ILL OMENS ‒ THE HOBBIT

☁CHAPTER III☁

 Inanna skipped into the room, humming the lullaby again while braiding her hair for bed. She was too curious not to enter the room when she heard shouting.

The handsome stranger was on his feet and shouting at the rest while Bilbo hung back and Gandalf watched on.

"If we have read these signs, Do you not think others will have read them too?"

Inanna furrowed her brows and leaned over, startling Bilbo as she whispered, "what signs?"

He quickly explained all he knew and she nodded, "Alright..."

"Rumors have begun to spread," the stranger continued. Inanna must learn his name soon. All of their names, in fact.

"The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years." Inanna raised an eyebrow. They all must be old. Definitely older than her, anyway. She was only forty-two but in a human's eye she looked twenty. She had run across a man once. Inanna had asked.

Inanna noticed Gandalf looking around, "eyes look east to the mountain,"
She was curious but about ready to zone out and just hum and dance in the other room.

"Assessing, wondering, weighing the risks. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected."

Inanna was invested now. Shiny things. Oh, how she loved shiny things... It was the raven in her. She couldn't resist them.

The dwarf continued to rally the company with his speech, "Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours?"

Inanna shook her head in thought. She wouldn't. Personally, she would take back what was hers but her possessions were limited. Otherwise, her other possessions were completely unreachable and out of the question.

"Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?!"

Many shouts filled the Hobbit hole and Inanna winced.

"Du Bekar! Du Bekar!"

Inanna smiled, realizing that this man was a leader who knew how to rally the troops. Another thing to add that was attractive about the dwarf.

She tilted her head as the older-looking dwarf began to speak, his voice drowning out the rallied yells of the room, "You forget: The front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."
Inanna pouted and whispered so only Bilbo and Gandalf could hear, but the handsome dwarf ended up hearing as well judging by the raised eyebrow and amused expression, "That is a let down for everyone, now isn't it?"

Gandalf is a very meddling wizard, however, and didn't let spirits stay downtrodden for long, "That, my dear Balin," Inanna noted the name, "Is not entirely true."

Inanna watched, amazed as Gandalf did a sleight of hand trick with an iron key. She would have to have him teach her that.

However, for now, she eyed the leader dwarf who looked at the key in amazement, "How came you by this?"

Bilbo joined Inanna in looking curiously at the exchange.

"It was given to me by your father. By Thrain." Inanna frowned. Oh. Gandalf's tone was... somber when saying that name. She knew what that tone meant, "For safekeeping."

Inanna grew bored of the key quickly and gazed around at the rest of the table. All were looking at the key in astonishment, so she could stare and they wouldn't notice. She paid attention again when Gandalf began to pass the key over to the dwarf. She knew his father's name, now. Not his. His was important, not his father's.

Inanna looked over everyone when a younger and blonder dwarf spoke, "if there's a key...there must be a door." she would have snorted but instead she unconsciously began humming. How curious. She began to wander around the hobbit hole, getting antsy if she stayed in one spot for too long. The key dwarf glanced at her in the corner of his eye. She saw him.