Bilbo huffed but nodded his agreement to that.

The very next night, the entire Company was gathering in a separate dining room, with families since many of them had traveled to Erebor. Of course, all three Hobbits were there as well. Amaryllis looked at everyone with keen interest.

Hyacinth looked around with interest, as well. The dwarves were fascinating, although they seemed to be similar to hobbits in how much they seemed to appreciate and enjoy the gathering.

After the third or fourth curious look, Bilbo sighed. "Alright, yes," he said to the dwarves in general. "These two are my cousins, on my mother's side. They traveled all the way out here for me." He pinned all the dwarves with a fierce look. "And they're not going anywhere, so you'd better behave for them."

Amaryllis beamed at that.

Hyacinth smiled as well, though it was partially because of the fierce look Bilbo was giving everyone.

"I thought hobbits didn't leave your village?" Fili asked, sending Bilbo and the girls a questioning look. "With the exception of you, of course."

"Normally," Bilbo said, turning his look on the girls, "we don't."

Amaryllis grinned. "We are Tools," she pointed out, blithely ignoring the look.

"Tooks, as a family, are known to be... eccentric," Hyacinth elaborated, seeing some confused looks come their way. "The rest of the Shire thinks we're strange. So nobody really thinks twice when some of us go off somewhere."

"Unless we don't come back," Amaryllis added.

"Is that why you came looking now?" Ori asked.

"Oh no. Everyone was still in shock that Uncle Bilbo left at all, you see. He's a Baggins, and Baggins are very predictable."

"I don't see why anyone was very surprised," Hyacinth commented. "Bagginses might be predictable and proper, but Uncle Bilbo is half Took, too."

"Yes but Uncle Bilbo hasn't been very Tookish since he was young," Amaryllis pointed out.

Bilbo huffed. "That's enough if that," he told them. "Go get the roasted platter for me please."

Most of the dwarves around them still seemed a bit baffled, still not quite sure what to make of the two newcomers yet. Fili and Kili in particular still looked rather confused.

Bilbo shook his head. "Well, go on, then. Dinner won't eat itself."

Notice took that chance to steal some bread from Bomber, and thus began the meal. Still with many curious looks st the hobbit lasses, but there would be time for questions later.

The meal was pleasant, at least for Hyacinth. Regardless of anything else, the dwarves did appreciate good food like hobbits did. She did, however, send Bilbo a bit of a Look when he reached for his pipe after the meal.

"No," she said. She knew it was likely just habit, but best to bring his attention to it now rather than later.

Bilbo opened his mouth to protest and then just pouted instead.

"What?" Bofur asked, clearly confused with what just happened.

"I've been on Uncle Bilbo for a long time about that blasted pipe," Hyacinth said. It wasn't the whole truth, but it was the best she could do since Bilbo hadn't made the news of the little one public yet.

"Do you have other family still in the Shire?" Ori asked, looking at the two hobbit lasses. "Apart from the rest of the Tooks. Immediate family, I mean."

"Oh, of course," Hyacinth said, nodding. "Our parents are there, and our brothers. We're the middle of five children." There was an immediate sound of more than one dwarf choking on their drinks.

"Five?" Fili sputtered.

"We have a brother older than me, and two brothers younger than Amaryllis," Hyacinth said, nodding again.

"Five?" Gloin asked again, eyes wide. Clearly he couldn't believe it.

"Oh yes," Amaryllis agreed with a grin. "Five isn't even that many in the Shire. We've got a set of cousins going on their twelfth little one, due later this spring."

"Twelve?" Even Dis was in disbelief.

"I've never heard of a family with fewer than three children," Hyacinth added.

"Except Uncle Bilbo," Amaryllis added. "He's an only child."

Kili looked gobsmacked still. "Why do you all have so many siblings?" he asked, looking at them.

The question surprised Hyacinth. She'd never really thought about it.

"We just... do," she said finally.

That didn't seem to satisfy the dwarves, but further questions were put on hold for the rest of the night.

The next week saw Amaryllis and Hyacinth going into Dale to gather up supplies. It would be winter soon, and once winter hit the markets would close, and Amaryllis knew they'd be in the mountain for a while. So she tried to stock up on supplies while she could.

Hyacinth was snapping up all of the softest wool yarn she could get her hobbit hands on. She wanted enough to make the blanket, and she knew the stitch she was planning to use would take a lot of yarn. She didn't think twice when the vendor sneezed a couple of times.

Amaryllis got a bunch of different yarns for different, smaller projects. She noticed one or two runny noses, but really, that was hardly abnormal. So she thought nothing of it. Not then.

It was only a few days later that Hyacinth noticed that Amaryllis's voice sounded a little odd.

"Do you feel alright?" she asked her sister.

"A little tired," Amaryllis said after a moment. Her voice wasn't quite right, but she was ignoring that as best she could for now.