Chapter Thirteen: Took Tea
A/N: Yep, a new chapter, finally. A few people were asking about the names that are in this story. I'm sorry about the wait, but look below this. Yes, this is starting to sound like a Romeo and Juliet, isn't it? Thank you for giving me an idea, Aruraya! Well, I won't have a Tybalt or a Count Paris in here at least, though you might spot a Mercutio. If you reviewed, in fact even if you are reading this, I can't thank you enough.
My names: Hildibrand Deeptunnel (a.k.a. Hildi), Palarhad Hozler, Marigold Erving, Terioloc and Perioloc, Para, Ms. Evangeline.
I think that's it. Anything else is Tolkien's, unless I confirm otherwise down the road. If you want to, you can use some of my names. Just notify me in some way that you are.
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'Merry wanted somebody to talk to, and he thought of Pippin. But that only increased his restlessness. Poor Pippin, shut up in the great city of stone, lonely and afraid. Merry wished he was a tall Rider like Éomer and could blow a horn or something and go galloping to his rescue.' -J. R. R. Tolkien Return Of The King, Chapter V 'The Ride Of The Rohirrim'
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"PIM!" Pearl, the oldest daughter of the Tooks, yelled as she opened the round door to her younger sister's bedroom. "Pim, come on. Da has something to tell us in the dining room!"
Pimpernel emerged out of her room and glanced obliquely at her sister. "What about?"
"Diddly if I know," Pearl replied, turning and starting for the dining room, her brown curls of hair flouncing behind her.
Pimpernel followed her, deciding to strike up conversation while they walked. "Where's Pervinca?"
"Vinca and Pippin are outside somewhere," she replied as Pimpernel caught up with her. "They'll probably be there when we arrive. Have you noticed how Pippin has been acting lately?"
"It has been a bit odd, I must admit. He barely talks anymore. Surprising for the chatterbox of the family, really. I barely see him anymore. He spends all day sitting on that bench beneath the linden tree, staring at the river." She looked up at Pearl as if she might know the reason but received a firm negative. "He's been so depressed lately. He won't see any of his friends, and he won't spend any time with us. I've been meaning to ask him about it."
Pearl smiled sadly, agreeing. "So have I, but I've just been too busy lately."
A grin lit up Pimpernel's face. "With Berilac?"
Pearl spun around and scowled. "How did you find out about that?" It was more of a demand than a question.
Her younger sister's face took on a true look of mischief and secrecy. "Oh, I have my ways, you know. After all, it isn't very hard to guess about you and him."
"Is it that obvious?" Pearl asked. She frowned at Pimpernel's nod and looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "Please don't tell anyone, Pim. I don't want Da finding out that I'm courting a Brandybuck."
Pimpernel held her hands out in the air in defense. "Oh, don't worry. I won't. I just find it odd that you are courting someone younger than I am."
"By one year!"
"So? That's a five-year difference between the two of you. That could tweak Da more than actually dating a Brandybuck. You know Da. He's a man of principle, of courtesy, of respect, and of dignity, especially. But you know he's only trying to look out for us. He's just doing what he thinks is best."
"It doesn't seem that way a lot of the time," Pearl remarked, scowling as she thought of her stubborn father.
Pimpernel gave a sad smile. "But it is. Da just doesn't want any of us to get hurt. He may seem unreasonable sometimes, but he's a good father, Pearl."
Pearl chuckled and looked over to her younger sister. "I can't believe that you are the voice of reason for once. You've really grown up from the girl I used to know."
Pimpernel only shook her head and laughed. She paused before slyly commenting, "Anyway, I hope you don't get caught, for my sake." She grinned in a cat-like way and continued on walking, picking up her pace.
"For your sake?" Pearl inquired, raising an eyebrow. Pimpernel smiled, but said no more.
When they arrived in the dining hall, Paladin Took was sitting at the end of the table, absently tapping the wood surface while looking at scraps of parchment. Eglantine sat to the left of him, while Pervinca and Pippin sat to his right. Pearl and Pimpernel sat down at the end, awaiting what he would say.
He looked up from the pages of writing that he was reading to his family and nodded, smiling at his children. "Well, I'm glad to see everyone is here. I have a very important announcement to make. Tonight we are going to be hosting a party."
Pearl smiled as she cast a furtive glance to her brother, sighing as she saw the unchanged look of boredom.
Without noticing the previous action, Paladin continued. "I would like you all to be ready by this afternoon, probably by five o'clock or so. The news has spread through half of the Shire, so we should be very busy. That gives us about five or six hours to prepare. So all of you hurry along now. Find something suitable to wear, and whatnot."
Pervinca stood and excitedly hugged him, and then took Pippin's hand and pulled him from the table back out to the yard. Pearl and Pimpernel stood as well and thanked him before rushing away to find dresses to wear for the evening.
Eglantine turned to her husband, smiling. "I'm so glad to see them happy again. How long has it been since we hosted a party, dear?"
Paladin returned her smile. "Too long. I did suppose you missed dancing with the most handsome hobbit in the shire?"
"Oh, Paladin, you clown," Eglantine lightheartedly chided, giving him a nudge. "Although you do seem a bit more handsome lately. I wouldn't mind a dance or five." She sighed contently and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before standing and rushing off to find a dress to wear.
"Did you hear that Pippin? A party! We haven't had a party here in years!" Pervinca remarked as she skipped down the yard and plopped down on the grass. Pippin calmly sat down next to her, thinking of something.
"You don't think he's invited any of the Brandybucks, do you?"
Realization crept up on Pervinca's face. "Probably not. I'm sorry, Pippin." She offered him a caring expression, but he was looking away. Sighing, she slung her arm around his shoulders and smiled at him when he turned to glance at her. "Let's go find you some clothes to wear, because you are going to be socializing tonight!"
"Who says so?" Pippin asked, one eyebrow raised as an increment to his already inquiring expression.
"I do, silly. Besides, you can impress some girls," she joked as she nudged his shoulder. He only woefully sighed and looked back out onto the river. Pervinca sighed, exasperated, and tugged Pippin's hand to stand up. "Well, come on!"
By two o'clock in the afternoon, both of them were satisfied with Pippin's evening apparel. They had argued for an hour on what jacket matched the shirt he had picked out, and then it all came down the trousers. Yet eventually they agreed and sat down to afternoon tea with Pearl.
Tea started off in silence, with each of them thinking to themselves for a while. Pervinca was the first to speak halfway through their delectable tea. "Pearl, do you have any jewelry I can borrow for tonight?"
Pearl nodded. "I suppose I do, though you can't take any of my necklaces." She glanced over to Pippin, who seemed to be thinking of something. "Pippin?"
"What?"
"Have you been feeling all right lately?"
Pervinca turned in her seat away from her older sister and put a hand to her mouth, trying not to show her obvious frown. Pippin only shrugged, replying nonchalantly, "Of course I have, Pearl. Why would you ask such a thing?"
Pearl shrugged, hiding her concern. "No reason. You've just been a bit quiet lately. I was wondering what was wrong."
He only smiled and shook his head vigorously as his brown curls of hair flopped about. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just growing up, I guess."
Pervinca turned back to them, deciding to change the subject. "Faster than I am, for sure. Hey Pearl, do you think that Hildibrand Deeptunnel will be here tonight?"
"Probably. Why would you-"
"No reason," she interrupted quickly, turning to Pippin and grinning playfully.
Catching the hint to leave it be, Pearl only chuckled and stood. "Well, I have to be going. Need to pick out a dress and all. I'll talk to you later, and lend you some jewelry perhaps." She smiled at Pippin and exited the room, leaving her younger siblings alone.
"That was close," Pippin stated as he traced the rim of his teacup.
"I'm glad to see she's concerned about you, at least."
Pippin looked up to her. "What?"
"Didn't you mean her asking about your welfare?"
"No, I meant she was close to finding about your crush on Hildibrand."
Pervinca shot up out of the lounge chair she was sitting in and scowled at him as menacingly as she could, which didn't amount to much menace upon her pretty face. "I do NOT like Hildibrand! He's just a friend. Besides he's way too old for me."
Laughing, Pippin shook his head. "Then why did you ask about him?"
She went slightly red in the face and looked up to the ceiling for help, not knowing what to say. "Well, I-uh, I... You'll find out later." She sat back down and took another sip of her tea. After a quiet moment, she spoke again. "Pearl should know, though."
"Know what? About Merry and I? Even I don't understand my situation, Vinca. Besides, even if she did know she would argue to Da about it and make things worse than they already are. So would Pimpernel." Pippin shook his head. "I have to figure out a way to do this on my own, without their help. That way I can prove that I'm responsible and that I'm growing up, and maybe I'll have a better chance of seeing Merry again."
Pervinca nodded. "All right, Pippin, but if this gets any worse I'm telling Ma!"
"Cousin Meriadoc!" shouted a very excited hobbit lad from his spot on the doorstep of Brandy Hall as a carriage pulled up at the end of the pathway.
"Berilac! I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"
Berilac stood and raced over to Merry, who had just stepped out of the carriage door. He embraced him briefly and started pulling him towards the door of Brandy Hall. "Oh, I'm this and that you know. Feeling funnier than the next person."
Merry laughed and nodded. "Oh, of course." He looked around as Berilac pulled him through the front hall. Shrugging his wrist out of his cousin's strong grip, he stopped and inhaled a deep breath of air. "Ah, home. The most beautiful place on Middle Earth." He smiled and looked at Berilac, who was watching him with a thinking countenance spreading across his face. Meriadoc grew suddenly uncomfortable under his cousin's sweeping gaze and cocked his head to the side. "What?"
Berilac just shook his head and smiled. "Merry, how would you like to attend a party tonight?"
A/N: Yep, a new chapter, finally. A few people were asking about the names that are in this story. I'm sorry about the wait, but look below this. Yes, this is starting to sound like a Romeo and Juliet, isn't it? Thank you for giving me an idea, Aruraya! Well, I won't have a Tybalt or a Count Paris in here at least, though you might spot a Mercutio. If you reviewed, in fact even if you are reading this, I can't thank you enough.
My names: Hildibrand Deeptunnel (a.k.a. Hildi), Palarhad Hozler, Marigold Erving, Terioloc and Perioloc, Para, Ms. Evangeline.
I think that's it. Anything else is Tolkien's, unless I confirm otherwise down the road. If you want to, you can use some of my names. Just notify me in some way that you are.
************************
'Merry wanted somebody to talk to, and he thought of Pippin. But that only increased his restlessness. Poor Pippin, shut up in the great city of stone, lonely and afraid. Merry wished he was a tall Rider like Éomer and could blow a horn or something and go galloping to his rescue.' -J. R. R. Tolkien Return Of The King, Chapter V 'The Ride Of The Rohirrim'
************************
"PIM!" Pearl, the oldest daughter of the Tooks, yelled as she opened the round door to her younger sister's bedroom. "Pim, come on. Da has something to tell us in the dining room!"
Pimpernel emerged out of her room and glanced obliquely at her sister. "What about?"
"Diddly if I know," Pearl replied, turning and starting for the dining room, her brown curls of hair flouncing behind her.
Pimpernel followed her, deciding to strike up conversation while they walked. "Where's Pervinca?"
"Vinca and Pippin are outside somewhere," she replied as Pimpernel caught up with her. "They'll probably be there when we arrive. Have you noticed how Pippin has been acting lately?"
"It has been a bit odd, I must admit. He barely talks anymore. Surprising for the chatterbox of the family, really. I barely see him anymore. He spends all day sitting on that bench beneath the linden tree, staring at the river." She looked up at Pearl as if she might know the reason but received a firm negative. "He's been so depressed lately. He won't see any of his friends, and he won't spend any time with us. I've been meaning to ask him about it."
Pearl smiled sadly, agreeing. "So have I, but I've just been too busy lately."
A grin lit up Pimpernel's face. "With Berilac?"
Pearl spun around and scowled. "How did you find out about that?" It was more of a demand than a question.
Her younger sister's face took on a true look of mischief and secrecy. "Oh, I have my ways, you know. After all, it isn't very hard to guess about you and him."
"Is it that obvious?" Pearl asked. She frowned at Pimpernel's nod and looked around to make sure no one was listening in on their conversation. "Please don't tell anyone, Pim. I don't want Da finding out that I'm courting a Brandybuck."
Pimpernel held her hands out in the air in defense. "Oh, don't worry. I won't. I just find it odd that you are courting someone younger than I am."
"By one year!"
"So? That's a five-year difference between the two of you. That could tweak Da more than actually dating a Brandybuck. You know Da. He's a man of principle, of courtesy, of respect, and of dignity, especially. But you know he's only trying to look out for us. He's just doing what he thinks is best."
"It doesn't seem that way a lot of the time," Pearl remarked, scowling as she thought of her stubborn father.
Pimpernel gave a sad smile. "But it is. Da just doesn't want any of us to get hurt. He may seem unreasonable sometimes, but he's a good father, Pearl."
Pearl chuckled and looked over to her younger sister. "I can't believe that you are the voice of reason for once. You've really grown up from the girl I used to know."
Pimpernel only shook her head and laughed. She paused before slyly commenting, "Anyway, I hope you don't get caught, for my sake." She grinned in a cat-like way and continued on walking, picking up her pace.
"For your sake?" Pearl inquired, raising an eyebrow. Pimpernel smiled, but said no more.
When they arrived in the dining hall, Paladin Took was sitting at the end of the table, absently tapping the wood surface while looking at scraps of parchment. Eglantine sat to the left of him, while Pervinca and Pippin sat to his right. Pearl and Pimpernel sat down at the end, awaiting what he would say.
He looked up from the pages of writing that he was reading to his family and nodded, smiling at his children. "Well, I'm glad to see everyone is here. I have a very important announcement to make. Tonight we are going to be hosting a party."
Pearl smiled as she cast a furtive glance to her brother, sighing as she saw the unchanged look of boredom.
Without noticing the previous action, Paladin continued. "I would like you all to be ready by this afternoon, probably by five o'clock or so. The news has spread through half of the Shire, so we should be very busy. That gives us about five or six hours to prepare. So all of you hurry along now. Find something suitable to wear, and whatnot."
Pervinca stood and excitedly hugged him, and then took Pippin's hand and pulled him from the table back out to the yard. Pearl and Pimpernel stood as well and thanked him before rushing away to find dresses to wear for the evening.
Eglantine turned to her husband, smiling. "I'm so glad to see them happy again. How long has it been since we hosted a party, dear?"
Paladin returned her smile. "Too long. I did suppose you missed dancing with the most handsome hobbit in the shire?"
"Oh, Paladin, you clown," Eglantine lightheartedly chided, giving him a nudge. "Although you do seem a bit more handsome lately. I wouldn't mind a dance or five." She sighed contently and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before standing and rushing off to find a dress to wear.
"Did you hear that Pippin? A party! We haven't had a party here in years!" Pervinca remarked as she skipped down the yard and plopped down on the grass. Pippin calmly sat down next to her, thinking of something.
"You don't think he's invited any of the Brandybucks, do you?"
Realization crept up on Pervinca's face. "Probably not. I'm sorry, Pippin." She offered him a caring expression, but he was looking away. Sighing, she slung her arm around his shoulders and smiled at him when he turned to glance at her. "Let's go find you some clothes to wear, because you are going to be socializing tonight!"
"Who says so?" Pippin asked, one eyebrow raised as an increment to his already inquiring expression.
"I do, silly. Besides, you can impress some girls," she joked as she nudged his shoulder. He only woefully sighed and looked back out onto the river. Pervinca sighed, exasperated, and tugged Pippin's hand to stand up. "Well, come on!"
By two o'clock in the afternoon, both of them were satisfied with Pippin's evening apparel. They had argued for an hour on what jacket matched the shirt he had picked out, and then it all came down the trousers. Yet eventually they agreed and sat down to afternoon tea with Pearl.
Tea started off in silence, with each of them thinking to themselves for a while. Pervinca was the first to speak halfway through their delectable tea. "Pearl, do you have any jewelry I can borrow for tonight?"
Pearl nodded. "I suppose I do, though you can't take any of my necklaces." She glanced over to Pippin, who seemed to be thinking of something. "Pippin?"
"What?"
"Have you been feeling all right lately?"
Pervinca turned in her seat away from her older sister and put a hand to her mouth, trying not to show her obvious frown. Pippin only shrugged, replying nonchalantly, "Of course I have, Pearl. Why would you ask such a thing?"
Pearl shrugged, hiding her concern. "No reason. You've just been a bit quiet lately. I was wondering what was wrong."
He only smiled and shook his head vigorously as his brown curls of hair flopped about. "Nothing's wrong. I'm just growing up, I guess."
Pervinca turned back to them, deciding to change the subject. "Faster than I am, for sure. Hey Pearl, do you think that Hildibrand Deeptunnel will be here tonight?"
"Probably. Why would you-"
"No reason," she interrupted quickly, turning to Pippin and grinning playfully.
Catching the hint to leave it be, Pearl only chuckled and stood. "Well, I have to be going. Need to pick out a dress and all. I'll talk to you later, and lend you some jewelry perhaps." She smiled at Pippin and exited the room, leaving her younger siblings alone.
"That was close," Pippin stated as he traced the rim of his teacup.
"I'm glad to see she's concerned about you, at least."
Pippin looked up to her. "What?"
"Didn't you mean her asking about your welfare?"
"No, I meant she was close to finding about your crush on Hildibrand."
Pervinca shot up out of the lounge chair she was sitting in and scowled at him as menacingly as she could, which didn't amount to much menace upon her pretty face. "I do NOT like Hildibrand! He's just a friend. Besides he's way too old for me."
Laughing, Pippin shook his head. "Then why did you ask about him?"
She went slightly red in the face and looked up to the ceiling for help, not knowing what to say. "Well, I-uh, I... You'll find out later." She sat back down and took another sip of her tea. After a quiet moment, she spoke again. "Pearl should know, though."
"Know what? About Merry and I? Even I don't understand my situation, Vinca. Besides, even if she did know she would argue to Da about it and make things worse than they already are. So would Pimpernel." Pippin shook his head. "I have to figure out a way to do this on my own, without their help. That way I can prove that I'm responsible and that I'm growing up, and maybe I'll have a better chance of seeing Merry again."
Pervinca nodded. "All right, Pippin, but if this gets any worse I'm telling Ma!"
"Cousin Meriadoc!" shouted a very excited hobbit lad from his spot on the doorstep of Brandy Hall as a carriage pulled up at the end of the pathway.
"Berilac! I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"
Berilac stood and raced over to Merry, who had just stepped out of the carriage door. He embraced him briefly and started pulling him towards the door of Brandy Hall. "Oh, I'm this and that you know. Feeling funnier than the next person."
Merry laughed and nodded. "Oh, of course." He looked around as Berilac pulled him through the front hall. Shrugging his wrist out of his cousin's strong grip, he stopped and inhaled a deep breath of air. "Ah, home. The most beautiful place on Middle Earth." He smiled and looked at Berilac, who was watching him with a thinking countenance spreading across his face. Meriadoc grew suddenly uncomfortable under his cousin's sweeping gaze and cocked his head to the side. "What?"
Berilac just shook his head and smiled. "Merry, how would you like to attend a party tonight?"