Endotherm {Thorin/Hobbit}

||Chapter 6||

"Or at least more subtle than your brother," Endor scoffs, wondering how Balin thought directly asking Dwalin about her was a good idea. Sure, Endor undermined the amount of care Dwalin had for her, but that does not mean Dwalin would not have been protective at all. Indeed, Balin seemed to have lost his head in asking Dwalin of Endor.

"I knew I was right to take you as a friend," Dwalin remarks, laughing loudly at her words. But truly, Balin was not subtle in the slightest.

"Is that a compliment? My, I am flattered, Master Dwarf," Endor quips, hand over her heart to emphasize how great the compliment felt. Dwalin can only roll his eyes at her sudden sarcasm, though gets a great deal of humour from it. Indeed, they are a great pair together, and overly humorous simply because Dwalin loses his hard shell around Endor.

"Keep your emotions for later. We have a mystery to solve," Dwalin says, that persistent coloring to his eye. Endor grins mischievously at this, setting up a plan in her mind over how to discover the ways of Thorin Oakenshield. If they are to succeed, no words must be spent with either Balin or Thorin themselves.

<||>

When Balin arrives at the room of the king, he is still irritated by Dwalin and their conversation. It takes three deep breaths for him to knock on the door of his king, knowing their conversation to be inevitable and wishing to get it done. Balin holds no fear that Thorin is asleep at this time, as the king now sleeps sporadically, and usually not at night. Truly, Balin fears for the health of Thorin and wishes to do anything to help him.

Thorin need not tell Balin to enter, as the dwarf walks straight in. The daily visits have seemed to increase each day as Thorin falls deeper and deeper into the insanity of his search. And though the king questions whether his memory is still correct, he knows that Balin is visiting more often.

"I fear that I've upset Dwalin," Balin relents, prompting Thorin to turn away from the current book and towards his advisor. It takes moments for his eyes to adjust, but Thorin can see the worry of Balin sketched into his face. The two brothers typically get along quite well, so this is a strange coincidence for the both of them.

"Now why is that? You seemed to be getting on fine at dinner tonight?" Thorin asks, sincerely questioning how many hours it has been since dinner. For all he knows, it could be the next day, with no window to tell the time and the room feeling like a twilight zone. Once Thorin begins reading, time dissolves to nothingness in his brain.

"It's since then. I asked him about Endor, and he snapped at my curiosity," Balin answers, prompting Thorin to furrow his eyebrows. Dwalin has only ever protected himself this strongly, and thus, it comes to a surprise that he is so easily protecting a mere hobbit. But with each additional encounter, and after seeing the girl tonight, he knows Endor Baggins not be a "mere hobbit."

"That's unlike him. Not the snapping part, but his protection over a female hobbit," Thorin remarks. Indeed, the younger brother of Balin has always take slowly to outsiders, and especially those of other races. On more than one occassion, Thorin has had to talk Dwalin into trusting people. It is strange that Dwalin now seems so convinced of the trust of Endor.

"My brother is loyal, Thorin. You know this," Balin remarks, pointedly looking at him. The only time Dwalin every spoke up against Thorin was the time in his dragon sickness, and even then, it was in loyalty to Thorin. Now, his loyalty seems to have switched against the king, in favor of the female hobbit.

"But to a stranger?" Thorin asks, remembering that Endor and Bilbo have resided in the Mountain for less than two weeks. That is surely not enough time to naturally come upon a deep connection of loyalty. But Endor Baggins is not normal, if her impact on others is any clue to this.