derping with the boggins. no plans, just tentatively voice testing.

[experting]

No contract? Ah, well, I cannot say I'm an expert on how these... agreements— [ Yes, that word will do, ha. ]—are meant to work, but without a contract, there is no place to sign. And if I cannot sign, well, I suppose I have not agreed to this agreement. [ Ha! ]

Yes. So. [ Straightening his already straightened jacket. ]

If you would not mind, I think I will be... leaving. [ Ahem, yes; keep it up, don't lose that backbone now. ] … Which I will be doing in a moment. That is to say, actually... ah, right now? [ No no no, that hadn't been a question! He is leaving this instant! Or... oh, wait. ] … Soon. Yes, that sounds better. [ Because... how is he supposed to leave this place?

So not fidgeting. Much. ]


… This way... or is it that? [ Pointing until his arms cross one another and no. He's talking to himself; not asking for help, thank you very much, hmph. ] … And there are no signs. Hm. Typical.

Comments

[woodking]

I didn't expect to see you once again so far from your home, little burglar.

[experting]

[


… Ha. All right, memory, kick in. Bilbo here is a wee bit out of sorts, sorry, so he supposes, in some small way, there is a chance he's momentarily forgotten a name he's meant to know, but see, this Bilbo hasn't quite hit Mirkwood and all the joys that come with it. He'll smooth out his vest however, hook his thumbs in the pockets and drum his fingers against his belly, clearly stalling for a more diplomatic way of asking what he's going on about.

… Except the burglar part is throwing him off. BE COOL, BILBO. ] Yes, ah. I've come to find that the expected is less likely to happen than the unexpected is. So it might be best to not... expect. [ That... made sense? Yes, of course! Nodding now! ]

[woodking]

[Thranduil here sounds slightly amused.]

Sound enough council, I suppose.

[experting]

[ Amused is good. Far better than the usual, more expected – ha – reactions. Still, Bilbo has no idea what's going on. Which is not a new development, but nonetheless – he isn't fidgeting, but he is swinging his hands back to his sides and letting them hang uselessly there... and that isn't any bit more comforting, no. Ah well.

Now... about this again and burglaring business. So nods, a few times more than necessary and... ] I suppose I should follow my own words. [ A pause, a frown and a slight straightening of his stance so he doesn't appear quite as short as he is. ] I rarely expect familiarity from a... stranger? [ And his voice pitches higher on the last syllables, as though he's unsure of using that word. ]

[desaturates]

There are as many signs on each road, Master Baggins, as there are hobbits blind to see them.

Gandalf <3

[experting]

[ Gandalf. Funny thing how he always shows up at the beginning of unwanted adventures. HM. So have a particularly fussy hobbit eyeing the wizard right about now and then not so discreetly glancing about once more. Hmph, signs. ] Blind? No, no. Beg your pardon, but I cannot be blind to what is not there, thank you. [ Fiddling with the one flap of his jacket and... he really needs to stop fidgeting. ] Signs are meant to be clear. Big. Clearly written, yes. Not those... those... [ Floundering, floundering for a word. ] … Signs which aren't signs that only you seem to see. [ Yes? Yes. ]

Bilbo :D

[desaturates]

[ Oh, how good it is of hobbits to come so short.

All the better for wizards to stare down at them. ]

My eyes have bettered with each turn I have taken to tell comfortable hobbits apart from idle stone. Come, Bilbo. Set yourself to walk.

c: !

[experting]

[ … Stop that. It's only making a huffy hobbit huffier, but of course, unfortunate experience has taught him that resisting wizards, especially this one, never goes as it should. So walking, yes, he takes a step, two, but it's obvious he's waiting for Gandalf to take the lead. ]

Where are we headed? [ A pause and then an exhale of exasperation. ] No, that's not right; I take that back. [ Because they have this bad habit of changing paths or getting rudely knocked onto other ones. The only question worth asking, really, is— ] Where will we find ourselves at the end?

[kinginexile]

Master Baggins, while there is no agreement or contract with your scribe that means little to them. They will do as they please regardless of any argument you might put up otherwise.

[This is one speaking from experience. He hates it, but there is little he can do to change what his mun wants to do. Still, he will voice his opinion either way.]

[experting]

[ And if Thorin, King of stern talking tos and less than agreeable words, hasn't been able to, forcibly, sway one's mind, then there is little hope for a little someone like Bilbo. Fantastic. Let him just absorb this, slowly, unenthusiastically, and try hard not to be entirely useless in his— ]

There must be a way to... [ He pauses suddenly and glances over one shoulder, the next, and hm; how does this work exactly? Can muns hear them? All the time? Pressing his lips together, exaggeratedly, he then huddles more into himself, hiding his hands from potentially prying eyes. From there, he makes a motion with his hands in some vague, entirely too jumbled to be clear movement that is meant to symbolize, well, escaping. And there. He glances up from his hands and... Thorin's turn? Bilbo has the feet for sneaking and Thorin has, well, attributes for everything else, so while they've never made the best of teams, they can figure something out and make a break for it, right? ]

[kinginexile]

[Sadly for Bilbo, and Thorin of course, the more fuss one puts up the more wicked the muns become. Or so it seems. Make a fuss about possibly going to a game with dragons in it, get sent to a game with dragons in it. Tread carefully, hobbit.

And the antics of the halfling are comical and could almost get a chuckle from the dwarf if Bilbo wasn't so obviously serious. To his question, he will shake his head, arms crossed over his chest.]

I do not think even a hobbit could sneak from these scribes. They are ever watching... and meddling.

[The last part is said with some aggravation.]

[experting]

[ Watching? He snaps his hands back to his sides and whips his head this way and that. Slowly, he catches himself though and he clears his throat, glancing down and finally, back to Thorin. Right. Time for subtlety... not that Bilbo is exceptionally skilled at that. In the end, he settles on lowering his voice into a hush, foolishly believing that will keep their conversation private. ]

What is it they want? Do they wish to delay... [ And still, he doesn't dare mention their quest or its specifics, his hobbity simplicities leaving him to not quite understand that muns, scribes, whatever they may be called, already know everything. Instead, he flattens his lips and stares, leaving it to Thorin to fill in the blanks himself. ]

[iorhael]

I would try that way if I were you, but you may find yourself circling back. One never knows in this place. Well. I suppose any way is as good as any, on second thought.

[there's a slight smile seeming to come out, at that sense of victory that might as well be coming from Bilbo at finding a loophole.]

I'm afraid it's not nearly so simple as not having a contract to sign. Muns, you see, have no need of such things, and would honor it only if it suited their purposes.

[experting]

[ Cue a bubbling noise that is caught somewhere between a scoff and a too pitched drawl of waning confidence. ] I suppose that is to be expected. Unsavory folk, yes, that's what they are. Dragging already busy, already adventuring folk into another adventure without even asking first, oh. The nerve. [ And why yes, throughout his speech he's been gesturing, shifting and now, there, ends with his hands on his hips. Though, speaking of nerves and rudeness and the lot, he stills, only to throw a glance skyward and around. He still doesn't understand this mun business and if they are constantly listening in, but if they are... hm, that hadn't been very Baggins-like, now had it? He deflates with a hint of sheepishness for, well, one moment and then, ha, he's squaring his shoulders to appear bigger, the fiercest scowl he's capable of back on his face. He refuses to sway himself into caring about the feelings of a mun, hmph!

Now... ]

… I should like to know what their purposes entail... but only if it comes to that. [ Because he's leaving, so it doesn't quite matter. At least, that's what he's set on believing for, oh, the next few minutes. Turning, yes, turning to walk this, no, that way and— ] You may travel with me if you'd like. [ Or well, he should, because muns are, well, bad. So get over here Frodo :| ]

[iorhael]

[or in other words, the sound of a tea kettle left forgotten on the stove, waiting to go off]

Unsavory yes, but neither blind nor deaf nor unable to read, Bilbo. I would take care to be more pleasant towards your mun, especially since they do rather love throwing hobbits and other decent folk into adventures worse than the one you are already on.

I think I shall, if only for a time. [smiling, he's joined Bilbo at his side] But I think I have earned myself a little rest from more adventures; enjoy it while you can, I say.

[experting]

[ He'll never grow used to someone knowing him while he quite surely doesn't know them. However, a fellow hobbit recognizing him isn't as unusual, or distressing for that matter, as say, hearing his name from one of the bigger folk. Nonetheless, curious, yes, it's a curious thing and he means to ask, but again, he is another hobbit, another adventuring hobbit, and why, that's more unusual than his, apparently, widely known name. ]

Quite true. [ He's only been on one adventure, on the beginning of two, but as a hobbit, he can understand easily enough the appeal of uncomplicated resting. Still, this business of muns. He thought he only had to worry about wizards dragging him on adventures, but these mun fellows too? Bah. ] You've... [ Sideways glance. ] Done much adventuring then?

Aaand I arrive late as always XD

[sonof_thrain]

Mister Baggins. [Have a small nod as he greets you.]

You have signed one contract already, that belonging to my company and I. Scribes tend not to care about signing us for other contracts, only as it suits them. [He knows all about this.]

In typical Thorin fashion

[experting]

[ Oh, he's well aware of his obligation to the Company. A nonexistent contract shouldn't take priority over a contract that, well, exists, but for all his luck of getting out of tight situations, he doesn't quite understand how he's meant to get out of this one. ] Odd as it may sound, I... think, yes, I would very much rather be where I was. Before. [ A pause and then a nod; yes. Also known as, back with the Company on the Carrock, on his way to face a... dragon. Yes, that is quite odd, isn't it? ] There, I knew terms, conditions, expected outcomes, destinations... [ Life expectancies. No, he isn't fidgeting with his fingers, fussily counting off each point. He stops soon enough however, wrinkles his nose and— ]

… For needing our presence so urgently, they are remarkably quiet about what they mean to do with us. [ Or him, at any rate. He seems to falter a touch at that; right, he can't say how things have been going on Thorin's end of things, so best not assume. ]

Re: Even have the icon to match XD

[sonof_thrain]

[Thorin listened to him and nodded. The quest was more important than the whims of one scribe. No matter who that scribe belonged to. Thorin narrowed his eyes at the hobbit.]

Your place is with us, mister Baggins. No scribe can possibly imagine the magnitude of the quest laid out before us. No whim can possible match that. They do not seem to care though, which makes me angry. [You should see him when he's angry, Bilbo.]

I trust you will uphold the contract and shrug off these whims from your scribe?

[instride]

[So similar, and yet so different. Aragorn stares, amused, at the young hobbit before him, the reminder of a time that has already come to pass, and a time that has yet to come. There is an infinite number of roads to walk—some quiet, most dangerous—and he is well-acquainted with this one, an adventure that will change the course of many lives.

Including his own.]

Eager to take your leave, Master Baggins, for one without guidance. [He finds a faint smile, eyes narrowed in sheer curiosity.] Do you know where you wish to go? [Because simply wanting to leave isn't nearly enough to go anywhere.]

Aragorn smells.

[experting]

[ Sensible. Yes, that is quite sensible, something Bilbo used to be when a certain wizard first brought up a certain adventure. To be fair, he has the destination in mind, it's the getting there that's, unsurprisingly, the difficult part to figure out. However, he's almost certain there's an offer of assistance there, at the very least a helping point in the right direction, but he's far more certain he shouldn't be speaking of quests and dwarves and Erebor to strangers, even when said stranger knows him...?

Slightest bit on edge, yes, that would be him, and when on edge, fidgeting is the solution. That comes in the form of tapping his palms against his sides, two, no three times and then clearing his throat as his hands find each other, lacing and splaying his fingers wide. ] Yes. Ah, yes, I do. Can't rightly forget that, I don't think. [ Pauses and stares, trying to place the face, even though he doesn't make a habit of meeting men. Often. Ever. ] The know I don't know is... hm, well. [ Him. Tightens his fingers, frowns down at them with an overly pronounced downward purse of his lips and then glances back up— ] Sorry, have we... met? [ He's confident, mostly, that he, Bilbo, has never met him, but he's found that it is quite possible for others to have met him without him knowing. Somehow.

Hmph. Odd business this adventuring is. ]

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY CLAIM THAT ARAGORN SMELLS WITHOUT CONSEQUENCES!!!!!!!!

[instride]

[Yes, and no. Aragorn has certainly never seen him like this, yet the resemblance does catch his eye—more energetic, to be sure, but there is absolutely no doubt about who he is.

Aragorn gives a slow nod, slightly distracted by the hobbit's comical antics.]

Indeed. In a time set far from the journey you have taken. [A brief encounter, perhaps, and yet he is much too familiar with his quest. His gaze grows a trifle dim, solemn.] I've befriended and served one of your family.

[daughter_of_the_wood]

It seems you have yourself in quite a dilemma don’t you? I thought that your people did not normally leave there homes.

[experting]

[ A continuous dilemma is what his life has become, actually. Though, this particular instance is more dilemmatic than the last, strangely enough. Best not to dabble too much in that however; instead, he focuses on standing straighter and tugging at the cuffs of his sleeves, one after the other, still needlessly fussing over that which doesn't need fussing. ]

Normally, no. And even less normally on their own. [ Wizards, dwarves, muns... yes, it's all their fault. Huffs quietly, barely, and nods. ] Adventuring isn't a high priority to hobbits. Or a priority at all. It's best avoided. [ Pauses and then tacks on a— ] Normally.

[daughter_of_the_wood]

[Well she had never met one of his people before, but he seemed like a interesting individual. She gave him a warm look]

Well it seems that you are quite out of your depth then. But you don’t seem to repel the idea. Has something changed your mind of late?