Starlyte - A being of pure star light. Born from fallen stars, they have gifts that both benefit everyone and come from nature. Often described as "Children of Grace and Serenity". It is also believed that Starlytes are the reborn spirits of those whose lives were ended far before their expected time.
Sitting on his bench outside his hole, Bilbo Baggins was enjoying his pipe when he felt a sudden presence. Opening his eyes, he saw two figures staring at larger of the two was a tall, old man with long staff. He wore a cloak and a tall hat. The other was a young woman. She was, at least, half a head taller than Bilbo. Her hair was silver in color and reached her waist. Her skin was a light gray color, almost like the smoke from his pipe. Her lips were a light shade of violet. And her eyes were dark blue, much like he imagined the ocean to be. She wore a black bodice over a white, sleeveless tunic with a long white skirt. Strapped to her back was a bo staff lined with silver and a black satchel. And clutched in her right hand was a thin mahogany twig with a glowing blue crystal at the top. She smiled whereas the old man looked stern.
"Good morning." Bilbo tried.
"What do you mean?" The old man asked. "Do you wish me a good morning or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning? Or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"
"All of them at once, I suppose." Bilbo answered honestly. The old man continued to stare while the woman still smiled. "Can I help you?"
"That remains to be seen." The old man replied. "We are looking for someone to share in an adventure."
"An adventure? No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures." Bilbo stated. "Nasty ,disturbing, uncomfortable things. Make you late for dinner." He chuckled. The Hobbit then opened his mailbox and pulled out a few letters. Looking through them real quick, he threw a quick "good morning" their way before walking to his hole.
"To think I should have lived to be 'good morninged' by Belladonna Took's son as if I were selling buttons at the door." The old man said.
"Beg your pardon?" Bilbo questioned.
"You've changed." The old man stated. "And not entirely for the better, Bilbo Baggins."
"I'm sorry. Do I know you?" The Hobbit asked.
"Well, you know my name, although you don't remember I belong to it. I'm Gandalf. And Gandalf means...me."
"Gandalf?" Bilbo pondered momentarily. "Not Gandalf the wandering Wizard who made such excellent fireworks? Old Took used to have them on MidSummer's Eve. I had no idea you were still in business."
Seemingly offended, Gandalf asked, "And where else should I be?"
Seeming to stutter, Bilbo asked, "W-Well, is th-this your daughter?"
"She is not. She is my apprentice. This is Ava." Gandalf answered.
"Pleasure to meet you, Master Baggins." Ava greeted. She extended her right hand to the Hobbit. He mirrored her action and they shook hands. Looking down, Bilbo noticed what looked like a tattoo of a white fox on the inside of her wrist.
"Well," Gandalf suddenly said. "That's decided. It'll be very good for you, and most amusing to me. I shall inform the others."
Bilbo suddenly had a bewildered look on his face. He stuttered, trying to form sentences as he walked toward his door. "We do not want any adventures here, thank you. Not today, not-not...I suggest you try Over the Hill or Across the Water." He turned to his door, but quickly turned back. "Good morning." With that, he went inside. Locking his door, Bilbo stood for a moment, believing he was hearing something. It sounded like scratching. Looking out his window, the Hobbit received a fright when the wizard suddenly appeared looking through the window. Bilbo ducked, hiding as best he could. When he finally stood, he looked out his window and saw Gandalf walking off. But he saw that Ava wasn't following him. Instead, she was sitting in front of his gate with small smile still on her face.
Nearly an hour had passed when Bilbo opened his door. To his surprise, he found Ava still sitting outside his gate. He walked over and asked, "Why are you still here?"
"Gandalf told me to stay." She answered.
"Why not come in the house?"
"That would be rude. Just waltzing in uninvited and unannounced. Truly a horrible thing to do." She smirked.
Bilbo smiled slightly and walked out of his gate. "I'm heading to the market. Would you like to come with me?"
"That would be lovely." She answered.
As they walked, Bilbo, being the curious Hobbit he was, stared asking questions. "So if you're not gandalf's daughter, than who are you?"
"When I was a child, Gandalf found me wandering the wilds of the far north. The Ice Lands."
"You're from the Ice Lans?"
"Not originally." Ava smirkEd.
"Where are you originally from then, if I may be so bold."
"If you have any books about the stars, I will gladly show you." It was an odd thing to say. Then again, Ava was an odd woman. Not that she minded such a title. She knew that there were far worse things in the world to be known as.
At the market, Bilbo purchased two fish for himself and his sudden guest. But he didn't seem to mind Ava. She was polite and considerate. She even offered to pay for her own fish. But Bilbo would not have it, stating that it would make him a poor host. As they were leaving, one of Bilbo's neighbors, Mr. Worrywot, stopped to show him his freshly picked turnips. Ava smiled. She quickly found that Hobbits were an amusing race, but still humble and gracious.
Once Bilbo and Ava returned to his hole, he was quick to find every book in his study about stars. He handed them to Ava and they both sat at his dining room table. Every book she looked through had no information that she needed to show Bilbo, that is until she saw the last book. It was a book of fairytales...about the stars. She smiled as she scanned its pages until she saw the one needed. She turned the book to the Hobbit, who reach the page's title out loud. "Starlytes." Bilbo the read the page out loud.
Not much is known save for this
Light of the stars share their bliss
Of all things lost, one thing is sure
A Starlyte's heart is certainty pure
So little they will ask of others
Never wanting to be a bother
One thing they won't give by choice
Their love to sing, to use their voice
A Starlyte's heart is a precious thing
So easily cut like shears on a string
Be sure to stay off their path
For they have a vicious wrath
As brightly as they have smiled
Their minds have the innocence of a child
Greatly do their souls yearn
They seek knowledge that is yet to be learned
As constant as the stars above
To one they will always love
Bilbo was in awe. A legend from one of his books was in his hole with. It wasn't something he ever thought possible. "You're a Starlyte?" He asked in awe.
"I wouldn't be anything else." She smiled.
"Is there anything this passage doesn't say about Starlyes?"
Ava smiled again. "Starlytes are creatures born from fallen stars. So few exist exist now that we're considered legend." She noticed that the look on Bilbo's face meant that he still didn't understand. She pulled out the mahogany twig with the glowing blue crystal she had earlier. "My wand." She started. "At the tip is a fragment of my star. Without it, my magic would have no means of channeling. It would fly from my finger tips. But as long as I carry a part of my star with me, my magic can be safely contained."
The Hobbit seemed intrigued. He soon started asking questions about anything he knew about the stars. But before they knew it, their stomachs started growling. Ava giggled at thins. "It appears we are summoned by our stomachs."
Bilbo chuckled at this. "It seems so. Come on then. I have an excellent recipe from my mother." He then lead Ava to his kitchen and started cooking. The Starlyte wanted to help, but he kept telling her that she was his guest.
The smells coming from the kitchen made Ava's mouth water. Once she had her plate, she followed Bilbo's action of squeezing a lemon wedge over her fish. But her actions paused, same for Bilbo, when they heard his door bell ring.