A/N: Just a nice little 'intermission' chapter before things get rolling next chapter~ 😈

"Hm…this is a nice shade of blue. And it'd go well with uncle's cloak, too…but this one looks more interesting, even if some of the shades wouldn't go well with the cloak." Fili had his brows furrowed as he compared the two different skeins of yarn: One was plain indigo in color while the other was made up of multiple shades of blue. "I suppose I could always get both…"

"Gettin' both has my vote, since you don't know when you'll be able t' come back here."

He looked over at Ori, who was standing on his tiptoes as he reached for a skein made up of shades of yellow and brown. "That's true…And it would be a shame to end up regretting not buying it when I had the chance."

Ori quietly laughed, his brow rising slightly as he looked over at the prince. "Need I remind you that you're a prince, Fili? You could buy this whole shop if you wanted an' it wouldn't put a dent in the amount o' money you have at your disposal."

"You say that as if I've got unlimited access to the treasury," he chuckled, shaking his head. He put both skeins into the basket he held before walking over to look at the section of green yarns. "Which I don't, by the way." As he walked past Ori, he reached over his head and grabbed the skein he had been struggling to reach for him.

"Thank you. An' you may not have unlimited access t' the treasury, but you've still got quite a bit o' gold at your disposal," he joked. "It just depends on how much you decided t' bring with you."

"Which, believe it or not, isn't very much." He stood a few feet away from the shelves of green skeins so that he could better see the ones on the top shelf. "Being that we're so close to home, I wasn't really expecting to buy very much…But then Miss Baylee told me about this shop."

"An' then you decided t' drag me along—which, by the way, I don't mind at all." He chuckled, moving to look at the black and grey skeins. "I haven't been in this shop before, but now that I know it's here, I might become a frequent customer."

At that, Fili snorted. "I bet you haven't knitted three rows on a project since you've been here—you've been out drawing and painting too much."

Ori blew a raspberry at him, unknowingly amusing the women behind the counter. "I'll have you know, I knit at least ten rows before I go to sleep. In fact, I've actually gotten two pairs o' socks done since I first arrived here." He beamed proudly at his achievement, though he knew it wasn't much of one compared to his normal knitting output.

"That's more than me, admittedly." Stepping forward, he stood on his tiptoes to reach a skein that was towards the back of the top shelf. "After I finished the baby blanket I made for Edda, I ran out of free time. Ever since, I've been having to prepare for this trip and the one down to Laketown. I have, however, been managing to steal some time while we've been here to do a bit of knitting."

"What've you been workin' on?"

He shrugged. "Just a scarf. It's not for anyone in particular; it's mostly just to give me something to do while I clear my head of things."

Nodding in understanding, Ori picked up a skein that was mostly black, but it had metallic gold threads running through it. "Oh, now this is a pretty yarn." He carried it over to Fili, showing it off to him.

"That is a nice one," he agreed with a nod. "You should get it. It'd make for a fine accent color on a blanket or a sweater."

"I might." Ori looked it over again as he went back over to the section. Picking up another skein of the same kind, he compared the distribution of the golden thread. Both were fairly even and, as such, he added both to his basket—the last thing he wanted was to run out of yarn when he was in the middle of a project.

Returning the skein to the top shelf, Fili grabbed one that had bits of yellow and muted oranges mixed with the greens. 'This would make a good hood for Kili when he goes out hunting,' he thought. 'Or I could make Tauriel something. These colors would suit her skin and her hair…' His brows furrowed slightly at the thought. While Tauriel had frequently stayed in the royal palace over the last few years, he still wasn't quite sure if she would appreciate something knitted like his fellow dwarves would. 'A scarf would be a good way to judge whether or not I should make her a few more things, right? It doesn't have to be too intricate…'

He jumped slightly when he felt something lightly smack against his arm. Turning his head, he saw Ori looking at him with a bit of concern on his face. "Sorry—did you say something, Ori?" he asked, giving his friend an apologetic smile.

"No, but you were starin' at that skein for so long, I thought I'd check t' make sure you hadn't fallen asleep on your feet," Ori chuckled, his brow rising.

"Oh, Mahal no!" he laughed. "I was just debating whether or not I should try making Tauriel something for once."

Ori slowly nodded in understanding, a thoughtful look coming to his features. "Elves don't really wear a lot of knitted stuff, though…Or do they?"

"I can't recall ever seeing an elf wear something that was knitted. But I suppose that's because they don't really feel cold like the other races do." He rubbed the side of his neck, closing his eyes as he sighed. "I just don't want her to feel like I'm snubbing her, since I'm constantly making things for everyone else."

"Why don't you make her a blanket, then?" Ori suggested. "Or a cloak? Elves use blankets an' wear cloaks!"

"They'd both take about the same amount of work," Fili chuckled, his brow rising. "But I was actually thinking something a bit smaller that she could wear. I was wondering if I should make her a hood."

A thoughtful look came to Ori's face as he pondered the idea. "I think that might be a good idea, actually," he said after a moment. "It's thoughtful, it won't take you too much work, an' her reaction t' it will be a good indication o' whether or not you should make her a few more things."

Nodding in agreement, the prince grinned and put the yarn into his basket before grabbing a couple more skeins from the same batch. "The best part of making her a hood is I won't have to alter any of the measurements, since her head and shoulders are just a touch smaller than Kili's."

"O' course hers is going t' be smaller—Kili's one o' the most bigheaded dwarves we know," he joked. Hearing Fili snicker, he grinned.

"An' then you put how long they'll be stayin' right here—'D' is for days an' 'N' is for nights. If you ever forget how much it costs t' stay a full day or just a single night, there's a chart stitched onto the ribbon, alright?" Baylee pulled the book's wide ribbon marker out from beneath it so she could show both Primrose and Wenna the numbers. "As you can see, the prices for meals, baths, an' laundry are on here as well."

Nodding in understanding, Primrose leaned her weight against the counter. "But meals, baths, and laundry are paid for separately, right? At least, that's what I assume since patrons are always leaving money behind when they leave."

"Aye, that's correct. Some guests choose t' pay for all three meals at once in the morning, though, while others do it meal-by-meal."

Wenna's brows furrowed slightly. "…But I don't think I've ever seen the lads pay for their meals," she commented. "Do they pay at the end o' the day or something?"

Baylee shook her head, tucking the ribbon back under the book. "No. On Friday nights, they pay us for the next weeks' worth o' meals all at once."

"Ahh, that makes more sense. I knew they couldn't have been shortchangin' you, since your da' hasn't kicked them out," Wenna chuckled. She pushed some hair back out of her face. "I do know that they tip real well when laundry day comes, though."

"Oh, aye—they're wonderful tippers for laundry," Primrose agreed with a laugh. "They must know we have to rinse their clothes a few extra times t' get as many of the wood shavings out as possible." She looked back down at the register, her head tilting slightly. "I'm guessing this final column is for the total amount for the guests' stay?"

"Aye, it is," Baylee laughed. "As you can see, there's enough room t' do a wee bit o' math if you can't work the price out in your head."

"I'll probably need t' be doing that quite a bit," Wenna admitted with a small laugh. "I'm horrid when it comes t' numbers." She glanced over her shoulder, checking to see how the customers were doing. Seeing that they were peacefully eating their lunches, she faced Baylee once more. "But Primrose is more than likely goin' t' be the one who fills in for you an' Will when you two have t' run off for whatever reason."

Primrose frowned slightly. "Why do you think that?"

"Not only are you better with math, but you're also more used t' greeting people, since you worked in your folks' shop."

"She has a point," Baylee chuckled, her brow rising. "But if you are stuck back here an' finding yourself in need o' a wee bit o' help, you could always get Adela to come help you for a minute."

At that, Primrose's brow rose slightly. "Why not have her be the backup instead of us, then?"

"Because she prefers t' work in the kitchen," Wenna answered for Baylee. "An' she's been having those strange woozy spells—she can sit down an' get some fresh air while she's in the kitchen, but she can't do that out here."

"That's true…I wish she would see a doctor about those. Getting woozy out o' nowhere like that worries me."

Baylee gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry—Uncle Richard's already looked her over. He says she's just pushin' herself a wee bit too hard an' not drinking enough water," she explained. Seeing a bit of movement behind them, she leaned over just the slightest bit to see Adela sneaking towards the pair. The redhead held a finger to her lips, mischief in her smile. "She even admitted she's been workin' a bit harder than normal in order t' thank us for letting her stay an' work here. Though, the main reason she doesn't want t' work the counter is because she doesn't want t' constantly be asked things about her da' by our usuals."

"I suppose that makes sense," Primrose sighed. "And it's good she got looked over. I just hope she does slow down a bit with workin'. Especially with it getting to be summer, she doesn't need to be overworking herself in a hot kitchen…"

"A fair bit o' my pastry makin' is soon going t' be down in the cellar, actually."

Primrose and Wenna yelped as Adela suddenly spoke and, at the same time, reached around to poke them both on the waist. There was a large, playful smile on her lips as they turned around to pout at her; behind her, she could hear some of the patrons laughing.

"How did you manage t' sneak up on us when we can see the kitchen door from here?" Wenna said, her cheeks as red as Adela's hair.

"I didn't come from the kitchen," Adela chirped, moving to lean against the counter. "I came from the front door." She used her head to nod at the door the women had their backs to.

"Well, that explains things," sighed Primrose. Like Wenna, her cheeks were bright red, though not quite as intensely so as Wenna's. Shaking her head, she brushed some stray hairs from her face. "Why did you come in that door, anyway?"

The mischief remained on Adela's face as she grinned. "T' be honest, I did it only so I could sneak up on the two o' you. I was hopin' t' get Baylee, too, but she caught me."

When Wenna and Primrose looked at her with looks of feigned betrayal, Baylee smiled innocently. "I know better than t' tattle on someone when they're about t' pull a harmless prank," she stated, earning a pair of raspberries getting blown at her in return.

Laughing, Adela lightly shook her head. "No worries, lasses. That'll probably be the only time I'm ever able t' sneak up on you," she assured them. "But, I did come out here with a reason an' that was t' ask one o' you t' run t' the market for me an' Galiene."

"I'll go," Wenna volunteered. "What do you need me t' get?" She watched as Baylee crouched down and started to fiddle with the moneybox.

"A bunch o' spring onions an' some cheddar."

Hearing that, Primrose grinned broadly. "You know, I was wonderin' why Galiene had so much bacon cooking up earlier, but now I know why. You're going t' be making your cheddar-bacon scones, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged," Adela smiled. "The thing is, we don't have nearly enough onions an' the cheddar as we thought we did."

"We'll need t' do a proper inventory o' the pantry soon," Baylee said, reemerging from below the counter. She held a closed hand out to Wenna, who held out both hands to her; she dropped some coins into her waiting palms. "I'm sure we're startin' t' get low on a number o' things."

Adela nodded in agreement. "Aye, we are—though, it's mostly things like cheese, sausage, an' dried herbs."

"Before I head out, is there anything else you need me t' get?" Wenna asked, having tucked the coins away into the pocket of her apron.

"Not that I can think of, but Galiene or Gawen might have somethin' in mind." She watched as the younger woman nodded and headed off towards the kitchen.

Baylee then nodded out at the tables. "Prim, Bill an' Ted are needin' your assistance," she said, seeing a pair of elderly men smiling as they wiggled their empty tankards at her. When Primrose headed off, she let out a small sigh and leaned forward against the counter. "How's auntie been with her kitchen duties?"

"She's been soakin' up all the gossip," chuckled Adela. "You were right, though—she does occasionally swing that knife o' hers around as she talks."

"She hasn't mentioned tryin' t' convince me an' Will into 'sprucing the place up' while papa's out o' commission, has she?"

At that, she rubbed the side of her neck. "She's mentioned it once or twice, but that's about it. She said that, while you're gone, she might be able t' wear Will down enough t' have him order a nicer set o' chandeliers for the common room."

Her brow rising, Baylee looked up at the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. While they may have been a bit on the plain side, they did their job and kept the place well-lit. Even on the darkest winter nights, the common room was kept fairly bright and cheery thanks to them.

"Will wouldn't fall for it," she then said. "Anyway, it's not his place t' make decisions like that—it's papa's. Aye, he's bedridden at the moment, but he's still the main owner o' this place."

Adela nodded in understanding. "Aye. Not to mention, this place doesn't need anythin' fancy. It's welcomin' an' cheery. If you start bringing in things like crystal chandeliers or fancy sconces, it just wouldn't be the same. Mostly, though, she's just been enjoyin' hearin' all the gossip she's missed out on. Stuff like the rangers findin' that tunnel under the city; how Mrs. Cooperson's divorcin' her husband; an' the demise o' the Hen." She glanced at Primrose as the younger woman brought over a pair of empty tankards.

Baylee's brow rose and she took the pair of mugs from her, who then headed towards the kitchen. "Mrs. Cooperson's divorcin' her husband?" Adela nodded. "Huh…Can't say that I blame her, though—he's gone most o' the time." Mugs in hand, she went over to fill them up with ale.

"Mhm." She watched the smaller woman as she kept the mugs tilted as she opened the tap. "Your auntie's also worried about you."

"Worried about me?" She glanced over her shoulder, confusion on her face. "Why is she worried about me?"

"Because you haven't been keepin' up with your fight training the past while an' you're leaving for Laketown soon." She shrugged. "I don't know why she's worried, given how many precautions are bein' taken t' ensure everyone's safety."

A sigh left her mouth. "It's been so busy lately, it's been hard t' find enough time t' sleep, let alone spar with someone." Shaking her head, she blew a stray lock of hair out of her face. "But even if something were t' happen, like you said: So many precautions are bein' taken that I'm sure everything will be fine."

Adela nodded, though she knew Baylee couldn't see it. "I've heard that two o' the rangers will be joining you lot, too, so they can investigate Mannus' whereabouts."

"Aye, you heard right…Rán an' one o' the others." Sighing, she turned back around, setting the refilled mugs down on the counter. "I'm not sure who he picked t' come with us."

"I'd poke fun at you for not bein' excited t' have a handsome lad escorting you down t' Laketown, but I know your little secret," she said with a small chuckle. "Speaking of which: How does Bofur feel about Rán travelin' with you lot?"

"He's tried t' play it off like he's indifferent t' it, but I can tell it bothers him."

"Which is understandable, given how boldly Rán flirts with you." She lightly shook her head, sighing; she glanced over at the kitchen in time to see Primrose stepping out. "Have you had lunch yet, by the way?"

Baylee nodded. "Aye. I was able t' sneak away for a few minutes an' make myself a bowl o' salad."

Adela's brow rose. "Salad? Is that all you had for lunch?"

"It was a fairly large bowl, t' be fair," she retorted. As Primrose approached, she looked at her. "Just ask Prim—she saw me eatin' it."

"Hm? Oh, your bowl o' salad earlier?" When Baylee nodded, she chuckled. "Yes, it was quite a decent sized salad. Galiene had even made her some herbed croutons to have with it."

Adela gave Baylee a jokingly suspicious look as she stood upright. "Alright, I'll believe you—this time," she stated, one hand on her hip while the other wagged a teasing finger at her. She then sighed, pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I should get back into the kitchen. That biscuit dough isn't goin' t' be able t' start itself, after all."

"An' given that Wenna's one o' our quickest lasses, I'm sure she'll be back by the time you have all the ingredients gathered up," Baylee chuckled. "Left is Bill's, right is Ted's," she then told Primrose.

Nodding, Primrose added the mugs to her platter. "Hard to tell, though. The cheese shop is at the far end of market street, so it may take her a little while to get back. Especially if the market's crowded."

"That's true," Adela chuckled. "Given that we've had so many traders an' merchants come in this week, it wouldn't surprise me if she had t' take the back streets t' get there."

"Oh, it won't be that bad," Baylee chuckled. "Though, she'll definitely be slowed down."