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Toby was distracted from Snaveling’s next statement by a polite female voice behind him. He spun around to face the voice’s source, not entirely ready to be addressed by anyone, but quickly regained his composure and noble demeanor. He quickly assessed the girl in front of him, looking her over from head to toe with his keenly focused hazel eyes, now half-closed and squinting as the mixed light of the inn played upon them.
“Mirabell Baggins.” said the hobbit lass as she curtsied, “Would you like to have a chat with me?”
Toby smiled warmly as thoughts began coursing again through his mind. ’A Baggins, eh? Probably one of my cousins or some distant relation. Well, no matter, she seems to be polite enough and it would do me good to talk to someone besides Snaveling. As friendly as he has become, that man just can’t have a good conversation for an extended period of time.’
“Tobias Hornblower the Third, madam,” replied the elder hobbit as he bowed, executing one of his signature dignified flourishes as he did so, “If a conversation is what you desire, I would certainly not mind obliging you.” He sat down on one of the recently vacated chairs before someone else could get to it and reclined, sighing happily. The atmosphere had elevated his mood greatly and he found that he was much more inclined to start a friendly dialogue with this stranger. He leaned forward in the chair and blinked.
“So…what is it you would like to discuss, exactly?” he queried pleasantly.
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