From The Inside

20

"Oh! No, no, he's a hobbit." Gandalf promptly answered with a slight chuckle. He was trying to be nonchalant about this meeting, but if Beorn reacted in such a way to Bilbo, how was he going to react to the actual company, who were in fact all dwarves?

"A halfling?" Beorn looked curiously at Bilbo. "A halfling and a wizard, how come you here?" He asked simply. Sure, he knew of the possibility of house guests, but specifics wise, he had never been told. He intended to find out some details, however seems the opportunity now presented itself.

"The fact is, we've had a bad time of it. From goblins in the mountains," Gandalf said with a sigh and waved a hand back in the direction of the previously mentioned mountains.

"What did you go near goblins for?" Beorn asked bluntly. It seemed ridiculous that anyone would freely travel near to where those filth lurked. "Stupid thing to do." He added shortly with a nod. Which it was, it was highly idiotic and he felt like he needed to rather blatantly voice this. Totally not questioning the sanity of the wizard before him, or any other wizard around.

"You are absolutely right," Gandalf said while waving a hand at him. Gandalf's lighthearted ease quickly disappeared though when there were booted footsteps from behind them.

Upon seeing two dwarves walk out of his home, Beorn hoisted up the axe into his hands and looked at them seriously, Ylva hung her head and sighed; this was going from bad to worse rather quickly and they hadn't even got that into the company. These were just two dwarves of the thirteen, "Dwalin, Balin, ah, well, I must confess several members of our company are in fact dwarves." Gandalf said in a confident tone which slowly dissipated to uncertain, the axe wielding man in front of him wasn't exactly filling him with much confidence.

"Do you call two several?" Beorn asked lowly while his guard – if anything – got heightened as he looked around.

"Ah, well, when put it that way..." Gandalf trailed off awkwardly and muttered under his breath a few times while looking anywhere but at Beorn. After a few moments, and a look exchanged between himself and Bilbo, he looked back at Beorn. "Well, there could be more than two." Gandalf stood and feigned counting on his fingers only to hear rushed steps and voices. With a sigh, he turned and looked. "Ah, here are some more of our happy troupe!" He gestured an arm outwards.

"And do you call six a troupe?" Beorn asked his voice raising slightly with annoyance. He was steadily getting fed up with this whole affair, but also he already got the sense of just where this was going. "What are you? A travelling circus?" Beorn asked with a frown, this facade was becoming tiresome now.

Gandalf let out a chuckle and continued to do so until Dori and Ori appeared and bowed. That's when Gandalf's humorous disposition dwindled, it soon disappeared though when their appearance caused Beorn to growl lowly with his teeth barred. "Dori and Ori, at your service." They said politely while bowing.

To which Beorn rather bluntly replied; "I don't want your service." Which he honestly didn't. He shot Ylva a look when she let out a short chuckle which she tried to hide with a cough. Not that she was fooling anyone, let alone him.

"Oh, Fíli and Kíli...had quite forgotten," Gandalf said with a smile while the brothers awkwardly walked out and joined their friend's sides. The brothers arrival caused the axe to yet again be lifted and gripped onto, and if anything the grip tightened as the rest of the dwarves came hurtling out of the door.

"Is that it?" Beorn asked while looking over the dwarves – some of which were still on his doorstep – before looking down at Gandalf. "Are there anymore?" As if on cue, Thorin was the last to appear. He looked out steadily towards Beorn, and he in return let out a low sigh while finally giving up and lowering the axe.