[Thinlómien]

"Tansy. Where are you really going?"

There sure was more than a hint of mischeviousness in Fred's eyes, but the eagerness and seriousness was the very same, old and profound. "Tansy, Daisy, where are you going? Can I come with you? Tansy, Daisy, please, I'm not too small, I'm not too young! I'm not! Now, you aren't going to see Aunt Angelica in Frogmorton, I'm sure you're not! Don't lie to me! Tansy, where are you really going?"

Tansy met her little brother's gaze levelly and studied his face. He was not a boy anymore, he was all grown up, like herself. And he'd never again jump up and down comically when trying to impose his point on his big sisters, nor would he ever again run or sneak after them.

"We are going to find the Entwives, wherever they might be. That is the plain truth."

Bunny seemed to be a bit unsure of what to think of the turn of events and Brown looked surprised.

"So you have no clear direction?" Fred asked.
"We have old maps and ideas of where to go, but no, we don't have a set destination, like Oatbarton," Tansy replied slowly.
"Oh, but then you must take Brown here with you! He would surely be interested to go on for an adventure, wouldn't you, Brown?"
"Well, I must say it sounds interesting, but..." poor Brown started, but his friend interrupted him.
"You see, Tansy, he's willing to come with you? He knows his way around the Shire, he has travelled quite a lot and..."
"I'm sure Mr Barrabury knows the Shire, but so do I," Tansy interrupted. "We have no need for a guide, Fred. Besides, I'm sure Brown must see our 'adventure' as a childish thing and I can certainly see why it may seem such."

There. She had probably managed to hurt both Fred and Bunny on the very same occasion and possibly Brown too. She shook her head, irritated.

"Not at all, Miss Tansy," Brown said. He smiled, but his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Like I said before, your adventure seems very interesting and my opinion hasn't changed since. But I should say that..."

"Tansy, listen to me", Fred said, interrupting Brown once again. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I didn't trust your knowledge, because that was not what I meant. I only ask you to take Brown with you, as he is willing to come. He is a good lad and he needs something refreshing in his life. So let him come with you, take him with you. Tansy... I'd feel... safer if he was with you."

Tansy couldn't meet her brother's eyes this time, she didn't want to see the despair laying behind all that eagerness. She turned her face away, too grieved for her pride to be hurt of Fred's excuse that implied she and Bunny couldn't survive on their own.

Suddenly, she became aware that all the three other Hobbits in the room were standing still, waiting for a response from her. Without looking at Brown or Bunny, she met her brother's eyes and said: "Very well then, Fred. We'll take Mr Brown with us, that is, if Bunny agrees. She is the actual leader of our little expedition."

"But why, of course he can come with us!" Bunny exclaimed, evidently glad that the rather depressing situation was over, "You're very welcome to join our little 'expedition', Brown, like Tansy called it. Now, you maybe want to hear more, and Fred, you seem to be interested in this as well, right? Great. So maybe I could start with telling how we've organised these things and who else is coming. For two people don't make an expedition, even if you ask someone like Tansy, yes, Tansy's friend Peony Chobb is coming with us too. Maybe you know her? And then this lass called Mira Hilldweller..."

Later, Tansy could not tell at which point did she stop following Bunny's cheerful chattering and start dwelling upon her own, rather gloomy thoughts.