A/N: Wheeee! Reviewers! Now a really long author's note...
Estella Brandybuck: Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! *hugs* you were my very first reviewer, how cool is that? I like your name, by the way, lol. You rock!
Call Me Celeb: Hehe, glad you like it. I have posted; rejoice and let thy heart be glad! Hehe, honestly, though, thank you! I try ;-)
Jedi-Baggins: Thank you for pointing that out! I guess I was having an elf moment there, just kind of spacing off. I did fix it, though (huzzah!). As for the parentheses things, that's a glitch, I guess. I had them as apostrophes but FF.N changed them (much to my annoyance). By the way, Krutch and Relient K are two of my favorite bands too, though I've only heard Superchic[k] once or twice. Ever heard of Five Iron Frenzy? They rock my socks. Sorry, I'm rambling. Thank you!
Just a brief note: the character of Peony is based loosely on my best friend (whose Hobbit name is Peony Underhill) so that's where her name and personality came from, if you were wondering. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After Estella had been successfully revived, Fatty calmed and changed out of his sodden pants, and Peony had come out of her hysterics, the four of them were sitting comfortably in a wooden carriage, waiting to depart.
It was cooling off considerably and the crickets had come out and began their nightly jig; the stars were just beginning to peek out of the curtain of dusk. Estella, leaning out of her window, sighed, a whisper of a noise barely audible to any but her own ears. The world was at it's most beautiful now, the trees black against a slowly darkening sky, the remnants of a golden sunset splayed in the west.
A sudden jolt stirred her from her thoughts and she heard Peony laugh nervously from within. Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled herself back to the carriage scene. Peony and Fredegar had insisted upon sitting together on one side of the carriage, and Estella strongly suspected it was only for their enjoyment. Then again, she thought with grim satisfaction, Merry doesn't look too happy either.
It was not a long ride, and the quartet arrived at Brandy Hall sooner than expected. A few guests milled about the lawns, attempting, most likely, to look important. Estella noticed vaguely the richness of their attire, the elegance in which they carried themselves. They must be dancers, she thought. Then a thought struck her.
She couldn't dance.
A few older hobbits, sitting on an old wooden seat on the front lawn of the luxurious Brandy Hall grounds, were sharing stories and a bag of pipeweed when Peregrin Took, grinning hugely at the sight of his cousin, vaulted between them, landing unceremoniously on the ground. He scrambled to his feet, smoothing his clothes as he bolted towards Merry.
Diamond North-took rolled her eyes, sighed, and walked around the bench, apologizing profusely to the old disgruntled gentlehobbits. They waved their hands dismissively, said it was no problem, pinched her cheeks, and sent her on her way. Diamond wondered just how much pipeweed they'd had to not notice a fully-grown hobbit launching himself over them. She apologized again and followed after her irrepressible escort.
"Peony!" Estella hissed, grabbing her friends arm. Peony turned her attention from Fatty, holding up a finger to show him she'd only be a moment, and mouthed, "what?" She didn't look exactly pleased that Estella had interrupted them. Fatty, however, looked crestfallen for only a moment before turning to Merry (who was currently being prodded, poked, and joked at by his cousin Peregrin). Estella rolled her eyes and dragged her friend over to an empty corner.
Estella, took a deep breath and said, "I have to leave. Now." "But why?" Peony said, sounding like a child torn from their toy. Obviously, she didn't want to leave.
"I...well, I probably could, but... I mean, I can't... well, it's not that I can't... actually, I can't ... But I don't want to anyway, so-" "Estella Rosamunda Bolger, what in Arda are you talking about!?" Estella took another a deep breath, then pulled Peony in closer. "I... well... I can't dance." Her eyes flew immediately downward, her face a glorious shade of rose.
Peony blinked.
Peony snorted.
Peony started laughing so hard she fell over.
"I fail to see what is so funny about this," Estella said through clenched teeth. Peony's laughter subsided into giggles, and, wiping tears from her eyes, she managed to snicker out, "Stelly, have you no thought in that head of yours? You've known for over a week you were going to a party- a dancing party- and it just strikes you now that you don't know how to dance?" She succumbed to laughter once again.
Estella smiled a little, ruefully. It was true, she could be rather forgetful at times. But how in the world had she missed this major detail? She had had everything planned out perfectly. It was, after all, her first dance, and a part of her was incredibly excited.
"Well, there's no way 'round it," Peony declared. Estella sighed in relief. She could go home.
"You'll need lessons!" Peony squealed, holding Estella firmly by the hand and searching for any empty room in which to instruct Estella. Racing from room to room and muttering to herself, Peony was making enough of a spectacle of herself to get anyone's attention. Fortunately, though, that attention came in the form of Diamond, who (being rather exasperated with Pippin) had come to have a nice chat, and, moreover, get away from the now- abandoned escorts. One can hardly blame her.
"Savior!" Estella cried rapturously as Diamond rounded on them. As they had never been introduced before, Diamond was more than a little surprised when the older lass flung her arms around Diamond's neck. "I'm guessing you would be Estella..." Diamond said into her shoulder. "What's that, dear?" Estella asked, pulling away from her. Diamond cleared her throat and looked at Estella form under raised eyebrows for a moment before speaking. Estella took the point and blushed a little.
"I said, I'm guessing you would be Estella." "That would be quite right," Peony said curtly. "And I am Peony of the Underhills. Who, then, does that leave you to be, and why were you interrupting our dance lesson?" she stressed the last two words. Diamond's brow furrowed. "Dance... lessons?" she asked, smirking. "Isn't that a little... err... impromptu?"
Peony let out a little giggle. "more than impromptu. Out Stelly here apparently didn't think there would be dancing at this particular dancing party." Diamond laughed as well. "I'm Diamond," she stated factually. "A North-Took of Long Cleeve, if you will. You can call me Di, if you like, most of my friends do." She stuck out her hand, then looked down at it, winced, drew it back, and dropped a curtsy instead.
Estella was laughing now. "No need for formalities, Di dear," she said, taking to the girl right away. Taking to her so much, in fact, she seized Diamond's hand and pumped it vigorously for a few seconds, then dropped it.
"Girls, girls, the time!" Peony cried, looking at Earendil making his way across the sky. "We've only half an hour before the dancing begins!" Again, she seized Estella's hand and motioned for Diamond to take the other, which she promptly did. As the two more experienced girls carted her along, Estella felt as though she were being led to her doom.
Estella Brandybuck: Thank you! Thank you! THANK YOU! *hugs* you were my very first reviewer, how cool is that? I like your name, by the way, lol. You rock!
Call Me Celeb: Hehe, glad you like it. I have posted; rejoice and let thy heart be glad! Hehe, honestly, though, thank you! I try ;-)
Jedi-Baggins: Thank you for pointing that out! I guess I was having an elf moment there, just kind of spacing off. I did fix it, though (huzzah!). As for the parentheses things, that's a glitch, I guess. I had them as apostrophes but FF.N changed them (much to my annoyance). By the way, Krutch and Relient K are two of my favorite bands too, though I've only heard Superchic[k] once or twice. Ever heard of Five Iron Frenzy? They rock my socks. Sorry, I'm rambling. Thank you!
Just a brief note: the character of Peony is based loosely on my best friend (whose Hobbit name is Peony Underhill) so that's where her name and personality came from, if you were wondering. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After Estella had been successfully revived, Fatty calmed and changed out of his sodden pants, and Peony had come out of her hysterics, the four of them were sitting comfortably in a wooden carriage, waiting to depart.
It was cooling off considerably and the crickets had come out and began their nightly jig; the stars were just beginning to peek out of the curtain of dusk. Estella, leaning out of her window, sighed, a whisper of a noise barely audible to any but her own ears. The world was at it's most beautiful now, the trees black against a slowly darkening sky, the remnants of a golden sunset splayed in the west.
A sudden jolt stirred her from her thoughts and she heard Peony laugh nervously from within. Slowly, reluctantly, she pulled herself back to the carriage scene. Peony and Fredegar had insisted upon sitting together on one side of the carriage, and Estella strongly suspected it was only for their enjoyment. Then again, she thought with grim satisfaction, Merry doesn't look too happy either.
It was not a long ride, and the quartet arrived at Brandy Hall sooner than expected. A few guests milled about the lawns, attempting, most likely, to look important. Estella noticed vaguely the richness of their attire, the elegance in which they carried themselves. They must be dancers, she thought. Then a thought struck her.
She couldn't dance.
A few older hobbits, sitting on an old wooden seat on the front lawn of the luxurious Brandy Hall grounds, were sharing stories and a bag of pipeweed when Peregrin Took, grinning hugely at the sight of his cousin, vaulted between them, landing unceremoniously on the ground. He scrambled to his feet, smoothing his clothes as he bolted towards Merry.
Diamond North-took rolled her eyes, sighed, and walked around the bench, apologizing profusely to the old disgruntled gentlehobbits. They waved their hands dismissively, said it was no problem, pinched her cheeks, and sent her on her way. Diamond wondered just how much pipeweed they'd had to not notice a fully-grown hobbit launching himself over them. She apologized again and followed after her irrepressible escort.
"Peony!" Estella hissed, grabbing her friends arm. Peony turned her attention from Fatty, holding up a finger to show him she'd only be a moment, and mouthed, "what?" She didn't look exactly pleased that Estella had interrupted them. Fatty, however, looked crestfallen for only a moment before turning to Merry (who was currently being prodded, poked, and joked at by his cousin Peregrin). Estella rolled her eyes and dragged her friend over to an empty corner.
Estella, took a deep breath and said, "I have to leave. Now." "But why?" Peony said, sounding like a child torn from their toy. Obviously, she didn't want to leave.
"I...well, I probably could, but... I mean, I can't... well, it's not that I can't... actually, I can't ... But I don't want to anyway, so-" "Estella Rosamunda Bolger, what in Arda are you talking about!?" Estella took another a deep breath, then pulled Peony in closer. "I... well... I can't dance." Her eyes flew immediately downward, her face a glorious shade of rose.
Peony blinked.
Peony snorted.
Peony started laughing so hard she fell over.
"I fail to see what is so funny about this," Estella said through clenched teeth. Peony's laughter subsided into giggles, and, wiping tears from her eyes, she managed to snicker out, "Stelly, have you no thought in that head of yours? You've known for over a week you were going to a party- a dancing party- and it just strikes you now that you don't know how to dance?" She succumbed to laughter once again.
Estella smiled a little, ruefully. It was true, she could be rather forgetful at times. But how in the world had she missed this major detail? She had had everything planned out perfectly. It was, after all, her first dance, and a part of her was incredibly excited.
"Well, there's no way 'round it," Peony declared. Estella sighed in relief. She could go home.
"You'll need lessons!" Peony squealed, holding Estella firmly by the hand and searching for any empty room in which to instruct Estella. Racing from room to room and muttering to herself, Peony was making enough of a spectacle of herself to get anyone's attention. Fortunately, though, that attention came in the form of Diamond, who (being rather exasperated with Pippin) had come to have a nice chat, and, moreover, get away from the now- abandoned escorts. One can hardly blame her.
"Savior!" Estella cried rapturously as Diamond rounded on them. As they had never been introduced before, Diamond was more than a little surprised when the older lass flung her arms around Diamond's neck. "I'm guessing you would be Estella..." Diamond said into her shoulder. "What's that, dear?" Estella asked, pulling away from her. Diamond cleared her throat and looked at Estella form under raised eyebrows for a moment before speaking. Estella took the point and blushed a little.
"I said, I'm guessing you would be Estella." "That would be quite right," Peony said curtly. "And I am Peony of the Underhills. Who, then, does that leave you to be, and why were you interrupting our dance lesson?" she stressed the last two words. Diamond's brow furrowed. "Dance... lessons?" she asked, smirking. "Isn't that a little... err... impromptu?"
Peony let out a little giggle. "more than impromptu. Out Stelly here apparently didn't think there would be dancing at this particular dancing party." Diamond laughed as well. "I'm Diamond," she stated factually. "A North-Took of Long Cleeve, if you will. You can call me Di, if you like, most of my friends do." She stuck out her hand, then looked down at it, winced, drew it back, and dropped a curtsy instead.
Estella was laughing now. "No need for formalities, Di dear," she said, taking to the girl right away. Taking to her so much, in fact, she seized Diamond's hand and pumped it vigorously for a few seconds, then dropped it.
"Girls, girls, the time!" Peony cried, looking at Earendil making his way across the sky. "We've only half an hour before the dancing begins!" Again, she seized Estella's hand and motioned for Diamond to take the other, which she promptly did. As the two more experienced girls carted her along, Estella felt as though she were being led to her doom.
