Weeks pass, dragging on and on until a month has passed, and then another, and another after that, and another after that until an entire year has gone by with no progress and no new insights as to her sudden arrival in Middle Earth. Rose is no closer to returning home than she had been when she'd first written to Lord Elrond either, and the more time passes the easier it becomes for Rose to accept that her return home isn't going to be as easy as she'd originally hoped. So while she still prioritizes research and coming up with a way home, Rose allows herself to grudgingly accept her place in this new world she's been dropped in, and by doing so Rose has establishes a routine. On Sterday Rose goes to the market with Bilbo to acquire needed ingredients and supplies for whatever potions she can manage to make - it takes quite a bit of trial and error but she manages to adapt a few necessary ones, then on Sunday Rose spends her day in one of the cellars that Bilbo allowed her to turn into a workshop of sorts, Monday and Trewsday see Rose bouncing between checking on various potions or experiments and helping Bilbo with things around the house, Hevensday and Mersday are essentially days off - which means Rose gets to laze about and torment Bilbo with Munin, and then on Highday Rose and Bilbo go about the shire and surrounding settlements delivering much needed potions, ointments, and serums. The pay she receives in turn allows her to not only contribute to the needs of Bag End but also gives her an allowance. Bilbo had been rather put out with her when she'd made a comment about wanting to use her own money but hadn't fought her on it.
Rose smiles as she plucks her coin purse off of the desk in her room while on her way out the door into the hall. Today she's got to run to a couple of houses and even swing by the doc's. Simple errands, ones that she'd insisted Bilbo didn't need to help her with. But on her way out Rose swings into the kitchen to grab her satchel and also to say goodbye to Bilbo before she leaves.
"Do you need anything while I'm out?" She asks, slipping the strap of the satchel over her head.
Bilbo shakes his head and says, "No thank you, Rose. Enjoy your day out."
"I'll be back in a couple of hours." She says before snatching an apple out of the fruit bowl and making for the door.
Bilbo will probably spend his morning smoking his pipe and enjoying the crisp morning air. Seeing as he hasn't gotten any invites or arranged for guests it's well within his rights to do with his day as he pleases.
The young witch ducks under the freshly painted door - a pretty forest green that compliments Bag End perfectly - and closes it behind her with a heavy thunk. First she needs to swing by Old Hob Cotton's and give him the ointments he'd requested. They're all pretty simple; bruise healing pastes and burn salves and Essence of Dittany, but considering his status as the Shire's most accomplished physician Rose wants to make sure he gets his order in first. So off she goes. Occasionally men and women will greet her, children will smile shyly at her, and the odd talkative Baggins relative will try to pull her into longer conversation - which isn't odd but not often done - Rose entertains them for the most part but tries not to linger too long. She's hoping that after she gets everything delivered she can go on a bit of a fly, stretch her legs so to speak. She's been trying to get Bilbo to go up with her for the better part of the year now and he still refuses to do so, which is fine, because he'll come with her to the little clearing in the woods and read his books while Rose goes through her sets and plays around on her broom. It's nice. Rose thinks that if she gives it a bit more time Bilbo will eventually break down and let her take him up in the air. Eventually. Totally eventually.
Rose steps aside to avoid a couple of kids playing with a bright yellow ball and continues on her way.
Old Hob is pretty easy to deliver to considering he's never usually home. Typically out on call or whatever it is that he does, they'd established early that whenever Rose came to deliver an order she'd leave it by the door and collect her pay from the little wooden box hidden behind Hob's wife's rose bushes. So like any other day Rose plucks Hob's order from her satchel, puts it next to the door in the charmed spot she'd set up, and summons the little bag of coins from the box - which she promptly empties and returns - before heading back toward the street.
For a Highday it's pretty quiet.
Usually people are out and about.
A curious glance around shows nothing too out of the usual. There are still Hobbits going about their typical Highday business, children are still playing, and the only thing truly out of the norm is the tall figure dressed in grey slowly ambling down the street toward her. Rose latches Old Hob's gate and begins making her way toward Loretta Chub-Baggins' home, carefully keeping the figure in grey in her line of sight at all times. The closer they get to one another the more Rose can make out. First off, Rose notices that the figure is a man with a long grey beard to match his bland grey robs and pointed grey hat. Second off, she realizes that the man must really love grey because Merlin's saggy left nut there's a lot of it making up his outfit, and the fact that it all matches is wild to Rose. Once Rose is close enough to get a good look at his face she finds herself staring into warm grey eyes set in an equally warm face. Kind. A witch's instinct is never wrong... or at least that's what her grandma Molly says. Sometimes a witch can just tell the characteristics of people by looking at them. Rose thinks it's a load of shit honestly. There's just nothing obviously cruel about the man passing her by in the street.
"Good morning." Rose greets, soft and sweet and full of the British charm she can't seem to shake from her accent.
"And to you, Madam." the man replies politely enough.
He doesn't seem overly invested in conversation. A man on a mission it would seem. Odd, seeing as the Shire isn't exactly the type of place someone would be in a hurry to get through or to find someone in. Usually people who come to visit go to the Green Dragon. It's easier to meet people there than it is to go searching through the maze of houses and streets... but who is she to judge.
Rose offers a small smile before she passes him completely, continuing on down the road despite the warm prickling of awareness telling her that he's stopped walking in favor of turning to stare after her. It's not strange. Loads of humans stop to stare when they see her ambling about the Shire for the more obvious reason of her being, well, not a Hobbit. There are probably other reasons too. Rose just ignores the tall, bearded man behind her because there's no point in stopping. With her wand in her pocket it's not like he's going to be able to do anything untoward. Still, the sensation of his eyes on her doesn't ebb until she's followed the road around a house and has conveniently cut herself off from his view. Thankfully the rest of her morning progresses pretty normally after that. Deliveries are made without incident, coin is given, and simple pleasantries are made with a few of the locals who actually enjoy talking to Rose - so children, mostly. She performs little magic tricks for them; turning stones into ceramic flowers or sticks into swords, she even charms one little girl's hair to change colors throughout the day. Hopefully the fact that it isn't permanent with keep the girl's parents from going completely mental when they find out. Rose hangs around for a little while to play with the children but soon enough she finds herself heading back toward Bag End so that she can check on Bilbo - she also wants to tell him about her weird encounter with the man from earlier - while the children grudgingly allow her to go.
By the time she makes it back home luncheon has passed and Bilbo is contenting himself to tidying up his make-shift study.
There isn't much tidying that really needs to be done but Bilbo looks to be in quite the state so Rose leaves him to it, instead going to her room to separate out her coin. A good portion of it goes into her personal savings while the rest she sets aside to give to Bilbo later. It's her personal way of contributing financially to food expense and whatever else the two of them can't fix with magic. Once that's done Rose strips out of her errand running clothes and into something more comfortable for lounging and garden work. While she loves the aesthetic of the stays and the over skirt and embroidered jackets, she absolutely hates getting them dirty. Especially since they don't belong to her directly. She would hate to ruin any of Belladonna Took's clothes... not that she would really mind at this point. What with her being, you know, dead and all.
Rose grimaces as she makes her way to the study.
Probably a good idea not to think like that again.
Bilbo is still reorganizing his things when Rose get there, although he seems less out of sorts than he had a bit earlier.
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Rose asks, the pouch of coin making noise as she shifts it from hand to hand.
Her hobbit startles a bit before pushing back his hair, "I had the strangest encounter this morning."
"Yeah?"
"Yes, just after Elevenses I went out to smoke and Gandalf - he's a wizard, used to have the most splendid fireworks - appeared."
Rose has heard of the wizards. Never met any of them, obviously, but she'd heard about them from Bilbo and then Lindir when she was last in Rivendell. She doesn't have much of an opinion on them except that they're very different from the type of wizards Rose grew up with. The common use of an object to help channel their magic is about as close as they get to being the same. Not that they aren't similar... Rose supposes that to some degree they've got common threads. It's just that from what she's heard the wizards of this world are more connected to nature and draw their power from nature and a sort of patron deity system? Rose isn't too sure but she knows that in terms of individual power each wizard of this world has a ranking that pretty much determines where they fall on the power scale.
"What did he want?" Rose asks, coin purse stilling in her left hand.
"He wanted me to go on an adventure! An adventure, can you believe? Me? Going on an adventure?" Bilbo seems more frazzled now, unable to form a sentence without it sounding disjointed and rushed.
Rose smiles, leans against the wall, and says, "Where did he want you to go?"
"Well... well, I honestly can't say. I never asked, you see."
"So you just told him to leave? Bilbo," Rose drops her tone into one of sarcastic disappointment, "I expected more from you."
Bilbo sputters for a moment before leveling her with a glare.
"You're horrid."
"It's why you love me. I bring a certain something to your life."
"You bring me nothing but emotional distress and exasperation."
"And coin," Rose tosses him the pouch which he easily catches, "and maybe even food tonight if you're kind to me."
Bilbo smiles sweetly at her.
"Did I say you bring me nothing but stress and exasperation? I meant to say sunshine and rainbows and joy."
"Uh-huh." Rose shakes her head, "Did this Gandalf fellow happen to be wearing all grey and walking with a staff?"
"Yes?"
"I met him today coming out of Old Hob's."
"Did he say anything to you?"
"Nothing noteworthy. I don't think was expecting me."
Bilbo grumbles something unintelligible under his breath about Rose not being offered and adventure. Rose allows him his moment of annoyance before ruffling his tawny curls.
"Come on," she says, "let's forget about this. We'll go do something fun, yeah?"
"Tea is in an hour."
"Like you've never missed tea?"
The look she receives from Bilbo is dirty, probably the dirtiest she's ever gotten from her friend. Rose can't help but scoff at him. For being a 'respectable hobbit' Bilbo certainly knows how to handle himself. She supposes it's a polite way of telling her to sod off. Shaking her head, Rose takes off her satchel and hands it over the back of the chair - which makes Bilbo sputter as he goes to remove it and hang it on the hook next to the door - and reaches up to pull her hair up into a knot at the top of her head. Rose makes a note to see one of the barbers in town to get it cut sometime soon as it's gotten a bit long for Rose's liking. Hair that typically brushes the middle of her neck has grown to rest on the tops of her shoulders and while it's not a drastic change - and certainly not the longest it's ever been - Rose isn't used to it being so long. Curse Breaking isn't a job that requires short hair but Rose hasn't seen a Curse Breaker with hair longer than her Uncle Bill's. Long enough to pull out of the face but short enough to not get caught in any potential traps. A practical length.
"Fine, what would you like to do then?" She asks, knowing Bilbo likely won't be pushed into doing anything out of his comfort zone right now. Not when he's already been put in an uncomfortable situation.
Pretty brown eyes narrow for a moment before Bilbo shoves his fingers into his vest pocket and says, "Would you like to continue your story from the other evening? I believe there's enough time that we could get the rest of it written down before dinner."
Rose smiles fondly at her hobbit. A home-body at heart, Bilbo's interest in literature and knowledge reminds Rose enough of home that she's never found it in herself to be annoyed by his insistence that Rose tell him everything she can remember about her times as a curse-breaker. The closest Bilbo will ever come to dangerous adventuring if he can help it. When he'd first convinced Rose to sit down with him and tell him stories she'd honestly been a little caught off guard when he'd produced a leather sleeve full of loose parchment, an ink pot, and a quill.
"Very well, get what you need."
Bilbo doesn't need to be told twice, disappearing from the kitchen without a word and reappearing moments later with arms full of tools that he lays reverently upon the kitchen table. Rose smiles as she taps her wand against the kettle before making her way over to the table to sit down across from Bilbo.
"Where were we?" Rose asks, because honestly she's not sure.
"You and a team were in the Catacombs of Paris." Bilbo tells her, eyes skimming the parchment in front of him.
Right. Paris.
She'd been contracted for that job. The French Ministry of Magic contacting her and a handful of other Curse-Breakers from around the world. Normally something that would have been handled by the FMoM, Rose and the others had been hired to scour the catacombs to break the dark curses some blood purist had cast in an attempt to terrorize and murder the muggles that came to tour the underbelly of the city. Rose had already told Bilbo all this, though, and now she finds herself delving into the grittiness of her story as plates and treats and tea-necessities fly around her head. She tells him about the first week in the catacombs and the bodies they'd found there, the curses they'd managed to break, and the nights spent in heavily warded areas trying to come up with idea for easier - and quicker - identification of curses with the others who'd been hired. Bilbo writes it all down without hesitation, every gory bit of information Rose gives to him he takes with glee. She admires his determination to put her words on paper even though the images they conjure make him go a few shades lighter. Small breaks are taken, of course, for tea and such, but Rose finds herself pushing on with her story.
After a truly dreadful night of half-sleep full of nightmares Rose and the others had opted to split up in an attempt to find and break as many curses as possible before any more muggles were taken by the catacombs. No one had been particularly pleased but with as large as the catacombs are and the amount of people that had gone missing within the past two months... there just hadn't been any other options. So they'd paired off and gone on their way. Rose was partnered with a Korean Man named Byung-ho, who had been a great help to her down there. Seeing as it was her first contracted job outside of Great Britain without the reassuring guidance of her uncle it had been nerve wraking, her partner had been steady and collected and he'd taught Rose a great deal while they'd been down there in those tunnels. The two of them managed to get through their designated area without getting their heads cut off or their skin flayed from their backs.
There'd only been one casualty among the Curse-Breakers.
A man named Samual.
Rose hadn't known him well but she'd been disturbed by the brutality of his death.
Bilbo doesn't ask for the details of it. Rose doesn't give them. Instead she goes on to tell him about how the man who'd set the curses was later apprehended and set to prison while she goes about prepping the things she'll need for dinner.
"Was that it? He was arrested? Seems a bit ineffective... considering what he'd done." Bilbo comments over the sound of his scribbling.
"Trust me, Bilbo, he was sentenced accordingly."
"You don't sound too convinced."
Well, no, no Rose doesn't suppose she would.
One of the muggles Pierre Allard murdered was a young woman. She wasn't much older than Lilly was at the time. Young. And if that weren't bad enough the way she'd been slaughtered would have afforded the man a good beating... but Rose isn't a disciplinary and so she has no right in saying how the man needed to be punished for his actions.
"It doesn't matter what I think about it all, Bilbo." Rose turns to smile at him. "Now come help me with dinner."
Looking displeased but unwilling to argue Bilbo gathers his things and goes to put them away while Rose goes back to cooking the fish Bilbo had bought the evening before for tonight's dinner. When he returns Rose puts him to work setting the table and taking anything out of the cellars or pantries that he might like to have with his meal. By the time everything is cooked and ready the sun has been replaced by a bright, shiny moon and Rose's specially charmed lights are hovering beatifically above their heads - gleaming amber light that casts a warmer glow to the house that the fire can't quite accomplish. Rose dishes up their food and goes to take a seat at the table when a knock on the door has her stopping mid sit.
Bilbo frowns at the hall for a moment, another knock is heard, and Rose straightens up to go answer the door considering she's already pretty much up.
"Wait! I'll get it!" Bilbo cries before rising and rushing to the door.
A moment passes as Bilbo goes to the front door before the sound of heavy footsteps and a man's voice can be heard more and more clearly. Rose - more than a bit worried for her hobbit's mental well being - goes to make her way into the hall only to by stopped by a man wearing boiled leather and a finely made belt. He stares at her through wide, bright eyes in clear surprise that Rose mirrors perfectly. A balding head covered in foreign characters, long hair, a fancy beard, and a broad stature that reminds Rose of a damn tree. She wonders, briefly, what he sees when he looks at her. Probably nothing impressive. She's not exactly dressed to impress at the moment.
"Dwalin, at your service." The man, Dwalin, finally greets.
"Oh, erm, Rose Weasley at yours!" Rose offers her non-dominant hand, frankly the sudden appearance of the man is strange and Rose knows better than to be too trusting of strangers.
He shakes it, fingers curling tight around her own, and Rose smiles brightly as she meets the strength of his grip. This goes on for a minute or two before Dwalin carefully releases her hand and goes to take a seat at Bilbo's place at the table.
"Are you hungry? I can make you up a plate." Rose offers before he can seat himself, all sunny smiles and Grandmum Molly's no-nonsense attitude.
He stares at her blankly then gives a curt nod. Rose makes sure to make his plate extra full before putting it at the only other empty place at the small table. Dwalin seems pleased enough with the arrangement because he sits down and begins eating like he hasn't seen food in a year. He even compliments her cooking, going as far as to ask for seconds. Which only manages to endear him to Rose a bit. Because Rose isn't all that great of a cook. She's passable, yes. Perfectly capable of cooking acceptably tasty and nutritious meals for one or two or maybe even three but... she's not her grandmum. Rose lacks the creativity and the innovation of a woman who's love-language is feeding seven growing children and a handful of adopted ones every chance she can get. Not to mention the grandchildren she kept trying to fatten up throughout the majority of their short lives. Rose won't even begin thinking about all the care packages her grandmum sent to her over the years as she moved from place to place. So yeah, it's nice hearing someone compliment her food when they aren't obligated to. So Rose ignores the looks Bilbo is trying to send her and continues filling the man's plate whenever he asks for another helping. When his brother Balin shows up with all his gentlemanly charm and soft inquires to her health and happiness, well, Rose can't begin to describe how delighted she is with the new company. Because Bilbo's darling and one of the sweetest people she's ever met in her life but sometimes it's nice to be fussed over by an elderly dwarf or have her food complimented by his slightly worse tempered brother.
Bilbo though? Not so much.
"Uh, excuse me, sorry, hate to interrupt, but the thing is... I'm not entirely sure you're in the right house," her hobbit says to the two dwarves making their way into his pantry to fill up on ale, "It's not that I don't like visitors! I like visitors as much as the next hobbit, but I do like to know them before they come visiting. The... The thing is, uh, I don't know either of you. Rose, doesn't know either of you either! Not in the slightest. I don't mean to be blunt but I, uh, but I had to speak my mind. I'm sorry."
That gets both dwarves to turn and look at his and say, "Apology accepted!"
When the bell rings Rose claps her flustered friend on the shoulder and says, "Better luck with the next one, yeah?" before going to answer the door.
The two standing at the door are notably younger than the two currently raiding Bilbo's kitchen. A blonde and a brunette with dark eyes and fairly happy faces. The blonde has an intricately braided mustache that leads to a well-kept beard while the other looks like he's struggling a bit to grow one. Both of them smile at her when she opens the door.
"Fili," the blonde says.
"Kili." says the brunette.
"At your service!" they say together while falling into a stiff little bow.
"You must be mister Boggins!" the one named Kili exclaims before frowning, "but you don't look much like a lad."
His companion elbows him in the ribs.
"No, no, Bilbo Baggins is my best mate. He's currently fretting over your companions in the kitchen." Rose smiles brightly. "My name's Rose Weasley."
"So we haven't missed it! Wonderful to meet you madam! May we come inside?" Kili asks, and the hesitant relief on his face has Rose swinging the door wider.
Bilbo could use some flustering in his life. What's the worst that could happen, really? Obviously they've been given some sort of instruction to be here. Maybe on of Bilbo's cousins decided he needed to live a little. Rose doesn't know much about dwarves but they seem nice enough. So when Rose steps aside to allow the two entrance into her friend's home she feels not even an ounce of regret.
"Where should I put there?" Fili asks as Rose turns to swing the door shut behind them, "I just had 'em sharpened."
"Very nice place this! Mister Baggins do it himself?"
"Go ahead and put them over here and no, it's been in Bilbo's family for a while now." Rose says, still happy and smiling.
The two's attention is quickly pulled to Dwalin as he comes into the room demanding their help. Bilbo follows nervously behind, twiddling his fingers and obviously very flustered with everything. Rose chuckles as she places her arm over his shoulder.
"Why are they in my house?" Bilbo moans at her.
"Dunno. But I'm enjoying it."
Whatever he's about to say to her is interrupted by the doorbell ringing.
"No! No... There's no body home! Go away and bother somebody else! There's far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is! If this is someone's idea of a joke I can only say it is in very poor taste!" Bilbo cries, much to Rose's amusement.
Which only grows as Bilbo opens the door so sharply that it causes the handful of dwarves leaning on it to fall into the house. The muttered curses and wheezing coughs is enough to make Rose laugh so hard she snorts but it's the look on Bilbo's face - disbelief and horror and something very not hobbit like - that has Rose choking on air. When she finally gets herself under control Rose makes her way over to the dwarf pile to help all of them up. She's stopped from doing so by a pair of intense grey eyes set in a kindly, familiar face.
The man from the road.
"Good evening." Rose greets, completely serious and maybe even a tad nervous.
Rose shares a long look with Bilbo and wonders if she made a terrible mistake by not kicking out the dwarves when she had a chance earlier that evening. Oh well, she supposes it's too late now anyway. So with a weary smile and a dark look at the man standing on the landing, Rose and Bilbo welcome the rest of the gathering into their home and hope to whatever God that will listen that tonight isn't a complete disaster.
