The meeting with Galadriel turns out to be a bust. The elven woman can't help her, can't really tell Rose why she's here and only hints that maybe some higher power in this world pulled her from her own, which, you know, isn't exactly comforting. Thankfully the woman promises to continue looking into the situation and doesn't take offense - or much offense, Rose really can't tell - when Rose asks the stunning blonde to keep everything she knows about Rose's situation to herself and Elrond. No one else needs to know and it might be weird to ask that of a woman who would probably decimate Rose in under three seconds but it's the only thing she has going for her. Whatever protection keeping the Lady of Lorien quiet may give her is more protection than Rose would've had otherwise.

Still, it's upsetting that Galadriel hadn't been able to tell her anything. Rose has to remind herself that despite everyone's regard for her, the other woman isn't all powerful or some sort of god. It helps to keep the bitterness Rose is feeling directed away from the older woman. There's no reason for Rose to feel betrayed by Galadriel, it's not like the other woman is keeping Rose here on purpose. She seemed to genuinely feel for Rose, going so far as to promise her aid should it ever be needed. While the morning they'd shared together with Elrond hadn't been pleasant due to the fact that Rose is still stuck here the witch can't bring herself to feel resentful or act nastily toward anyone involved with her situation. Because at the end of the day the person who got her into this mess is herself. Taking her frustration out on someone else isn't going to make her feel better, if anything, it's only going to make her feel worse. Rose knew the chances of not being able to go home. Fifty-fifty. Either Galadriel was going to be able to help her or she wasn't and it just turns out that luck isn't on Rose's side today. It's not fine, nothing about this is fine, but Rose is safe and she's got people in her corner. Arwen and Lindir are especially good at keeping her from slipping off into dark thoughts, even Glorfindel tries to lighten her mood. It's all very, very sweet. Rose sighs as she glances at the three elves currently discussing different ways they can help Rose find a way home. None of them are going to help much, though, not when the only one with enough knowledge to be of any sort of help is currently on Rose's no-go list. Elrond's library is extensive and touches on a great many topics as is Galadriel's, but apparently none are so knowledgeable about magic as Saruman the White.

And there's something not right about this Saruman character, something that makes Rose very uncomfortable. It's the type of feeling you get on the lift when it's just you and someone you just know isn't a good person. Prey instinct. Rose isn't exactly prey but her ancestors were at one point. The feeling of distrust and big-fucking-nope is just a product of that. Considering she's never even met Saruman the bad feeling in her stomach makes her all the more uncomfortable.

"Are you alright, Rose?" Arwen asks, the silver of her eyes looking less bright today than they had that morning when she'd sat with Rose for breakfast.

"I'm just thinking."

"Would you like to talk to us about it?" the other woman asks to which Rose shakes her head.

"I'd rather not."

"Would you like us to find something else to entertain ourselves with? I'm sure we could find something to take your mind off of everything that's happened today... at least for a time."

"That's very kind of you but I think I should be preparing to head home." Rose tells the pretty raven haired elf.

Bilbo will want to know all about what's happened and Rose has been in Imladris long enough that she's starting to feel like a burden. Logically she knows she's not. But not being able to contribute or repay these people for their kindness in any truly substantial way is beginning to make Rose feel like a guest that they're all taking pity on. Unpleasant isn't a word that can describe it in enough detail. Besides, she wants to sleep in her own bed and read her own books and eat Bilbo's cooking. She misses the little home she's made for herself but most of all she misses the hobbit she shares it with. She will forever be thankful for the elves of Imladris and she'll hold the ones she's made into her friends dear to her heart but... it's time to go home. Arwen seems to understand this because she smiles sweetly before offering her hand to Rose, who takes it without thought and allows the other girl to guide her back to her rooms.

"Pack your things, my friend, I'll go inform the others of your coming departure." Arwen then places a chaste kiss upon her temple before she leaves, the door shutting quietly behind her as she goes.

Slowly, Rose goes about packing her things. Everything she'd originally brought with her from Bilbo's is folded and tucked into her bag along with the few books Lindir had given her. The other items carefully scattered about her room are less quickly tucked away. There's a hunting knife from Elladan she borrowed on day that she's pretty sure he doesn't want back and an odd little wind instrument Elrohir has been trying to teach her to play, a set of earrings from Arwen she let Rose wear to a feast, and stationary set Lord Elrond had placed in her room. The quill is made of some sort of colorful bird and Rose absolutely adores it. But seeing as she isn't sure if any of these items were given to her to keep she arranges them neatly where they sit and then leaves them be. If they were a gift Rose has no doubts they'll somehow find their way to Bilbo's. With her bag packed and nothing left to worry about Rose steps out of her borrowed room and into the hall. Figuring it would be best to make for the courtyard, Rose begins the trek through freesia-scented halls and dappled sunlight.

Imladris is stunning.

She's going to miss this place.

But perhaps she'll be able to visit again. She's made such wonderful friends after all. Lindir would be terribly cross if she never returned to see him. Rose smiles as she adjusts the strap of her bag. A sort of bittersweet feeling settles in her stomach as she makes it to the courtyard. She'll always be able to come and visit but there's something about leaving with the strained hope of returning to her family. She's aware that it's no one's fault, of course it isn't, but she'd been so hopeful that someone would have answers she never truly considered the possibility of there not being any available. It's fine. Well, it isn't. But she'll figure it out. Somehow she always does.

Through the melancholy Lindir's voice asks, "Are you leaving, dear friend?"

Rose turns to smile at the elf and nods. "It's time."

"You will visit again yes?"

"Of course I will." Rose promises as she extends her hand.

Lindir, for all his tolerance of Rose's peculiarities, has never been much of a huger. So when the time comes they merely curl their fingers around the other's forearm and nod their heads. While she'd love to hug her musical friend Rose knows better, opting instead to bestow the twins with an imitation of grandma Molly's back breaker when they and their sister arrive in the courtyard with their father. Rose doesn't go to hug Elrond out of respect for his station and her inability to feel truly comfortable hugging him when he appears so carefree. Arwen receives a hug though, because Rose adores Arwen. They linger for a time. Talking about when Rose will visit next and offering soft promises that they'll continue to search for answers. Rose appreciates the gesture and smiles kindly at them all before moving back a handful of steps. She pulls her wand out of its holster, adjusts her grip on the wood, and thinks of her room in Bilbo's home. She turns sharply on her heel and is instantly met with the uncomfortable sensation of being sucked through a straw. The crack of her apparition ringing in her ears and echoing through the small room she quickly finds herself in.

Bilbo hasn't changed anything - not that Rose expected him to - but there is a new quilt laid across the end of her bed and a handful of little boxes have found their way onto the dresser. Bilbo's penchant for buying her presents is a bit ridiculous but she's never been unhappy with his choices so she's never put up too much of a fight whenever he gets her things. But aside from the quilt and the little wooden boxes nothing seems to be out of order. Her clothes are still hung up in the wardrobe, a jumper is laid over the chair next to the window, and there are a pair of shoes she bought before she left sitting next to the door. Rose takes a moment to catch her breath before going off in search of Bilbo, who doesn't appear to be home at the moment. Curious. Rose finds herself wondering if he's gone off to get groceries or attend a luncheon. He might not be the most social hobbit to live in Hobbiton but he's far from a social recluse. With the knowledge that Bilbo will turn up at some point, Rose goes into the kitchen to make herself a cuppa. There's a new tea set waiting on the table in the kitchen. It takes Rose a bit by surprise what with Bilbo being as careful with his china as he is - Rose finds it hard to believe he broke anything from his tea set. She plucks a cup off of the tray and moves it around in her hand. White porcelain with gold around the rim and pretty little magnolia's carefully painted onto the surface. A broad smile pulls at Rose's mouth. How sweet of Bilbo. Pretty as the new tea set may be Rose opts to use the less pretty looking kettle they typically use for their personal teas and puts the water on to boil.

A short while later Rose finds herself sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a plate of biscuits, watching men and women pass by through the kitchen window as she waits for Bilbo to come home from wherever it is he's been off visiting. Rose honestly hopes he took some time to go visit his mother's family. He'd made a comment once about them not being terribly close due to their wildish nature and their disposition to mischief. Apparently Bilbo's mum was equally as wild, it's what got his dad's attention, but when Bilbo was born with more Baggins qualities then Took, well, it's safe to say they didn't have many family reunions. Rose taps her finger against her mug. Maybe she'll drag him out to visit them sometime. It'll be entertaining to say the least. Bilbo will squirm but he wouldn't be completely out of his comfort zone she doesn't think... but who knows with Bilbo. He's an unpredictable fellow.

Thumping at the front door has Rose springing to her feet and rushing into the hall just in time to witness Bilbo's clumsy shuffle into the house as he attempts not to crush the groceries in his arms with the door. Rose is quick to take some of the burden, offering Bilbo a quick peck on the crown of the head before she disappears into the kitchen to begin unloading everything.

"You're back early!" Bilbo observes delightedly as he steps into the kitchen.

"Got back about an hour ago."

"How was your trip then? Were the elves any help?" he must see the answer in her face because he's quick to sober and utter a soft, "I'm terribly sorry, Rose."

The red headed witch shakes her head and says, "Don't be. I knew there might not be anything they could do to help when I left."

Silence reigns in the kitchen for several moments before Bilbo pulls a wrapped package out from the bag he'd been carrying. Winter-blue paper is pulled away to reveal a small box that Bilbo passes to Rose, she opens it with a small smile and laughs when she's greeted with candies.

"I bought them at the market," Bilbo explains, "apparently you can put them into your tea as well."

Rose plucks an orange hard candy from the box and pops it into her mouth. It tastes oddly of ginger and honey. Definitely something they'll probably end up putting in their teas as opposed to eating right out of the box.

"What happened to your other tea set?" Rose asks after she's pushed the candy against her cheek.

Bilbo stares at her through wide eyes, fingers dancing along the buttons of his vest, before he says, "Well... Lobelia Sackville-Baggins came over for tea not too long ago and she kept pestering me about the tea set. Asking why I kept something so out dated around. She seemed quite determined to have it and seeing as I didn't have any real attachment to it I figured she'd be happier to have it in her home. So I sold it to her."

"You sold it to her?"

"Oh yes, I managed to get enough to pay for a lovely new set." Bilbo smiles as he says it.

Very Tookish if you were to ask Rose.

"I'm sure Lobelia Sackville-Baggins will be happy to note that her newly acquired tea has a chipped cup." Rose says.

"Builds character."

Rose snorts, swallows the candy in her mouth, and goes to hug Bilbo.

"I've missed you."

"I've missed you as well, Rose." Bilbo smiles up at her as he steps away. "Now, we've got to get dinner started. While we do that you can tell me all about your trip to Rivendell."

Together the witch and hobbit go about their individual tasks while discussing Rose's trip and what Bilbo's been up to since she's been gone. It's easy company. Rose falls into the familiarity of Bilbo's humor and his soft smiles without too much trouble. Perhaps it's because he's the closest thing to family she has in this new world that she may be trapped in, or maybe it's because Bilbo's always been so kind to her. Anyone else in the Shire might have turned her away once her wounds healed over enough for her to travel just for the surety of knowing that whatever hurt her wouldn't be coming back for them. There's a limit to how polite a hobbit will be. Oh, sure, they'll take a wounded stranger in and nurse them to health but the risk of being pulled into the non-hobbit-related drama is simply too much for many of them to handle. Bilbo simply hadn't had a chance to get rid of her. Well, he did, technically, but Rose thinks that he attached himself to her far too early on in their relationship for him to justify getting rid of her. So now she's stuck with him. Not that Bilbo seems to mind. If anything, he seems happy to just have companionship that doesn't come with strings. Relationships with strings aren't really relationships at all, Rose knows. She'd seen enough of them at Hogwarts and at society functions to know what they produce.

A short while later dinner is ready and the two settle at the table to eat. It's a relatively quiet meal what with the two of them falling into their own thoughts. But afterward Rose ushers Bilbo out of the kitchen so she can clean everything up. Magic's a wonderful little thing even with a temperamental wand. Dishes are quickly charmed clean and put away while any scraps that can't be salvaged are vanished. Once everything is done Rose turns to her chair and points her wand at it. Keeping a sycamore wand happy is a tricky thing. The last thing she wants is for it to blow up in her hand, because where else would she get another wand? She could probably make one but that doesn't mean it would work for her like this one does. So keeping the wand entertained has become something Rose has gotten good at. In Rivendell she made trinkets for her friends and entertained the few children living there with grand displays of magic, here in Bag End... well, Rose has had to get innovative. So she'd bought herself a rickety old chair from an aging man at the market because at least with an old chair the risk of ruining it isn't as terrible. Every evening - or whenever the whim strikes her - Rose tends to change the chair's design. The last time she'd done so Rose had chosen a simpler design where the majority of the chair remained unchanged save for the back, which she'd magicked to look like giant oak leaves.

Tap, tap, tap her wand goes against her thigh.

What to do this time?

Something lavish, of course, something that'll keep her wand happy while also allowing Rose to show off.

Wicked laughter spills from her mouth.

"Whatever you're doing stop!" Bilbo calls from the other room where he's likely smoking his pipe.

Ignoring him completely, Rose points her wand at the chair and mutters sternly under her breath. The wand trapped in her grip vibrates while the chair before her twists and morphs into something grand; a cluster of wooden feathers and clawed feet and eyes peeking through the cracks. Terrifying and beautiful. Rose practically skips out of the kitchen.

"Do I even want to know?" Bilbo asks when Rose plops down in the opposite chair.

"I was redecorating."

Bilbo groans quietly and asks, "What have you done now?"

"Bilbo, I am offended. When have I ever not improved the looks of your home?" She pretends to feel hurt, hand moving to clasp over her heart.

Her friend merely stares at her for a long moment before replying with a sharp, "You charmed my curtains green, you painted my front door that horrid pink, you enchanted all of the soup ladles to look like... like..." "Dinosaurs." "Yes! Precisely! Those! And they didn't pour my soup right."

"I'll admit some of my ideas are touch and go, but what about the guest bedroom?" Rose wonders.

The look she receives is far from amused.

During her initial sorting at Hogwarts, the hat had wanted to put her in Ravenclaw but it'd ended up throwing her in with Gryffindor while her cousin Albus went to Slytherin. The fact they'd been separated into different houses hadn't stopped the two from hanging out together though, and soon they'd pulled a large group of students from each individual house. They'd end up clumping together at the ends of whichever table they chose to occupy that evening and no one had questioned it because the last time someone had a Hufflepuff seventh year was given a month's worth of detention or breaking the other student's nose. Jocelyn was probably the love of Rose's life honestly. It'd been a pretty tight-knit group, so when they'd graduated and Rose inevitably found herself trapped in a new world... well, she'd missed them. So she'd taken to leaving little bits of Hogwarts colors peppered around the house - but it was the guest bedroom at the end of the long hall that got Rose's full attention. As one of the least used rooms in the house it was sparsely furnished and seeing as a room as cute as that should be properly decorated Rose did her very best. She transfigured banners and pillows and bedding and all sorts of other items to represent each of the houses. It'd been a mess of color and themes by the time Rose was done and she thinks that's why Bilbo was so taken aback by it. He likes to decorate with neutral colors. Not very adventurous.

Quiet moments pass in which neither speaks.

Bilbo smokes his pipe - feet propped up on the little stool that's always at the ready - while Rose stares listlessly into the fire. It doesn't take long for her thoughts to be consumed with the bitter tang of disappointment. The Lady Galadriel had been unable to help her and Lord Elrdon had been kind enough to try but even his attempts produced nothing tangible. No explanations were given to her except the half-hearted murmurings about deities and purposes and everything revealing itself in time. Going to Sarumon the white - or whatever he likes to call himself - had been an option, and one that would have likely lead to answers, but even now the thought of going to him makes the hair at the back of her neck rise up on end. Which is unfortunate. Rose almost wishes she'd never become a curse-breaker and had gone into teaching instead, because at least then her natural flight or fight responses wouldn't be so damn insistent that she not go anywhere near Sarumon the White. The only explanation she can give herself is that someone most certainly does not want her going anywhere near him - probably one of those deities Galadriel was prattling on about - and isn't that a real treat? Still... despite knowing that it's probably some God fucking with her Rose isn't going to see Saruman. She's going to figure out why, of course, but she's not getting herself into a situation she can't get out of in a pinch.

Don't go to Saruman for help? she wonders to herself and then tacks on, You better have a damn good reason for bringing me here you creepy little kidnappers.

When she isn't immediately struck down by lightning Rose figures that either the Gods of this world aren't listening to her or they've got something very big planned and she's giving them prime entertainment.

If she could give them the bird she totally would.

"Well," Bilbo says after some time, "I think I'll be turning in for the night. Would you like to go for a walk with me tomorrow?"

"Sure, want to go after breakfast?"

"We can go visit the market, I think they've got some things you might like." Bilbo says, his smile making the bags under his eyes seem less aggressive.

"I'd like that." Rose smiles, "Goodnight Bilbo."

"Goodnight Rose."

And then the hobbit is gone, slipping from the sitting room and down the hall to his own bedroom. Rose waits a little longer before putting out the fire and retreating to her own room where she strips out of her clothes, tosses them in the little hamper near the wardrobe, and changes into a pretty lavender colored night gown she'd made for herself not long ago. Her nightly routine hasn't changed since she came to live with Bilbo. Dressing, cleaning her face, tying her hair up, it's all a familiar process for Rose and one that brings a simple comfort to her as she climbs into bed. Soon enough she's lulled into gentle sleep, her dreams filled with smiling faces and laughter and a hand curling almost lovingly around her throat.