[Amanaduial the archer]

Aman took the flowers tentatively, surprised and pleased at the token, and turned to go into her parlour, where she could leave them off before going out to see Merimac about Jinniver's horse. As she pushed open the door, the light reflected suddenly on them from some shiny surface in the room, and the poppies were caught, suddenly illuminated. Aman paused, letting the door close behind her, studying them carefully. Poppies weren't a particular favourite of hers, or hadn't been until now, but looking at these delicate, blood red specimens, like soft shaped rubies, she could suddenly see beauty in them, tiny and understated as they were. She remembered a pony back in Rohan, the pet of one of the daughters of Edoras 'high society', who went by the name of these flowers - a beautiful creature, with a coat as soft and velvety as the petals of these flowers, and tinted with a red tinge that shivered across it's body and legs when it walked or ran. She rubbed one of the petals between her thumb and forefinger gently, feeling the silky surface that so many flowers had, and found the way the petals were so short and rotund, yet so pretty, rather lovely as well. So much expression in something so small. Rather like the little pony Ruby as well, she smiled to herself.

Not having an actual vase handy, Aman rinsed out a cup sitting on her desk from last night at the sink at one side of her room, and placed the little bunch of flowers inside it. Putting it on her desk, she stepped back and admired them momentarily, a smile hovering on her lips before she turned with a content sigh and returned to the bustling Common Room, somehow much heartened even by such a small and unexpected gift. Crossing the room, she opened the front door and stepped outside into the cool air of the night. Shivering at the sudden change in temperature from the warm room, she folded her arms around her and shrugged against the air, turning towards the stables. As she entered the courtyard, she saw a dark, bulky silhouette move by one of the walls and paused. It moved again, and she heard a quiet snort as the horse tossed it's head, shifting one foot and shaking itself. By it's size, Aman guessed that that would be Jinniver's carthorse.

One of the tall, wide doors of the stables hung open a crack, letting soft lantern light from inside creep out in a defiant ray across the cobblestones of the courtyard along with the soft sounds and comforting smell of satisfied horses. Pushing it open a little further, Aman edged in and looked around for the hobbit stable lad. "Merimac? Merimac, are you there?"