[Regin Hardhammer]

Regin, still agitated from the incident with the two foolish Hobbits, had to compose himself before responding to Aman. “Bubble brained Hobbits,” he muttered under his breath, “Half-witted fools.”

Wearily, the Dwarf turned to the innkeeper and replied, “Mistress Aman, how good it is to see you. I have been exceedingly busy the last few days and have not met with you in quite some time. Please excuse me if I do not seem attentive, short have my hours been in bed as of late.”

The Dwarf shook his head and sighed, “As you can see from this little incident, the rebuilding process has not at all been a simple matter. Many of my workers seem to lack certain necessary items that would be particularly useful at a time like this, such as a brain. If I do not die from being smashed on the head by a dropped beam or falling stone, I shall consider it a miracle. I look upwards every so often to give myself warning before I have to leap out of the way."

"Otherwise, I would say that we have made substantial progress rebuilding the Inn, surpassing my expectations. The foundation is almost finished and the crews are beginning to build the walls and ceiling. They may not have the quickest wit, but the people here certainly have the bravest heart. Exquisite craftsmanship motivates the finest Dwarven smith, but the folk of the Green Dragon are driven by the Inn which they hold dear. Their devotion to her humbles me beyond words and I am honored to be part of this project."

After he finished saying this, to his astonishment, Regin noticed a tear trickle down his cheek. He felt as if his iron heart had been overcome by a wave of emotion. Not often did the practical and composed Regin Hardhammer openly show such strong feeling. He could scarcely believe that he cared deeply for these people whom he had not even known two weeks before. Wiping his ruddy face on his sleeve, he let out a sob before slowly continuing.

“Excuse me madam, I… I… I… just…,” he stammered and could go on no more, but forced himself to continue and gradually collected himself before speaking again.

“Yes, everything is going very well. By the way, I have just finished talking to someone who could help the project immensely--Fungrim. It is so nice to have another dwarf around; I really could use someone else knowledgeable in masonry. He seemed a bit secretive and apprehensive, as if he had a troubled past that he did not want to revisit. Do you know anything more about him? He will be assisting me and overseeing the construction of the fireplace in the Commons. I feel that he is more than competent and seems to be very discerning in matters of stone. I am sure that he will do a fine job and I hope that it will be up to your standards. His help leaves more time for me to oversee the construction of the Inn and work on the gates. I have a nice design that I think will look very stylish on the gates of the Inn. "

"I have taken a look at the silver goblets you gave me that were damaged from the fire, and I am afraid that I can not help you. The metal was severely charred and misshapen from the fire to the point where even if the goblets were made from the most pliable silver in Middle Earth I could not repair them. Even with my skills in metal tempering, perhaps the best among all dwarves, I can do nothing with them. You may have them back. Unless…"

Suddenly the dwarf was struck with a brilliant idea. He turned to face Aman, "Perhaps you might let me borrow these for a while. I can do no worse with them than the fire has already done."