Party Invitations

Chapter Summary: Bilbo and Ember go to a birthday party.

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Ember was getting invited to come along to places with Bilbo the bigger he got, since he had very nice manners these days. He was friends with nearly all of the children, and they loved having the dragon come with Bilbo to birthday parties. So these days, a separate invitation was sent to Ember as was only polite. Marina Took's birthday was the 16th of Rethe and Ember couldn't WAIT to go.

Her grandparents had gone on adventures together in their youth while they were courting, and learned recipes far to the south, past Rohan and into place like Harad and even further south. When they came back they knew things that no other hobbit knew and they taught those recipes to their children. Nowadays they only shared those delicious, coveted dishes on special occasions like birthdays and weddings.

Bilbo and Ember actually had a favorite dish in common, a creamy fish stew that rumour has it was so good that when Marina's father tasted it for the first time, he proposed immediately. Bilbo believed the story could very easily be true.

They played games and stuffed themselves utterly full on delicious foods, and Ember polished off a whole platter of sausages on his own, but they still had room for cake and rice pudding, and the adults got into the sweet homebrew made from corn, which could give the Gamgee's own homebrew a run for its money.

After dessert, everyone received flower crowns made with the pretty spring blossoms, that had a little charm for luck on the side of it. The children received little carved toys, and the adults got a lovely set of embroidered handkerchiefs that she had done herself. Ember received a merry little windchime that had a little dragon charm hanging from the knocker. Ember liked it so much that he trotted Marina around for half an hour, taking little running jumps with his wings spread so that he glided up off the ground for a few moments until she was laughing in delight. Ember couldn't fly YET, but Bilbo had a feeling he would be starting to soon.

They had a very happy day and Bilbo even had a dance with her when he no longer felt full enough to pop. As the sun set and they were heading back home, Ember nudged him off the road and into the trees. He had the whole pot of fish stew pressed between his wing and body on one side, and a basket of sausages, fresh bread, birthday cake and rice pudding hidden on the other side that had a bowl and spoon for Bilbo to use as well.

While stealing in general was bad, nicking leftovers of your favorite foods from a party was actually encouraged in the Shire so that the hosting family didn't have to try and finish a feast's worth of things on their own. It was always first come first serve though, and coveted items tended to go quickly. Ember had been clever and must have nicked it pretty quickly. The hot cast iron pot gave him no bother whatsoever, unlike others who would have just tried to take a bowl or two. Everyone tended to stay happy as long as you returned the dishes promptly and clean.

"Ember you are utterly brilliant!" Bilbo exclaimed and sat down for a second round of feasting together, though they saved enough for Bilbo's parents, but only because they loved them, and Bilbo was a good and kind son.

Bilbo and Ember watched the sunset, stuffed full and hardly able to move. The little carved dragon toy he'd received from Marina went on his windowsill by his bed, while the windchime Ember had gotten went right outside his front door, so that he could lounge in the open doorway and listen to it while he napped in the sun.

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A/N: This chapter is a special birthday gift to the always awesome naru894. Happy birthday my dear! The cuddle wife and I actually sat down and figured out when March 8th was in Shire Reckoning. The 15th of Rethe, in case that was a thing you needed to know. Hobbits have a crazy calendar.