Frodo Baggins (theseabell) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-09-26 16:48:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, frodo baggins, mary crawley, merrill, obi-wan kenobi, sybil crawley |
Who: Frodo, Merrill, Obi-Wan, Mary, & Sybil
When: Sunday Night 9/22
Where: Baggins Villa
What: Dinner Party, Obi gets to hold the baby, Mary wigs out when Sybil brings up Tom
Rating/Warning: Very G
Status: Complete
It had been a long time since Obi-Wan had walked up the path to the Baggins home, but not as long as it felt. He missed the excuse to be there nearly everyday, walking over to the kitchen for lunch, enjoying Frodo's beer as much as Merrill's motherly care. He remembered it as such a peaceful time in his life. The good ol' days. It wasn't as if he'd been totally absent from the Baggins's lives since Samwise's birth, but he'd wanted to give them time to acclimate to the changes, so he'd only popped by once or twice, and briefly.
There was a bottle of wine under his arm. Not nearly as good as anything Frodo kept in his cellar, but it was a worthy token nonetheless. But as Obi-Wan strolled toward the door, his steps became slower and slower, his eyes drawing him to the left, toward Bag End--and suddenly he was walking that way instead. Maybe it was the flowers that had caught his eye or maybe it was just the pride his took in his own handiwork, but the underground dungeon looked positively beautiful against the colors of the setting sun. For a moment, he felt like it was the most beautiful structure he had ever seen.
Outside Bag End, sitting in the shade with her schoolbooks in front of her was Sybil Crawley. She didn't see Obi-Wan until he'd come around the corner of the house, and she jumped just a bit. "Oh! Hello." She'd been briefly introduced to the man, but they hadn't really had an actual conversation. "It's nearly dinner time, isn't it?" She began gathering her books, a little frantic. "I should probably go inside."
It was a surprise to Obi-Wan, as well, who had been too focused on the sights to sense anyone might be waiting for him just around the corner. He recognized the young woman as one of Frodo's nieces, the younger of the two who were staying with the Bagginses. Cynthia? Cecily? "Sorry to sneak up on you like that," he apologized.
"Oh, no, it's fine," Sybil said, blushing a bit. "I'd lost track of the time." She bit her lip and inwardly scolded herself for acting so ridiculous in front of her uncle's friend, of all people. "I can let them know you're here."
Inside the house, Frodo was getting in the way of Carson, as they both tried to set the table. Typically, they ate in the kitchen, but tonight the main dining room was being opened up. They were not visible from the kitchen door, which Obi-Wan was currently opening for Sybil in gentlemanly fashion.
Mary was upstairs, dressing for dinner. In her dreams, dinner was always a formal affair, but it seemed that concept was especially foreign to Americans. She was trying not to look overdone, even though her instincts were telling her otherwise.
Sybil was planning to show their guest into the living room to wait, but they were intercepted by her aunt in the kitchen. Her window perch had become a little play area that she was currently using to read aloud to baby Samwise.
"Look!" Merrill cooed, "It's uncle Obi!" She bounced the baby on her lap, gesturing for her friend to come closer.
Sybil politely excused herself to get ready for dinner. She shared some of her sister's instincts.
Uncle Obi's face absolutely lit up at the sight of little Samwise. It was as though, for a split second, he was completely disarmed. He looked childlike himself. Merrill was one of the few people who could do that to him. She was his adoptive mummy, after all. He placed the wine bottle on the counter and walked forward, arms out and ready. For both of them. "Oh my, this can't be Sam." The baby was so much bigger than the last time he'd seen him, Obi-Wan nearly felt guilty for not stopping by more.
Merrill laughed. "I'm pretty sure I brought the right one home from our shopping trip," she teased as she handed the baby to her friend. Samwise giggled (presumably at his mother's brilliant joke) and reached out for Obi's beard. Merrill stood up on tiptoes to kiss Obi's cheek in greeting. "It's so good to see you."
Obi-Wan took a seat in what little space remained on the window perch and let Samwise claw at his face, happy as a calm.
In the next room, Frodo had heard the kitchen door and decided to poke in his head. "Ah, Obi. And..." He paused. He'd thought the man might bring a guest, but it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to travel solo. Frodo looked back to Carson and gestured that he should remove a place setting. Then, he fully entered the room. "Did you see the work Sam did out back? It's perfect, isn't it."
"Sam?" Did Frodo mean the baby?
"Oh, er, a friend of ours. With the same name."
Merrill laughed. "His namesake. Only, he might not realize why, yet." Funny thing, dreams.
"How are you doing, Obi?" Merrill asked. It seemed like so long since she'd seen him, though it probably wasn't that long, not really.
Sybil knocked on Mary's door, looking for her sister's advice. "Mary, what are you wearing?"
Mary turned her head around, continuing to brush her hair without pausing. She was already dressed, in a heather, A-line cocktail-style dress, looking very stylish. "This," she replied. A slightly wicked smile appeared. "Did I hear the door? Has Uncle Frodo's handsome friend arrived?"
Sybil smiled. "That color always looks so good on you." Sybil hadn't found a 'signature' color like that. She was too busy bouncing around from one bright color to the next. Tonight it was a royal blue tea dress. She looked very much the younger sister next to Mary. "Oh," Sybil blushed when Mary called their guest handsome. "You heard the kitchen door. He snuck around back and startled me." Sybil sat down next to Mary to borrow a corner of the mirror and run a brush through her own hair.
When they were living in Europe, Mary spent a great deal of time beside the runways, honing her style. She missed that. In California, everyone dressed very well, but it was no fashion capitol.
"Lucky you," Mary said with a hum and a giggle.
Downstairs, Obi-Wan was filling Frodo and Merrill in on his latest construction jobs. There was a boutique shoppe and a dive bar. No homes from scratch, as of late. "I've stopped working at the Ranch," he added at the end. "So I don't get to see Faiza as regularly. But Danielle spends a lot of time there, and... I never quite know what mood she'll be in next." He sounded bitter. Just a bit.
"Oh," Merrill clucked her tongue absently. "You can always invite Faiza here, you know. She's welcome anytime."
His eyes focused in on baby Samwise as he shifted his weight to the other side. The baby yanked on his beard and the happy uncle found his smile again. "She’s in England, for work. Honestly… she and I starting over, as it were. I didn't take it well, when Dani returned. I was quite nearly furious, actually… "
"Ohh," Merrill said slowly, sounding as if she understood, but not entirely sure she did. It was hard to imagine Obi furious. Upset, yes. Mildly annoyed. But she couldn't imagine him furious. She supposed he might have been channeling some of that when they rescued her, but she didn't remember much of that.
"Well, if you want to take her on a beach date, you can use ours," she volunteered. "I promise we won't spy on you."
Unfortunately, it was all too easy for Obi-Wan to imagine himself overcome with anger. He was a Jedi, but he was still human, and Dani's return had played hell with his sharpened sense of justice.
But a beach date with Faiza sounded nice. They were trying to get back into the swing of things. Starting over, as she put it. He smiled and nodded. "I'll certainly invte her."
"Just tell her to look out for jellyfish," the elf said with a giggle.
Carson knocked on Mary's door to let the girls know dinner was ready. He no doubt wished the whole family would dress for dinner the way the Crawley's did.
Sybil finished her lipstick and stood up to go downstairs. "I'd like Tom to come to dinner sometime."
From the kitchen, Mary could hear her uncle laugh loudly. "Excuse me, but jellyfish are what brought us together!" But she had absolutely no idea what what he was talking about. It was a very strange thing exclaim.
She turned to Sybil. "Oh. Yes. That does sound like a good idea," she replied, sounding vaguely... ominous.
Sybil wasn't quite sure how to interpret that. "Well, I've met his family now. And I think we're getting.. Sort of serious."
Mary nodded. She wasn't sure what to blame for her disliking Tom. Gut instinct? She didn't like things she had no control over. "Serious?" she repeated, turning it into a question. "Oh, Sybil, you have plenty of time before you have to think of anything seriously."
"It's not that," Sybil said. They hadn't done anything physical. "I just...I think we're more than friends. I'm sure you won't like it, but certainly I'm allowed to have a boyfriend." If that's what Tom was. They hadn't established that yet.
They were making their way down the staircase now. Mary was quiet. Truly, there was a lump in her throat. She almost preferred the days when her sister was a suspected lesbian, rather than getting involved with the hired help from their dreams. What did that say about her, she wondered? "I'm trying to like it," she replied softly, as they entered the kitchen.
"I know," Sybil replied quietly, knowing the conversation was over now that they were nearly at the dining table. "I do love you, Mary." They didn't always have to agree, but she hoped her sister never doubted that. Sybil wouldn't trade Mary for the world.
Sybil took her seat at the table, looking from her giggling aunt to her blushing uncle and wondering just what they'd missed.
Obi-Wan was reluctant to return little Samwise to his mother, to the point where he somewhat absent-mindedly carried him to his chair and sat down. For quite rational reasons, he'd stuffed down all thoughts of children in the near future. There were other things to get in order first. But holding the baby was far too delightful to give him up so soon. He'd eat with one hand tonight.
Frodo decided he would allow Carson to serve them, mostly out of fear that the man might quit his job if Frodo insisted on limiting it further. Dinner would consist of salmon and couscous with squash, celebrating the changing autumn flavors.
Merrill wasn't so worried about Carson quitting. She knew that the secret to keeping the grumpy man satisfied was sitting on Obi-Wan's lap. She'd seen Carson's face light up when he thought no one was looking as he played with baby Samwise. She smiled up at Carson as he served her. "How is your niece?" she asked him. She knew he was busy, but they hadn't had much time to chat since she'd been back to school. She would steal a few moments while he was trapped near her plate.
Sybil glanced over to Mary, an eyebrow raised. Did she know Carson had a niece? Back in Downton, that is. Maybe things were different in their dreams. Surely he had some family, though. She'd just never really thought about it before.
Mary returned with a slight shrug. From what she had seen of dream-Carson, it was difficult to picture him as having a family of his own, such as parents, let alone a niece specifically. But the Carson here nodded with what was nearly a smile. "Everyone is well. Thank you for inquiring."
Obi-Wan continued to be all but mesmerized by the baby. Dammit, his biological clock was waking back up.
Frodo looked around the table with price. Such a gathering seemed unfathomable just a short time ago. How everything had come together so quickly was beyond him. He welled up inside with emotion, his eyes moistening.