Ya'aburnee

The Party

They had all settled quite quickly, all evidently starving from the trip. Liv was quite hungry as well, having not eaten since earlier that afternoon, sitting between Gandalf and Dwalin. There were loud conversations and laughter, food being tossed around, and she couldn't help but smile and laugh at their antics, although occasionally she would catch a glimpse of the hobbit, Bilbo, lamenting his pantry, and she felt a little guilty for taking over his house.

She was pulled away from the thought as she had to pull her hands back to keep Fili from stepping on them. "Who wants an ale?" He walked between the plates, a mug in each hand to pass out to the dwarves who did not have beverages yet, turning to offer one to her and she shook her head, having a warm cup of tea, but smiled and Fili smiled back, continuing to walk down the table.

"Can I have another drink?" Oin asked, and Dwalin replied by pouring a mug of ale down his ear-trumpet.

"Here you go!" and there was laughter, and Liv smiled slightly and rolled her eyes, quietly eating and sipping her tea. Oin took his ear-trumped from his ear and blew through it to try and get the liquid out, the trumpet still quite full. Liv laughed again, and the dwarves all toasted their mugs, sitting back to chug down the alcohol.

It was the most silent it had been since she had met the dwarves that evening, till Nori burped loudly, the laughter returning, all of the other dwarves trying to match the volume of the belch. Liv laughed along with them. She hadn't been to a dinner this lively since... Her face fell suddenly, and she drew back, hiding her frown behind her tea cup.

She was drawn from her thoughts as Bofur called out her name, "Ms. Liv!" She turned to look at him inquisitively. "That sword of yours, the metal-work is impressive! Where did you get such a weapon?" 

Gandalf looked at her, knowing the answer, wanting to see how she would reply. "Um, it was a gift," She replied quietly, her voice barely cutting through the ruckus. "I am not sure where it was made." That was the truth. She decided perhaps it would not be wise to disclose the gift had been from their creator.

"You're a healer, right?" Kili's voice cut loudly through the noise, and Liv nodded. "Are you a fighter as well?"

"I carry a sword, do I not?" She replied with a flourish, and some of the dwarves cheered or chuckled at her words.

There were a few more questions, but the discussion quickly shifted away from her, although she felt a bit more comfortable participating after they had spoken to her directly. Before long, it was time to clean up, and the hustle and bustle had resumed, dwarves rushing around to put things away and clean the dishes.

Bilbo, still exasperated, rushed around, trying to keep the dwarves from damaging his things. "Excuse me," He said loudly, "That is a doily, not a dishcloth!" He yanked the piece of cloth from Nori's hand.

"But it's full of holes!" Bofur spoke from where he stood leaning against the wall with a mug of ale. 

"It's supposed to look like that," Bilbo replied as he set it neatly where it belonged. "It's crochet."

"And a wonderful game it is to," Bofur replied, Bilbo sighing, "If you've got the balls for it." Bilbo now growled in annoyance as some of the other dwarves laughed, turning quickly away. Liv quietly slipped after Bilbo, who was reaching his wits end.

"Bother and confusticate these dwarves!" Bilbo exclaimed as quietly as he could muster.

"My dear Bilbo," Gandalf said as Liv reached the hobbit's side, "What on earth is the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked, following Gandalf and Liv as they strode across the room. "I'm surrounded by dwarves. What are they doing here!?" He whispered angrily.

"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering," Gandalf replied, looking over them with a smile. Liv agreed, but could understand Bilbo's frustration. She offered him a sympathetic smile and Bilbo was grateful for it, but it did nothing to soothe his frustration. "Once you get used to them."

That set Bilbo off again. "I don't want to get used to them!" He pulled Gandalf aside to speak with him "Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet, they, th... they've pillaged the pantry. I'm not even going to tell you what they've done to the bathroom, they've all but destroyed the plumbing." He turned as Gandalf opened his mouth to speak, cutting him off. "I don't understand what they're doing in my house!"

"Gandalf," Liv said quietly, "Maybe we should..."

"'Scuse me," Ori's voice cut her off as the politest of the dwarves walked over to Bilbo bashfully. "I'm sorry to interrupt... But what should I do with my plate?"

"Here you go Ori," Fili said, stepping forwards and taking the plate before Bilbo could answer, "Give it to me."

Liv and Gandalf barely had time to duck out of the way as he threw it down the hallway past them to be caught by Kili, who in turn tossed it behind him to some unseen person in the kitchen. Within seconds, another plate flew, and soon there were countless dishes in the air, Bilbo protesting. "Excuse me! That's my mothers Westfarthing pottery, it's over a hundred years old!" Something else distracted him, as he walked into the dining room again. "And can... can you not do that? You'll blunt them!"

Liv heard Bofur's voice from around the corner. "Ooh, you hear that lads. He says we'll blunt the knives!"

The dwarves burst into song, continuing to throw dishes around, Bilbo panicking at the words. 

 "Blunt the knives and bend the forks!

Smash the bottles and burn the corks!
Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

Cut the cloth and tread on the fat!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you've finished, if any are whole
Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"

At the end of the song, Bilbo was shocked to see all of his dishware in one piece and sparkling clean. "Look at his face!" Dwalin laughed, and Liv smiled fondly at the bewildered expression, parting her lips to speak to the hobbit, but was cut off by a loud rapping against the door. All fell silent at once.

"He is here."