Once Upon A Contract

𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖕𝖙𝖊𝖗 9: 𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝕳𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖔𝖗𝖞 𝖔𝖋 𝕮𝖔𝖓𝖙𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖙𝖘

While going over the contract with Master Balin, Bilbo came to the sneaking suspicion that the contract he had been given was tailored for a dwarf, not a hobbit. Which, while the contract would have been acceptable to Men, it would not the pass scrutiny of a Baggins.

The fact Drogo was half pulling out his hair the further they marched through negotiations only told Bilbo how much the boy had grown in the past year he had taken on clients. He had caught most, if not all, of the same points Bilbo had, and in some places, offered better suggestions then Bilbo himself. Bilbo had to admit a certain level of pride for how well the boy handled himself.

Still, the wording of the contract was commendable, and Bilbo was grudgingly impressed at how well it protected the employer from the 'burglar'. He was less impressed by how the wording could be twisted to take advantage of the employee. Considering he was being hired to steal, even if it was to steal from a dragon, Bilbo wanted a guarantee he wouldn't be hauled in front of a foreign court for theft.

Dealing with Men had taught hobbits much. The most important lesson was that both parties involved in the contract had to be protected. There was no such thing as a foolproof contract, but the Baggins had become insistent on additional clauses and guarantees. No hobbit would ever be cheated or surprised in contract again, not if a Baggins drafted the oath.

The realization that the contract had not been written with a hobbit in mind, did not help reduce Bilbo's ire with Gandalf and his unfortunate habit of withholding information until the last possible moment. In fact, it only heightened it. However, the confirmation of the contract not being written with a hobbit in mind, was answered by Ori of all people.

The poor boy needed a few years under his belt before he was to offer contract to outsiders. This thought was certainly compounded by the way he was shooting his Master glances of pure panic while transcribing the points Bilbo and Master Balin batted back and forth like a game of horseshoes. It wouldn't do for him to be declared a breaker by accident. (Although, and this wasn't entirely fair, maybe the dwarrow didn't care for the consequences of a breaker the same way Hobbits did.)

Either way, after three hours they had a contract that would be accepted by the Shire and hopefully wouldn't kill Bilbo on the road. There was of course, a certain margin of error that had to be accounted for and Bilbo had enough faith in both his own skills and Drogo, for that margin of error to be minimal. Besides, he had negotiated for the contract to be amended on the road, should the need arise.

For whatever reason, Master Balin had seemed relieved by that clause, enough that he had given a genial smile as he led Ori from the room, contentedly giving Bilbo time to speak to Drogo without eavesdroppers. Bilbo had no illusion that the old In-Betweener would not be lurking at the door, but there was not much he could do about him.

Although, there was also the other eavesdropper Bilbo would have to deal with. Hauling himself out of his chair, Bilbo waved Drogo to stay seated even as he meandered over to the study window and threw it open with a nonchalance born of long years catching errant Tooks outside of his kitchen, fingers sticky in pie crusts. In the eavesdropper's favour, Prim hardly let out more than a squeak of surprise when Bilbo reached down and hauled her up over the windowsill and into the study. The Brandybuck was kind enough not to fight him, instead scrambling into the study instead of running back to her father's halls.

Fool of a Took.

Drogo was on his feet before his lady love was through the window. "Prim!"

Bilbo shot the boy a slight glare. "I expected better." He hissed to both his cousins. He wasn't angry. Not truly, but their own imaginations would conjure up worse horrors then Bilbo could ever dish out. Disappointment was far harder to handle then anger after all. Prim nodded at the ground, her shoulders hunching inwards, the movement making her collar twist further in Bilbo's grasp.