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The Prancing Baile was a rather unusual name for a town, is what Bilbo first thought when he heard the name fall from a ranger's mouth, giving the company directions to the nearest sailing town that would gladly have temporary employers. The idea originated from Kíli, who made a joking comment about simply sailing to Erebor instead of walking all the way across Middle Earth, and his idea was originally met with chuckles of laughter, until Thorin turned deadly silent and turned to his nephew with a small grin- and bilbo didn't know Thorin was capable of doing that-. Anywho, the king ended up agreeing with Kíli's idea and set out for the nearest town in hopes of someone telling them where to go, and Fíli had to deal with Kíli's blindingly smug grin every time he argued with his brother, which he seemed to take well (and if by 'well' Bilbo means resorting to punching him in the back, then yeah, things were well).
Once they arrived in the town, everyone busied themselves with looking around for any information, asking shopkeepers, guardsmen and employees where they may find a sailing town, but were all met with vague responses and simple shrugs of confusion. At least until Bilbo managed to spot a ranger passing through the town and practically bounded over to him, the question on the tip of his tongue as he went through the pleasantries of introducing himself and listening to the ranger's life story- which may have been a tad bit of an over-exaggeration- but Bilbo couldn't quite bring himself to care all too much.
"Apologies, sir, but do you by any chance know where I could find a sailing town?" Bilbo asked, trying to remain polite and not fiddle with the hood of his cloak that was pulled over his head. The ranger paused, humming in consideration, and bilbo felt all hope leave his body for a moment before the man's eyes widened and a small grin spread across his lips.
"Why, in fact I do!" He cheered, slinging off his backpack and rummaging through it until he pulled out a map. "It's called the 'Prancing Baile', bit of an odd name, but it is a rather odd place too." He explained with a slight shrug before handing the map over to Bilbo. "Here ya go, free of charge too, I have plenty of copies in my pack." He continued before closing his backpack and slinging it across his shoulders, giving Bilbo a small wave before continuing his walk through the town. Meanwhile, the Dwobbit couldn't fight off the smile that spread across his face, unravelling the map in his hands as he gave it a quick read, to make sure it wasn't fake, before ravelling it back up and searching for the rest of the company.
After weaving his way in and out of crowds in the marketplace, Bilbo managed to find the rest of the company, who looked rather down at their lack of success as they huddled around a table outside the local tavern of the town. They seemed to be engaged in a conversation, and Bilbo slowed down his pace as to not interrupt when he heard-
"-Do you think Bilbo found anything?" Ori asked as his brother, Dori, fiddled with his scarf, grumbling on about the knitting coming undone on it as Dwalin snorted.
"Please, if none of us could have any luck finding it, what makes you think the Dwobbit has had luck?" He asked with a dismissive wave of his hand befor ehe leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
"Dwalin, will you have a bit of faith in the laddie?" Balin asked with an exasperated sigh, slightly rolling his eyes at his brother, who merely huffed back at him.
"I believe Dwalin is right, the likelihood of the Dwobbit finding anything useful is below the bar." Thorin spoke up in agreement with Dwalin, getting Balin to scoff as he gave a light-hearted glare to the king, whilst Dwalin smirked triumphantly.
"Why do you call him 'Dwobbit'?" Kíli spoke up with a slightly furrowed brow.
"Yeah, he has a name, right?" Fíli agreed with his brother as Thorin sighed and opened his mouth to speak. Thankfully, Bilbo was able to regain his self-awareness by physically shaking his head before he walked over to the group- albeit in a far less happier mood than before- and handed the scrolled up map to Thorin silently. The Dwarf looked down at it in confusion before he took it from Bilbo with a raised brow.
"What is this?" He asked, looking at the scroll for a moment before he began to unravel it.
"I- it's a map I got from a ranger, he said it would lead to the nearest sailing town." Bilbo muttered, just loud enough for the rest of the company to hear as Balin gave Dwalin a look that left the bald Dwarf silently fuming as he leaned forward in his seat. Bilbo shifted slightly, silently praying that the anger wouldn't be directed at him as Thorin looked over the map before nodding his head.
"The Dwobbit is correct, this map will lead us true." He announced to the group, getting everyone to cheer and yell, whilst Glóin had to sign to his brother what had just happened- bless Óin, but he picked the most unorthodox times to not have his hearing horn handy- and eventually the two Dwarves cheered along with the company. Bilbo offered a small smile, not quite able to shake the company's words off of him quite yet, especially considering this wasn't the first time he had overheard them saying a good few. . . Unsavoury things about him. Anyways, Bilbo resumed his role quietly as the company began to ready themselves to set out for the town, the trip wasn't going to be a long one- thank Mahal and Yavanna for that-.
The trip over to the town surprisingly wasn’t too long, though it would’ve been a lot more quicker with their ponies, and soon enough the company found themselves arriving at the ‘Prancing Baile’, which sounded a lot more like a tavern than a town, pointed out by Ori. This ended up worrying some members, who feared that they had just stumbled across a large tavern that was rather popular around these parts of Middle Earth, but thankfully the case wasn’t so, and soon they found themselves in a bustling town with a large dock for incoming ships.
”I can’t believe this place actually exists. .” Bofur murmured aloud as he looked around the town, which was rather odd considering it had a wide variety of races enjoying one another’s company. Furthermore, none of these races seemed to live up to what was believed about them, with some of the Elves tying their hair back, or wearing it short, and Dwarves dressed in their best attire laughing along with them. Humans wore a kind smile and performed street tricks for a round of drinks at the local tavern, and there were even Gnomes bustling around and singing a cheery song.
”Mahal. . .” Dwalin muttered as he eyed and Elf that was happily drinking with a Dwarf, neither one bothered by the presence around them as they had friendly challenges between the two of them as to who could drink the most. “I’ve never seen anything like it.” He commented quietly as he tore his gaze away, getting a hum of agreement from Thorin. The bald Dwarf wasn’t entirely incorrect either, even when the friendship between the Dwarves of Erebor and Elves of Mirkwood was still strong, neither of the two species engaged with one another so casually.
”Well, best we find that sailor and be off from this place." Glóin spoke up after a while of gawking at the town and its strange inhabitants, the company grumbled in agreement and began to make their way through bustling streets. Some men were carrying large boxes containing banners, whilst the women carried woven baskets filled with freshly baked goods over to stalls, the trees were decorated and lined with pastel coloured ribbons, and small lanterns were strung from house-to-house, no doubt emitting a soft glow once lit.
"You don't suppose there's a festival going on?" Bombur asked as he eyed the lanterns and stalls that were being stocked with freshly baked breads and fruit. There was a hum of agreement, and Kíli and Fíli questioned one another on what they thought the festival was for; perhaps a founding day, or an annual celebration, or perhaps even a tradition they had never heard of? Bilbo didn't bother to include himself in the conversation, he found himself being enamoured by the way the Dwarves, Men, Women and Elves of the town all seemed to work together in such unity, not one bothered by their race or living up to the standards of each one.
"I don't know." Shrugged Dwalin, and the Dwobbit assumed that Kíli and Fíli turned their questioning to the rest of the group. The bald Dwarf rolled his eyes slightly as both the Oakenshield brothers sighed and looked around for a sign, or a banner that would give them more indication as to what the festival was about.
"Why are you two so bothered? It's not like we'll be staying for long." Dori pointed out to the two, getting them both to sigh once more, their mouths opening- no doubt to do the freakish sibling thing where they finish one another's sentences -before being cut off by Nori.
"Yeah, you could just get Bilbo to answer your questions, his kind do a lot of celebrating." He jabbed towards the Dwobbit, and Bilbo felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment and shame, eyes darting to the ground as he no longer found himself enjoying the sights of the beautiful ribbon and lanterns. There was a sudden roar of chuckling from some members of the company, and the Dwobbit simply wished to be swallowed by the ground he walked on.
"Aye, the Hobbits all flouncing around with their pretty ribbons and flower crowns!" Glóin added on, getting the company to laugh even more as Bilbo tugged his hood over his head. He could feel the tears brimming in the corner of his eyes as he focused on his stupidly bare feet beneath him- though they were normal sized, could bare wearing shoes due to the discomfort it brought him. Ori said he found it interesting, how the soles of his feet were like leather and could be easily protected against shards of glass on the ground, Dori thought it was unnerving seeing dirtied feet.
"Oi, leave the boy alone." Balin chided the laughing Dwarves as he shook his head.
"Aye, surely other races would think us as right sissies for our braids." Bofur spoke up with an unusual seriousness in his tone, getting the laughter to die down rather quickly as a few of the members of the company huffed.
"It was just a joke." Glóin grumbled as Nori was whacked upside the head by Dori. Balin shook his head again as Bofur rolled his eyes.
"Aye, and I'm sure the jokes real funny until it's turned on you." The toymaker Dwarf retorted, and Bilbo could feel the air of the company turn uncomfortable as he tugged his hood over his head even more. It's not that he doesn't appreciate Balin and Bofur defending him, he just fears that in doing so the company will only hate him even more, and really they were right to do so. I mean, he couldn't even defend himself from a few jabs directed his way, or suck it up and play along with the jokes. Truly, he was a pathetic half-Dwarf.
A while of walking later, the company finally made it to the docks of the town, and Bilbo tugged his hood back slightly to take in the sight. The fishermen were busy with selling their catches as men and Elves carted them away to the town square, and it seemed that most of the boats had already retired, or were gone on their own adventure. That is, all except for one; The Wanderlust. It wasn't a large vessel of a ship, but it was big enough to not be considered a boat that the fishermen often used. The ship seemed to be designed to favour speed over cargo, and was clearly made for long adventures rather than trade or meetings and visits elsewhere. The boat seemed to be perfect for the company, who really only needed a short-term usage to get to Erebor quickly.
"Let us go, if we are lucky enough, we'll find the captain of this ship." Thorin instructed, clearly gesturing to The Wanderlust as he trudged down towards the docks, everyone following after him after a moments hesitation to take in the beautiful and pristine waters that shone more magnificently than a sapphire would after being polished. The docks creaked underneath the company’s weight, the wooden planks damp with sea water as small waves softly crashed into the sides of the wooden walk-way, soaking the feet of anyone walking too close to the edge. Bilbo glanced over at the water, before tilting his head up to peak from under his chestnut bangs and dark green hood, eyeing the various Elves and Humans that sauntered up and down the docks, carrying large barrels and boxes of cargo in their hands. It would appear that they took no notice of the company, everyone was far too busy preparing for whatever festival they had been preparing for, and the company would rather ride in barrels than ask an Elf the whereabouts of the ‘Wander Lust’s’ captain. Eventually, however, Óin was able to point out a human man sat in a small shack, writing something in a large book as he dipped his quill into some more ink.
”Good eye, Óin.” Thorin complimented the Dwarf, pointedly ignoring said Dwarf’s confused murmurs as to why the king was saying he had a ‘lewd eye’.
”Oh for Mahal’s sake, he said you have a ‘good eye’! Good eye!” Glóin corrected his brother with an exasperated sigh, grumbling about spending thousands to get him that horn only for him to barely ever use it. He was met with an offended scoff and a whack upside the head by the same ear horn he had been cursing not even a moment ago. “Oh, you heard that, didn’t you!” He glared at his brother, who whistled innocently whilst Kíli and Fíli snickered behind the two bickering brothers. However, a quick huff from Dwalin was enough too have the four quiet down as Thorin stepped forward to speak to the human.
”Oh! You’re new here!” The man exclaimed, brushing a strand of blonde hair away from his face. “How can I help you, good sir?” He asked, setting his quill down to give Thorin his full attention as the Dwarven king hummed.
”Do you happen to know the captain of the ‘Wander Lust’?” He drummed his thumbs on the countertop as he asked the man, getting a blank look before an expression of joy and realisation dawned across the man’s face.
”Oh my! You’re looking for Captain Sloane!” The man beamed as he pulled open a drawer from his writing desk and began to rummage through some papers. “He’s just gotten back today, a fine Dwarf if I do say so myself, though some may say he’s a little odd.” The man murmured aloud, a if making some form of small talk before he let out a satisfactory noise as he pulled out a sheet of paper that a list of names and timings on.
”Good, do you know where he is?” Thorin asked, glancing down at the paper before back up at the human, who hummed i consideration as he tapped the lenses of his golden rimmed glasses.
"He will most likely be in the local tavern, if not then he should still be somewhere here. . ." He mused as he stood up to look behind Thorin and his company out at the docks, eyes scanning through the crowds before they widened in recognition. "That's him there!" He pointed out to a lone Dwarf who looked to be packing some things into a sack, though at the man's yell he looked up, spotting the company and waving a hand. The human reciprocated the wave before gesturing with his hand as he turned back to face Thorin. "That's your captain, though I should warn you, he is very specific about his schedule." He informs the company, before sitting back down in his chair and resuming his writing. Thorin nodded his head once, giving his thanks to the man before he turned around and walked over to Captain Sloane, who resumed packing the sack.
"Captain Sloane!" Thorin called out in greeting once he was close enough, the company trailing behind him, before standing to his right side, with Bilbo straying to his left side, slightly behind him.
"Just Sloane will do." The captain greeted back, tightening the sack before standing up to face the king and his company. The captain honestly didn't look to be anything special, he had long, warm brown hair that was tied back into two braids, which were tied back into a messy bun, with two strands of hair framing his face. He had dazzling peacock blue eyes, and his face was littered with small freckles, and he had a short moustache and strip of under chin beard. His outfit also wasn't too eye-catching, a simple untucked white v-collar blouse, under a dark green duster coat, that was cinched in on the waist by an obi belt, which was worn with dark brown leather trousers and a pair of black renaissance boots. He also didn't wear much accessory-wise, other than a ruby red bandana on top of his head, and a dark red chocker with a small beaded necklace. Overall, whilst he was a rather handsome fellow- in Bilbo's opinion- there wasn't much else to note about him.
"Right, Sloane," Thorin nodded his head once. "We require your ship to sail to our destination, lest we ended up traversing across Middle Earth on foot." The king explained, getting Sloane to raise an eyebrow as he nodded his head, drumming his fingers on the side of his hip in consideration.
"Where exactly is your destination?" The captain inquired, looking from Thorin, to his company, to Bilbo- and his gaze certainly did not land on the Hobbit for a few seconds longer, it must have been a trick of the light- as Thorin's jaw clenched in consideration.
"Erebor." He gritted out, watching as the captain raised his eyebrows. "I am Thorin Oakenshield, and my company-" He gestured with his hands to the group of Dwarves standing to his right. "-And I are headed to Erebor." He explained, and Bilbo had to ignore the hurt he felt in his heart when he wasn't involved in the gesture, despite how used to it he was. Sloane nodded his head in understanding, bringing a hand up to his chin as he placed the other one on his cocked out hip.
"We have King Oakenshield, his company, and who is he?" The captain asked as he turned back to Bilbo and pointed a finger at him. Thorin's head swivelled around, as if he didn't know Bilbo was there, before facing the captain again when the Dwobbit went to speak up.
"Nobody important." The king gruffly cut off the Dwobbit, making his jaw snap shut as he glanced to the side, grateful for his cloak that provided him some semblance of comfort.
"Nobody important?" Sloane asked with a raised eyebrow as he placed his hands on his hips, eyes falling on Bilbo, who was shuffling slightly further away from Thorin. "Mahal, that's amazing." Sloane said aloud, getting a furrowed eyebrow from Thorin and a whisper of confusion from the company, even Bilbo paused in his shuffling to glance up at the captain in confusion. Without further explanation, Sloane walked forwards towards Bilbo, a soft smile on his face as he spoke to the Dwobbit who was only slightly shorter than him. "D'you know in 21 years of sailing the world I haven't met anyone who 'wasn't important' before." He murmured warmly, a shine in his eyes that only grew brighter when Bilbo tilted his head to look up at him more, cheeks a light red and his eyes widening in surprise. 'So, I'll ask again, who are you?" He held a hand out for Bilbo to shake, which the Hobbit did after getting over his shock.
"Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins." He introduced himself, not once taking his eyes away from the extraordinary fellow he's only just met, who's grin seemed to rival Bofur's in sheer happiness.
"Bilbo Baggins. What a stunning name." He complimented, slowly taking his hand away as he lightly squeezed Bilbo's fingers before turning to face the company, though this time, he stood next to the Dwobbit. 'Now, you need to be in Erebor? For when?" He asked casually, as if nothing had happened. The rest of the company remained agape as Bilbo looked down at the hand Sloane held with a small smile, gently rubbing his thumb across his fingers before he looked back up at the sailor.
"October thirteenth." Thorin replied after a moment of silence, getting Bilbo to turn to face him, and feel himself grow worried at the Dwarven king's stern expression, instinctually sinking back into the hood of his cloak. "For Durin's Day." He added, hands clenching into fists at his side as the company shuffled forward to face the sailor properly.
"October thirteenth, ey? Well, that gives me time for my month off." Sloane grinned as he clasped his hands together. "Meet back here on the first of October morn, and we'll be ready to go!" The Dwarf grinned, before walking forward to pick up his sack and turning to walk away, before pausing and turning to face the company again. "Oh! And there is a festival coming up soon, so all alcohol is fifty percent off." He clicked his fingers at the company, winking over at Bilbo before he turned and sauntered off, once again leaving everyone in stunned silence.
"Well, he seems nice." Bofur spoke up, getting some of the company to groan and begin talking amongst themselves, Bilbo couldn't care though, his gaze was fixated on the back of the sailor Dwarf until he disappeared into the sea- pun unintended- of Elves and Men. A warm feeling had buried itself somewhere in Bilbo's gut, the hand that was held seemingly humming in delight as his cheeks were dusted a light red, his mind flickering back to the wink that was reserved just for him, over, and over, and over again. Until, he felt a tug on his arm, and found Kíli tugging him away to re-join the rest of the company as they looked for a place to stay for a month.
That very same night, the company was making their way into a rather large tavern that was entirely dedicated to drinking, dancing, singing and eating. Naturally, it seemed like the perfect choice for a group of thirteen Dwarves, and one Dwobbit, to stay up to plan their next course of action, along with getting some food and drink for half the price.
"Look how the lights of the town"
The lights of the town are shining now."
"We're going to have to talk money soon." Glóin spoke up as the group made their way through the highly decorated town, with colourful banners and streamers hanging from signs and buildings, the lanterns enveloping the streets in a soft glow that seemed as though everything had been coated in a layer of beautiful, golden, honey. However, Glóin's words immediately dampened the company's content mood, as the majority groaned.
"Tonight I'll be dancing around"
"I'm off on the road to Galway now."
"Glóin, we have enough to last, and everything here is half the price for the festival, so that will leave us with a bit left over!" Bofur grumbled with a sigh, throwing a limp arm into the air as the red haired Dwarf rolled his eyes.
"Look how she's off on the town"
"She's off on a search for sailors though"
"There's fine fellas here to be found"
"She's never been one to stay at home."
"I know that! But we'll also have to pay for our captain's services, along with the fee for fourteen people to use the facilities here, along with the tax at the inn, it will completely ring us out!" He exclaimed, his logic earning him a punch on the arm from Nori, which earned the starfish haired Dwarf a slap upside the head from Dori.
"Home you'll go and it's there you'll stay"
"And you've work to do in the morning."
"I'm afraid Glóin is correct." Thorin spoke up after a while, getting the company to groan once again. "But work should be easy to find, especially since this festival is going on-" He waved a dismissive hand out to the side as the company drew nearer to the tavern. "-Let us not think about that for tonight, though. We should enjoy ourselves." He declared, the company roaring and cheering in agreement, aside from Bilbo, who strayed further to the back of the group as they entered the tavern. Truthfully, he still had a large amount of pocket money left, choosing to bring half of his life savings with him on the quest in various small pouches that remained hidden away in his satchel he always carried with him. To be honest, it wasn't a lot, just three pouches of gold and silver coins, but it would be enough to buy him a week's worth of full priced food at the average inn, so it would most likely last him a while longer in the Prancing Baile. However, he would most likely end up sharing his wares with the company, so it would be best to begin work soon.
"Give up your dreams of going away"
"Forget your sailors in Galway."
Shaking his head, Bilbo focused on the present, choosing to enjoy the night as much as he could, which would most likely mean being ignored, and avoiding the Dwarves of the company until they were ready to leave, or until he would have to help haul their drunk arses back to the inn. Either way, Bilbo wasn't expecting a night full of socialising, as Dwalin opened up the double doors to the tavern, music and cheers immediately filling his ears as he took in the sight before him; The tavern seemed to be even bigger on the inside, going up to at least two levels that were filled with people eating, drinking and dancing as a band played over at the front, consisting of three human women, each dressed in dark blue dresses as one with fiery red hair played the violin, all the women singing along when it was time. There were barrels filling the room, along with portraits and shelves of books, with the tavern walls also decorated with the same banners and streamers as outside.
"Téir abhaile rú, Téir abhaile rú"
"Téir abhaile rú, a Mhéaraí"
"Téir abhaile gus fan sa bhaile"
"Mar tá do mhargadh déanta."
Wasting no time, the company found themselves hurrying over to sit on the nearest free table, which happened to be a circular one with a long wooden seat carved to curve around the table, fitting almost everyone on. Almost. Bilbo stood off to the side, watching with a slightly pained feeling in his chest as he was ignored, before he turned away and headed over to the bar, choosing to occupy a small section of it that wasn't too busy as he leaned an elbow on the wood of the bar. The tune was a pleasant one, with the violinist taking the lead with a cheery grin as the many patrons of the tavern danced to the tune, or cheered as they watched on from their chairs. The tavern was so full of good cheer, he almost felt guilty for his melancholy mood, so he instead turned his head up to face the bartender, who had just served a gruff old gnome an egg cream.
"Pardon me, sir?" Bilbo called out, after taking a moment to find his voice. The bartender paused, before turning around as she gave him a cheery smile.
"Hello there, mo chara! What can i do for ya?" The woman asked, curly brown locks tied back into a bunt as she wiped her hands on her green tartan apron. Bilbo squinted his eyes in slight confusion at the name given to him, but opted not to question as he blinked up at her.
"Oh, I was just wondering, are there any jobs going around that I could take up?" He asked, twiddling with his fingers awkwardly as the woman hummed, cocking her hip to the side.
"Well, there are plenty of temporary jobs goin' about. We got the basket weaving, decorating, yer standard baking, cooking, fishing, bartending, really ye've just got to ask around." She shrugged her shoulders, before going to another patron who was calling for her. The Hobbit hummed as he nodded his head in consideration, mulling over which job would be the best for him.
"Hello there!" A familiar voice spoke up as Bilbo looked up at Sloane, the sailor Dwarf had his arms crossed as he leaned on a barstool, grinning as he looked at Bilbo. "Fancy seeing you here, and not in the warmth of your company." The captain mused aloud, shaking Bilbo from when he was admiring that confident grin of his, a sigh escaping the Hobbit.
"Come now and follow me down."
"They're technically not my company." He explained with a slight shake of his head, getting Sloane to raise a single brow. "Well- I see them as company, but I doubt they see me that way.' He murmured, glancing over to the table of Dwarves who were all chattering and grinning at one another, aside from Bofur, who raised an eyebrow at Sloane’s back before his gaze flickered to Bilbo. Unfortunately, the Dwobbit didn't get time to see what the Dwarf was doing as Sloane once again caught his gaze.
"Down to the lights of Galway where."
"Well, it's their loss, isn't it?" Sloane asked, getting Bilbo to tilt his head iin slight confusion.
"Hm?" He inquired, with a slight flick of his ear, the leaf-shaped appendage brushing against the fabric of his hood and creating a small fold in the fabric.
"Well, they're over there, drinking to their heart's content," He gestured over to the table of Dwarves absentmindedly, not caring that half of them had seen the gesture. "And I'm here, in the company of a rather fine looking Dwobbit." Sloane’s words caused an immediate reaction, as Bilbo cheeks flushed a deep red, bringing his slightly shaking hands up to tug his hood down over his face more as he ducked his head.
"There's fine sailors walking the town"
"And waiting to meet the ladies there."
"Ah- well, if this is a prank then-"
"-Oh, i can assure you, Bilbo, this is no prank." Sloane cut him off, reaching out and taking one of the Dwobbit's hands into his own. "If you wish, I can prove it to you?" He inquired with a small raise of his eyebrow. Bilbo flushed even more, blinking a few times before he shook his head and managed to speak.
"I- in what way do you mean?" He inquired, with slightly furrowed eyebrows, his eyes peaking out from under his hood as Sloane’s soft smile turned to that handsome grin from before.
"Watch now he'll soon be along."
"With a dance!" He declared as the music changed to a different tune entirely, more patrons cheering as they grabbed for dance partners.
"He's finer than any sailor so."
"Wha- But I don't-"
"-Don't dance? Bilbo I say you hum and nod your head to the tune." He pointed out, using both of his hands to hold Bilbo's single one in a gentle clasp. "I watched your feet mirror the movements as you spoke to Fia, you know many of these dances very well." Sloane explained his observations, getting Bilbo to blush even more as he paused his movements, before his shoulders sagged slightly.
"Come on now pick up your spoons."
"I've never danced in front of anyone, or with anyone before." The Dwobbit admitted with a slight sigh, getting Solene's smile to soften as he leaned down slightly.
"Then I will be honoured to be your first." He murmured, getting Bilbo's gaze to snap up to him as his cheeks reddened even more, before suddenly he was being pulled closer and taken to the main floor. His eyes widened and he nearly stumbled over his feet, his hand squeezing Sloane’s tightly as he glanced around at all the people with a slightly worried expression, not even daring to look over at the Dwarves for more than a second. No doubt would they ridicule him for looking so panicked about dancing of all things.
"He's waiting to hear you play them, woo!"
"Sloane!" He hissed through gritted teeth once the Dwarf finally turned around, holding one of Bilbo's hands as he tucked his free hand behind his back, Bilbo automatically mirroring the motion.
"You're already doing so well, come on, I know you cannot be this quiet Bilbo, there's a beautiful fire in your eyes I'd hate to miss out on." He explained in a soft whisper to the Dwobbit, who hadn't even realised the two were already dancing until he was being spun around.
"Here today and she's gone tomorrow."
The two danced like that, with Bilbo slowly becoming more and more comfortable as a grin slowly spread across his face, jumping and twisting between the dances before linking arms with Sloane again and marching around the other.
”And next she’s going to Galway.”
Bilbo found himself laughing and chuckling as he and Sloane danced to the music, his feet thumping against the ground easily as he spun around with a smile. He looked up, barely even registering when his hood slipped down, too enamoured by the way Sloane’s eyes seemingly shone in the warm glow of the tavern, and he could see small glints of green and pale blues swirling together. He was so enamoured, he didn’t notice Sloane’s cheeks flush a pale red when he saw Bilbo’s curls, focusing on his the golden brown curls bounced around as he danced.
”Jigging around and off to town.”
”You have gorgeous hair.” Sloane commented breathlessly as the song slowly came to an end, watching as the light created a beautiful halo around Bilbo’s seemingly glowing curls.
”And won’t be back until morning.”
”What?” Bilbo asked in confusion, before his eyes widened as he quickly pulled the hood over his head with an embarrassed blush. “Sorry about that.” He murmured, now humiliated he allowed himself to get so carried away as he hastily walked away from the dance floor.
”Téir abhaile riú,”
”Wait, hang on-“ Sloane called out, following Bilbo off and taking his shoulder to pull him back. “Why are you so embarrassed? I think your hair is lovely.” He insisted, his fingers trailing over the edge of Bilbo’s hood as the Dwobbit flushed in embarrassment.
”Téir abhaile riú,”
”It’s not the hair so much as it is my face and ears.” He mumbled, tucking a curl of hair back into his hood. “And maybe partly the hair.” He added awkwardly as Sloane tsked him.
”Téir abhaile riú Mhearai.”
”Now, I feel a little insulted you think so little of yourself, Bilbo.” He began, taking Bilbo’s hands away from his hood. “Do you think I would admire something of such small value?” He asked rhetorically, smiling slightly when Bilbo shook his head. “Exactly, so you must be someone of very high value, and I won’t stand for this slander.” He continued with a smile, sliding Bilbo’s hood down despite the Dwobbit’s protests.
”Téir abhaile gus fan as bhaile”
Curly hair bounded out after the hood was pulled down, bouncing slightly when Sloane carefully pulled his hands back to admire Bilbo’s face. His hair was slightly long, just barely grazing his shoulders, and it managed to frame his face and accentuate his forest green eyes and faint freckles that seemingly exploded all over his face- most prominently on his nose. On the side of his head, were his slightly pointed ears, with the tips being more rounded compared to normal Hobbit ears, along with them being slightly bigger, like Dwarf ears.
”Mar tá do mhargadh déanta.”
”See? Nothing wrong here.” Sloane commented softly, smiling slightly at Bilbo and ignoring the urge to run his hands through his untied hair. However, he did take a small risk, bringing a hand up to hold one of Bilbo’s loose curls, gently tracing the edge of his thumb over it as the Dwobbit’s blush deepened.
”Bilbo!” A voice called out, and Bilbo yelped when his hood was thrown back over his head, looking up when Fíli seemingly appeared right next to him, holding his hood firmly over his head. “Found you, uh, we need to head back to talk about. . Dragons and stuff.” He murmured, not even bothering to come up with a good excuse as he pushed Bilbo away, giving Sloane a firm glare.
Bilbo didn’t particularly care as he was dragged back, his cheeks a pleasant rosey red, and he didn’t care when he was immediately reprimanded for being so careless with the captain, all he could think about was the way Sloane stared at him, his eyes holding no shame.
Is this what it feels like to find your One?