Chapter Twelve.

The next morning (mostly thanks to Balin's hysterical laughter the night before) the company packed up and left in better spirits. All except Gandalf and Thorin that is. Gandalf was just generally sulking and Thorin was still trying to figure out what to do about the company's burglar. Balin was explaining to Dwalin about his laughter the night before and had the warrior dwarf turning even more red with every retold tale of Bilbo's. Ori was sniggering into his knitting, watching the two of them and determined to find some more of the flowers Bilbo had told him about. Fili and Kili were still trying to figure out when the hobbit who helped write the only book that had ever interested them had become so different that he was embarrassed by the events of the day before (neither of them even thought that he was merely annoyed because his joke backfired). Thorin was riding ahead maintaining a dignified silence and Gandalf was riding behind the party, sulking and smoking his pipe. Dori was talking to Bofur about the latter's progression from mining to toy making, while Nori was riding quietly beside Bifur and both were watching the rest of the company. Bilbo was riding beside Bombur just in front of Gandalf and trying to make up for upsetting the large dwarf the night before. Their conversation about food would have had the whole company drooling if any had been listening. Thankfully they were not. They rode all day, not stopping for lunch, which consisted of what ever they were able to grab that Bofur threw at them. Gandalf had a nasty shock when the pipe he was trying to light was replace with a stick of celery (that he actually managed to light), it gave Bilbo a good chuckle and Bofur just grinned fondly at him. Thorin was hit in the back of the head with an apple and the glare he sent round the company would have scared them half to death if anyone other than his nephews had been paying attention. Bilbo and Bombur did quite well as the one's quick reactions and the other's larger size meant they grabbed more than most.

Half way through the afternoon, when the sun was decidedly lower to the horizon Bilbo spotted a flower he thought Ori could use. Allowing himself to slip slightly sideways in the saddle and using one hand on the pommel to stop himself falling he scoped up several of the fragrant blooms, sneakily tucking them inside his pack and plucking several berries of a bush next to them to question Bombur about. Next to him Bombur watched in amazment as the hobbit he'd been talking to apparently slid sideways off his horse, just before he let out a startled cry the hand seemed to tighten on the pommel and Bilbo pulled himself up. Thorin turned in time to see Bilbo return to a seated position with cheeks flushed and hair mused, swearing in Kuzdul the dwarf returned to facing the front pushing down the need to ride back to the hobbit. Bilbo soon had Bombur immersed in conversation about the berries, but that did not mean he hadn't noticed Thorin's interest. He swallowed a sly grin and decide Ori was not the only one who was going to be giving out flowers that night. Bilbo smiled at Bombur and gestured at Bofur who was by then riding alone. Making sure everyone else was preoccupied Bilbo rode up beside Ori and gave him an innocent smile whilst patting his pack protectively. Ori's answering grin was no where near as innocent as he nodded across his knitting at the hobbit and proceeded to talk about the current pattern he was using.

The group settled for the night beside a collection of standing stones and Ori's eyes lit up his hands automatically reaching for his parchment and charcoals. Bilbo patted him on the head and left to help set up the camp easily shouldering Ori's work as well as his own. Mischief back in his mind he was sure to muttered or whine about the work when ever he was near Thorin, pretended to be embarrassed around Balin, Oin and Gloin, frowned repeatedly at Gandalf and Dwalin, nodded demurely at Dori, waved across camp at Bofur and Bifur, then dragged Nori across to sit and help Bombur all the while grinning manically when he caught the eye of Fili and Kili. By the time the company had sat down to eat and Ori had been dragged from his drawings by Dori, the Durin brothers were a bundle of nerves. Bilbo tried not to chuckle at the worried expressions they were throwing him and while he sat where everyone could see merely (at first) smiled innocently at them and the later on shuffled (seemingly nervously) closer to Bombur and Nori. As the dwarfs got more rowdy around the campfire and Nori was set for first watch Bilbo disappeared into the shadows surrounding the camp. Nori watched how he silently slipped unnoticed away from the group of dwarfs and smiled innocently back at the hobbit when he realised Bilbo was regarding him with a glint in his eye. Ori received a note and subtly read it as he ate the broth Bombur had made, his face carefully blank as he appeared to be studying something in his journal all the while his brain was dancing with glee at Bilbo's slight modification to their plans. Ori was pleased Bilbo had included only him in these as it helped Ori himself out as well, without revealing his rather more interesting side to, well, anyone. Fili and Kili's bedrolls were moved ever so slightly closer together, not so that it would be noticeable to the naked eye but definitely closer together. Ori kept a blank face complimenting Bombur on the stew and surprising Dori by (politely) asking if he could possibly have some more. Several sheets of parchment were lifted from Ori's pack and soon it's new owners had interesting drawings concealed within their packs (both Bilbo and Ori had worked on the drawings so the style could not be traced back to them). Nori had lost sight of the hobbit and was shifting nervously trying to find the smaller man when a gentle hand on his arm nearly made him shriek, only the small hand over his mouth stopping it escaping. He was quickly disarmed and the gentle chuckle in his ear made him relax. "Dammit Master Baggins," he panted when the hand was removed. He turned to face the hobbit, " Give a dwarf a heart attack why don't you." He grinned as Bilbo merely stuck his tongue out handing the dagger back carefully, "I wouldn't have thought you knew how to do things like that," Nori continued watching Bilbo carefully, when the hobbit merely shrugged Nori allowed himself to relax fully. "What can I help you with Master Baggins?" A slender eyebrow went up as Bilbo merely smiled disarmingly at him before handing him a bowl of stew. Nori mentally groaned and slapped himself before raising his eyes to find the hobbit already gone. Across the camp Nori's bedroll was being laid out by his young brother and Nori smiled at the tenderness he was shown. Soon all the dwarfs turned in for the night and Nori was bored and getting irritated. The night was quiet, the stars were covered by a thin layer of clouds and nearly everyone bar his baby brother and Master Baggins snored. Even Bifur and Thorin breathed heavily he decided. The Durin brothers he realised didn't seem to be asleep from the lack part conversations taking place, he turned to look at them and promptly looked away with a blush, it was unseemly to be curled around someone else like that. Bofur was sprawled out on his back, hat still on his head, Nori's brother Dori was curled up neatly on his side and Gloin was, Nori had to rub his eyes and even then struggled to believe what he was seeing, Gloin was breathing in moths and breathing them out alive.

Morning eventually came around and the company awoke gradually, each setting about their own tasks. Bilbo and Ori outwardly stubbornly refused to wake at such an hour caught each other's eye across the camp. Soon muffled curses had them sitting bolt upright and staring in alarm. Practice had them hiding victorious grins easily as Fili and Kili, who had obviously woke up cuddled together gave a great shriek and jumped apart. Fili blushed first as he realised he was sitting on the ground outside his bedroll in naught but a pair of under trousers. Kili soon matched and had Dwalin's angry shout not distracted the group the brothers would have probably dug themselves a hole in the ground to hide in. Ori and Bilbo turned their eyes to a cursing Dwalin, raising identical eyebrows as they did (Gandalf gulped and backed away). Dwalin was gesturing at the garland of small purple and yellow flowers neatly wrapped around the head of his war hammer. A shriek from Dori had all eyes turning to the oldest Ri brother and his flushed face and dilated pupils as he stared at the parchment he held had Ori and Bilbo biting the inside of their cheek. Nori was staring at his older brother in suspicion and with his tri-pointed hair lopsided and threaded with blades of grass. Balin's yelp again had all currently unaffected members of the company turning towards him, suspicion crossing their minds as he showed an innocent face one hand held casually behind his back. Oin banging his head of the ground he was lying on as he stared at a crumpled sheet of parchment went unnoticed as Bifur let out a stream of Kuzdul and grinned happily, folding his own bit of parchment and pocketing it. Bofur was giggling uncontrollably next to his cousin a sheet of parchment held loosely in his hands and a blush staining his cheeks. Thorin's out burst made Ori and Bilbo jump and the looked up to see the dwarf king's cheeks flush brilliantly as he stared at the delicate purple and yellow flower he'd plucked from his braids. Deciding to start moving Ori and Bilbo turned from the rest of the company and let out twin yelps of surprise when they found a single large spider sitting in the top of their packs, they eyed each other, that definitely wasn't part of the plan. Gloin and Bombur turned in dread towards their own packs after finding or their weapons weren't festooned in flowers, their packs seemed to hold no surprises either and they glanced nervously at the group behind them. Well if no-one else was going to noticed they'd been sparred they were not bringing attention to the fact. A sly glance at Thorin's face as he removed violets from his hair had them hurrying to help get the company moving before they gave in to hysterical laughter.