At first, Dwaline did not stir. He finished off his soup and then peered up at John. He smirked and sat up.
"She is not my Crow," he said, "She is her own." Avalon seemed to agree and hopped up onto Dwaline's shoulder, then fluttered over to the window and looked out of it. "Now, come to it. What business do you have with Crows?" Dwaline took another piece of Cram and broke it before popping a couple of crumbs into his mouth.
"There are few enough who study Crows or Birds of any sort," he eyes John suspiciously, but before John could say anything, Dwaline raised a hand and carried on, "Please, let me finish. How do I know you mean no harm to me or Avalon." he nodded towards the Crow, "She has had enough hurt in her life. So, out with it, I, or we, have a right to know if you mean us harm. Why do you bear a Sword? Is it to catch Dragons?" He laughed and pushed his chair back.
A Hobbit waitress came by and swiftly took the plates and bowls away from Dwaline's table and hopped along back to the kitchen. Avalon fluttered back to the table and cocked her head at John, and then she seemed to shrug and asked Dwaline how long he would take.
"I do not know," said Dwaline, "It may be some time, you do not have to stay on my account. You are a free Crow, go wither you will." She said something to him that John could not comprehend, and then she hopped out of a window and was gone.
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