Havoc in Hollin, Part VIII
shirebound has a great tag-team fic going on. Sweet and funny, which I haven't done much of. So I thought I'd try a round.
Pippin rounded on Gandalf with a furious look. “You turned me into a frog?”
The wizard pulled himself up into an imposing stance. “Magic is an art, not a science,” he intoned mysteriously.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Pippin crossed his arms, not the least intimidated.
Gandalf’s eyebrows fair bristled. “It means, don’t take that tone with me, Peregrin Took, lest I actually try for a frog next time. You might get something altogether worse. What do you expect when you steal a wizard’s staff? Cakes and jam?”
Pippin turned to Merry. “Did you hear that? That was a threat! He threatened me - again.”
But Merry was having none of it. He’d been at the edge of panic for an hour now, and felt disinclined to be sympathetic. He looked straight back at Pippin. "You did steal his staff, Pippin."
"Yes, but - "
Frodo chimed in. "And it's not as if you don't know Gandalf by now," he scolded, a smile still trembling at one side of his mouth.
"Yes, but - "
Sam rounded out the trio with, "You ought to be grateful he didn't turn you into a newt!"
"Yes, but - a newt?"
The three hobbits stared at Sam. After an embarrassed moment, Sam answered, "Well, newts are a lot uglier than frogs."
Pippin looked around in disbelief. Was nobody outraged on his behalf? Legolas looked bemused, Gimli was chuckling quietly, Aragorn's eyes twinkled despite his grave expression, and it was clear that the wrong word from Pippin would send Boromir into rare peals of laughter. Pippin's shoulders sagged. For a moment, it looked like he'd have to apologize for himself once again.
Then a thought struck him.
Pippin rounded on Gandalf with a furious look. “You turned me into a frog?”
The wizard pulled himself up into an imposing stance. “Magic is an art, not a science,” he intoned mysteriously.
“And just what is that supposed to mean?” Pippin crossed his arms, not the least intimidated.
Gandalf’s eyebrows fair bristled. “It means, don’t take that tone with me, Peregrin Took, lest I actually try for a frog next time. You might get something altogether worse. What do you expect when you steal a wizard’s staff? Cakes and jam?”
Pippin turned to Merry. “Did you hear that? That was a threat! He threatened me - again.”
But Merry was having none of it. He’d been at the edge of panic for an hour now, and felt disinclined to be sympathetic. He looked straight back at Pippin. "You did steal his staff, Pippin."
"Yes, but - "
Frodo chimed in. "And it's not as if you don't know Gandalf by now," he scolded, a smile still trembling at one side of his mouth.
"Yes, but - "
Sam rounded out the trio with, "You ought to be grateful he didn't turn you into a newt!"
"Yes, but - a newt?"
The three hobbits stared at Sam. After an embarrassed moment, Sam answered, "Well, newts are a lot uglier than frogs."
Pippin looked around in disbelief. Was nobody outraged on his behalf? Legolas looked bemused, Gimli was chuckling quietly, Aragorn's eyes twinkled despite his grave expression, and it was clear that the wrong word from Pippin would send Boromir into rare peals of laughter. Pippin's shoulders sagged. For a moment, it looked like he'd have to apologize for himself once again.
Then a thought struck him.