:Open: Recovering from a busy morning

[tiff]

Bree sighed heavily as she wiped her hands on a random towel and finished her cup of tea and finger sandwich. It had been a busy morning indeed and although her fingers weren't dirty, they were sweaty and the tips hurt just a little. It seemed some hobbits waited until a few good slow does to bombard you with random articles of clothing that needed hems raised, holes fixed and anything else. A little sigh left Bree's lips as she grabbed some bread, cheese, and some apples. Wrapping them in cloth, she put them in a satchel with what she was currently knitting and some needles. Closing the satchel she sat it on the table before changing her petticoat into something more appropriate for lying around.

Grabbing the satchel she walked into her family's barn to get her pony Nani . Clicking her tongue, she opened her stable door and lead her out. Putting a bridle on the pony she then put on a blanket and saddle, it was a little hard at first but she managed. After all that was on, she hooked the satchel up to the saddle. She figured if she was going to have a free day she mind as well ride Nani. Hopping up on the her back, she crossed her ankles and rode side saddle out of the barn. The pony's feet soon carried her to one of the roads in the shire, just out side of her family's establishment.

A light noise began to leave her lips as she hummed a nice little lullaby. Her baby blue with green eyes wandered down from in front of her to around her. She always loved the Shire, a lot of nature and it always seemed to be quiet. A small smile fell on the girls lips as she steered her pony down the road.

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[PEREGRIN TOOK]

It was a beautiful day for a stroll. Pippin was tired of lying in the grass like he had done the last few days, so perhaps he should do something more productive… A stroll would be a great way to occupy him – perhaps not the way his mother had meant it when she had sent her young son outside to do something. Pippin had his usually happy smile on his lips as he walked down the small road from his house to the main road that led to Hobbiton. Perhaps he should pay Frodo a visit – he would probably not mind having a little chat with the younger hobbit. In his head Pippin planned out his trip and figured that he had not brought any food with him, just the usual Old Toby tobacco, which was in many ways better than food. The young hobbit stopped. No, those two things could not be compared.

He sat down on a milestone and found a long pipe in the inner pocket of his small vest. He placed it between his lips and found some tobacco which he put into the round hole of the pipe. After this he lit it and soon smoke came out from his mouth. Pippin coughed a few times till the smoke cleaned up and took another deep drag. Oh, Old Toby. The best tobacco ever made. As he started to lazily blow rings of smoke in front of him, he crossed one leg over the other and decided to stay here for a while. The stone was warm and he enjoyed the sound from buzzing insects on the field behind him.

That sound got soon interrupted by the familiar sound of hooves. And Pippin looked up to see who was riding in his direction – perhaps a traveller with a good story to tell. But his eyes fell upon a familiar shape that was nothing like the traveller he had imagined in his mind. The girl’s name was Brywynn and she was the same age as him. She was one of the many young hobbits he could call a friend and a warm welcoming smile formed on his lips. He raised a hand in a wave. “Ahoy Brywynn. Are you enjoying the good weather on top of that pony?”

[tiff]

Brywynn's head moved as she heard a familiar voice and her smile got even bigger. She tugged on the reins and little and Nani immediately stopped."Pippin" she spoke with a light smile as she adjusted her body on the saddle so she was facing him better."It's lovely weather up here, the sun is shining and its a fantastic day" she spoke with joy in her voice as she looked from him to her surroundings, even though it was a lazy day all the bugs were buzzing around. Her baby blue and green eyes moved back over to Pippin as she looked at the pipe he was smoking "Are you enjoying that pipe?" she asked gently as she got down off of Nani.

Her body moved as she brushed her skirt a little and walked around Nani to the other side where Pippin was. She took hold of Nani's reins and lead her off the road a little next to the mile marker."What are you doing out here all by yourself?" she asked gently. Bree didn't move to sit or anything because she felt like standing at this time, though she hoped it didn't make Pippin uncomfortable. Some don't feel at ease with another standing.

Her hand reached up and she tucked some of her blond hair behind her ear. Bree had been spending a lot of time by herself and sometimes she forgot how nice it was to have some company."I was going to go to the field or forest to have a bite, would you care to join me?" she asked gently as she watched Pippin's smoke rings go up into the air.

[PEREGRIN TOOK]

The young curly haired hobbit exhaled some more smoke as he chuckled happily back up at Brywynn who was looking down at him from her pony. “It is a wonderful spring weather we have indeed. I bet that you feel a bit warmer up on that horse, since you are closer to the sun.” he grinned and chewed a bit on the end of the wooden pipe. He nodded at her question and let out a deep and satisfied sigh. “I am really enjoying it. Old Toby, the best weed in the entire Shire. I cannot live without it.” He young hobbit waved absentmindedly away a wasp that seemed to be interested in buzzing around his right ear. Pippin was not afraid of small stinging creatures like that. He was not allergic and he knew that they only stung if you happened to bother them somehow. Just like dog usually only attacked if they felt threatened by you – however does were a completely different matter. They could almost eat the little hobbit in one mouth full, so Pippin often avoided them.

Pippin still looked up at Brywynn, since she was standing when she had gotten down from the horse. He would usually feel uncomfortable looking up at another hobbit, however he did not feel short around the young girl. Actually he believed that he was taller than her, and he simply refused to think otherwise. “I was actually thinking about visiting Frodo Baggins in Hobbiton, but I changed my mind, so now I am just sitting and relaxing here.” He gave her a friendly smile. “My mum wanted me to do something productive and that is what I am doing.”

When the girl asked him if he wanted to join her, the young hobbit jumped up from his seat – he had to admit, that he was slightly bored at the moment. “I would love to.” He replied. “But only if you promise me to walk next to me, and not get up on that horse.” He nodded towards the animal and shuddered. Pippin did not like riding much. Actually, he believed that he had never tried it. He liked to have his feet planted solidly on the ground – it was not in his nature to move faster than his legs could. He even believed that he would never ever ride a horse – it was to no purpose. He never had anything heavy to carry, nor was he ever in a hurry.

[tiff]

Brywynn smiled gently at Pippin. "Yes it was, I love sunny days though I don't think I've ever meant anyone who didn't like them" she spoke with a light chuckle as she kept her hands on Nani's reins. Bree tilted her head a little as she nodded "Old Toby is quite good" she spoke gently and then her eyebrows scrunched together as she saw him wave something away. The wasp then came over to her and Bree gasped, moving her head around and waving her hand as well. She didn't care for wasps, bees, or any insect that stung or bit. Even though they were small, smaller then her, their defenses still hurt.

Bree slowly stepped out of the way and Nani flipped her tail around as a fly began to bug her. It seemed they were all having trouble with bugs. Her baby blue and green eyes moved back to Pippin as he answered her question. "Oh I see and how is Frodo? Is he excited for Bilbo's upcoming birthday?" she spoke with a light smile. It seemed the whole Shire was excited about it. It was indeed going to be a great gathering.

Bree smiled and lead Nani more off the road as Pippin jumped up. "Good" she spoke with a smile as she held onto Nani's reins and gently lead her toward the field."I think I can do that, she needs a break anyways, I've been riding her for a few days now" she spoke gently with another smile as she moved her hand and gently patted her pony on the neck. Her head tilted a little as she looked over at Pippin "Thank you for keeping me company, I've been by myself lately, it gets pretty lonely" Bree spoke with a light laugh.

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[PEREGRIN TOOK]

Pippin chuckled at her and nodded. His eyes looked up at the blue sky above them and he shielded them so he would not get blinded by the sun. “It is wonderful…” he mumbled, still with the long pipe hanging down from between his lips. “Though I think that we need some rain soon. The earth is getting hard and I don’t hope that we will get a heat wave before summer really comes.” He said and kicked some dry yellow dust up from the road. It flew up like a cloud around the young hobbit and proved that his argument was real. “And perhaps after rain we could get some more strawberries.” He quickly added as he thought about the green berries he had found in the forest the other day. They were far from ready to get picked yet – all they needed was a lot of sun and perhaps some rain in the evenings.

“Oh yes! Bilbo’s birthday.” He said and happily clapped his hands as his blue eyes lit up in excitement. “I think that we all are excited for that. I can’t wait for the party…” he said and apparently couldn’t stand still now. “I bet that Frodo Baggins is quite busy now. Helping his uncle with the invitations and such. I’ve heard that they are planning on inviting half of the Shire.” He said as his eyes grew wide and an amazed smile formed on his lips. “I wonder where they will hold it. It will of course be outside somewhere…”

Pippin started walking next to Brywynn as they continued their small talk. The young hobbit liked talking with someone who was the same age as him. All of his other friends, Merry and especially Frodo and Sam were all older than him and he sometimes felt rather stupid and clumsy in their company. “It does get pretty lonely sometimes. I haven’t seen Merry for a while…” Pippin replied. It was no secret that he and his good friend were quite well known in the Shire – mostly because of their mischief. “Oh, I found an apple tree in the forest the other day. It was filled with beautiful white flowers… I can show it to you if you like.” He rambled on and turned down the small path that led them in between the green trees.

[tiff]

Bree looked over at Pippin and nodded. She wondered that too "I'm not too sure, I would imagine some place large and perhaps open" she spoke gently with a light shrug as she looked down at her feet for a moment. She was a cautious lass and was making sure she didn't step on anything that would make her stumble. That was always embarrassing. Nani shook stayed quiet, however, her head bent down as she took slow steps. Bree was never in a hurry, especially with her pony.

Bree looked over at Pipping as he spoke of Merry and being lonely. It seemed the pair was always together, getting into trouble, and stealing some of Farmer Maggot's crops. "Hm I wonder where he is" she spoke gently as she really didn't know what to say, but she figured she should say something. "Maybe he's just been...busy?" she spoke gently, trying to give comfort though she wasn't sure if it was helping.

Nani shook her head a little and let out a few soft knickers, feeling maybe she should give some input. Bree laughed lightly at her and gently rubbed her neck. Her head moved back towards Pippin as he spoke of an apple tree "Oh that would be lovely, apple blossoms smell so sweet." she spoke with a light smile. She loved apple blossoms, they were one of her favorite flowers just with how pungent they were. Bree followed Pippin between the green trees and Nani of course followed. Bree's eyes moved from Pippin to around them, the trees were large and lovely, giving off a relaxing atmosphere.

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[PEREGRIN TOOK]

Pippin was never in a hurry either. He had no reason to hurry, unless he was late for supper or something, then the little hobbit could run – or if Maggot chased him and Merry through his fields. Farmer Maggot had some vicious dogs, Pippin was sure he had gotten from a dark land to the east. He usually joked about the dogs being some kind of breeds of Mordor, however every normal person would understand that they were just guarding their master’s grounds. As he walked next to Brywynn he thought about the big birthday party Bilbo was going to throw and he started thinking about what gift to bring him. Perhaps he should ask his mother for advice. She was a strict pointy nosed woman who had a sense for fine things and good presents. She usually found something neat to give to her friends and family.

“I think that he is busy… Actually I have no idea.” Pippin shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets as he thought about his best friend. It saddened him a bit to be alone without Merry. It was like missing your other half. They had always been together and their friendship had become strong through mutual respect and different experiences through the years. He liked however how Brywynn seemed to know exactly what to say to the slightly depressed young Pippin. Plus, she was another friend of his and he should just enjoy her company instead – she could be just as good as Merry, he only needed to get to know her first.

When Nani (the pony Pippin had forgotten the name of) shook her head and left out a few knickers, the young hobbit jumped lightly surprised to the side and looked at the animal that was walking next to its owner. As mentioned before, he was not fond of horses – they were just like humans and other large animals – too big for him to bother with them. “Isn’t it hard to take care of such a big pet?” he finally asked the girl and gave her a friendly smile. “I mean, they are so large and take a lot of room…” he said carefully as his eyes moved back to the path which now turned and led them to a small green meadow in the middle of the forest. There were was a white apple tree standing at the end of it, and once could hear a gentle chuckle from a brook nearby.

[tiff]

Bree smiled at Pippin. She could understand why he wasn't fond of horses, or even ponies. They were taller then him and that frightened a lot of hobbits. It was intimidating to meet someone who had to look down at you all the time, so Bree understood. That's why she only had a few people of the taller persuasion who were her friends, actually only one Master Tom Bombadil. Then there was Nani. Her eyes searched his face as she continued to smile "Not really, I mean we have a barn that we keep our other animals in, and she stays in there. Most of the time she feeds herself, always nibbling on grass and what not. I just take her out for exercise and give her hay..." she spoke gently as she noticed that she was rambling and quickly stopped, her eyes trailing back to where they were going.

Bree didn't really know Pippin either, sure they were friends but she didn't really know a lot about him. So naturally she wouldn't mind getting to know Pippin or having him for company, at least if there was an awkward silence they could just ask a question."She is large but, she's my little follower" she spoke with a light laugh as she reached up and gently patted Nani's mane. Her blue and green eyes moved from the pony as she saw the tree and heard the brook."Wow" she spoke gently as her eyes got bigger, her nostrils flared as she lightly smelled the air, just like apples. It smelled sweet and crisp, she had to admit this was going to be her favorite place."Oh Pippin, it's lovely" she spoke with a grin as she ran up to the tree, of course Nani following her and Bree's laughter filling the air.

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[PEREGRIN TOOK]

Pippin nodded at Brywynn and knew that to a normal person that explanation would be completely reasonable, however to him it seemed a bit odd and perhaps even without any sense. He could not understand why in the whole world one would keep a pony. It was so much better to walk than to sit on a back of an animal, plus a horse didn’t really give you anything in return like for example a cow did. So, if you just wanted a companion, then why not just get a dog? The young hobbit actually hated dogs as well, but that was mostly because of the encounters he has had with Farmer Maggot’s dogs. They were some vicious beasts and he had found himself running from them everytime he had entered the farmer’s ground. One would wonder why he kept on doing it then, but the answer was simple: Farmer Maggot had the best crops in the entire Shire and he had a lot of them. Surely he could spare some.

Pippin smiled at Brywynn’s expression as she saw the apple tree and he laughed as he followed her run towards it. The young hobbit grabbed a flower covered branch and some of the white leaves fell down on his golden brown hair. Without wiping them off he turned around to look at the blond haired hobbit girl he was standing in front of and gave her a happy smile. “I found it during the winter, however it was first this week it started blossom and I realised how beautiful it is. I think that it will give us some sweet and juicy apples in the autumn.” He told her and smiled with his entire face. His blue eyes shined in the sunlight and he started to ignore the presence of the Pony that had made him a bit uncomfortable before. He was surely glad that Brywynn lived nearby, so he could spend some time with her. “I am glad to have you here with me Brywynn!” He said and placed a big hairy foot on a thick branch before starting climbing. “Come up with me!” he told her as he turned around to climb even higher up in the tree.

[tiff]

Bree continued to laugh until she reached the tree and turned around to see Pippin following her. Nani stopped trotting and soon walked over towards a patch of grass, sniffing it and pushing it around with her muzzle before eating it. Bree watched her to make sure she was alright before letting her eyes fall back on Pippin. When she saw the flower petals in his hair, a burst of laughter came out of her. "Oh Pippin you have some petals on your head" she laughed lightly, with a bright smile as she walked over at gently brushed some off of his head.

Her eyes looked up at the tree as he spoke of finding it in the winter and noticing that it only blossomed towards the beginning of this week."Oh hopefully, we will have to keep an eye on it" she spoke gently referring to the apples. Bree loved apples, well anything sweet really and she knew that Nani most certainly would enjoy some. Her head moved up as she saw Pippin begin to climb and told her to join him. Shrugging lightly she reached up and began to climb the tree, her branch wobbling a little as she climbed up. "Me?" she asked with a light laugh as she found a fatter branch and sat atop of it, "Well I'm very happy to be here with you too Pippin, it's great to have some company" she spoke with a light smile as she watched him. You would think the girl was deprived of human interaction.

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[PEREGRIN TOOK]

Pippin had just smiled when Brywynn had stepped closer to him and had brushed the petals out of his hair. A normal boy would probably have blushed if he had been in Pippin’s situation, however this young hobbit did not really do anything. He was a bit awkward around girls in his own weird though rather confident way. He did not feel shy around them, perhaps amazed at times, and he could flirt when he was drunk, but despite of that, Pippin was not good with girls on the romantic level. He talked with them like he would talk with any other hobbit – male or female. Perhaps that was why he did not have any experience in relationship. He never fell in love – actually he never crushed on someone either… unless it was a delicious pie. Mmm, blueberry pie.

The young hobbit thought about blueberry pie as he climbed up into the tree. He swung one leg over a thick branch and took a seat close to the top of the crown of the tree. Holding another branch above his head with his hand, he glanced over the landscape that suddenly showed itself. The tree was not very tall, however it was standing on a small hill, and gave the two hobbits a great view from the top. “It is great to have some company!” he agreed as he closed his eyes and let the wind rush through his thick golden curls. “So, Brywynn. Have you found a future mr. Bramble yet?” he asked her with a teasing glance in his eyes.

[tiff]

Bree reached up and grabbed another branch, one that was more stable, as she pulled herself up and sat on it. The view was quite lovely and she smiled down at it as she let her blue green eyes view the surroundings. A smile fell on her face as she heard Pippin's words "yes it is !! I very much agree" she spoke with a small laugh. Her legs swung a little as she watched Nani for a minute, the pony still munching on some grass and actually also some flower petals that fell from the tree.

Bree smiled gently at her pony, her eyes soon wondered from her back to the scenery. The Shire was truly a lovely place. She never felt like leaving, or even had a reason too. Pippin's question however snapped her out of her daze and her head quickly snapped up at him. "Peregrin Took, that is none of your business, though I regret to inform you that no, no I haven't" she spoke quickly for a moment before looking away for a moment. A heavy sigh left her body as she soon asked him in return "And have you found a Mrs.Took yet?" she asked with a small grin.

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