There are really very many fairy stories in hobbit culture that have to do with soul mates and the adventures they had together (at least they were considered adventures to hobbits, though perhaps no one else would think them as such). Many of these contained a respectable hobbit who ventured out on a white steed to find his damsel in distress in the hour of need. In some a hobbit lass was called out in the dead of night still in her flowing night gown to put out fires and ward off thieves. All these Bilbo could recite from heart despite his bad memory (such was his love of all things book). The most unbelievable of all of them, however, was the ones where soul mates searched out the other through connections not yet established. So unbelievable were these that even some hobbits thought them to be a falsehood. No way could someone leave their physical body behind in search of another.

But Bilbo was of the mind that even fairy stories were based in fact.

Of course, he was not the only one who thought this was a possibility. There had been many a hobbit who had attempted such a feat (impatient as they were to find their True Love) and many had been lost to it. They would slip asleep one night, never to return again the next day. Those hobbits were considered even more unfortunate than the Unlucky Ones. For, though their spirit was gone, their bodies remained to rest. Some people held out hope for many days, waiting for them to awaken one fateful morning with news of a soulmate far away in one direction or another, but eventually they would all be abandoned. Left alone to whither slowly away in their beds.

Needless to say, Bilbo had always been cautious of trying such a thing. He was a patient hobbit and his father had always said "All good things to those who wait." He had always promised himself that he would never attempt such a thing unless at the end of most need.

"Perhaps I can find out where they went?" Bilbo whispered. Perhaps this did not count as the end of most need, but it was all Bilbo had to offer to make up for his horrible folly.

"How would you do that?" Asked Frerin.

Bilbo thought for a moment. He was in no mood to weave words now, nor was his mind in any state to do such faithfully. Yet he still could not say the truth either. "I cannot say." He said at last, flinching when Vili shifted. The dwarf had always been suspicious of him and would surely hate that Bilbo was not forthcoming. Being currently in Vili's arms, Bilbo was not in the best of places to anger the dwarf. "It's a secret."

Frerin looked up at Vili. His eyes weren't narrowed in suspicion. Nor did Vili burst out in rage as Bilbo had expected he would do. They just looked at each other in a silent communication for a moment before Vili looked back at Bilbo.

"But you're sure that you will point us in the right direction?" Frerin asked.

"I promise I won't mislead you this time," Bilbo said. He hadn't really misled them the first time, for course, but it could be considered as such if you took into account where he had lead them. It was a bad idea from the very beginning and he never should have risked it and that was what he would consider as misleading.

"We believe you," said Frerin after another meaningful glance to Vili. "You've led us this far. There's no reason we shouldn't trust you now."

Bilbo bit his lip. This dwarf was too kind. He did not deserve such forgiveness and yet this dwarf offered it to him freely. Such was meant to be returned with every good will Bilbo could muster. Perhaps he would whip up a proper feast (if they should ever get to a place that they could settle down) with his most favoritest of desserts from fruits grown from his very garden. There's no better sign of good wishes, his mother had always said, than to wish someone fat and lazy from a warm hearth and good food.

Ah, but of course he might have to make a new garden. That is if he never went home again. He should very much like to go home again, of course, but it would be a small sacrifice to spend the rest of his days with his soulmate. It shouldn't take long to remake his garden anyway. He might not have quite the green thumb as his master gardener, but Bilbo did at least fancy himself to be rather good at growing vegetables and other such things. And if he really tried hard he could grow a rather decent bed of flowers, though he much preferred to leave all that up that his capable gardener.

"Bilbo?" Frerin said, pulling Bilbo from his thoughts about gardens and the foods he could make from them.

"Yes!" Bilbo said.

"Is there anything we should know?" He asked. "Or anything at all you can tell us?"

"I can't tell you anything yet," Bilbo said after a moment's thought (he didn't, after all, have anything to tell). It's not like he could just pull the location of his soulmate out of the tip of his hat (he wasn't even wearing a hat) at the drop of a coin. It would take time (if he managed it at all). "But I will tell you as soon as I have any word of it."

"That's not what I was asking," Frerin said with a shake of his head. "Is there anything that you need to find them or something? I know your method is a secret, but we would like to help however possible."

"Oh," Bilbo said. He hadn't even thought about that. If he had been talking to a hobbit they would have immediately tried to convince him against trying such a folly and he had (in he back of his mind) kind of expected the dwarves to do the same. Of course, they couldn't warn him against doing something they knew nothing about. "Well, I don't think there is anything as such. At least nothing you can do for me now of course. I'll need your help for a bit while I look, but of course I haven't started doing that yet. And you don't honestly have to help me. I mean you would have to take me with you if you want my information, but I'm sure Oin would be plenty capable of taking care of me while I look. I mean if he doesn't mind of course. Though with how often he keeps watching me I doubt he would mind anything. I mean maybe he will. Oh I don't know."

"What can we do?" Frerin asked, cutting off Bilbo's nervous ranting, "while your searching," he clarified before Bilbo went off again about not needing the help currently.

"Well it's really not anything much," Bilbo said, "and honestly, you could ask one of the others to do it if your too busy. I wouldn't mind at all."

"Bilbo," Frerin said.

"It's just that I probably won't wake for some time," Bilbo said. "Searching is a rather complicated business and it takes quite a long time to accomplish. Especially if the other person is quite a long ways away. So I would need someone to take care of my body while I'm away."

"While you're away?" Frerin asked with a raised brow.

"Don't mind that," Bilbo said waving his hand dismissively. He was already too deep in thought about his planning to even be worried about his own wordings anyway. "I don't expect you to carry me the whole way there of course, but Myrtle is such a good girl that I should be able to ride her even without waking. She would never throw me. Well except the once, but I'm sure that was my own fault, so you really can't blame her. No. The only thing that I would really need, I'm sure, is food. Food, I'll have you know, is very important to a hobbit, and I shall waste away if I do not have it. Oh, but I suppose I won't be able to make you all any food for some time now. That is such a shame. I truly enjoy making food for everyone. Will you apologize to them for me? Oh I do feel horrible about it. Perhaps I can make a big feast tonight before I go Searching. Oh, but I can't do that without using up all of our stores and that is completely out of the question of course. I'll just have to make sure that it's extra delicious."

"So you just need us to feed you?" Frerin asked.

"Of course," Bilbo said. He opened his mouth to start again on his rambling, but this time Vili interrupted.

"Do you at least have some idea of how long you will be gone?" He asked.

Bilbo pouted at the rude dwarf. If he had any idea, he would have of course told them, but even he wasn't sure how long a Search would take (if he could even accomplish it). It's not like he had actually ever heard of it succeeding in the past.

"We need to know if there is something wrong," Vili continued.

"Well," Bilbo said, surprised that Vili's words were based on concern rather than suspicious, "I only know that it'll take a very long time. Hopefully it shouldn't be too long as I don't want to keep you all waiting of course, but it won't be a short time either. In fact, you should probably continue traveling to somewhere safe while I search. Just in case, you know."

"Just in case of what?" Vili asked.

"Just in case," Bilbo replied. He might have crossed his arms and turned away from the stubborn dwarf if he weren't currently on Vili's back, but as that was not an option, he simply turned his head up and away. He would not yield to Vili's questions.