[Amanaduial the archer]

Aman couldn't help looking a little doubtful - Hawthorne's sudden brightness after that...the Innkeeper hesitated as the word suspicious sprang to mind...pause. But then, she had had Cami as a nurse, but for how long was a mystery; Aman didn't know as much about Pio's companion on the Lonely Star voyage as she might have wished - for all she knew, the hobbit woman had been her nanny. And she was a Brandybuck, and from the same residence as Merry, who Aman held in rather high esteem from what she had seen from him, and was certainly not short of a few practical skills...and Hawthorne couldn't try to bluff her way through cooking, and catching, fish. In a well-respected Inn. With no experience. Could she?

The Innkeeper's musings were interrupted by another call from a harrassed Ruby. "Five minutes until the mid-afternoon meal, Miss Aman."

Aman looked back to Hawthorne and, although the hobbit would never call her 'Miss' Aman, the Innkeeper made up her mind. Nodding, she turned to go down the corridor. "Come on then, five minutes until serving, need to get it all prepared." She turned as she reached the end of the corridor, looking over her shoulder at the apparently paralised Hawthorne. "You know how to prepare venison, don't you?"


Another bright smile. "Indeed, we had it at Brandy hall several times. It isn't too hard."

Not suspecting anything in the fact that they girl hadn't actually answered the question directly, Aman grinned and continued walking briskly. "Well I'm impressed. It's never been one of my strong points...still, I'm sure Ruby will relish your help."

~*~

As Aman entered the Common Room, she clapped her hands officiously and most of the Common Room turned towards her as Aman called over the stubborn or drunk who continued talking.

"Ladies and gents, the mid-afternoon meal will be served in five minutes," Aman heard an elf nearby murmur happily to his companion "I love the Shire!", before she continued "-the main part of which will be venison with vegetables, preceded by fresh vegetable soup. You may order at the bar or, as the more common procedure seems to be - catch my as I come past." She grinned at the Common Room as laughter rippled around it, then, straightening her hair, bodily removing a restless hobbit-lad customer from a bar-stool and serving a few drinks requests, Aman continued across towards the kitchen. Hawthorne, not naturally born or bred to scurry nevertheless scurried after her.