[Kransha]

Toby’s eyes shot open suddenly and he popped up, his chair’s legs screeching loudly as the seat slid back along the wooden floor boards. His head and arms slid off the table, he slumped awkwardly out of his chair, and hit the floor in the common room with a painful thud. He cursed silently and kicked the obstructing chair away, getting up. With a disgusted and irritated look on his face, he brushed the soot off his sleeves, shook off his clothes ceremoniously, and sat down again, grumbling under his breath.

He could not recall if he’d been dreaming or not, but he was definitely annoyed at being awoken. He didn’t know what had disturbed him and he didn’t care. He wasn’t sure if he could get back to sleep again. He got up from the chair after less than a minute and looked around with tired, red-rimmed eyes. The common room was nearly empty, save only for two or three figures in the darker corners. Outside, the sky was pitch-black with some pale yellowish moonlight seeping through thick clouds. Inside, the fire was dying down; its former soothing crackle reduced to a soft and subdued tapping noise. The dim but warm light had become a colder and darker projection of bright colors, dancing in shadow on the wall and playing out colorful stories that no one could read.

He walked over to a stool near the bar and sat down, yawning and sighing all at once. He turned his head slightly to see someone asking the innkeeper a question. He was taken aback by her fair face and gleaming blue orbs that he guessed were eyes. She was a dazzling individual, not like many hobbit lasses Toby Hornblower had ever seen. He couldn’t help but stare rudely at the woman with his mouth slowly opening. She was assuredly the nicest looking thing he’d ever seen, except perhaps a very large supply of Longbottom Leaf.

She had pointed ears, the second thing Tobias noticed. ‘Of course,’ he thought, ‘she’s an elf. That explains the face.’ He hadn’t seen many elves around, even though there were presently several in the inn, very near him as a matter of fact. He propped his gawking lower jaw back into place and assessed the female, one eyebrow raised.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 4:28 PM February 08, 2004: Message edited by: Kransha ]