I think most of it is still in the room. Let's go there and hunt for treasure." Daisy snatched up the key where Tom had laid it down on the table and indicated that the others should follow her. The children slipped out into the hallway. They left the room behind them a horrible mess, with nothing missing but things strewed everywhere across the bed and floor.

[Child of the 7th Age]

Tom sprinted to the head of the line and bumped Daisy to the side so he could be the first to reach the doorway. In an instant he had inserted the key in the lock and pushed back the door, beckoning the rest to follow. The others trooped in behind him and began scouring the chamber from top to bottom, opening drawers and inspecting under the bed. It did not take long for Tom to find what he was searching for. There, sitting on the nightstand in full view of them all, was an intricately woven torque with narrow twisted bands crafted of bright gold. Right next to it, Tom saw a ring of gold with three bold stones in a straight row.

Tom reached down and picked up the ring, carefully inspecting the jeweled piece while cradling it in his hands. The stones caught the sunshine that poured in through the window, flashing bright in their glory: a ruby glowing red; an emerald green as a sward of grass following an afternoon rain; and, in the middle, brightest of all, a generous sized diamond that gleemed and sparkled like a brook of running water. The piece was so beautiful that it took away Tom's breath, and he was not a hobbit lad who was easily impressed. The others ran over to where their brother was standing and crowded in to see what he had found.

"Treasure, it's treasure for sure," Tom exclaimed with excitement holding out the ring. "Probably stolen from a dragon or taken from an Elf lord in battle. This dwarf is too greedy....to steal both a necklace and a ring! We'll have better manners than him. Let's leave the gold necklace here but rescue this poor ring." He slipped it inside his vest pocket.

One of the younger children ran to the door and began to open it to go out into the hall, but Tom sprinted over and yanked the offender back. "No! Too dangerous!Someone might see us. We have to escape without anybody noticing and find a place to hide our treasure." Tom thought for a moment and then pointed directly at the window. "We can climb through to the outside here. There's a path through the garden with lots of bushes so no one can see. It leads to the other side of the Perch, straight to the trap door with steps down into the cellar. That's a perfect place to hide treasure." He glanced around at the others, "Come on. Hurry! We don't want to get caught here."

[Folwren]

Lil stood transfixed by the table. She was so short by it, that her eyes barely came above it. She stood on tiptoe to hook her chin over the top, so that she could look at the torque more easily. Her brother took the ring, but that was small and insignificant to her. She heard as though in a distance her brother advise against leaving by the door. She understood his plan to escape by window, but she made no movement.

Slowly, her fingers reached out and closed around the heavy, gold piece and she drew it back to herself and stared at it.

“Come on. Hurry!” came Tom’s pressuring voice. “We don’t want to get caught in here!”

Lil, smiling a small, delighted smile, and holding the torque in both hands, turned slowly to obey. But then the sound of heavy clumping boots could be heard in the hall outside. Her head jerked upwards in alarm, the smile was dashed off of her face. She stuffed the torque into her apron pocket and darted towards the window. In a moment, she was out, and the next moment, Tom was out after her.

[Newsman]

Horse and rider entered into the courtyard of The Golden Perch Inn after a hard day's ride. The rider's face was obscured by the hood of his dark travelling cloak, yet he deftly swung from the back of his horse, and handed the reins off to the boy who came from the stables, along with a silver coin for the trouble. He took a quick glance around before entering into the Inn.

Vehil slipped silently to a table without drawing to much attention to himself. The less attention he got at the moment the better. He was a tall, fair-skinned elf with the dark-brown hair characteristic of his family. He hailed from Lothlorien, the golden wood. He ordered a drink from a passing Hobbit, who squeaked out a reply. Vehil began to nervously thumb the long knife that hung from his side. A drink was what he needed to calm his nerves, and let him think clearly.

Where am I gonna begin? he thought. He glanced around for a sign, anything that would show him where to begin. The hobbit put the ale in front of him, and Vehil stared into its contents. Better just wait here and see what happens."

[mormegil]

Kuric carefully inspected himself in the polished metal mounted to the wall, only then did he realize how long it had been since he had taken a proper bath. After carefully weighing all option Kuric decided it best to give his face a good cleaning, at least that way it would be some time before he would need a bath. Dipping both hands in the basin of water he began to forcefully rub his wet hands all over his face in an attempt to clean himself. Having taken no real thought on the matter of properly cleaning himself, Kuric merely smeared the built up dirt and grime about his face, due, in no small part, to the fact that his hands were filthier than his face, though it did help to calm down the infuriated dwarf to a small degree.

Realizing how infuriated he was, Kuric decided it best to properly calm down before heading off for his much needed nap. He placed his wet hands on the counter and leaned into it, helping take some of the weight of his body and gear off his feet. Taking some deep breaths while closing his eyes, though one could hardly tell that his eyes were closed at all as they were seldom seen covered by shadow and a thick brow, brought some much needed calm to him and he finally felt ready to go back to his room.

With a slower and less determined stride than when he made his way down the hall, Kuric made his way back the other way to his room. Despite not being as angry, Kuric’s weight combined with his heavy boots caused the floor boards to creak and groan whenever he walked. Stealth had never been a part of any tactics Kuric employed and would never be able to be part of it, particularly as Kuric had an uncouth habit, owing to his much time spent alone, muttering to himself while he walked. Nothing really important was ever said, mainly gibberish, curses, and maledictions on his current plight, no matter what situation he found himself.

Entering his room, Kuric immediately went and sat himself down on his bed and slowly began to remove his heavy boots. It had been more than a fortnight since their last removal and a rather pungent odor accompanied upon completion of this task. Sniffing the air Kuric mumbled while chuckling to himself, ‘perhaps I should have washed them up too’. Setting the boots aside, Kuric stood and began arranging the bed coverings to his liking. When Kuric began removing his spiked glove to place on the desk where he had placed his ring and necklace that is when he noticed it. Few things could upset Kuric as rapidly and as much as theft. His ring had gone missing, not only his ring but his prized ring at that, though he spoke of such treasures to few, this was a special gift to him from his Uncle Dain, while it wasn’t technically true that King Dain was Kuric’s uncle, Kuric saw little harm in embeleshing the truth just a bit in his favor. Such treasures that are bestowed by a king, such as this ring, were worth more than a small fortune. The wealth of the ring didn’t matter to Kuric as much as the simple fact that it was stolen from him and also owing to the fact of the honor it was to receive such a gift. He had received it for distinguished service to King Dain. Stories abound of dragons’ greed and there hate of theft of their goods, and while these accounts are mainly true, Kuric’s abhorrence of theft from his property rivaled that of the most odious dragon.

He, in an instant, felt his body get hot and lost all rational thought. Quickly grabbing his mace, he sprinted down the hallway heading towards the commons area. In his rush, his mace was flailing wildly, hitting the wall in the hallway, causing many scratches and dents. When he arrived at the entrance to the commons area he let out a terrible yell and smacked the corner of the wall with his mace forcefully splintering the wood and causing a sizeable piece of the corner to break off. With narrowed eyes and a furious scowl, Kuric yelled again, only this time words came out.

“TOLLERS! TOLLERS! Ya said that ye were up fer adventure, grab a weapon lad, we 'ave some thieves and ruffians to hunt!”

With that he sprinted down the stairs directly towards Dick the inn keeper. Few men in Middle-earth could stop Kuric mad and in a dead sprint and even fewer would try. Upon reaching Dick, Kuric yelled again this time with more vehemence and anger. Spittle flying from his mouth and coating his beard he blared.

“What kind of ----- establishment are ya running here? They took me ring, they did and I’m finding ‘em, or it’ll be yer head I take next!”

[Newsman]

A yell drove Vehil to his feet hands braced, ready to draw his knives at a split second. A dwarf came running from the hallway, and grabbed the innkeeper. Vehil sprang upward and attempted to get in the way of the angry dwarf, yet the flailing mace drove him back.

"Hey I dont know whats going on, but im sure killing the innkeeper isnt going to help." Vehil slowly advanced toward the angry dwarf. "Just take it easy. I can help you find whoever took this ring of yours."

[MaskedNicci]

"Well, if you insist." She replied, watching the flummoxed innkeeper scuttle away once more. When he returned with a mug, which he offered her, then his mind switched as fast as a bumblebee on the first day when the flowers begin blooming again, and he was gone. In spite of herself, she had to give the slightest of smiles. It was a small flicker of amusement, then it vanished as quickly as it had come, and her previous look of seriousness and suspicion returned dutifully.

Alassë turned to the one who had offered her his handkerchief, and realized it was probably polite to start some conversation, as he looked a little concerned about what to do. Society rules... Her mind reeled with the possibility of herself creating smalltalk as though she trusted him. But then again, how could she convince him she was being caught in this web of deceit, without him realizing she was on to the collaboration possibly betwixt him and the bustling innkeeper?

In an attempt to appear friendly, she opened her mouth to offer some starting question to the topic of the weather, when a loud clatter interrupted her. The furious dwarf started causing a great commotion, howling about some stolen object of his. Another flicker of amusement shone in her piercing eyes. Then, she turned to good sir handkerchief-on-hand, and muttered in an almost good-natured fashion, "I can't really blame him. Looks like he's having a rough day."

Watching him curiously for a moment, she realized the alleged next step in conversation would be introduction, given the circumstances. Alassë gave a firm nod in his direction, and said, "My name is Alassë, good sir. My memory does not often fail me, but I don't believe we had the chance to be properly introduced."

[Folwren]

Dick did not possibly think that his bad day could get any worse. But he had not even returned with the man’s ale yet when a new disturbance showed up. It seemed all hell broke loose in an instant when that unreasonable, probably insane, dwarf came back into the common room, shouting at the top of his lungs as though he had lost his mind. Dick gave him an unforgiving glare, thinking to himself that he probably didn’t have any mind to loose - it was gone already. The shout had so surprised him that he had very nearly spilled this second mug of ale.

But now the dwarf came steaming towards him at full run, and the words that he bellowed right in his face did so upset poor Dick that he sloshed half of the contents of the ale onto himself. He gaped in horror at the dwarf’s furious and filthy face. The words sounded gibberish. No one ever stole anything in the Shire (except mushrooms) and it seemed even more ridiculous that he should blame it on him and his establishment.

A newly arrived elf thought so, too, apparently and stepped in with a quiet word, “I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m sure killing the innkeeper won’t help. Just take it easy. I can help you find whoever took this ring of yours.”

Dick looked from the elf to the dwarf and back again. And then he felt the wet on his shirt and looking down, he saw the partially emptied mug in his hand, and the remaining ale swaying back and forth wildly in the mug. His patience snapped and his good temper was thrown to the wind.

“Why you great, blundering, big footed, filthy faced ox!” Dick shouted back at Kuric, trying to bellow like the dwarf, but probably squeaking more like a rabbit. “Look what you’ve done!” He lifted the ale, succeeding to spill more. “It’s you that’s thieving from me, making me spill all my finest ale! Don’t come threatening to take my head - I’ll throw you out! I’ll have you arrested and locked up!”

The brief flash of rare fire faded and went out nearly as quickly as it had come. Dick realized that for the dwarf to have lost a ring was indeed a very bad thing to have happen. The ale was probably a small loss compared to such a thing, but it was a pity for him to have spoiled one of his nicest vests.

“You lost a ring, hey?” he said in a more controlled tone. “Well, don’t come yelling my head off, it wasn’t me who took it. It’s probably some prank. It’ll be returned. Just calm down and don’t kill anyone.”

[Newsman]

The hobbit's squeak caught Vehil's attention. So much emotion in one so small, few men would be fool enough to berate a maddened dwarf. Yet, here he is. Vehil did think the halfling looked comical, dripping with spilled ale, yet trying to hold his own. What ever this Dwarf lost doesn't matter at the moment. If he keeps on like this, he might really hurt somebody.

Vehil stood his ground however. This sort of thing was the last thing he needed at the moment, and the fact he was itching for a fight didn't help either. If he tried to take the dwarf down, who knew what friends he had lurking nearby? Also fighting might hurt his chances of finding any trace of who he was searching for.

"You lost a ring, hey? Well, don’t come yelling my head off, it wasn’t me who took it. It’s probably some prank. It’ll be returned. Just calm down and don’t kill anyone.” Little hobbit was obviously scared back to his senses as he addressed the dwarf. So it's a ring eh? Vehil thought. He quickly weighed his options, and realized that he had come too far to go back now. Resting one hand on a long-knife at his side, he braced himself. "Take a deep breath, and calm down. If someone took it, we'll find them. You have my aid." Vehil paused and waited for a reply.

[Firefoot]

Cela was startled by the sound of shouting coming from the Common Room, enough so that she nearly dropped the knife she was using to cut another slice of pie at Dick's request. Normally she would not have become involved in such arguments; Dick, she supposed, was quite capable of handling unruly patrons himself. But when the second shouting voice she heard belonged to Dick, she knew that there was trouble and dashed out into the Common Room.

"Now none of this!" she began to declare, but realized that Dick's flare of temper, at least, had faded, although his vest was dripping with ale. The Dwarf in front of him, however, was still red-faced and heaving, and it was he that Cela addressed as she came out and stood by Dick, lightly resting her hand on his shoulder as if to further calm him. "Now don't you go talking that way about Master Dick! His is a perfectly respectable inn, and I'm sure there's some misunderstanding. What's this about? A ring, I heard? A small item, then, and one easily misplaced. I'm sure this is all simply a misunderstanding."

For all her small stature, Cela was an imposing figure when she wanted to be, and as she made her closing point, she realized that she had never set down the knife she had been using to cut the pie and had been shaking it about in the air just as she had earlier used her spoon to scold Tollers. "Now, there'll be no more raised voices in here - I'm assuming you are all quite capable of behaving like gentlemen?"

[Finduilas]

Elorn felt sorry for the innkeeper, but wasn’t worried about his well-being. He was happy that an elf had gotten up to help him, but it didn’t occur to Elorn that an elf probably wouldn’t improve the dwarf’s state of mind. But even if the elf didn’t improve the dwarf’s temper, it looked as if the hobbit could take care of him, even though he did squeak.

His thought returned to the female elf beside him when she addressed him.

“No, we weren’t properly introduced,” he replied, “ Unless you considered a mug of ale an introduction. My name’s Elorn, at your service. It appears that tempers are rising today. I had thought that the Shire would be a peaceful country, but I guess the variety of races causes friction.”

He wished to cheer Alassë, but as he said this it occurred to him that she may take what he just said as a personal insult. He sincerely hoped she wouldn’t, but thought the less said, sooner mended.

[Tevildo]

post for Tollers

Tollers had had a rough day. It seemed that everything was going wrong. He had tried to stay out of all the yelling and the highjinks, remaining in the background and quietly doing his job. He looked up in alarm as Master Dick exploded. It wasn't like the Innkeeper to get so upset at a guest, even an unreasonable one such as this pushy dwarf. Perhaps the fellow had misplaced his ring and would find it sitting on his nightstand or tucked inside his satchel. After all, the Innkeeper had a point. The Perch wasn't the kind of place where folk went around lifting things that didn't belong to them. In fact Tollers couldn't remember a single time when someone had actually stolen anything other than a hungry hobbit making off with a piece of pie that Cook had left sitting in a tempting place.

No, he'd best ignore all this and be off to work. He had to take some blankets to a room that was located in the same hallway where the Dwarf was staying. His fingers slipped inside his pocket as he searched for the key. Then he remembered. He had set the key down behind the serving counter in the little basket that Master Dick had put there for the convenience of the serving folk. Tollers went back to get the key and reached down into the basket. To his surprise, the basket was empty. He scratched his head in puzzlement and frustration. "I know that key was here earlier this morning," he muttered in frustation to himself. He searched everywhere behind the counter, thinking the key might have dropped out, but did not find anything.

A horrible thought came over him. What if the key was somehow connected with the dwarf's ring missing. He didn't want to be the one to point this out, but thought he had better say something. The Innkeeper might be extremely perturbed with him if he neglected to say anything.

He raised his voice and announced, "Excuse me. Sorry to but in, but it seems we've got another problem. The key that sits in the basket behind the counter has apparently grown wings and flown away. I know I saw it there earlier today and now it's completely gone." He was careful not to raise his voice so that Cela would not chastise him.

post for Daisy

As the children sprinted around the courtyard, they were soon stopped in their tracks. The loud noises coming from inside could be clearly heard through one of the open windows. Daisy stopped to listen. First, there was the dwarf bellowing out his anger about having been robbed. Then there was the Master Innkeeper also sounding infuriated and Cela trying to calm things down.

Daisy looked over at her brothers and sisters and exclaimed, "We're in for it. Can't you hear what's going on. That dwarf is going to take his axe to whoever stole his Ring." She glared directly at Tom, "I hope you have a plan up your sleeve to get us out of this one!"