Author's Note: Wow, two chapters in a day! I guess I'm just an overly-imaginative girl ;) Anyway, I'm writing this chapter in the office. I'm planning to update the story about once or twice a week, depends on my mood and my schedule. But don't worry; I will continue this story to the end because I have written the basic plot so I won't get lost. As always, I only own my dear OCs because the whole wonderful Hobbit legendarium belongs to the only J.R.R. Tolkien. Keep those reviews coming, I really appreciate them! You can also ask me questions regarding the fanfic in the review section below.

Chapter 2: New Housemate Named Kili

It was already 8 AM when Signy woke up. Truth to be told, she was still tired because of the long journey and her body commanded her to go back to sleep, but the sun had already shone so bright and the shine was reflected through her window, forcing her to wake up. She pulled the blanket to her eye level whilst forcing her eyes to stay shut, but it was no use. Signy hated waking up when the sun was already high. Reluctantly, she forced herself to sit on the bed and looked at her surroundings. "Damn it," she realised that she did not pull the window curtain last night, that was why the sunlight could enter her room. She lazily stood up, walked to the window and pulled the window curtain.

She was now already alerted by the surroundings of her room. "I'm already in the Blue Mountains and today I need to start looking for a house to live," she said to herself while walking to the bathroom and turning on the shower system. She decided to have a warm bath to relieve her aching body, again, thanks to the long journey.

While having a shower, she thought of her parents. It was just Day One but Signy had already missed them. She missed waking up to the smell of fried bacon and egg that her mother had always cooked for the whole family, and she also missed eating her breakfast whilst talking to her parents. Signy was the girl-next-door type who loved her family so much, even though she despised them in her teenage years, thanks to those bloody hormone development. She missed the warmth of her mother's hot chocolate, the people who worked at her father's inn, she missed everything about her village. However, she had always had a very quirky sense of adventure running through her blood. When she was a little girl, she lived by the adventure stories being told by her father as her bedtime stories. That was where she learned about Dwarf legends, about the creation of the Dwarves by the almighty Mahal, about the dangerous, fire-breathing dragon named Smaug who had swept off the Lonely Mountain, and many more. She always pictured herself as a female hero in most of her father's stories, and she had always wondered what it would feel if she embarked on a long journey far away from home.

It took her around fifteen minutes to finish her shower-slash-pondering session. After drying her petite body and her long auburn hair, she took out her clothes for the day and wore them: white camisole for the base top combined with dark-brown light-weight jacket, black pants, and her favourite dark brown combat boots. She loved wearing neutral colours. Black, brown, white and blue were her favourite colour tones for her apparel, and she hated neon colours, considering they were too bright and too inappropriate for most social activities. Feeling satisfied with how she looked for the day, she went back to the bathroom and combed her hair in front of the mirror. She tried to make a small braid on both of the sides of her head and she succeeded, ending the braids with the clasps she brought from home. Once she finished, she grabbed her daily rucksack, went out from her room, locked her room and went down to the bar, which had turned into a restaurant to cater breakfast.

Signy did not expect that the actual size of the restaurant would be that… small. Last night it seemed bigger for her. There were not many people in the restaurant, only a few Dwarves and Men whom she thought were travelers and stayed at the inn like her. They ate their breakfast discreetly. She took a seat on one of the bar stools.

"Morning, Signy," greeted Rowan who stood in front of her, acting as the server of the day. "Would you like some coffee? Tea? Or a fine ale in this sunny morning?" he grinned.

Signy scoffed. "Ale? In the morning? Are you kidding me, Rowan? And a good morning to you too. I'd like a cup hot tea, please."

"I'm not kidding! We Dwarves from the Blue Mountain like to drink our fine ale first thing in the morning, lass! I guess it's a different culture from where you come from… And would you like something to eat?"

"A plate of bacon and sunny side egg would be perfect, Rowan," answered Signy politely.

"Comin' right up!" Rowan stepped out of Signy's sight. She took the chance to walk around the restaurant whilst waiting for her food to be delivered. The restaurant was still very quiet. Either business in The Bagpipe Inn was not very good lately, or the occupants of the inn were still asleep. An Elf lady was seen eating her toast in a delicate manner, and a male Dwarf was reading a book while sipping on his hot coffee. Rowan walked to a board near the front door which was filled by papers.

"Here you go, Signy, bacon and egg and a cup of hot tea. I added some toasts too, as a complimentary," Rowan's voice could be heard from the bar. Signy smelled the wonderful aroma of bacon and egg, her favourite breakfast food, from across the room. She walked to her stool happily. Who could resist the delicious smell of perfect artisan breakfast food? At least, not for her!

"Wow, thanks, Rowan! These toasts smell awesome as well. Oh, by the way, what's up with the board there, near the front door?" Signy turned her back and pointed at the board.

"That's an announcement board. You practically can find anything there, from job vacancies, upcoming events, product advertisements… hey, speaking of which, people also post wanted stuffs such as wanted jobs, things for sale or things to buy, even they post advertisements for spare rooms! In fact, you can start your search for people looking for housemates! That's the first thing you want to do, right?" Rowan squealed enthusiastically.

Signy's pupils dilated as she heard the words 'looking for housemates'. "Holy Mahal, really? Wow, I can definitely take your suggestion! In fact, today I'm gonna start seeking out for spare rooms. I've never thought that I can start my search from here!" She finished her breakfast in a blink of an eye, and the next thing Rowan knew, she leapt out from her stool to the announcement board.

"Job vacancy: head chef wanted… Midsummer's Eve city party… Oh, here they are, some people looking for housemates. I think I'm gonna write them all," Signy said to herself while reading the advertisements being posted very meticulously. After a few minutes, she had gathered some advertisements about rooms for rent and people looking for housemates. She waved goodbye to Rowan (who was busy refilling coffee and tea to the customers) and walked out of the inn.

oAoAoAoAoAoAoAoAoAoAoAoAoA

It was noon, and Signy's search for a room had not turned out to be quite lucky. Yes, she found some rooms for rent, but they did not expect her expectations. Most of them were small, damp rooms with no windows. Not to mention the people who were looking for housemates. Most of them were rude. "How can they find people who are interested to be their housemates if they can't be good to them? They will run away just by looking at their faces!" thought Signy in disgust. Exhausted and desperately looking for a drink, she went back to the inn.

The restaurant was closed, as what Rowan had said to her last night, but Signy did not care any less. She went inside the restaurant and quickly sat on one of the chairs closest to her reach. She was so tired and thinking of taking a short nap, but first she needed some water. "Rowan," said Signy as he approached her, "I know the pub is closed on the afternoon, but can I have some water? I am too thirsty and today's scorching heat is going to kill me if I don't drink soon."

Rowan chuckled as he heard Signy's whining. "Don't exaggerate, lass!" he laughed. "It's summer, what kind of weather would you expect it to be? Hold on, I'm getting you a glass of cold water," he shouted as he ran to the kitchen. A few moments later, he brought a tall glass of water to Signy.

"Thanks," said Signy and she directly took a big gulp. Man, her throat felt very fresh afterwards. "So, how's the room-hunting going? Find any luck?" Rowan sat on a chair besides Signy, expecting her to talk.

"No luck today," Signy sighed desperately. "Most of the rooms which were advertised were very damp and small. I can't live in a place like that! Oh, and don't get me started on the people who are looking for housemates. They are practically pain in the rear, if you know what I mean. Ugh, I'm sure they will have a hard time seeking for housemates if they keep their attitude." She scoffed, remembering them.

Rowan chuckled. "Awwww, don't be so sad, lass! Our announcement board is refreshed daily! In fact, a few minutes before you came back, there was one lad who posted something on that board! I didn't know what he was posting, though; I was just peeking on him through the kitchen window. You might want to check it out."

Signy was very tired. But she knew she had to keep searching for that perfect house with a nice housemate. "Thanks for the heads up, Rowan. I'm just gonna empty this glass and I will check the board soon." After that, Rowan left his seat and went back to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, Signy decided that she would look at the announcement board once more. Who knew what the guy posted, right? She walked hurriedly to the board and searched for a new paper, something that was not there when she read the board in the morning. Within a few seconds, she already found the advertisement that the guy posted. And this time, she smiled again. Another hope came to her heart.

Housemate Wanted!

Room for rent in a humble 2-bedroom, 1-bathroom house. I am Kili, the only tenant in the house, a male 70-something Dwarf. I am looking for a female/male Dwarf/Elf/Men, age varies from 70 to 90, to share rent and interests with. Your room is clean with a huge window overlooking the cosy neighbourhood of Durin Avenue. Minutes away to Blue Mountains' city centre. Rent: 300 pennies/month, minimum contract 3 months.

Address: 70 Durin Avenue

I am only available on weekdays, 3 PM to 6 PM. Come straightly to my house, no reservations needed!

Signy turned her head to the wall clock at the inn. It was 1 PM. She would take a short nap, and left the inn to Kili's house at precisely 2.45 PM. Hopefully she would make it in time, and hopefully this would be the perfect house for her.

oAoAoAoAoAoAoAoAoA

At 2.45 PM, Signy went out from the inn. Rowan was preparing to open the bar later the night, and he wished all the luck to her. It only took about 15 minutes from The Bagpipe Inn to reach Durin Avenue. Once she stepped to the broad street, she was amazed.

The street was like the showcase of the house for the riches. Beautiful houses lined up the street, each houses with different architecture styles. She was very shocked to see such a posh neighbourhood like this to exist in Blue Mountains. "Am I being punked? There's no way a Dwarf guy looking for a housemate in this kind of neighbourhood!" she whispered to herself.

A few minutes later (and after a few jaw-dropping, eye-gawking houses), she found the house she was looking for. It was, indeed, humble. Just like what the advertisement had offered. The house was probably the smallest among the houses of Durin Avenue. It had no specific architecture style, just a simple house made out of terracotta bricks. It had a huge front yard, though.

She knocked the front door. No answer. She knocked at it again, and turned her back. A few moments later, she heard the door being opened from inside, with a deep voice asking her "Hi, may I help you?" She turned her back, and she practically saw the most handsome Dwarf she had ever seen in her life. "Holy Mahal, he's so beautiful!" she squealed in her heart. The Dwarf was a taller guy (she thought he was taller than any Dwarf man she had ever encountered) with a shoulder-length curly jet black hair. He did not have a thick beard, something very common in Dwarf men, he had a mysterious stubble instead. He was wearing a black pants, black combat boots with dark green tunic.

"Y… yes… I am responding to your advertisement which you posted on the board of The Bagpipe Inn?" she answered with a questioning tone. "Are you Kili?"

"Wow! Didn't imagine I would get a potential housemate that soon! Yes, I'm Kili, and you are?" Kili gestured to shake her hand. She shook his hand fast because she was very nervous. "I'm Signy."

"Hi Signy, nice to meet you! Oh, do come in, please!" Kili went inside the house, followed by Signy. She expected the house to be a messy, alpha-male kind of house, but her expectation was wrong. The house was very warm and the interior was very nice as well.

"Come on, let's talk in the kitchen. I rarely use living room, it's too formal for me," Kili guided her to the kitchen, which was situated in the end of the house. It was a nice, clean and comfortable kitchen. From what Signy could see, Kili had a modern kitchen-slash-dining room because there lied a huge wooden table as well as some chairs. "So, what brings you here?" he asked casually while Signy sat on one of the chairs. "By the way, do you want some cold ale? It's really hot outside, you know."

"Yeah, a glass of ale would be fine," she responded politely, while still gawking at the simplicity of the house. She loved it. She had not seen the rest of the house, but so far she had loved every single second of it. A few moments later, Kili came up with two glasses of ale, and he handed her one glass as he sat on a chair facing her.

"Umm… I'm a newcomer in Blue Mountains. I just got here yesterday and now I'm staying in The Bagpipe Inn," Signy answered Kili's question.

"Wow, that's very cool! Where did you come from?"

"A small village near Bree. It's a Dwarf village."

"Wow, you're far away from home, girl…" Signy nodded. "Yeah, you can say so." He chuckled.

"Got any jobs?"

"Not yet, but I'm planning to be Ori's understudy. I want to be a scholar," she said in a shy tone. "Don't laugh."

Kili smiled. "I won't! Being a scholar is a very good job. I'm not that much of a student, though… always flunked out in any subject I took when I was still in school. But I'm great in battles, especially in archery and sword-fight. And I also happen to know Ori, in fact… he was my teacher," he said with a huge grin on his face.

"Really?" Signy responded enthusiastically. "That's very awesome!" She finished her glass of ale in one gulp, considering she was very thirsty and it was very hot outside. "Kili, why don't you show me the rest of the house? It's so beautiful. I would love to see the rest of it."

"Be my guest!" they both stood up. "You've seen the living room, right? It was the one that we passed earlier. Now I'm going to show you the bathroom, and the spare room that I'm renting, and we're going to finish at the front lawn. How's that sound?"

"That sounds perfect," Signy smiled at him and he guided her to the bathroom. It was a quite large bathroom, with a bathtub, a shower and a toilet seat. It was heavily scented too, making the bathroom felt very homy and comfortable. Next stop was Kili's room. It was a big room with a very messy interior. On his bed lied his collection of bows and arrows. Piles of dirty clothing scattered all around the floor. Signy laughed when she walked inside his room.

"Kili, your room is so messy! How can you live with this?" asked Signy when she walked around Kili's room. Kili chuckled and hand-combed his hair in a cool manner, and said, "I live with messiness, girl. Deal with it. At least, I'm not making another room messy, right? Now, let's continue to the spare room, I bet it will look much more cleaner than this."

Signy scoffed. "Alright, where's the room?" Kili pointed to a door facing over his. "There's the room. Come on, I'm gonna show you," he walked in front of Signy and opened the door. When Signy looked at it, she was very sure. This was the perfect room for her. A spacious room with a huge bed overlooking a giant window. A small desk, a cupboard, and a bookshelf. Bookshelf! She suddenly had a thought to fill the bookshelf with her favourite books and she could not wait for that time to come. The room was very clean with the right space for her.

Kili could see that Signy liked the room very much. He let Signy walked around the room for awhile, just making her some time to make up her mind. He really thought that Signy could be the perfect housemate because she was very sincere and fun enough to talk to.

"Done?" Kili asked her when she walked towards him. She put on a contented smile and responded, "It's so beautiful. I love it. So, when can I move in?"

Kili was over the moon. Finally, someone to share the rent with! However, he tried so hard not to show his happiness. He was the cool Dwarf, everybody knew that. "Uhm… you can move in anytime. You remember the rent, right? By the way, you should pay me the first month's rent by the time you move in."

Signy laughed. "Don't worry about it, big guy. I have the money and I will pay the rent to you once I move in. What about next Monday? Today's Friday, right? Give me some time to pack my stuffs and I will come here on Monday, first thing in the morning." She lied. Actually she did not need two whole days to pack her things. She could move to her new house on Saturday, but she did not want to seem too eager. She wanted to keep her cool, because she wanted Kili to see her calm, contented and logical side.

Kili nodded. "Seems like we're on the same page, then. Welcome aboard, housemate," and he offered her a hand. She shook Kili's hand with a huge grin on her face. It was a lucky day indeed.

There you go, the second chapter! I'm sorry if this chapter is too long for some of you, I just need to write more about Signy's journey to find a house. Finally she finds one, and she has to be the housemate of Kili, yay! Thanks for the favourites and the reviews, please keep them coming! See you later with the third chapter!