Dwaline raised an eyebrow with a smile. Changing the subject, eh? I must have hit deep, thought Dwaline. He took a deep gulp from his mug, and placed it carefully on the table.
"Strong stuff!" he said, "Strongest I've had in a while." Dwaline shook his head and looked sternly at John. "I came to the shire following Fáinu, a friend of mine. He was seeking Cirdan, and brought a message to him. Originally I took the message, but Fáinu is a swifter rider. Still I wished to see the havens, and I have." The Dwarf looked out of the window and seemed to be staring far off. He took another drink of the strong ale and coughed a little.
Reaching into his pack, Dwaline brought out a long wooden pipe with a deep bowl, it was carven in the shape of a hammer, with carvings of Dwarves hard at work, upon its stem. He filled it with tobacco from his pouch and lit it with a match. Blowing a few smoke rings into the air, Dwaline sat back and looked at John.
"Do you have a pipe about you?" he asked cheerily, "You may have a fill of my tobacco, if you care." he blew another smoke ring and it floated just above John's head before whisking away.
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