Frodo Baggins (theseabell) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2012-09-08 16:37:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | !complete, frodo baggins, merrill |
Who: Frodo and Merrill
What: SHOPPING! For dresses! And... ears, apparently.
When: Thursday Afternoon
Where: Frodo's House, Then A Dress Shop
Ratings/Warnings: PG
Status: Complete
A week had passed since the events surrounding the magic mirror. Frodo had insisted that, for the time being, the eluvian be locked away. It took a little convincing, but it was now out of sight in a storage closet. As for the house, it had been cleaned.
But they were not currently in Merrill’s home. They had been living at Frodo’s since the incident, just for some peace of mind. A week is still a very short amount of time. It would probably be awhile yet before either of them would want to go back. As for Frodo, since telling Gandalf about the Ring, he was feeling much better.
It was Thursday afternoon, the day before Tony Stark’s Gala. Something they had both been looking forward to, but had not discussed since what happened.
Merrill was glad Frodo had talked her into getting away from the eluvian. She was a little worried someone would stumble across it, but she supposed that someone breaking into her house would be problematic for other reasons, too. She felt better the further away from it she was.
The wounds on her arms were healing, and were still pink. It was definitely better, and she was feeling stronger. She liked being at Frodo’s, and she was getting to know his Scotsman friend a bit better.
Frodo was in the kitchen, making sandwiches for lunch. Not cold cuts, but sandwiches with real turkey and fresh produce. Obi-Wan somewhere on the property, but there had not been any sight of him for a while. His sandwich would be wrapped and set aside.
“Merrill,” Frodo called. “I’ve been thinking about the gala... I’ve been thinking that maybe we should go after all. What do you think?”
Merrill had been curled up on the windowseat with a book. She looked up when Frodo called for her, and got up to join him in the kitchen. She grabbed a tomato slice from one of the plates, nibbling at it. “The gala? We could.” She wasn’t against the idea. “When is it?” She hadn’t been paying much attention to the chatter the past week.
"Well... it's tomorrow night," if said, a bit awkward already. It was a lot to suggest on short notice, but it was not outside the realm of possibility. "But only if you're up for it. Stark would understand if I didn't go, but I like to support him when I can. But really, we don't have to."
"Oh," Merrill said, grabbing a napkin when the tomato juice started to drip. "We don't have anything else planned, do we?" She wasn't an overplanner, and was flexible enough that last minute suggestions didn't bother her. Especially when they were with Frodo. He was essentially penciled in for all of her Friday nights.
"I'm up for it." She smiled.
Frodo was glad to hear her say so, and his face visibly brightened, which had not been happening as often as usual. He spent a lot of time worrying about Merrill and keeping it mostly to himself. But this would be good. They needed to get back into the swing of life. "Ah. Well, good. I think it will be fun." He handed her sandwich to her on a plate.
Merrill smiled, taking the sandwich. "I think so, too," she said, glad to see Frodo looking a little more relaxed. "I'm not sure what I have to wear," she said. She had some dresses, but they were more casual day-dresses. She didn't go to many evening affairs. She had one little black dress that she could probably dress up with some nice heels and jewelry, but all of that was back at her house, and she wasn't keen to return there. She couldn't stay away forever, though.
Frodo walked to the kitchen table, which was in a cozy little nook of the room. The actual dining room was separate, and frankly it was used next to never. "I have a tuxedo," he said. "I might want to get a new tie to bring it up to date. We could go shopping after we eat, if you like."
Merrill took the chair closest to Frodo, putting down her plate. She nodded. "We could! I'd like that." She honestly had no idea what was required to bring tuxedos 'up-to-date.' Frodo might be better at this 'fashion' thing than she was. "I don't think I've seen you in a tuxedo," she said, smiling coyly. She had a feeling it would be adorable.
Having a good deal of money often equated to dressing well. At least, Frodo lone how to put an outfit together better than most men. "I warn you," he said. "I'm frightfully dashing." His mouth was full of sandwich.
Merrill giggled. "I believe you." She'd been very nearly overwhelmed by his dashingness on their date to the museum, and that hadn't even been in a full suit. "I'm a little worried we won't make it out of the bedroom, once you have it on," she teased. "Mr. Stark may have to be disappointed."
She took a bite of her sandwich. One of the benefits of dating a hobbit meant there was no shortage of excellent food.
Frodo blushed, but only a little bit. That kind of talk really did not make him anxious anymore. What they did was make him want to put down his sandwich immediately and throw on his tux, just to test her theory. Still, he swallowed with an audible gulp.
“Merry’s going, by the way,” he said. “He just texted me about it. Obi-Wan, too, believe it or not. So we’ll definitely have plenty of friends there.”
"Oh, good!" She was a little relieved. She knew she would've managed just fine with Frodo being the only person she knew there, but it would be more fun with friends. "Is he bringing his girlfriend?" she asked, eager to meet the woman that the mere mention of seemed to fluster Obi.
“I suppose,” Frodo replied. “Of course, I haven’t dared to ask. Merry will have a date who’s ‘just a friend’, he claims. So, we’ll see.”
"Ooh," Merrill cooed, entirely too amused that the bachelor cousin had a date. "Does the future Mrs. Brandybuck have a name?" she asked playfully.
Frodo’s brows knitted together just a bit, thinking it all too coincidental that Merrill had adopted Merry’s phrasing. Then he smiled, knowing it wasn’t bad news for him if she was. His sandwich, by now, was finished. He picked up his plate and carried it to the sink. “That I couldn’t get out of him.”
"Well, it will be fun meeting her!" Merrill said brightly. She finished off her sandwich and followed him to the sink. "I'm looking forward to it now."
Honestly, Frodo knew very little of his cousin’s dating life. Merry was an extremely private person. He had been engaged once, but that was all he knew. Really, Merry was in a relationship with his job. It was rather sad. Anyone could see the man was not happy these days.
He turned to Merrill, suddenly inspired to hug her. Last week, she had given him such a scare. He was so frightened he had been about to lose her. “This will be fun,” he said. And then followed it with an imperative statement many heterosexual men never use: “Let’s go shopping!”