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“He – he what?” Of all the possible explanations, Lily had never even suspected this. “But he – I was in Bree – why – what was he thinking?” she spluttered. A myriad of emotions displayed themselves across her face: relief, confusion, anger, joy.
He smiled at her, a strange smile. “He was too shy to go to you in Bree, and so came here instead with the wild hope of finding you.”
“But… that’s wonderful! Blanco, this is the best news I have heard all day!” She had leapt to her feet and now walked around the table to kiss him lightly on the cheek. Now she really did feel like dancing! Posco had come to find her, and here she had been hiding from him! But why he ever thought to come here to find her…!
“Thank you, Blanco,” she said, truly meaning it. “But I must go find Posco now.” And with that she fairly danced off, still reeling with shock. But as that started to recede into the violent tempest of her emotions, and others started to come through more prominently: bewilderment (why ever he had come here!), anger (how dare he cause me all this heartache!), annoyance (could he not have even written?), amusement (silly hobbit, trying to find me where I almost certainly would not be). Had she been thinking clearly, she in her current state probably would not have tried to approach Posco, because she would have remembered just how he would react if he thought she was angry with him; but none of this occurred to her in her overwhelming need to see him. It had been so long!
She flung open the door to the inn, and there he was. Her heart began to thud as she had forgotten it could. Smiling faintly, she walked up to him and declared, “Posco, I do believe you are the most absurd hobbit I have ever had the chance to meet, for in one day without ever seeing me you have made me both the most miserable and the most joyous hobbit in Middle-earth.” She laughed lightly. “I do not pretend to understand why you came here and not to Bree, but I am ever so glad I did not simply go home!” Then she faltered suddenly. Of course he would understand none of this, and how might he take it? And… what if Blanco had been wrong? Her waltzing in here like this! But she could think of nothing more to say that would explain rightly, and said nothing.
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