got adventure? (FRODO)

[diamond hansen]

The past few days, Diamond had travelled all over the Shire. She'd camped out in the woods and stayed in inns, but in either place she had had immense fun. She'd finally made her way to Hobbiton, and had decided to take a stroll in the nice part of the neighbourhood, around Bag End. She loved to look at all the quaint little hobbit-holes. It was interesting to her how it could be such a cute town, with houses all over the place. Up in the north, the housing was much more sparse.

A small smile was always placed on the hobbit's cheerful face as she strolled down the dirt road, moving out of the way accordingly for any other hobbits that walked by. In a few days, the biggest event of the year was happening, and everyone was talking about it- the one hundred and eleventh birthday of Bilbo Baggins! Of course Diamond's family had been invited, a was pretty much everyone else that Bilbo knew even vaguely.

Diamond was extremely excited for the party. She did love parties of all kinds and sizes, though admittedly, she did see it as 'the bigger, the better'. And this party was definitely going to be huge. Diamond's parents and siblings were probably on their way travelling to Hobbiton as well, now, but Dia herself had decided to leave several days earlier than the rest of them, because she wanted to have time to adventure along the way. She'd gotten that adventure, but as usual, her thirst for it wasn't quenched, but merely was more demanding after her first taste.

[frodo baggins]

Frodo Baggins was a peaceful hobbit. He liked to sit outdoors and read a nice book and enjoy the sunshine. He didn't much enjoy the preparations being made for his Uncle Bilbo's and his joint birthday party. Well, for the most part the party was about Bilbo, but those who knew Frodo and knew that it was his birthday too would celebrate his as well. He was becoming of age, as the age of 33 was to the Shire folk. It would be a wonderful day for the two hobbits. And yet he couldn't help but stay outside in the wonderful weather that the Shire had. Frodo loved it when the weather was so nice. It was September, but right at this time the weather was still warm and comfortable. Frodo relished the outdoors and relaxing in that warmth. At the same time though, he longed for adventure. Every autumn he felt that longing particularly strong. It was made even worse by the fact that he knew that Bilbo planned to leave to go on one soon, he felt sure, with all the time that the hobbit spent pouring over old maps and all that.

Yet somehow Frodo knew Bilbo wouldn't take him with, if and whenever the old hobbit chose to go. It didn't upset him though, because Frodo figured he would find a way to follow after Bilbo somehow. That or just happen to leave at the same time as Bilbo. Who knew? After all, Bilbo couldn't just leave without saying goodbye. And he would have to prepare everything ahead of time, so Frodo was sure he would know when the old hobbit chose to leave. For now he sat in a tree, leaning against it and reading his book in peace. He felt very comfortable just sitting there, but he soon noticed that there was someone approaching. Curious, since most hobbits were down on the large field preparing for the birthday party, he sat up and watched the person approach. She seemed younger, by quite a few years. Frodo assumed she must be in her tweens or something, close to Merry or Pippin's ages was his best guess. Of course he couldn't be sure really.

Frodo smiled cheerfully as she approached, and as she was about to walk past, he called out to her. "Wait a moment." She looked familiar although he couldn't be entirely sure as to why. Bilbo and Frodo had many relations, and at some point they both sort of lost track of who they knew how and all that. Which was why this party would be completely insane with the amount of hobbits invited. Then again, those who weren't still showed up anyway. Frodo smiled warmly at the hobbit in front of him. "I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you were going to see Bilbo. Because he's currently very busy." Frodo made the excuse of speaking for Bilbo, which he did often anyway, since he couldn't figure out just exactly how he knew the person before him. She looked very familiar, but lately names and such were becoming a blur with all the party invitations he had been forced to write. Hopefully this hobbit wouldn't take offense to that.

[diamond hansen]

Diamond was strolling along Bag End, minding her own business and being particularly cheerful, when a hobbit approached her. It was Frodo Baggins, of course- it was natural that Dia would recognize him. After all, it was Frodo's party too that she'd be attending and not just Bilbo's- one just had to read the 'fine print' on the invitation. Frodo would be coming of age this year, so she thought- Bilbo would be having his eleventy-first birthday and Frodo his thirty-third. The thought amused Diamond. She couldn't figure out how, exactly, but the numbers seemed connected, and that made her smile.

As she was told to, Diamond stopped walking and looked at the other hobbit with mild interest. She nodded understandingly when he told her about Bilbo. She could understand that- her parents were often that way when her family was about to throw a party of any size, though Bilbo's seemed of unimaginable size and therefore he must be under an unimaginable amount of stress because of it. She did not know, of course, that there were other preparations to be made besides the party, which was probably the source of all Bilbo's stress, or at least most of it. Diamond smiled and replied,

"Oh, no. I know he's probably quite busy 'cause of the party and all. I'm just taking a little stroll, is all. I love this road. It's so pretty any time of year, and the houses are so cute." she said cheerfully, taking a quick look around admiringly. "Don't you think so, Mr. Frodo?" she asked. By saying "Mr. Frodo", she felt as if she was both being formal and informal. After all, Frodo wasn't too much older than she was. Though she was still in her tweens and he coming of age in a few days, he hadn't come of age yet, which meant they were both underage. But just to be careful, though she had called him by his first name, she'd added "mr", as it seemed the polite thing to do.

[frodo baggins]

The hobbit had not thought much ahead of what he might say to the younger hobbit before him. Frodo had really not thought at all. But he figured he had seen a familiar face, and because of that, he wanted to say hello, and figure out why he recognized her. Frodo knew that she had to have been invited to the enormous party being thrown for Bilbo. Frodo had written so many invitations for his dear uncle, that all the names and faces sort of blurred together. So while he was fairly certain he knew who she was, he couldn't figure out her name. For that he felt rather ashamed of himself. Frodo was pretty good at remembering faces, and what names went with those faces. He was usually the one whispering to Bilbo who was from and where when he forgot, as he tended to do when he drank too much ale. Not that it ever bothered Frodo in the slightest. He loved to help his uncle, and just spend time with the old hobbit. Sometimes Frodo wondered about some oddities of Bilbo, but he was perfectly happy living the way he did.

At least he knew and understood Bilbo better than other hobbits. They were very close even so. Which was why Frodo never minded much that Bilbo asked him to do all the greeting of hobbits arriving from different parts of the Shire, and the invitations, and answering the door and such. Though it was strange lately. Bilbo took to his study and poured over old maps a lot, which sort of worried Frodo. Bilbo didn't seem to be entirely together. At least, not in the way that Frodo felt he needed to be if the old hobbit were to travel again. He would have to make sure that he went with dear old Bilbo when he decided to travel again. That was all there was too it really. Frodo didn't believe that Bilbo would leave him behind if Frodo showed that he was ready and willing to leave with him. Frodo wasn't sure how he would convince Bilbo to let him come along, but he would find a way to do so. As soon as the party things were over, he would ask the hobbit. Not now, while it was so busy. Frodo could wait until afterward to ask about it.

For the time being though, he would forget about his worries and talk amiably with this hobbit. She seemed friendly enough, which he wasn't entirely used to since most gave him a wide berth. Frodo had lived with Bilbo too long to be considered a 'normal' hobbit. Most just assumed that he was as odd as Bilbo. And truthfully, he was different from them. He longed for adventure, that was enough to separate him from most. But she didn't seem to think he was odd enough to avoid, so he supposed he should be thankful. "Yes...he has a lot of party things to finish. Oh...a stroll? Would you mind if I joined you for a while?" Frodo had read plenty from his book, and he felt that taking a walk would do him some good. He enjoyed walking about the Shire. It was something he did quite frequently, although he tended to wander much farther than most hobbits would wish to. "They are nice homes. I'm sorry but...you know who I am and I can't say the same. What's your name?" Frodo felt guilty for having to ask, but so many people were coming through these days, it was hard to sort through all of them. He hoped she would understand.

[diamond hansen]

Diamond was glad that Frodo was so friendly. To be honest, though she knew who he was, she hadn't talked to him more than a few times in greeting here and there in her life time. She didn't know much about him or Bilbo, actually, other than their names. Not personally, anyway. She had heard quite a bit about Bilbo's adventures, and she marvelled at them. She wished that she could go out on an adventure like Bilbo had. There weren't many opportunities for something like that for a mere hobbit, though- not even once in a lifetime, really. Perhaps Bilbo had just been lucky. If Diamond could gather an opportunity like that though, she would hardly have to think before accepting it and running with it. She wished that such an opportunity would come to her before she was too old to jump on it.

A small sigh escaped her as she thought of this, but the smile remained on her face and did not flicker. This way her good mood was still evident, though her thoughts had momentarily wavered. It made Dia smile to think of adventure, but she also thought back to how Frodo had spoken of Bilbo. He had spoken so fondly of his uncle- or at least, Diamond was quite sure that that was how the two hobbits were related. She couldn't be completely certain. Either way, it was evident that Frodo was very fond of the old hobbit, and this made Diamond happy. She could tell that Frodo knew many things about Bilbo and was close to him, knowing much more than the average stereotypes and stories that the other hobbits like Dia knew about him. She wished she could get to know the old hobbit as well, but she wouldn't ask too much. She had no reason to other than personal interest and would hardly want to bother anyone over her own whims.

She nodded complacently when Frodo asked if he could accompany her on her stroll. "Of course!" she said cheerily. It was a fine time of year and one of the best times of the year to go out for a stroll. How could any good-natured hobbit such as Diamond refuse company on such a walk? Diamond realized that many a hobbit might deny it to Frodo, though- many thought he and Bilbo to be odd. But Diamond thought the opposite- she admired them greatly, and wished to know them better. "I'm sorry, I should have said so earlier." she said apologetically when Frodo asked her her name, realizing that she'd completely forgotten to state it. She knew he was busy and that he'd hardly remember who she was, even if he did vaguely remember her face. "I'm Diamond Hansen." she said, hoping that he wouldn't immediately think of and remember the Hansen hobbits for their stereotypical shortness. Though it was true, the family was shorter than the average hobbit was, Diamond preferred not to be remembered for it.

[frodo baggins]

Lately it felt as if Frodo had no time at all to even try to get to know the hobbits that were wandering in from all parts of the Shire. He had of course his friends, and there were plenty of hobbits whose names he knew and who he knew quite well, but most were invited by Bilbo, and with Frodo running around doing a lot of the invitations and such, he never really had the chance to introduce himself to them. Which wasn't exactly fair, as Frodo did wish to thank them for coming from however far their homes were, and to get to know each of them just a little bit. After all, despite Frodo's reputation as an odd hobbit, he was a very good host. It was also somewhat amusing to him, that even though people gossiped about the Bagginses and the wealthy they possessed and everything about Bilbo's strange adventures, somehow they still wanted to be invited to the party. Which was why so many hobbits who weren't invited were still showing up anyway. It wasn't like they could be stopped either, so Frodo just accepted the fact that they'd have people there that they didn't invite and that was that. It did however make it even more difficult for him to remember their names. Last names were easy, but then it got to the tough business of knowing their first names. If he didn't then they'd be offended, and the whole business would just be entirely too much for him. Frodo hated it when he upset people, even if they were people he didn't like. After all, they had feelings too.

And even if Frodo disagreed with them, that didn't mean he had to say things against them on purpose. He could just use other methods to avoid dealing with them. Similar to how Bilbo tended to avoid the Sackville-Bagginses, so would Frodo deal with those that he didn't quite agree with. Not that it applied to what was going on right at that moment. Frodo knew that the Hansen hobbits were good people. He remembered getting along well enough with them before, so he didn't see a problem at all. And Diamond seemed perfectly nice to speak with as well. Frodo was sure that he would enjoy a nice walk with a hobbit like her. It was better than having Bilbo add another thing on the list of things Frodo had to do to prepare for the party. While it was exciting that it was Bilbo's one hundred and eleventh birthday, it was starting to get to be too tedious. That and the fact that Bilbo spent more time pouring over maps than helping himself frustrated the younger hobbit. But Frodo came to accept that Bilbo wanted to avoid some of the well wishers. Some of them were quite energetic, that was for sure. And some kept asking about the piles of treasure they thought Bilbo had and why he wasn't sharing it. Frodo just wanted to hit his head against something at those moments. Yet somehow he always managed to keep a smile on his face and keep up the pleasantries.

Frodo smiled with a bit of relief as she accepted his company. Not many hobbits were too eager to do so, and he appreciated that she didn't mind it. Frodo enjoyed a good walk now and then with a good companion. He used to frequently walk around with Bilbo, but lately not as much as Bilbo had taken to cooping himself up inside Bag End. Sometimes he went about with Merry, Pippin, and Sam, but not so much with them. They usually preferred to go to the Green Dragon for some ale, or mess about. And Sam was devoted to working the garden. Yet Frodo wouldn't have it any other way. His friends were dear to him, and he loved to spend time with them whatever the activity might be. Frodo prepared himself for his stroll rather easily. He simply settled his book down behind his favorite tree, figuring he'd return there soon anyway. And he was usually the only one who found sanctuary there as it was fairly close to Bag End anyway. The hobbit smiled and walked back over to Diamond and gestured for her to lead the way. While he knew every part of the Shire, he figured she might not go to the places he usually did for his walks, so he would let her decide. That and he was joining her and not the other way around. "Thank you. Walking is always a nice experience. But I am sorry that I didn't recognize the name. I remember the Hansen family. It's just with all the invitations, the names all start to come together after a while." Frodo explained, not wanting to upset her, but feeling that she deserved the truth. She knew who he was but he hadn't been able to return that sentiment. It made him feel guilty. "It's a pleasure to meet you though, Miss Hansen." Frodo added, figuring that might help make things a little less uncomfortable.

[diamond hansen]

Diamond wasn't the least bit uncomfortable talking to other hobbits, even ones she'd never talked to before. For that reason, a lot of hobbits tended to stray away from her. It wasn't like she was unfriendly- quite the opposite- but mostly it was because she was seen as a bit strange and 'uppity' for a hobbit. She hadn't yet reached her coming-of-age at this time, and so it really had to be expected that she'd be 'uppity' as they called her. But yet, no one seemed to expect her to be that way- everyone thought she should be mature and calm like the rest of her family. Well, Diamond wouldn't have anything of it. She didn't like the way the rest of her family acted. They were all far too calm and collected all the time, and always being fancy and the like just because they were rich and 'regal' hobbits. And on top of all that they expected Diamond to act that way, too! No, she refused to do anything of the sort.

Diamond felt a bit sad that Frodo was roped into all these things by his uncle. It was clear that he cared for him, but she believed that Frodo should be able to do other things as well. Meaning, he was a relatively young hobbit, and though he may seem calm and polite, she was sure that he had some complaints about always having to run around doing Bilbo's work, like the invitations and meeting and greeting all the invited (and uninvited) hobbits that would show up, and... it just didn't seem like a way that Diamond would want to spend her life. Although, she couldn't very well speak for others' feelings- Frodo might actually enjoy doing all these things, and who was she to say otherwise? She only felt badly about it because she herself wouldn't want to have to be in charge of all those things, all the time. It must have been tiring for him at least every once in a while, if not all the time.

But at least she made him smile when she told him that he could take a walk with her. Maybe he needed the break- if so, Diamond was glad that she'd happened along this road where he was, because she could give him a break. It made her happy to make others happy, so long as she wasn't having to do anything she really didn't want to, like dress up or attend fancy dinners hosted by her parents. Because then her parents weren't really happy, per se- they were just happier than they were before, or at least less disappointed in her, and that didn't matter as much to her. "I'm happy to meet you too, Mr Baggins. It's all right, by the way- you have so many things to do and prepare for, and you meet so many hobbits all the time. I don't blame you in the slightest for not remembering me personally or my name- I'd be a fool to think you could." she said. When around calm people, Diamond often got restless. But around Frodo it was the opposite- he had something about him that made her feel calm, too. She could appreciate this once in a while, and today was one of those times.