[Kransha]

"Baby-sat! Why, I'm almost thirteen! I don' need ta be watched by somebody else! Tha CHUBBS 'specially! Lord..." roared Kalimac Whitfoot’s eldest child as soon as Kalimac had finished explaining his proposal. Kalimac was sorely tempted to correct young Crispin’s malformed grammar, but hesitated as his son turned sharply and stalked in the opposite direction before he could comment.

Kalimac, who stood almost a full head taller than his son, suddenly felt dwarfed by the boy. Disconcerting thoughts immediately began coursing through him uncomfortably as he stuttered briefly; trying to think of something he could say to make everything right. Unfortunately, Crispin was already gone. He stepped back, mumbling to himself and letting a dejected feeling creep over him as he turned carelessly from Alora, who still looked relatively content with what her father had said and unsure of why Crispin had bothered with all the yelling. The hobbit of Bree was at a loss, losing confidence in himself slowly as he lost his faith in his own mentality. He hadn’t considered the fact that Crispin would protest. He distinctly remembered planning to be firm and insistent when addressing his offspring about the matter, but all that resilience evaporated like water on a hot day. He decided that it would be best to try and forget the incident before it began to gnaw at him incessantly. Kalimac had better things to do than mull about.

He caught sight of his newest employees, walking briskly near the Chubb’s wagon. They were talking about something, but Kalimac couldn’t tell what. It was about time to make clear to them that he, Kalimac Whitfoot, was their new employer, and they would do best to not slack off in their line of work. He headed boldly towards them. “You over there,” he said angrily, still inflamed by Crispin’s passionate refusal, “Wait up a moment.” He headed forward quickly, growing more irritated as the energetic youths continued strolling along heedlessly. As he caught up, he clapped a hand haltingly on each of the young one’s shoulders to stop them long enough for him to get ahead and say what he had to say.

“I must speak to both of you about something,” he continued as he squeezed between the two children and spun nimbly to face them. He had seen May and Henry many a time in the past, but had never felt that it was important to truly know them. Now, assessing these youths could be crucial to the well-being of his children. Taking a deep and commanding breath, he went on, “You two are working for me now. Technically, you’ve always been slightly in my employment, but you will now be working for me more fervently. You’ve each been given a great responsibility, as your parents have no doubt already told you. My wife and I treasure Alora and Crispin more than anything else and if you let the slightest thing happen to them…well, let’s just say I can’t be held responsible for what happens.”

His furrowed brow lightening its load, Kalimac let his right hand, which was currently resting on Henry Chubb’s shoulder, dove swiftly into his vest pocket. He rummaged around in the cloth niche for a long and contemplative minute before letting his clenched fist slide out.

“It is customary, in many of the hobbit businesses of Bree-land, to give those in your service a taste of the rewards they will receive in the future, a sort of incentive to persevere. So…”

Kalimac extended his hand to the two Chubbs and opened. In his palm sat several small coins, dulled by rust but still giving off a slight gleam like all money seemed to do in Kalimac Whitfoot’s gaze. By monetary standards, it wasn’t very much at all, but it was probably enough to motivate Mayflower and Henry Chubb to take good and responsible care of his children. For now, he could only wait and see which one of the children took the initiative to actually take the money from his hand.