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It had not taken long for Hindolen, or Indy as she was called, to heal from her ordeal. The next day she was up and about, as healthy and hearty as ever. Eager to help, for she saw the rebuilding of the Inn as an opportunity for her to find a home, she went about following whoever she could and asking questions. At first, she followed the hobbit girls who cooked. They taught her about the herbs and the pots and the pans, and she absorbed the knowledge at an astounding rate. Though she still had a long way to go, she had become a cook. She quickly tired of kitchen work, though she knew it was necessary. Then she followed the hobbit men. They weren't as patient with her, annoyed by her presence. But they warmed to her polite nature (which was quite amiable when she wasn't a hungry, starving orphan) and answered her many questions about the garden and woodwork that they were doing. She helped by holding their tools and quickly learned the name of each. They even taught her how to hammer, though she was too young to yet be skilled in such things. Though more interesting than the kitchen work, this too soon bored her.
She now sat by the makeshift kitchen, her skinny, tanned legs sprawled on the fresh green grass and her toes wiggling as the blades tickled her feet. She no longer wore a smudged pink dress, but had been given a sky blue dress which she kept immaculately clean (though her hands and knees always seemed to be dirty). Her short blonde hair had been neatly combed and a small, dark blue ribbon had been used to tie back a portion of her hair. It seemed almost golden now that it was clean. Her face was clean as well (the hobbit women simply would not put up with a filthy face, and scrubbed it each morning, even behind the ears despite her protests) and her pink pouty lips were turned up in a smile as the sun shone warmly on her. She wondered what she should do now. She could hear the chinks and groans as the men worked on the foundation and gazed languidly towards the sound. She wished she were bigger and stronger, so that she could help with it. She loved outdoor work, and she would probably never get the chance to work with stone after this. But she knew they would never let her join, she was simply too small.
Sighing, she turned her head around to see what the others were doing. Her eyes caught sight of a dwarf not far from her with a dark beard. Regin was speaking to him. She stared for a moment. Something about him....the dwarf! It was the dwarf who had saved her! It must be! Her brown eyes widened and she instantly leapt to her feet, a large grin on her tiny face. She waited until Regin left, and then bounded over to the dwarf, pulling to a halt right in front of him. The dwarf looked at her, giving a small smile as he puffed on his pipe. "Excuse me sir Dwarf..." she trailed off, now feeling suddenly shy.
"Yes, little miss, can I help you?" he asked warmly, his eyes shining, at least it seemed to her.
"Oh yes! I mean no, well, what I meant to say was..." she trailed off again, her thin dark eyebrows furrowed in frustration. She shook her head, as though she had shaken off the mood and smiled once more brightly. She threw her arms around him in as big of a hug as she could muster and cried out happily, "You saved me! Thank you! Thank you!" and laughed. The dwarf chuckled at the small girl's enthusiasm and patted her back. Indy pulled back and looked him in the eye, her head tilted to the side. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Who, me?" he asked as though he didn't know if Indy was talking to him or not. "My name's Fungrim. And what's yours, little lady?"
"I'm Hindolen, but you can just call me Indy. Are you going to help make the foundation?" she asked with curiosity.
"Yes, I am. But not yet, too many people are still asleep. Too bad they're not more like you in wakin' up!" he teased her.
"Really? I want to learn all about the stone and the foundation and everything!" she smiled as she said it and threw out her arms to emphasize her point. "I know I'm really small and just a girl...but do you think I could help? I can carry your tools for you, and I fit in little spaces really good and I can get you lunch and I can even shade you from the sun and...." Fungrim was giving her a strange look. "What?" she asked innocently.
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