[Silent Sam]

Pippin and her cousin Merry surveyed the goings on of the inn with great intrest. They were both named after two of the four hobbits who had disappeared on a strange journey, those many years ago. Being still in their early tweens, as soon as they had caught word of there being a party, each had come as fast as thier hobbit feet could carry them.

Pippin's auburn curls fell into her eyes, drawing glances of her hobbit-boy clothes she was accustomed to wearing rather than traditional dresses. This made some of the elders scowl at her for not being a proper young girl, but she never noticed, or perhaps never cared. She wandered about the crowds looking for cousin, greeting people as they passed, and occasionally having to jump out of the way of the busy servers.

Merry wandered along the food-laden tables, every dish looking more tantilizing than the one prior. He reached out for a particularly large apple, and recived a light tap on the hand from one of the older hobbits.

"Here now lad, shouldn't y'be sayin' 'hello' to some of the others before you go straight to the sweets?"

"Hello" Merry replied, grinning.

The old hobbit shook his head, and disappeared into the crowd leaving Merry to snatch up his sighted prize...