The Periannath Walking Club - Journey to Woody End

[Dwim]

“It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into the Road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off too.”

The
Periannath Walking Club

Hobbits are a plain, quiet folk who generally consider adventures to be "disturbing, uncomfortable" things which make one late for dinner. Despite this opinion, however, some hobbits and their friends were indeed swept off in adventures and some even went out looking for it for themselves! We've all heard the tales of the great adventures of Bilbo and Frodo. But even among more respectable Shirefolk, there was a group of hobbits and friends who enjoyed small adventures of their own, and they were known as The Periannath Walking Club.

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began,
Now far away the Road has gone,
And I must follow if I can,
Pursuing it on eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way,
Where many paths and errands meet,
And whither then? I cannot say.

This is an enjoyable and social RP activity for those who like adventures and walking. It explores the woods, the fields, and the little rivers in the Four Farthings and surrounding areas, and some famous landmarks too. Every time we meet we will explore a new area in or around the Shire so be prepared for anything and everything. And don't worry, there will of course be enough stops for meals along the way! Please bring your own walking stick and a pack to carry essential items.

Guidelines:

- This activity is open to characters of any kingdom or race.
- To join, please RP your arrival at the meeting point (or catch up with the group somewhere along the way if you're late) Please also complete this small form upon joining:
Character's Name:
Name a place you would like to visit in a future walk:

Members:

Dwim Took (Guide)
Amalda Goodbody (Nolewen)
Ducky
Henna Lightfoot (Lirimaer)
Jorgy Underash (Frost)
Menolly
Molly Brockhouse (Amhran)
Pearl Brockhouse (Tarawen)
Reichard Fatty (Balfur)
Sasparilla 'Rilla' Banks (Lailyn)
Silas Hardwick (Sil)

[Dwim]

Journey to Woody End

It's been a long time since the Walking Club has come together, so this time we're going on a three day adventure! Our walk will take us all the way to Woody End in the Eastfarthing. This is a wooded area where, rumour has it, Elves have been seen passing by; an exciting prospect for our walkers! The journey will begin at the Three Farthing Stone and will take us all the way through Green Hill Country (which will give us an amazing panoramic view of the Shire), then to Wood Hall and finishing at Woody End.

The first day will take us all the way to Wood Hall, where we will have dinner at The Black Fox pub. The inn will also provide our accommodation for the night. On our second day we will explore the woods and make our way to Woody End, where we will camp the night and look out for elves. On the third day we will journey back and hopefully be home in time for dinner!

Today is a perfect summer's day, ideal for walking. Please meet bright and early in the morning at the Three Farthing Stone, just south of Bywater. Be sure to pack enough food for three days, and any sleeping equipment you will need for the night of camping (thankfully we are not expecting any rain). The Walking Club's famous pony, named Perry, will be accompanying us on the journey, so if any one is struggling to carry their equipment, he should be able to help lighten your load! The hobbit Dwim Took will be waiting to greet you at the Stone. Please gather together and hand in your completed forms to Dwim.

[Nolewen]

Amalda Goodbody
Brandy

Amalda Goodbody skipped along the road. Her heavy pack did nothing to darken her spirit, which seemingly had two possible moods: happy, or happier. By her side, a large grey dog - more a wolf, really, than anything else - trotted excitedly. His name was Brandy, and he was her loyal companion and guide. For a hobbit who loved exploring the Shire, even allowing herself an 'adventure' from time to time, Amalda was always glad to have such a wonderful and trustworthy friend by her side.

She came from Michel Delving, originally, but in preparation for the Walking Club's reopening (she had been responsible for the last Walking Club Grand Reopening, which was, to be honest, neither Grand nor effective. They had hardly set out from the Town Hole at Michel Delving when the trip had to be cancelled) she decided to set out earlier than she usually would, in order to pass first through Hobbiton, where her cousin Bingo Took worked. She'd tried, unsuccessfully, to convince him to join the Periannath Walking Club, and he, not unexpectedly, refused. At least she replenished her supplies at some of the local stores and bakeries, so that her already heavy pack was nearly bursting.

Amalda came to the historical landmark early in the morning. The sun was blissfully warm and a fine breeze cooled her enthusiastic face. She recognized the Guide immediately, remembering the first time she met him, at his stall in the Michel Delving Market.

"@Dwim!" She called, smiling widely. Brandy's friendly bark echoed in similar greeting. "How are you on this fine morning? We seem to have the perfect weather for walking."

Recalling suddenly she had filled a form as requested, she set down her heavy pack and prepared to open it, but Brandy pushed his nose reproachfully into her pocket, saving her the trouble of rummaging through all her belongings. She shook her head ruefully. "Thank you! I completely forgot." She laughed and drew out of her pocket a neatly folded piece of paper, handing it to Dwim.

Character's Name: Amalda Goodbody
Name a place you would like to visit in a future walk: The Northfarthing

[Amhran]

NPC:

Molly Brockhouse puffed slightly as she hurried along the road from Bywater, pans clanking and bedroll knocking her slightly in the back of her head. She would have to readjust that later. Assuring herself perhaps overoptimistically that she was out of breath not because she was getting stout but because she had packed her knapsack with bread and cheese and two water skins and cold chicken and cold ham and sandwiches and a box of salt and a bag of dried cherries and no wonder she was getting stout. She leaned heavily on her walking stick as she approached the Three Farthing Stone and hoped she wasn't too late.

Molly was actually from Bywater, where she and her husband ran a small but well-respected bread bakery, so she hadn't had too far to go and had been able to hand the bakery duties over to her eldest son before haring off for a much-needed break. Not an adventure. Nope. A nice walking tour, that's all, with plenty of stops for meals and maybe even a sight of elves. She had never seen an elf. She wondered if it ever bothered them that they wanted to be "seen", like a roadside view. Well whatever. She had never seen an elf and she wanted to see one.

She wasn't too late. There was so far only Dwim and one other hobbit. She introduced herself to Amalda Goodbody and scratched Brandy behind the ears before handing over her form.

Character's name: Molly Brockhouse
Name a place you'd like to visit: Longbottom, where they grow the best leaf in the Southfarthing.

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky rarely wandered through the Shire, but on the times when he did, he always wondered why he did not spend more time with the little hobbits. They were truly a delight, and always welcoming to him, even though he was a Big Person and a relative stranger. Indeed, Ducky showed up so infrequently that it was difficult to meet the same hobbits more than once. So, when he heard that there was another journey for the Periannath Walking Club, Ducky thought it would do much good for him to join the Halflings on their walk and get to know some of them a little better. As a friend had once said, hobbits were full of surprises, and Ducky expected a few of them to be revealed on this journey.

He arrived at the Three Farthing Stone just on time, as usual, his staff clicking along the road, his hat shielding him from the glare of the sun. He looked out from under the brim to find the head Took (of course it was a Took), leaned down and said,

"Good morning. I am ready to be walked, master Hobbit. Here is the form you requested." He produced a thin sheaf of paper and passed it along:

Character's Name: Ducky
Name a place you would like to visit in a future walk: Michel Delving

He adjusted the pack on his back, tilted his hat back, and took a long gaze around, noting the slowly gathering hobbits and wondering if any other Big folk would join him on the walk.

[Balfur]

Reichard Fatty - NPC

"No Mom! I will not be in any danger! It is just a three day hiking trip with a well-established walking club!" Dik roared as he rushed out of his parents' homestead. "We will not even leave the Shire, for goodness sake!" The plump hobbit hurried away before his mother could embarass him even further. She came after him, of course, just to do exactly that by smooching him and giving him hand-kerchiefs and kisses and the like. He rolled with his eyes. His hero Bilbo had never needed to contend with such overbearing parents! Shaking his head and muttering to himself he left his mother behind, who was still waving goodbye as he rounded the corner. And it was only then that he truly felt like he was going on an adventure. His backpack seemed not as heavy as he had anticipated and he was excited to get a whole bit of fresh air and some good excercise. Maybe he would even make some friends! His father had always said something in the vein of "books cannot be your friends forever, son" and now, a year after his passing Dik had finally found the resolve to go out and make some of those real-life friends. He started humming his favourite tune; this was easy, you just needed to take it step by step!

The Three Farthing Stone was not far off, just a couple of miles, and Dik considered it a good warming up to the real hike. He clutched his favourite walking stick tightly at first, but soon found it more enjoyable to play with it a bit in his hands. He remembered vaguely that his father had done so too. For a while he was lost in memory, thinking of his late father. Then he dropped the stick and scrambled to pick it up, looking around to see if anyone had noticed him. Luckily, there was no one around. Still, he hurried from that place.

When he arrived at the Three Farthing Stone there were a couple of hobbits already there. And there was one Big Person. But Dik was most intimidated by the large gray dog Brandy. He just did not like dogs, especially not when they were this big. Rather timidly he walked up to the person he thought was Dwim Took and gave him the form that he had torn off of the bulletin board.

Name: Reichard Fatty
Place you would like to visit in a future walk: (he had thought long and hard about this, but in the end Dik knew he should follow his heart's desire) The Northern Moors, where the Trees walk!

He then cast a shy glance at the other people gathered. They seemed to fit their skin much more than he himself and quite a lot older than he had anticipated...

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Henna had seen a flyer mentioning it, or was it that young baggage down at the Ivy Bush who was gushing so blatantly over Master Dwim? She couldn't remember, but she had remembered the meeting place and the time. She'd put on her old walking boots, which looked very terrible and shabby, but were in fact hobnailed, watertight and more comfortable than her slippers. Her general use walking stick had been replaced by a longer staff, her late husband's leaning pole, she'd called it, since he never walked anywhere if he could help it. It was going to see some use this trip, she thought, if only for knocking apples out of trees.

In her other hand she carried her trusty picnic basket, packed with treats and covered as usual by a comfortable rug. She had no intention of carrying the large basket every step of the way, but had brought it anyway, for it was filled with baked goods and other useful items to have around when one was out in the wilds, matches and a small pan for boiling water. She had no pack on her back, for she was quite short and any pack she packed was likely to be heavier than herself. Less was definitely going to be more, on this journey.

A book of the Big Folk she'd read some years ago had described a hanging fabric bedtent, which she'd designed and made one afternoon during a particularly hot summer, and it was lovely to hang it from trees and relax with a plate of biscuits, a pot of tea and a good book. It was even better to rest one's eyes and take a little constitutional. The best thing was it barely weighed anything, and was such nice material she wore it as a shawl some days, tying ropes making for an interesting conversation-starter in certain circles, although some people had learned not to ask.

She filled in the form, writing spider-like with a long raven feather quill. There was really only one place that she would love to go: the Tower Hills beyond the western marches. She hadn't been there since she was a young lass with Tom, and although they had both climbed up, it had been misty that day, and they had not been able to see the Sea. She would dearly love to try it again.

Name: Henna Lightfoot
Place you would like to visit in a future walk: the Tower Hills beyond the western marches

She nodded in greeting to the assembled persons at the meeting point. "Good morning all, I'm Henna," she said, waving sociably once she'd set her basket down. She nodded to the nearest, a lady whose family name she thought might be Brockhouse. "Don't you own that bread shop? I do like your barley loaf - delicious with cheese, broth or salted butter! I've been trying to recreate it, with very tasty results, I must say, but not quite right. I wonder if you can tell me where I'm going wrong?"

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

"Hard cheese, bread, six apples, strawberries, and some muffins." Pearl rattled off the list of food she would be taking with her. She was quite proud of the blueberry muffins she'd baked just last night and happy to bring them along on her journey.

She placed her clothes - undergarments and two neatly-rolled shirts - into her pack first, followed by a small pillow and her food. Last of all came a small sketchpad, a pencil, and sharpener. (Pearl was no great artist, but she figured it couldn't hurt to try capturing the new sights she saw.) Her sleeping roll was strapped to the bottom of her pack, and she wore her water skin crossbody over her shoulder. She plopped a wide-brimmed sun hat onto her head, then hefted her pack onto her back with a small "Ooof" as she adjusted its weight.

"Bye for now, you," she said, kissing her cat Socks on the head. He lifted his green eyes to her and watched as she caught up her polished walnut walking stick and ran out the front door, calling farewells to her parents and siblings as she went. They were used to her excursions by now, so the formalities of leaving were minimal.

She jogged for a bit down the road to the Three Farthing Stone before giving up rather quickly and walking briskly along, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her skin. Fortunately, the meeting spot for the Walking Club wasn't far away. She approached the small crowd gathered around Dwim (whom she'd met at the Green Dragon during the infamous Stink Bomb Incident) smiling and waving.

"Hello, everyone!" She huffed and puffed a little from her exertions along the road thus far, then drew a small roll of parchment from her pocket. "Here you are, Mr. Took!" she said, offering Dwim her form for the new walking club. On it were these words:

Name: Pearl Brockhouse
Place you would like to visit in a future walk: Tookland!

She smiled around at the gathered group, which included a tall wizard (!!), four other hobbits (Dik, Molly, Henna, and Amalda), a big dog, and the trusty pony, Perry. "I've never been to the Woody end before!" she blurted out to no one in particular. "I'm excited to get started."

[Dwim]

Dwim waited near the Three Farthing Stone enjoying the sunrise. He'd had a bit to organise for this walking trip, so he was now enjoying a seat on a stump near the stone, with Perry the Pony hitched nearby. The hobbit's pack and his equipment were by his side. He had not loaded Perry up too much, because he wanted him to be available for anyone who had brought too much with them, or if anyone started to struggle as the day went on. In fact, the only personal item of his that the pony was carrying was a rope and his small bow and quiver of arrows, just in case they ran out of food and needed to do a spot of hunting. Although there was probably not too much chance of this happening, because if there was anything that hobbits were good at, it was making sure there was enough food.

As the sun rose, it did not take long for the walkers to start arriving. In fact, before he knew it, six of them had already turned up! Three of them he had met already (Amalda, Henna and Pearl), and three of them he hadn't (Molly, Ducky and Dik). That was the perfect mix so far, he thought. Some friends to chat with, and some new friends to be made. He was surprised by the arrival of the Wizard (Ducky), but he knew there had been others of the big folk in the club before, and he was glad that a bit of wisdom would be accompanying them on their journey.

Dwim gave out many "mornings" and "thank you's" as each of them arrived and handed in their forms, and he was smiling with joy at the turn-out. But he suspected there were still more to arrive. As he stood and patted Amalda's big dog, Brandy, he cleared his throat and called out to the group.

"Morning, everyone!" he said with a smile. "It's so good to see you all here. I am still expecting a few others to arrive, so we'll wait for a little while longer. But it won't be too long before we head off for the day."

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Henna's ears perked up as she heard where they were going, distracting her from listening to the answer to her question. It was a perk of being old, all things considered, to be able to ignore folk and say you were deaf, or to change the subject and say you'd forgotten what you were talking about. Most of the time it was even true!

"Woody End?" she said to the girl she'd seen working at the Green Dragon whose name she thought she'd heard might be Purl, especially if she was related to anyone at the Shire Knitting Circle. "I kissed a young gentlehobbit in those woods when I was a girl. Married him the following year! Always thought it was a romantic place! Is that the sort of thing you're hoping for, or are you too young for such foolishness yet?"

She winked. The sort of wink an ancient aunt gives when she knows she's being inappropriate and is expecting to get away with it.

Then she got to business. "Young Master Dwim," she said earnestly. "My picnic basket is terribly heavy for me. Would your gorgeous pony mind bearing the burden? I have prepared some oatcakes and some of my special recipe horse meal in payment!"

[Akhenanat]

Jorgy Underash

Finally! He made it. Jorgy wasn’t sure he was going to make the walking club in time. He was still having lots of trouble figuring out how to walk after having never had or used legs before a few weeks ago. A walking club would be perfect for him. He could learn to walk and learn how to be a Hobbit all at the same time. Since waking up naked in a pile of ashes a few weeks ago, Jorgy had had to learn how to do many things he never thought he’d have to do. He found some clothes, okay stole some clothes but they fit him just fine. Then he realized he would have to get more of them. Hobbits were like lava snakes in that way, they shed their clothing a lot. Also, like lava snakes Hobbits like to live underground. Once he figured out how to Hobbit, this was going to be easy. While he’d only been a Hobbit for a few weeks, he found it immensely more pleasurable than his life as a racing lava snake had been.

He made it to the Shire the day before and proceeded to wander aimlessly through it. It seemed most of the hills and holes were already taken. Hobbits did things differently, that was for sure. He saw a sign that advertised (yes, suddenly he could read, write, and speak) a walking club. He had no idea what that meant, but walking had given him lots of trouble already, maybe whatever a club was could help him figure it out.

He ran, or waddles, or however it was that he moved, to catch up to the group. There was a surprisingly many of them here already, including a wizard? That was strange. Jorgy was so preoccupied with the giant wizard man that he nearly ran into the Hobbit lass in front of him (Pearl).

“Oh goodness me! Oh, I’m so sorry. I got distracted by tha’ wizard there. I’m so sorry. I can’t get my own…” he looked down and appeared to count, “two feet to do what I want them to do. I’m Jorgy, by the way. Jorgy Underash. Is this the Walking Club I saw advertised? I dearly hope it ‘tis.”

Character's Name: Jorgy Underash
Name a place you would like to visit in a future walk: After examining the map of the Shire, where I am, I would like to visit the North Farthing

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

Pearl slid her pack off her back. Dwim had said they were going to wait for more Walking Club members to arrive, so a break from carrying her things seemed in order. She laid her walking stick and pack in the grass near Perry for safekeeping.

A silver-haired hobbit (Henna) had heard her shout out about the Woody End. "That is so romantic!" Pearl gushed upon hearing the tale of how Henna had kissed her husband-to-be among the trees. She blushed at the query about her own romantic aspirations. "I'm still in my tweens," she replied. "So my mother would say it's for the best that I keep my feet on the ground." She giggled, imagining herself floating up into the sky on a updraft of romance.

No sooner had Henna turned to speak with Dwim than Pearl looked up to find a stranger had nearly bumped into her. "Oh!" she cried in surprise. The newcomer introduced himself as Jorgy Underash, and she smiled and offered her hand in greeting.

"Nice to meet you, Jorgy," she said. "I'm Pearl, Pearl Brockhouse. This is indeed the Walking Club, so you'll have your feet under you in no time!" She wondered if he meant that he'd perhaps had a bit too much ale and pipeweed last night. If he had, it was impressive that he'd made it out of bed to go on a multi-day hike. "What part of the Shire do you hail from, Jorgy?" she asked, eyeing him curiously.

[Amhran]

Molly Brockhouse

Molly was actually relieved when Henna was distracted from the question of barley bread. She had opened her mouth to reply but the words would have had to be the quelling "trade secrets", and she did so want to make friends and disappointing them was not an auspicious beginning. She would have to rack her brains for a loophole so she could talk shop without endangering her own business.

She took the opportunity caused by the wait to restrap her bedroll onto her pack so it wouldn't keep bonking her in the head, and ate a couple dried cherries as she listened with half an ear to the conversations going on around her. There seemed to be another Brockhouse in the group. Perhaps a relative? She seemed to recall that her father's sister's cousin's husband's aunt's daughter had a grand-niece named Pearl, if she was remembering rightly; maybe this was the lass? She'd ask later. Maybe. She caught the story Henna was telling about meeting her husband in Woody End and chuckled. Molly did enjoy a good love story. Perhaps some other stories would come out on the trip.

She sat on her pack, careful not to squash her provisions, and closed her eyes to enjoy the early sun.

[Lail]

Rilla Banks

When she'd heard the Walking Club was starting fresh, Rilla sent a note to Dwim Took to assure him she would be there ready to walk her little hairy feet. Not that she personally knew Dwim, or even met him before, but she wanted him to know there was most definitely interest in his club. At least from one hobbit.

So when the morning dawned bright and sunny, Rilla picked up her pack filled with many essential things for such a trek: a light jacket in a shade of sunshine yellow, a book and pencil for writing her notes on any eateries they visited, a bedroll and blanket, an egg sandwich for lunch, a couple of pears, a variety of nuts and crackers, a pair waterskins, pipeweed and pipe, a wrinkled purple shirt, a fry-pan for mushrooms they might get to forage (if lucky), a set of cutlery and a handful of brightly colored handkerchiefs. Oh, this was going to be very good practice for the trips she was planning!

Filled with visions of the adventures to come and friends to meet and her walking stick in hand, Rilla set out for the Three Farthing Stone. And then noticed she forgot the most important item - her orange sun hat! So she turned back to retrieve it and placed it firmly upon her head. That was better. She got a few steps down the road when she spotted a strawberry patch where she lost track of time. Wait, what was she doing again? Oh yes! The Walking Club!

With frantic footsteps, Rilla ran up to the Three Farthing Stone, fearing she'd missed it entirely, but let out a cry of delight as she saw the others gathered there. Already there were a number of hobbits, an adorable and large dog and even a wizard! Panting and puffing from the exertion (not the best way to start a long walk), Rilla gasped, "Hullo! I'm here-- for-- the Walking Club!"

With that, she pulled out a wrinkled slip of strawberry-stained paper from her pants' pocket and handed it to Dwim.

Character's Name: Sasparilla 'Rilla' Banks
Name a place you would like to visit in a future walk: The Southfarthing, particularly where Old Winyards is made

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Henna had set her basket down by the pony, as if the pony's goodwill was a foregone conclusion, and stood nearby, not far from the bakerwoman [Molly], who'd taken the opportunity to sit down, shut her eyes and have a pretend nap. She'd heard the woman's chuckle earlier, and she sounded nice. Henna was always a sucker for someone who laughed easily.

More were arriving by the moment, and no doubt they would be off before the sun was much higher in the sky, but she would get a headache if it glared down on her all day. She fished around in her basket for her sunhat, a crumpled cotton affair which nevertheless was an effective sunshield. She pulled it down onto her head and then dived back into her basket, into a muslin bag which happened to be filled with bitesize little scones, still warm, into which she had piped some butter. She popped one into her mouth delightedly. Breakfast had been a short affair of a bowl of oats with raspberries, and second breakfast had been a boiled egg with soldiers. But she'd had to get up extra early, and by now (if she'd got up at her normal time) it was approaching what her late husband would call pre-levensies time - just a little smackerel of something to get you through to elevensies! In Henna's house, the day didn't have so much set mealtimes as constant grazing.

Satisfied for now, she sat down in the grass and began to weave a daisy chain. She hadn't done it since her nieces were little, but before long she had a flower crown of some magnificence coming together.

[Balfur]

Reichart Fatty

It would not be long untill they left. Dik nodded and felt a rush of relief, he had made it on time. Well, there was no use of him standing around and getting his feet tired before the walking started, so he sat down on the grass. After looking around a bit, he fished a biscuit out his pack and started nibbling on it. His second breakfast had not been quite enough.
He nearly choked when he heard an older hobbit talking to one closer to his age about romance in the Woody End. That decidedly did not sound like an adventure! Adventures should be filled with trolls and treasure and magic and ... midges? He thought he read about midges before. He could not decide whether this was a good thing, midges did not seem particularly epic to him, but it was decidedly better than romance!
Maybe he was not in the right place if people were looking for romance. He looked around with a worried frown.

But his fears were washed away by what he saw and heard. The young hobbit woman was nearly bowled over by a newcomer, who had a curious manner to him. Dik shrugged; the fellow must be from across the river. The older woman had stopped talking about kissing (thank goodness) and was now weaving a daisy chain. Another hobbit had closed her eyes, possibly for a pre-walk nap. Dik frowned, maybe that was a good idea. Yet he did not trust the dog. Or the Big Folk with the staff and the ... It suddenly made sense! The Big Folk was a Wizard! Dik could not help but stare, wide eyed and mouth agape. Now, if you had a wizard with you on your walk, that defininately would be considered an adventure.
The morning sun was shining in his face as Dik drifted into a daydream. A wizard, some walking, treasure at the Woody End, and maybe even a dragon... Yes, he thought as he drifted from daydream into sleep, this truly will be an adventure.

[Dwim]

Dwim was not part of the conversation between Henna and Pearl about romance and kissing in the woods, but he listened with cautious curiosity. He did not expect any of that kind of behaviour during this walking trip, unless some of these hobbits knew each other better than he thought they did!

Henna then turned to him, and he tried to look like he had not been eavesdropping. "Yes, of course Mrs. Lightfoot," he replied with a helpful smile. "Of course Perry can carry your basket. That is why we're bringing him along. You just let me know when you need your basket and I'll get it back down for you." When she mentioned that she'd brought oatcakes and her special horse meal in return, Dwim could have sworn that Perry snorted with satisfaction at hearing that. "Wow, that is very kind of you, thank you! Perry actually belongs to the Walking Club, he is taken care of by a former member actually. He will be a helpful guide for us as he has a very good sense of smell." He pulled a small carrot out of a pouch and fed it to him as a treat.

Dwim put a cap over his curly black hair as the morning sun began to rise higher. Two new members arrived who greeted him and handed in their forms. "Nice to meet you, Jorgy, Rilla," he said to the both of them with nods and smiles. As he said Rilla's name out loud, it suddenly jogged his memory. "Ah, Rilla! Yes of course, hello! I received your note in the mail. Thank you for letting me know you were coming, I'm glad to see you here. We're about to head off."

There seemed to be a couple of people missing, but they had a long distance to walk today, so he knew they'd best be off. He had a pre-prepared note informing any latecomers of where they were headed first. He used a nail to attach it to the stump near the Stone, where he had been sitting before. Then he stood back up and cleared his throat. He could see that young Reichard had already fallen asleep, and knew the perfect way to wake him up:

"OKAY, EVERYONE, I think we're ready! I've left a note on the stump here so any latecomers know where we're going." He looked around the group. "I am so glad you could all make it for the triumphant return of the Walking Club! Our first stretch this morning will take us south, down to Green Hill Country where we will link up with the Stock Road, which will be our first checkpoint." He picked up his pack and grabbed Perry's rope to lead him. "Alright, best feet forward!" he said to the group as they began their walk. It was an old Walking Club saying.


Announcement:

Now commences our walk. Our first checkpoint is the Stock Road in Green Hill Country. The first stretch to the road is mainly grassy fields across farmlands, with some easy, sweeping slopes. The perfect warm up.

Latecomers are welcome to join at any time, simply RP catching up to the group and handing in your form.

[Akhenanat]

Jorgy Underash

Someone to talk to! This was going to be such a nice trip! Jorgy beamed a wide, toothy grin. He had never had friends as a racing lava snake, only competitors. He once ate a rival that beat him in a race out of sheer spite. That was something that would most likely be frowned on in environment. He liked these Hobbits though, they were all very nice, even the ones he hadn’t spoken to.

“it’s wonderful to meet you, Pearl!” Again he smiled an innocent, massive smile. He was making friends! He already knew someone’s name beside his own. That made him happy. He never actually knew the names of the other lava snakes.

“Well, funny you should ask that,” he said sheepishly while trying to decide if he like the accent he was using. “I just moved in from…” he thought for a second, thought better of saying ‘Orodruin’ and then waved his hand and a general southerly direction. “I haven’t found a place just yet though.”

He remained quiet for the rest time waiting to begin. He was in awe of this place. There was so much green, so much sunshine! He heard a few of the Hobbit women talking about kissing. What was that? He wondered. His random transmogrification into a sentient being with language skills (but little mobility skills) had not prepared him for everything. Maybe he could ask Pearl what kissing was later. The way they talked about and giggled made him think it must have something to do with food. As he learned more and more to Hobbit, he learned most of what that meant had to do with food.

As the lead Hobbit, apparently someone named Dwim, announced that the walk was beginning, Jorgy felt a burst of excitement. He wasn’t sure what was happening. The thrill of walking around for a few hours (Jorgy had not properly read the signage and did not realize how long this trip was going to be) welled up inside of him until he could no longer contain an outburst of “Yippee!!” He even threw his hand up in the air and jumped. What on earth was that?! His cheeks reddened, what was that as well? Jorgy hunched his shoulders over and tried to look at the ground hard enough to fall through it. He stared for a few moments until he was sure whatever caused that ridiculous outburst of “Yipee” had passed.

Time to get to walking! He put his right foot forward, that was definitely his best foot, it had more hair on it and everything.

[Amhran]

NPC: Molly Brockhouse

Molly shouldered her pack and put her best, furry foot forward. She enjoyed the warm sun on her head and the feeling of the grass scuffled under her toes; even in late middle age she had not lost the heady pleasure found in the smell of wind and the sound of rustling leaves and grass. Some things never fade.

She had extracted the bag of dried cherries and a water skin before they left and was indulging in an occasional surreptitious mouthful when she thought Brandy wasn't looking. Molly didn't know if Brandy had a thing for dried cherries, but her old sheepdog at home did and she was taking no chances. As they walked she found herself keeping step with Henna. Molly offered her a cherry and asked, as if in the middle of an ongoing conversation, "have you tried letting the dough ferment overnight?"

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Henna, struggling to get to her feet, but fighting gravity with curmudgeonly grit, dug her staff into the ground and levered herself up. Once on her feet, she was properly mobile, and after decorating the pony's headstall with the flower crown, went tramping off after the leaders.

She found herself walking with the baker, which was nice, especially when the woman offered her a cherry and some advice. "Oh, thank you!" she said politely, and popped it in her mouth while she tried some mental gymnastics to remember what she'd been talking about which might need overnight fermentation. Once she'd carefully removed the stone and chucked it under a nearby hedge, she swallowed and launched into speech.

"I have not!" she declared, with the air of a woman grossly misled by generations of baking forebears. "In fact, I am a little bit afraid of sourdough bread for the same reason and have never managed to make it well. That does explain why it turns out so very different from yours and without that lovely texture - never mind, it means I shall still have a genuine excuse to come to your bakery, not forgetting your cream cakes of course!"

"But, dear," she lowered her voice. "If you've told me your name I've forgotten it - do forgive an old lady her poor memory and remind me!"

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

Pearl couldn't help but mirror Jorgy as he smiled the widest smile she'd ever seen. For someone who was still getting his legs under him for the day, he seemed mighty perky and happy.

"Oh, what was it like in the Southfarthing?" Pearl asked, assuming by his vague gesture that he meant he'd come from the land of Longbottom Leaf. "I haven't journeyed there yet, and I want to see ALL of the Shire. What kind of home did you have, below or above ground? My family lives in a mid-sized smial, and it's just perfect for the five of us, though I wish I could have more space of my own."

She paused in her rambling, realizing that she'd been talking too much again. Her sister Daisy was always telling her not to do this, and while Pearl rolled her eyes at Daisy every time, she was trying to work on it when in polite company.

When Dwim called out to the group that they had reached the moment of their departure, Pearl blurted out, "This is going to be SO fun!" She skipped over to her things, shouldered her pack, and looked up just in time to see Jorgy leap into the air with a shout. She laughed and walked back over to him.

The path Dwim had indicated stretched before them in gently rolling hills. Pearl knew, though, that hiking through the Shire could require a walking stick at times, if one didn't want to fall face-first down a hill. "Jorgy, have you got a pack or food, or anything?" She peered around to see if he had any belongings with him. "And what about a walking stick? Maybe we should try to find you one in these fields before things get too steep." She offered her walking stick as an example. "This is mine; it was my dad's before he gave up wandering the Shire. He passed it on to me. You can try using it if you want - I'm not tired just yet!"

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky was so pleased to watch the hobbits gather and begin to chatter. All it took (or Took, as the case may be) was two hobbits to be in speaking distance, and it was sure to happen. Ducky was pleased, for now, simply to listen and spare an eye or two to watch the road for any sign of danger. He did not expect there to be, but it was better safe than sorry, especially when not every hobbit was the pinnacle of self-defense skill.

"Best feet forward!" he echoed when Dwim called them to set off. How exciting! Ducky had never taken a tour of the Shire before, only passed through. He was quite used to walking though--he rarely rode horses and almost always did his wandering on foot. The slopes of Green Hill Country were comfort walking for him. He cocked an ear toward the conversations that were passing.

"My, my." he muttered to himself. "Who knew hobbit talk could be as juicy as the melons of Dale?"

The sun shone down with increasing intensity. Ducky was glad for his hat. Now if only his robes and pack weren't so heavy...

[Amhran]

[[OOC: Oh you guys... I'm really sorry to be a party pooper, especially after we've already started, but some things are coming up in RL in the next week or two that will make it impossible for me to keep up. So I need to bow out. Please forgive me for this piece of rudeness, and I hope this club turns out to be lots of fun for you. :-) ]]

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Henna gaped as the bakerwoman suddenly turned white as a sheet, gabbled something unintelligible and ran off back in the direction they'd come as fast as her legs would carry her. [No worries, Amhran.]

"Was it something I said?" she said to herself, then shouted after the fleeing woman. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME YOUR NAME IF YOU DON'T WANT TO!" Even this didn't stop her, and eventually Henna turned around and traipsed on after the others, wondering if the woman had left the oven on, or forgotten she had children to feed or something. It was quite possible, with some hobbits, to tell the truth, but it was usually because of a food distraction. The number of times she'd been having a perfectly fine conversation only to discover she was not quite as important as that plate of jam tarts, or those sticky buns, or even, and this was quite offensive, roasted chicken legs.

All these thoughts of food were tantalisingly reminding her that it must be nearly time for a short break and something delicious soon, and while she stomped along, she began to hum an old Hobbit Defence Force marching song. The words weren't important, it was the tune that mattered, but then she found her rhythm and she was in full flow.

We're going south over hill and dale,
Hoping for sunshine, not rain or hail,
Walkin' 'cross the Shire like the Big Folk do
And stopping at every eating house too!

[Akhenanat]

Jorgy Underash

“Ah the Southfarthing,” (he’d said that right, yes?) “It’s a wonderful place. I think you’d really enjoy all the hills and streams and,” do they have mountains there? No. “the woods. Maybe we can go there after this walking tour? I’ve lived in both, above and below ground.” (this at least was easy to fake, since it was truer than the rest). “I’ve found I am very fond of living underground though. There’s something comforting about being close to the earth.”

A Smile? What was that? Isn’t that what he did with his mouth? How did Pearl live in a smile? Maybe it was just a hill that looked very happy. Yes, that must be it. Pearl was very happy so that made sense. Jorgy realized he needed to be better with Shire geography. What was a southfarthing? Whatever it was, Pearl seemed to really want to see it so the lava snake turned Hobbit was determined to learn as much about as he could so he could show her someday. Was that Hobbit like of him? It certainly wasn’t a thought he’d ever had as a lava snake.

Something dawn on poor Jorgy when Pearl asked him about food. A cold feeling in the pit of his (suddenly very hungry) stomach began to spread up his torso. Oh no! He’d forgotten to pack food! As a lava snake he had never had to worry about packing food, he just sort of ate whatever it was in front of him. That had its downsides of course because many times the only thing in front of him was a rock. He looked around to each of the Hobbits and the Wizard, confirming his worst fear. He was the only one with a large satchel full of delicious food (that wasn’t rocks or bugs)! He was failing his first test of Hobbit-ness and they’d only just started!

“I…” he had to recover. Think, Jorgy, think, don’t drop the ball now. “I… thought about bringing a pack of food with me, but I thought to myself, Jorgy, this is the Shire. And that means there’ll be apples and berries and fish a plenty. Don’t go overburdening yourself, you’ll miss out on all the sights there are see!” He smiled, hoping he covered the massive Hobbit faux pas.

“A walking stick?” Another confusing concept. Using sticks to walk. Maybe that could help him figure this whole walking thing out. He brighten and perked up, ruffling his head of brown and reddish curls. “I think you should keep yours, I’ll find one on the way. A walking stick has to be just right you know. It has to match a person’s personality, personally speaking.” He grinned and scratched, but he wasn’t sure why. He had no idea what in all the Shire he had just said.

[Dwim]

Dwim was so happy to be off on the hike. After all the weeks of planning to get the Walking Club back up and running again, and the work involved in planning this trip, it was nice to finally be walking and not just thinking about it. The grasses of the fields and farmlands were soft in some places and crunchy in others, but both felt good under his leathery feet. The sun was climbing nicely into the sky, and the warmth of it felt great on his skin. There was hardly a cloud in sight.

Everyone else seemed to be quite content too, although he did begin to hear some rumblings from the hobbits about food. Henna started singing a song which was quite catchy and he found himself drawing in closer towards her and humming the tune, even though he did not know the words. The last line about stopping at every eating house caught his attention. He realised he would certainly have to arrange an eating break at the next milestone. Not that he needed too much convincing, second breakfast time was coming up shortly. "Don't worry, Mrs. Lightfoot," he said to her with a smile. "Once we're near the Stock Road we'll find somewhere nice to stop and have a bite." He stopped talking though, because he realised he was talking over the top of her song and that was quite rude.

Jorgy was also speaking about food with Pearl, although it sounded as if he hadn't brought any with him. What a strange fellow! Dwim turned to him, "It's okay if you haven't brought food. I'm sure there's plenty to go around between all of us, and you can certainly share some of mine. I've brought bread, cheese, meats, dried fruits, all sorts of things!" His own belly grumbled a little as he spoke about it. "And we can always stop and visit a vendor along the way to pick up some more."

As they passed through a broken fence, taking a shortcut through someone's overgrown farm, Dwim caught the Wizard, Ducky, muttering about something, and he realised he hadn't spoken to him at all yet. "Hi there Ducky! How are you travelling?" he asked him. "I've never met a Wizard before. I wasn't even sure what a Wizard looked like, but when I saw your hat I thought to myself, 'now there's a Wizard, I'm sure of it'." Then his curiosity got the better of him and he wondered where the fellow had come from. "Where do you call home, if you don't mind my asking?"

[OOC @Amhran: No worries! Sorry that you can't take part any longer. I hope things work out for you. Feel free to join back in at any time.]

[Menolly]

Late. How had she managed to be this late? Menolly never used to be late. But she was certain she'd missed the appointed time to be off on the walk. It was really all Bernard's fault. Cats had minds of their own, but why did Bernard have to pick today to go running off down the road after a coney like he was a young fit cat again? And here she'd had to go running after him in her dressing gown while the neighbors watched, and then the foolish cat had gotten himself kicked in the ribs by the coney, because what was a 19 year old toothless cat doing chasing after anything that could fight back anyway?

She hurried along, her legs protesting at the gentle slope as farmland gave way to untended fields. Her stomach reminded her that it had already been a bit of a walk from home in the heart of Bywater, but she ignored the rumbles and hurried along, certain she was close to the group.

Sure enough, she heard chatter, or was that yelling? It looked like an elderly hobbit lady (Henna) was shouting something over the hills toward her. Menolly slowed a little, breathing hard and wincing against the sudden stitch in her side. But fortunately she had found the group, and she recognized its leader right away.

"Dwim!" she called, before she had quite caught up with the group. "I'm sorry I'm..." she gasped breathlessly, "sorry I'm late. I meant to be on time, but," gasp, "my cat ran off and I had to fetch him home and...oops..."

It turned out walking and talking at the same time was not Menolly's forte, because her foot caught on a hidden tussock in the field and she tripped, tumbling head over heels, spilling the contents (mostly snacks) of her hastily assembled pack out on the grass. She sat up, her hair and clothes dusted with grass seeds and soil, and winced at a shallow scrape on her knee that was threatening to spill a few drops of blood. "Ouch. Uh, hello. May I drop in?" she asked with a smile, hoping against hope that she didn't look as foolish as she felt right now.

[Lail]

Rilla Banks

Rilla practically skipped when they set off, excited as she was, and when Henna began to sing a lovely song, she hummed along in harmony. "Oh, every eating house!" she exclaimed. "Mmm, I hope so."

The sun was still low in the morning sky, but Rilla was already looking forward to lunch. She plucked a strawberry from her pocket and popped it into her mouth. As she flung the strawberry leaves away into the bushes, she heard someone shouting from behind them.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she turned to see the newcomer (Menolly) on the ground with her pack and its contents strewn about the ground. "Hello there! Er, do you need some help?" she asked, but without waiting for an answer she knelt down by the other hobbit, set down her own pack and though she eyed the fallen snacks with great concern and longed to rescue them, she winced at the scrape on Menolly's knee. "Ouch!"

"I've got a bunch of handkerchiefs if you'd like one for your knee. I've got one in practically every color," she murmured as she rummaged through her own pack. "Why don't you pick your favorite?" she asked as she thrust a rainbow of cloth at the other hobbit.

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Young Master Dwim was a delightful comfort, assuring her that a food stop was on the way. Henna did not tell him she'd gotten up extra early and already had breakfast and second breakfast, since a third would be great. Going onward through the Shire, following what was now a well-trodden path through the farmlands and fields, was a nice change to the monotony. Already she was almost getting to know people, and perhaps if she didn't ask too many questions, they'd become nodding acquaintances and not scarper off.

Hearing the puffing of a hobbit under duress, Henna wondered if the baker had returned, but twas only Menolly, who - so the local gossip had informed her - drank pints of beer on weeknights! As this seemed wholly understandable behaviour, Henna was disposed to be kind, although the woman's talk of a missing cat was a bit worrisome.

Still, as the running hobbit threw herself at Master Dwim's feet (a little dramatic, but Hobbiton had its share of eccentrics) the party halted while she was given some rudimentary aid (by Rilla) in the form of kindness and handkerchiefs.

Henna, sidling forward with an ulterior motive, offered the woman a bonbon from a stash of sweets in her pockets and said, "Poor dear, it happens to us all - what does your cat look like?"

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

"The Southfarthing sounds so lovely! And so far away," Pearl replied when Jorgy described that area of the Shire (though it didn't sound too different from other parts she'd visited, to tell the truth). "I enjoy living underground, too. It just feels right!"

When Jorgy stammered about his lack of food, Pearl tilted her head, not unlike a curious puppy confronted with something it doesn't quite understand. This Jorgy was an odd fellow, that was for sure. Quite nice, but definitely odd. Who went traipsing across the Shire without a pack stocked full of provisions? She wondered if perhaps he had some Took blood in him somewhere. That might explain his unusual habits.

"Well, we'll most certainly have to find you some snacks along the way, Jorgy! And in the meantime, you're welcome to share what I've brought. I've got apples and muffins and cheese!" Pearl said cheerily. Turning to Dwim when he joined them, she inquired, "Dwim, are we going to stop by any pubs along the way? It'd be nice to see how other places run, so maybe I can learn a thing or two for the Dragon. I do so hope they don't have stink bombs."

Pearl's attention was diverted by Henna crying out at a retreating figure, who seemed to have been called home before their adventure could begin. She giggled. That Henna was a funny character, all right. Her giggle vanished, though, when she saw her friend Menolly racing to catch up with them and take a nasty tumble. "Oh, Menolly!" she called. "It's lovely to see you, but I hope you aren't hurt!" She watched as another hobbit lass (Rilla) approached Menolly and offered her some help. Not wanting to crowd her friend in what might be an embarrassing moment, she stayed put and explained to Jorgy, "Menolly is a dear, and she's often in the Green Dragon, where I work! It's really nice to see so many have come out for the Walking Club. I do hope she's alright, though."

Not one to be down for long, Pearl whistled a little as they strolled along. The breeze rustled the tall grass, the sun shone bright overhead, and Henna's voice lifted in song. It was enough to make any hobbit burst with love for the Shire.

"Have you ever played tag?" she asked suddenly, turning to her odd new friend. Before he could reply, she tapped Jorgy's shoulder with a wide grin on her face and shouted, "YOU'RE IT!" and took off at top speed. Pearl zigged and zagged, thinking her agility might prove an advantage, running down a hill then doubling back to return to the group of walkers. She saw the top of a pointy hat emerge from above the hill's crest first, and with a jolt of horror, she realized she was right on track to crash into the tall wizard (Ducky). "Eeeek! Look out!" she shrieked, raising her hands before her face as she tried to stop her forward motion.

[Menolly]

"Oh, thank you so much," Menolly said to Rilla as she held out a surprisingly large collection of scarves. "Are you sure you don't mind if I borrow one? I'm quite all right, I just have two left feet, as they say, and, well, that grassy lumpy bit just leapt up out of the ground and tripped me!" She selected a bright green handkerchief, both for its color and because it looked like it had been pressed into service before, with a slightly ragged edge that wouldn't be too much more ragged after bandaging up her knee. Tying it tightly around the scrape, she found her feet and pressed her weight gingerly down on that leg. "You must have a bit of healing knowledge, Rilla!" she exclaimed. "It feels much better already. Are you always so well prepared?"

She accepted a bonbon from Henna as well. "My goodness, everyone is so kind! Really I am just fine, it's been a trying morning but it's already looking up, with such good snacks...er, companions on this walk!" She laughed as she pictured Bernard in all his glory. "Well, Bernard is solid black, long and lean, missing almost all his teeth except for a couple of the sharp ones in the front, and if you've ever been down Berry Lane in Bywater I am sure you've heard him meowing for his dinner. He's a bit deaf as well as foolish, but I love him dearly. He went off chasing a coney this morning and I had to run down the lane to fetch him home, which is what made me late. Would you care for a biscuit?" she asked, offering one around to everyone, but especially Rilla and Henna for saving her from her predicament. "I baked them fresh this morning and spread a bit of butter and raspberry jam on each one for the road." She waved at Pearl as well, pleased to see her friend from the Green Dragon. The hobbit Pearl was talking with (Jorgy), looked a bit...odd, but then Menolly was covered in grass seeds and dirt and one bright green scarf, so she didn't really have license to call anyone else odd just now.

[Akhenanat]

Jorgy Underash

“Muffins!” Exclaimed Jorgy loudly in another inexplainable fit of joy. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a muffin, but I’d love to try one!” The young (technically only a few months old) Hobbit beamed with anticipation. He, of course, had no idea what a muffin was, but the lava snake part of his brain told him that it was something to be very excited about. Was it a type of walking stick? A fish perhaps? Or maybe a rock formation? Whatever it was, a muffin was exactly what he wanted.

He was so absorbed in thinking about muffins and trying to discern what they might be that he missed half of what Pearl was saying to Dwim, the Hobbit-in-Charge, and only caught the words “Dragon” and “Stink bomb”. A strange wave of anticipation and fear washed over Jorgy. There were dragons here? He hadn’t thought of having to deal with them. And stink bombs? What was a stink bomb? He was just about to ask Pearl and Dwim what a stink bomb was (because it seemed more pressing that “Where are the dragons?”) when suddenly a new Hobbit entered the group (Menolly). She rolled in with a great crash, tumbling head over heels (that was certainly a strange phrase) before landing with a great crash and explosion of snacks. An outsider might have thought Jorgy rude, but he giggled upon seeing the young lass take a tumble. He felt relief that he in fact was not the only one that had trouble walking (this whole “best food forward” business was making him walk very wobbly and he wasn’t sure that was the best method for him to use). He was in good company here. Suddenly, as if knowledge about Hobbiting was being put into his brain by some unknown force, Jorgy Underash realized he shouldn’t be giggling and should be helping the young lady up. How rude of him! How unconscionably rude! He rushed to help, only to realize he was likely the last person to think of this.

“Oh dear that was quite a tumble!” He said, hoping he didn’t sound excited but rather consolatory.

A tap on the shoulder from Pearl that had been preceded by the initiation of a game of ‘Tag’ and while Jorgy was unsure of the exact rules of the game, he knew that being ‘It’ meant that he had to then chase Pearl. He took off as fast as he could, forgetting of course that he had never actually run before in his life. His feet, somehow knowing what to do, raced forward in a strange display of wide legged athleticism. He was bounding after Pearl, laughing as he did so. However, just as she seemed to begin careening into the Wizard (Ducky) he too lost control of his motor functions and despite his attempts to stop himself, also began lurching in a most un-Hobbit like fashion (or maybe it was in a Hobbit like fashion, Jorgy had no reference for this) toward Pearl and the Wizard. First, he crashed into Pearl in an explosion of arms and legs, then kept going, right in the direction of the Wizard!

[Balfur]

Reichart Fatty

The rotund halfling did not show any signs of waking up as Dwim called everybody together to start the journey to the Woody End. In fact, Dik had not slept very well the night before, because of all the excitement of this adventure. He had spent most of the night pouring over maps of the Shire and reading old travel logs written by the greats. Not before the pre-dawn chorus of songbirds had he closed his eyes and dozed off. That is why he had been in such a hurry to reach the Three Farthing Stone in time; he had slept in, before his mother had woken him up. The sudden noise of the Walking Club Leader only made him roll around and start snoring softly. It seemed even this 'real life' adventure would be mostly Dik literally dreaming of an adventure...

When he woke up some time later from the sun shining in his face, it took him some time to realise the party had already headed off. Blearily, he looked around, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Why in the world had he fallen asleep on the grass? He yawned and scratched his belly a bit, looking at some sort of stone that had been erected next to him. What was that? As he walked around it, his gaze fell on the plaque reading "Three Farthing Stone". Dik blinked. There was something special about that, something he needed to do near that stone today, right? Gazing about, he found his backpack on the place where he had been napping. It had been filled with all sort of supplies and even a bedroll. Wait. Was there not supposed to be a meeting for the walking club? Dik groaned. It had not been a dream! He had really gone to the meeting and somehow fallen asleep. How very much like him!

Panic surged within him. How long had the rest of the Walking Club been gone?! They were bound for the Woody End, right? Maybe he could still catch up with them! Hurriedly, he picked up his backpack and slung it over his shoulders. The sun was not too high in the sky, so there was a chance that the club was not too far ahead of him. "Great way of making new friend, Dik," he muttered to himself and set off. He was not in the greatest shape, but he had heard tales of how hardy hobbits could be. He hoped he could tap into that and trot along for a while. At least until he found his traveling companions again.

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Henna nodded as Menolly described her cat. She did indeed know the one; it always seemed to know when she was cooking a joint of beef and its primary aim seemed to be to get to the dripping before she did. Not that Henna wouldn't share, but she had learned to keep the kitchen door shut when removing the meat from the oven, or find The Dark One, as she had named him, licking out of the hot pan with his little asbestos tongue, before she could put so much as a slice of bread in it. It was nice to put an owner to a cat.

As they moved on, some of the younger hobbits began a game of tag. Generally, the adult response to this sort of foolishness was, 'It'll end in tears!' and so it seemed. Running didn't seem to be a skilled activity, the way they did it, and looking where they were going was another skill that was clearly under-rated among the youth of today. The Wizard was going to find that out quite soon, it seemed.

Henna would have called out and warned him, but she was a way behind the runners and knew her voice wouldn't carry that far. She thus felt perfectly within her rights to have a private giggle to herself imagining the carnage about to ensue.

"Oh dear," she said loudly to Menolly and Rilla. "I do hope that Wizard hasn't got fireworks secreted anywhere about his person!"

[KingODuckingham]

Ducky had naturally fallen back to the end of line after a while. He had briefly engaged in Dwim's conversation, saying,

"My good hobbit, are wizards really so easy to spot? Why, even hobbits can avoid being noticed if they wish, yet I am spotted long before I've introduced myself? Truly the world continues to turn itself around on its head. But to answer your question, I've taken up semi-permanent residence in a forest called Fangorn these days. It's many a league from the Shire--not sure anyone here would ever have heard of it! A touch heavier and stuffier than this place, but if you've ever had a good stew you know sometimes that's just the ticket! I don't stay there for very long at a time anyway. Been a year and some since I set foot in the Shire, and now many times my feet are enjoying hitting good Shire soil! Thank you for the event. Oh, ah, excuse me." he had trailed off and slowed his pace.

He had heard something in the distance. It soon turned out to be nothing more dangerous than another hobbit, catching up to the walk. But Ducky kept his place near the end of the line. It would remind him to measure his pace, for one, and for two, well...you never knew.

[Dwim]

Dwim had tuned out somewhat. He was in a nice, peaceful state of mind. The warmth of the morning sun and the crispness of the air was making him feel quite pleased with things. He was deep in thought about the coming days, running over the plans again in his mind. But all of a sudden he was pulled back out his thoughts at the sound of his name being called from a distance. Uh oh, he thought. Who's gotten into trouble? When he turned, the unexpected sight of Menolly hurriedly chasing after the group brought a smile to his face. He'd worried about her when she hadn't turned up, as he'd known that she was interested in joining the group. Just before he could greet her properly and tell her there was no need to apologise, she made a right mess of things and tripped on a tussock of grass, falling head over heels. He gasped in shock, but was not close enough to get to her before the others did. Thankfully, the members of the new Walking Club were a helpful and caring bunch and they were quick to offer aid.

"I do hope you're okay, Menolly," he said to her with a sympathetic smile when she was up on her feet again. He collected some of the snacks she'd forgotten to pick up and handed them back to her. As they began walking again, he spoke to her. "I'm glad you're finally here. I thought you must have forgotten about us! You've arrived at a good time too. We're almost at the Stock Road, which means we're going to stop for second breakfast very soon."

Pearl then inquired about the possibility of a pub visit somewhere along the way. "Well Pearl, I believe you're in luck," he informed her with a smile. "We'll be visiting a pub tonight actually. The Black Fox Inn at Woodhall. We'll be there in time for dinner, and that's where we'll be staying for the night. I've arranged accommodation for us all, thanks to club funding of course." Then he remembered something he had in his pack. "And I've got gifts to hand out to everyone there too... and I can assure you they are not stink bombs! One of those was enough for a hundred life times."

The wizard Ducky then responded to Dwim's question about his home. The hobbit was truly fascinated to find out that he lived in a forest named Fangorn. "You're right, I've never heard of any forest with that name before. In fact, I really only know of the big woods at Woody End, and the Old Forest. But I must say, I wouldn't dare to enter that strange place." Suddenly the conversation was interrupted as Ducky became distracted by something further back down the road, just in time for Pearl and Jorgy's wide-legged game of tag to suddenly put the wizard's upright stance in danger.

Dwim was quick to distance himself from that, as they had a long walk ahead of them, and he certainly did not want to be bowled over by highly energetic hobbits himself. So he put his head down and pushed ahead. Only minutes later, they came over the crest of a small slope, and down at the bottom was a huge oak tree which sat just next to the stock road, where busy hobbits could be seen travelling up and down the road on important business. That meant it was time for a break, just in time for Dik to catch up (who Dwim had neglected to notice was missing)!

"Here we are, everybody!" he called out to the group. "Just down here is the Stock Road. We're going to stop by that oak tree there and have our second breakfast before we head up the hill into Green-Hill Country. Just follow me down here."

He then led the group down the slope and stopped under the cool shade of the oak tree, the perfect place for a break. There were two large picnic tables under the tree, enough to fit everybody. He tied Perry the Pony to a smaller tree, then began unpacking his second breakfast consisting of bread, butter and sausages, with plenty to go around for anyone who wanted to share.

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Not that she was selfish or greedy, you understand, but purely because of her innate and essential hobbitness, Henna head the word stop and was already level with Master Dwim by the time he said 'second breakfast'. She was therefore way in front of him at the time he cheerfully called out, 'Just follow me down here!'

Once Perry was tied up, she dived into her basket for something to share and came up with some hard pears, which might go very nicely on the next leg. She was certainly not going to shy away from Master Dwim's sausage sandwiches, and she was glad she'd brought a pot of tomato relish which would go nicely with them. She offered it about to anyone who was after a bit of spice.

"These are very delicious, Master Dwim," she sighed happily, putting it away at a rate of knots. "And I've enjoyed the exercise getting here!"

That was a lie, but she had enjoyed the company and seeing the scenery and breathing the fresh air, and if she was going to ache and such, she was glad to be doing it in these pleasant circumstances.

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

Pearl had been sprinting straight toward Ducky the wizard when Jorgy knocked into her, sending her feet flying over her head and her walking stick tumbling away down the hill. "AHHHHH!" she screamed, as her limbs tangled with Jorgy's and they smacked right into the wizard's bony kneecaps and bounced backwards.

"OUCH!" Pearl cried as she landed flat on her back, her large and lumpy pack beneath her. Fortunately, she had nothing particularly solid inside (except the apples). Wincing, she sat up. The world swam a bit; she felt like her eyes were rolling around like loose marbles in their sockets. Pearl closed her eyes for a moment to stop everything from spinning. When she opened them again, her dizziness had abated somewhat.

Slowly, she got to her knees, then stood up. She immediately wondered where on earth her walking stick had gotten to - it would've been useful for standing while dazed. She steadied herself on her feet before looking at the wizard (who was hopefully not too injured from a collision with two hobbits). "I'm terribly sorry, sir!" She gave a little curtsy, though she had no idea why.

Then Pearl looked for Jorgy. "Are you okay?!" she asked him. "I'm sorry, I'm clumsy but not usually that clumsy! Shall we go join the others for some second breakfast?"

[Akhenanat]

Jorgy Underash

Unfortunately for Jorgy, and by extension Pearl and Ducky, he had never fallen with arms and legs. In fact, as a lava snake, Jorgy had been very conscientious about staying on the ground and never leaping (part of the reason he was caught and eaten by the orc that started this whole affair) but now, as he was hurtling through the air, he had no idea what to do with his arms and legs. Instinctively (whether that be Hobbit instincts or lava snake instincts) he wrapped his arms and legs around ducky as he collided with him, as if he were a tiny, somewhat ugly, kitten. Thankfully for the wizard, though not for Pearl, Jorgy was not very good at grabbing onto things in midair and bounced off the tall wizard before doing too much damage. Upon bouncing though, he knocked back into Pearl.

By then, he managed to pirouette (despite never having danced ballet before) and move most of his weight around her thus not squishing her into jelly. He landed on his rump, or what he thought was his rump but was actually his shoulder blades.

“Woah! So that’s what that’s like huh?”

He picked himself up and dusted off. He saw Pearl curtsy to Ducky and, not knowing any better, mimicked her movement down to the nth detail. He had no idea what it was meant to convey, but if Pearl did it, he would do it too.

“Clumsy? That’s not clumsy, look at this?” He did a little jig and, predictably, tripped over his own feet and felt sprawling again. Hopefully that made Pearl feel less clumsy, or at least made her smile.

“I would love breakfast, I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon… wait, second breakfast? What’s that?” It appeared Jorgy was about to make a grave error in the ways of the Hobbit.

[Silky Gooseness]

Silas Hardwick, A Hobbit (he/him)

A walking club would be just the thing, Silas’ dear old ma had told him, prodding him rudely in the waistcoat, even as she offered him a platter of cakes with the other hand. A hobbit of his age and stature ought to be out in the healthy fresh air, building some endurance, maybe perhaps even losing a tiny weeny little bit of weight?

Silas had sagged slightly, due to the additional weight of his mother embracing him heavily and dabbing her eyes whilst simultaneously managing to slip a packet of bonbons into his pocket.

“Yes Ma,” he had replied dutifully; but on the very day the Walking Club had been due to start, Silas had not only slightly overslept but then been plied with a huge plate of eggs and bacon and pancakes cooked by dear old Ma, and of course it would’ve been criminal not to take his time over it. Why, it would’ve broken her heart!

And so, realising it was far too late to catch up in time, Silas had shrugged his shoulders and gone out as usual instead to his job categorising Mathoms at the mathom-house when whom might he see but Mr Brockhouse?

“Ay, Silas,” called the old fellow, “wert tha not about on that walking club? Your ma has been saying all sorts about you being the fastest walker in these parts.”

Silas winced. “Ah, Mr Brockhouse sir,” he replied, “would that ‘twere true, but I’ve fair missed the party!”

“Nay bother lad,” responded the good hobbit; “I’ll give thee a ride up to their first stop; I’ve business thereabouts!”

So Silas found himself blatantly cheating, riding the waggon up to the first point near the Stock Road. He could smell sausages as they drew up; thanking Mr Brockhouse, he jumped off.

As the cloud of dust he’d raised cleared, he could see a little party on the benches, merrily second-breakfasting. Silas could smell sausages.

“Hulloa,” he called out. “Silas Hardwick here!”

He removed his crumpled form from his pocket. Half a bonbon was stuck to it, but the ambitious words “Silas Hardwicke woulde lyk to vissit Archet” could still be seen.

[Lail]

Rilla Banks

Rilla smiled at Menolly, pleased to see she had picked a lovely green handkerchief to wrap around her knee and hastily explained that she absolutely did not mind lending it out at all. She certainly would not have offered if she did mind. "No, no I've no healing experience at all! I only thought, you never know when you might need a handkerchief and then I couldn't very well decide which colors to bring and which to leave behind, so in the end, I brought one of each!"

She took one of Menolly's biscuits and ate it in just a few bites. "Oh, that'sh delichsioush!" she said with her mouth full before wiping away some crumbs. "Thank you."

Her ears perked up at the mention of fireworks. "Er, yes, let's hope...no fireworks..." she mumbled to Henna, unsure if the older hobbit would be able to hear her. But to be honest, now that the idea had been sprung, she rather hoped there might be some. Purple and orange and green bursting in the night sky! How exciting would that be?

Before settling down for second breakfast, Rilla emptied her pockets of strawberries to share with the others. "Please help yourselves!" She stretched her feet out and wiggled her toes, sighing with contentment. What a lovely day it was turning out to be.

"Have you done many walking tours of the Shire?" she asked Henna as she helped herself to the sausages and bread. But she only managed to get a single bite in before she began laughing as she spotted Jorgy and Pearl in their ungraceful and energetic game of tag.

"Looks like you're not the only one with two left feet," she told Menolly. "Or the only late-comer either!" Rilla waved at Silas, the even-later arrival and beckoned him over to join them for second breakfast.

"What an adventure already and we've only just started!" she exclaimed as she chomped down on her sausage.

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

Pearl shook with laughter as Jorgy curtsied, then flailed about in what she could only describe as an extremely wobbly dance. She sat down, hard, thanks to her out of control giggles. Tears came to her eyes, and she felt like her sides would split with mirth. She had never met anyone so truly odd or hilarious.

She wiped her eyes, remembering that they had just collided with a wizard who was, in all likelihood, both Powerful and Respectable. She took deep breaths to calm herself. "I'm ever so sorry, again," she repeated to Ducky. "We promise to be more careful in future."

Jorgy's next words distracted her from her guilt. "What's second . . . What's sec - WHAT?" she shouted in surprise. She stood up and brushed off her skirt. "What's second breakfast? Jorgy, just how far south in the Southfarthing were you?!" All business now, Pearl shook her head and motioned for him to follow her to the tree beneath which Dwim and the others were gathered. Along the way, she chanced to see her walking stick in the grass and retrieved it. It was a relief to have it back - she hated to think what her dad would say if she turned up after this walk without it.

As they neared the group, a newcomer arrived in a wagon. "Hello there, Silas!" she replied cheerfully to his greeting. "I'm Pearl Brockhouse, from Bywater. You're just in time for a meal."

She grabbed Jorgy's hand and led him into the shade beneath the tree. Along the way, she gladly accepted some strawberries from Rilla and thanked Dwim for sharing the sausages and bread. She fished a fork from her pack's outside pocket and speared a sausage on it. Her one free hand was quite full of provisions now. "This all looks amazing!" she exclaimed. "And how's your knee, Menolly?" she asked, seeing her friend had a handkerchief wrapped around her scrape.

Once she found a free spot, she released Jorgy's hand, sat down again on the soft grass, and took a bite of sausage. "Now see here," she said. (Pearl did not normally talk with her mouth full, but these were dire circumstances. A hobbit who didn't know what second breakfast was! What in Samwise's salt box was this?) She opened her pack. "Second breakfast is a VERY important meal. The most important meal of the day, I'll warrant. Without it, there is no first breakfast, just lonely, plain old breakfast, if you catch my meaning.

"Try a muffin!" she went on, offering one to Jorgy. She called out to the group, "I've got fresh-baked blueberry muffins, if anyone would like to share! They're only a little squashed from me falling on them."

[Balfur]

Reichart "Dik" Fatty~ Jogging

His face felt hot and he was pretty sure his cheeks were redder than the tomatoes his father grew. He was huffing and puffing and had to stop every so often to catch his breath. His heart was racing like a barrel down a river and the muscles in his legs and abdomen were burning. If he had not believed that he was in a poor shape, he surely had proof of it now: running up sloping countryside towards the Stock Road. All the while he was cursing at himself for being such a lazy, fat and useless hobbit. That is, whenever he had any breath left to utter any words. For anyone else it just would have sounded like he was hissing a lot. Oh, how could he have let this happen! This was obviously the worst way to start any kind of adventure!

When he rejoined with the rest of the club, they were sat at some copiously filled picnic tables beneath a great oak tree. He stooped over, leaning on one of the tables and for a minute or two all he could do was breathe. All the while, the others were obviously enjoying their second breakfast. He tried to explain what had happened, but only a few of his words could be understood and even those sounded very breathy. "Sorry,... fell... woke... gone..." His eyes focussed and he saw the food in front of him. Explaining his situation seemed less important now and he regained some composure and started unpacking his own provisions. There was a loaf of bread, a small wheel of cheese, a plate of cured ham and finally he produced a small box with herbs and a small copper kettle. Looking around he asked: "Where's the fire? How can I make tea without a fire?" Then he heard Pearl offer some blue-berry muffins and his eyes lit up. "Can I have one of those maybe? I'm simply famished after all that running and need a sweet little pick-me-up before... you know," he gestured at the array of food before him.

[Silky Gooseness]

Silas Hardwick, Hobbit

“Hello Pearl, hello Rilla,” stammered Silas as he scurried up the hill on his furry feet. He hadn’t expected Pearl to be here, but now that he thought about it, Mr Brockhouse had winked an awful lot when Silas was telling him about how his Ma wanted him to get out and meet some more people at the walking club. Who could’ve expected that Pearl Brockhouse was one of them?

Worse, Silas hadn’t even brought any food to share - a terrible oversight for a hobbit. Desperately he dug around in his pockets, whereupon he unearthed the bonbons. He brightened immediately.

“Anyone care for a bonbon?” Silas offered them out with a flourish. “And... uh, who is everyone here, again?” He stared at the Wizard with unabashed curiosity.

[Menolly]

Menolly noticed a certain look in Henna's eye as she described the unmistakable Bernard, and wondered what that fool beast had been up to; undoubtedly terrorizing innocent neighbors in pursuit of snacks. Maybe it was just as well he'd gotten some exercise chasing that coney down the lane, otherwise she'd have the fattest black cat in Bywater. She accepted a strawberry from Rilla, savoring its sweet bright flavor. "These are delicious!" she exclaimed. "Did you grow them?"

Despite herself, Menolly couldn't help laughing at Pearl, Jorgy, and Ducky (although as she laughed, she realized she was laughing at a wizard, which seemed like an unwise move). Clearly she was not the only clumsy one in the party. "Oh, my knee feels much better already," she replied to Pearl as she and Jorgy approached the group under the tree. "I would say only my pride is wounded, but really, it's best not to have any pride to wound when it comes to clumsy moments like that. Is your back all right? That was quite a tumble!"

Setting out the rest of her biscuits, Menolly delved into her disordered pack to see what other snacks had survived her own rough landing. "Let's see, I've got the first of this summer's blackberries, not too squished I think...or maybe they are a bit squished, which means we should enjoy them now instead of later! Oh, and some good yellow cheese from my larder," she added, setting out the wedge of cheese, which was fortunately not squished at all.

"Hello there," she said to Silas. "I don't believe we've met before. I'm Menolly. I'd love a bonbon! Would you like some blackberries?"

[Akhenanat]

Jorgy Underash

Jorgy was in for it. He knew he was. When he’d seen the look of shock and horror on Pearl’s face he thought he was about to be spitted and roasted for a the most horrid crime imaginable. When she took his hand and began leading him away (grabbing portions of proffered food along the way as a good Hobbit should), he thought for sure he was done. What sin he had committed as of yet he was unsure, but if it upset Pearl to this degree he must be guilty.

He looked longingly at all the food on display, strawberries (whatever they were, they looked like juicy arrowheads), sausages, and oh that’s what a muffin is, but he knew he was never going to get to taste them.

Once they were alone, she released him and began to admonish him for not knowing what second breakfast was. That was his sin? This was a very complicated world indeed. He had never known how vast and varied the world was, living under his rocks in Mordor. He listened attentively though, hanging on every word Pearl spoke. He nodded. It made logical sense, all of it. Of course second breakfast was the most important meal of the day. Without it, first breakfast was just breakfast and… wait what? Plain. Old. Breakfast. He must have lost something there. Was there something wrong with plain old breakfast? Had he been doing it all wrong these last few months? Oh no! He’d been failing to Hobbit before he even knew another Hobbit! The shame! While he was still utterly unsure what second breakfast was, outside its importance in establishing first breakfast as not “lonely, pain old breakfast”, he knew enough to feign understanding. He nodded sagely and gravely.

“I see what you mean. We don’t really eat second breakfast in… the Southfarthing, we’re all too busy…” he paused, and had a moment of panic, what did Hobbits do all day? Aside from eating second, third, and maybe even fourth breakfast he had no idea. Think Jorgy, think! “looking for worms!” he declared with a grin, believing that he had come up with something perfectly reasonable and in fact correct. “Yes ma’am, Pearl you are looking at a world class worm hunter. I can hunt worms better than anyone here I bet!” He desperately hoped that if called upon, he could indeed find at least a single worm.

He took the muffin given to him and in the fashion of lava snakes (as he had not learned to take bites yet) shoved the entire muffin into his mouth. It is a good thing to note, that the muffin in question was already a little smushed so his cramming the entire thing in his mouth was not going to suffocate him.

He giggled spastically. He had never had something sweet. In Mordor, if something was sweet it was also poisonous and killed you before you actually got to taste the sweet. It was perhaps the most delightful thing in all the world. He knew from that second on, he wanted to try all the sweet things the world had to offer.

Turning his attention away from Pearl, he noticed (much to his surpassing relief) that he was not the only one that had forgotten to pack away food for the trip (Silas). Oh happy days! Wait, that was not the thing to think. That was not Hobbit-like. He should… oh no they had food after all. His shoulders slumped (it was a weird sensation having shoulders to slump) and he sighed. What on earth was a bonbon. It sounded dreadful, like a small bonfire you put in your mouth. Why would someone want to put a fire in their face? That seemed so strange. He still had a lot to learn about being a Hobbit. With great trepidation, he raised his hand. “I… I would like a bonbon.” The words came hard. He did not, in point of fact, want a bonfire to the face, but if he were to fit in with Hobbits, because he still definitely was one, he was going to have to learn their ways and customs.

Sharing seemed to be of utmost importance as well. Sharing was a completely alien concept to the former lava snake but he had slowly been introduced to the notion over the past several minutes. Unfortunately, Jorgy had nothing to offer anyone in exchange for sausages, bonbon, blackberries (Menolly only mentioned them and already Jorgy’s mouth water despite never heard of them before now). He was going to have think of something. Maybe Pearl could help him? Or Dwim, the leader of the club? How to ask though. That was going to be another ordeal. How does one ask someone to help them with the concept of sharing without being looked at like a loon?

[KingODuckingham]

"Oh my, ho ho ho!" Ducky cried as some hobbits unexpectedly crashed into him. "Also, ow a bit." Hobbits might be bouncy, but his kneecaps were less so.

He had been watching backwards, checking for slacking hobbits, newcomers, and who knew what else. He had not been expecting something to hit him from the forward direction. These hobbits were surprisingly quick when they wanted to be. Ducky had known this in an intellectual, abstract sort of way. Now he was sorely well acquainted with it, first hand. Or knee. Ah, but it wouldn't do to spoil the fun.

He bowed back at their courteous curtsies, saying,

"Why, what a pleasant folk you are. The sun shines upon our first meeting. Your enthusiasm is infectious!" He waggled his eyebrows at them. "I suppose you are here to teach me all the secrets and habits of your home the Shire eh? Wanting to be a tour guide for an old confused man like me? I find it difficult to keep up with you." He laughed.

[Silky Gooseness]

Silas Hardwick, A Hobbit

Silas couldn’t help staring as Pearl dragged one of the other hobbits, Jorgy, off under a tree and began speaking to him in quite a passionate tone. Were they involved in some way? Had Silas interrupted an awkward moment?

He was distracted by another friendly voice. “Pleased to meet you, @Menolly,” he said, remembering his manners and bowing as he held out his paper bag. “Your berries look delightful - I’d love a taste!”

With his free hand Silas selected a plump looking blackberry and popped it into his mouth where it burst with summer sweetness. He held the bag out to Jorgy; returning from his strange tête-à-tête with Pearl, he’d heard the other fellow express an interest. “Why of course you can try a Bon-bon, my dear chap,” said Silas, a little uncertainly. Jorgy’s eyes looked a little red. “Is that - do you suffer from hay fever?” he asked tentatively. “I hear local honey is good for that.”

The Wizard was speaking! Silas cowered. All his Ma’s warnings about Wizards were pelting through his head like a flock of enraged geese. It appeared Pearl had actually attacked the Wizard?! Perhaps she was too bold a girl for him to associate with after all. “Bonbon, sir?” he squeaked out.

[Zôrzimril]

Pearl Brockhouse

Pearl's mouth dropped open momentarily. She shut it before she said anything rude then held up a finger to indicate to Jorgy that she'd be with him in a moment. She was putting off responding because she just wasn't quite sure what to say about the worms. This was the kind of lesson in politeness her mother had been trying to teach her since she was a child - don't say anything unless you've got something kind to say! She'd never thought that anyone could prioritize anything over second breakfast, so she needed a moment to compose herself and figure out what to say without sounding rude and judgmental.

Fortunately, the conversation - and sharing of food - among the group was really starting to pick up, and Jorgy had just stuffed a whole muffin into his face, so he'd probably be unable to talk for a while, anyway.

"It's a delight to meet you too, sir," she said to the wizard. "I'd be happy to show you what I know of the Shire! But Dwim here is the real guide. But I can promise I'll not run into you again!" She smiled sheepishly and hoped that Ducky wouldn't think too poorly of hobbits after this excursion.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine, Menolly, thank you for asking. I'm so glad you aren't too badly hurt! Now let's hope that the injuries are out of the way for the rest of the trip. Pride is easier to heal than broken bones!" She beamed. "It's exciting that we'll get to sample some brews from other inns along the way!" she remarked to her friend, whom she'd recently seen for the first time in an age at the Green Dragon. "Have you been to any of the other inns in the Shire?" She thought longingly of the ale that awaited them down the road.

"Here you are!" Pearl said, offering a muffin to Dik, who'd just jogged up. "I'm Pearl, by the way, I don't think we've met yet. You must be a great athlete to have run all the way to catch up with us." She was very impressed by this feat.

Pearl next turned to Silas. The lad looked familiar. Perhaps he was a neighbor of theirs. She'd have to ask him later as they walked along. For now, candy called! "Bonbons sound heavenly! I'll take one if you've got any left. You're welcome to a muffin, if you'd like! Freshly baked and only slightly smushed." When the fellow asked Jorgy about allergies, she peered inquisitively at her new friend. His eyes did look a bit . . . odd. There was that word again! Just the right word to describe pretty much everything about Jorgy. "Honey!" exclaimed Pearl, distracted by talk of food. "I do so love to have honey on biscuits."

All this chatter had bought her some time to come up with a not unkind response to Jorgy. She turned back to him.

"When you said worms earlier . . . D'you mean like, the kind that live underground? Or do you mean . . . " she lowered her voice to a whisper. "Dragons?" She raised a hand to her mouth as if deeply troubled. She'd heard rumors and legends about the great gold-hoarding dragons of old. She'd even heard from her parents about the dragon-shaped firework at Bilbo's birthday. But then her expression brightened. "Well, if it's just little wriggly worms, we should definitely go fishing someday! You can catch worms for bait!" Her eyes shone. "I love fishing - it's just so peaceful. We can go near my home in Bywater!" She thought a moment before adding, "You must be an expert at fishing, if you were hunting slimy worms so much. Please teach me!!"

[Lirimaer]

Henna Lightfoot

Replete with sausage, Henna had a wee nip o' brandy from a flask she kept in her bosom and took out her pipe. Technically, it was Tom's pipe, and she couldn't breathe if she accidentally inhaled, but she liked the smell of it, so would occasionally light it when she was feeling particularly reminiscent. And today was such a day. Rilla had asked her the question when her mouth had been full, and so she had waved, but not answered, though she had thought about it. In her youth she'd done all her travelling and walking with Tolman Lightfoot, until her mama insisted that she stop walking out with the young man and walk down the aisle instead.

The wedding had been particularly flower-filled, for that year there was a gloriously wet Spring which heralded a Summer filled with heady days of endless blue skies, and that had been good for the flower markets. In her hair she'd worn cornflowers and forget-me-nots, and her handheld posey was a spray of tiny orange and white dianthus with thyme and myrtle wound about with white ribbons and trailing ivy. That must have been some forty-something years ago now, but her memory of that day was still strong; Tolman whirling her around on the party field as the fiddlers played a jig, dancing till midnight, and then whisked off by a ponytrap to her new smial with her new husband. Twas such a happy memory. She sniffed, just checking she wasn't being emotional in public, and then thanked her lucky stars she hadn't lit the pipe, for she would surely be choking to death right now.

She settled for giving the pipeweed a surreptitious sniff, and put it back in her voluminous pocket, looking around.

It seemed they'd been joined by a few new persons, and possibly some others who weren't new, but she'd paid no attention to them at all, being old and all. (It was sometimes selective, to be perfectly honest, for she could get away with blaming old age on any deafness and blindness that might occur, for the young folk were generally ready to believe it. Thus the ancient divide between old and young continued as ever it had, with the young believing they ruled the world and made all the decisions, and the old doing what they liked and ignoring the young.)

The wizard was suspiciously cheery about being run into, when it looked like his poor knees were going to bend the wrong way, but at least he hadn't let off a load of fireworks under his robe. That at least was something to be cheery about!

"Good morning!" she said to him, and a couple of new chaps who'd arrived, one fresh as a daisy [Silas] and the other red-faced and puffing like a kettle [Dik]. "Have you had one of Dwim's sausage sandwiches yet? I have some tomato relish here if you fancy it?"