Bilbo's smoke ring collapses and becomes a smoke moth just as two figures walk up to his mailbox. The moth flies into Bilbo's face causing him to wake from his own thoughts. He looks up in shock to see a tall hooded figure and a pale skinned female that was just slightly shorter than the hooded figure.
"Good morning," Bilbo said taking another puff from his pipe. He raised his eyebrow at the two almost in a questioning manner but doesn't say anything. Gandalf gives the Hobbit a small smile while the female merely stares at him a bit coldly.
"What do you mean? Do you mean to wish us a good morning whether we want it or not? Or do you mean to wish us a good morning? Or, perhaps you mean to feel good on this particular morning. Or are you simply stating this is a morning to be good on?" Gandalf asked Bilbo, and this time the female has a hint of a smile on her face.
"All of them at once I suppose, I suppose," Bilbo said slowly, the look on his face once of utter confusion. The female's small smile returns to a scowl, a cold expression, and gives him a disapproving look. Uneasily, and uncertain of what to do or say next, Bilbo asked, "Can I help you?"
"That remains to be seen for the time being. We're looking for someone to share in an adventure," the female said speaking for the first time, her voice sounding both melodic and dangerous at the same time.
"An adventure? Now, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures," Bilbo said getting up and getting his mail, and as he continued," Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things, Make you late for dinner, hm, mm." As he looks his mail over, he tuts and clucks to himself and begins looking uncomfortable since, whenever he glanced over at his mailbox again from the corner of his eye, the two were still there. He gave his pipe a few puffs before heading back towards his door. He stopped, turning back, and found that they were were still, since the last time he had looked, there.
"Good morning," Bilbo tells them for a second time. This earned a rather disapproving look from each one of the figures before him, a slightly colder one coming from the woman.
"To think we have lived to good-morninged by Belladonna Took's son, as if we were selling buttons at the door," Gandalf said more to the female next to him than the Hobbit in front of them as they advanced further along the fence. Bilbo turned back to look at them with another confused look on his face, although this one wasn't as bad as the first.
"Beg your pardon?"
"You've changed and not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins," the pale woman spoke yet again. Her voice was so quiet that it made it sound like she could attack and kill anyone in a matter of seconds if she really wanted to or the need called upon it.
"I'm sorry, but do I know you?" Bilbo questioned, taking a few more puffs from his pipe.
"Well, you know my name but you don't remember whether or not I belong to it. I'm Náriel. And that Gandalf, Gandalf meaning well him," Náriel said speaking a little louder this time.
"Náriel. Gandalf….not the wandering wizard and the lone warrior, who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on Midsummer's Eve. Ha ha!" Bilbo exclaimed laughing, then said as he returned his pipe to his mouth for the umpteenth time, "Well. Hmm, I had no idea you two were still in business."
"And where else would or should we be?" Gandalf inquired with a bushy eyebrow raised.
"Ha, ha! Hmm, hmm…" Bilbo again chuckled nervously, puffing his pipe again confusedly.
"Well, I'm pleased to see you remember something about us, even if it is only our fireworks!" Gandalf said smiling, a mischievous twinkle in his eye.
"Well that's decided. It will be good for you, and most amusing for me. We shall inform the others," Náriel nodded slightly along with Gandalf.
"Inform the who? No. No. No! Wait!" At Náriel's words, Bilbo's eyes widened. He retreats towards the door, in frustration mainly, to his Hobbit hole, quite quickly too. Upon turning back towards the two, he starts gesturing at Gandalf with his pipe.
"We do not want any adventures here, thank you!" Bilbo exclaimed pointing at his doorstep," Not today. I suggest you try over the Hill or across the Water. Good morning." Bilbo says one last time before quickly closing his front door. He lets out a soft sigh and leans against the door.
Outside, Gandalf shared a look with the woman with him. She nodded slightly and the wizard made his way to the front door of the Hobbit hole. With the tip of his staff, he carved a glowing rune into the door. After he was finished, the rune lost its bright color and Gandalf stepped away from it.
Meanwhile, inside, Bilbo had heard a strange noise outside the door he leant against. So he bent down to better hear it. But then all fell silent, so he went to the window beside the door and peered out. Suddenly, Gandalf's eye appears in the glass and Bilbo jumps back alarmed to hide behind a nearby wall. After a moment, he slowly moves towards another window and looks outside to see Gandalf's and Náriel's retreating back.
This is my first Hobbit story, so please no flames. Please leave a review with your comments. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be updating it within the next few days.