Lilith walked until Bag End in the silence of the night. Her heart was beating faster, and she didn't know why. She hoped that talking with Ruth Ann would have helped the confusion she felt to leave, but it didn't.

Lilith knocked at the door of the house and waited timidly on the door.

"Lilith, come in!" Frodo said, opening the door "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know" Lilith answered, walking in the house "I saw Ruth Ann leaving and..oh I don't know..."

Frodo tighened his lips "mmm well, sit down. Do you want a cup of tea?"

"yes" Lilith said "yes I'd like one.."

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That night, Ruth Ann had offically left the Shire and glanced with a childlike smile upon her face as the ground around her. It has only been a few months in the Shire, but Ruth Ann's heart had been growing heavy for the outside world.

Once she found a nice place to rest for the night, Ruth Ann lay her back against the trunk of the tree and took a quick glance back at the peaceful Shire right before she fell asleep.

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"When do you think she will come back?" Lilith asked, putting her cup on the table.

"I don't know." Frodo said "When she'll find out what she's looking for."

"You've been knowing her for a long time, haven't you?" Lilith asked, trying to hide the sort of accusatory tone she had in her voice.

"Yes, a really long time." Frodo said, looking out of the window".

"How come you never introduced her to me?" Lilith searched for Frodo's eyes with hers.

"I..I thought you two were too different to agree on something I guess.." Frodo said "But maybe I was wrong.."

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(I am going to skip forward in time for Ruth Ann because writing about her adventure would probably be a little bland and not to the point.)

It had taken Ruth Ann a few months to travel to Rivendell and back to the Shire, but, amazingly, she was very happy to be back home when she was. She had found out a little more about the situation at hand, and she was absolutely desperate to tell Frodo all she knew. Even though it probably was not good news, she believed it was better to keep others informed than have them surprised when something bad comes knocking at their door.

"I'm back," Ruth Ann announced as she opened the door to Bag End and walked inside.

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Trailing the floor, Ruth Ann only saw a dim light burning in the other room. Her lips were frozen shut, and her heart leaped forward everytime she looked around the corner. From adventuring for so long, she believed she could handle anything, and the truth was that she was able to up to this point. Ruth Ann had been able to fight off goblins, trolls, and any other creature that blocked her path. However, upon seeing Bag End that night, Ruth Ann's heart sank with the stunning fact of what she could not handle: that Frodo was not there.

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(so smeag, wait a moment, now we're at the point when Frodo left the shire, right?)

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(Yes, and we can probably assume he is with Sam and may have already run into Merry and Pippin. However, I would believe, by the time we catch up to him, that would have happened.)

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(ok then )

Lilith from her window saw Ruth Ann walking up the hill and opening Bag End's door. She probably didn't know that Frodo left.
Lilith stood up and walked through the little hall of her house. Someone needed to tell Ruth Ann that Frodo left, and maybe Ruth Ann knew something about it.

"It's been a while" Lilith said, standing in the hall of Bag End, making Ruth Ann turn "Hi Ruth Ann"

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Ruth Ann, caught off guard in a moment of overwhelming confusion, unsheathed a knife and flew around to face Lilith. It took a few seconds for what she saw to compute to Ruth Ann's brain to lowr the knife, but, once she did, Ruth Ann tilted her head a tad to the side, glanced back into Bag End, and then asked, "Do you know anything about this?"

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Lilith scrolled her shoulders "Frodo left" she simply said.
"About a week and a half ago, more or less. I think Samwise Gamgee went with him, the gardner, you know" Lilith took a seat on a chair in the room.
"Merry Brandybuck and Pippin Took disappeared too" she added. "and maybe you should tell me what you know about this"

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"What would make you think I know anything about this?" Ruth Ann questioned Lilith, unsure of whether or not to trust her (but not seeing many other choices), "After all, I came here to find Frodo. So, I obviously did not know that he left."

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"Well I'm sure it has to do with what happened at the party of Bilbo. Then Bilbo left, then you left, and now Frodo left. Don't tell me that these things are not connected" Lilith said, not even trying to hide the angry note in her voice.
"I'm scared Ruth Ann. I don't like changes, and too many things are changing now and I don't even know why"

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(I just wanted to let you know that I will be gone for a week smeag. I'll post as soon as I come back )

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(That is perfectly fine Rev)

Ruth Ann sheated her blade once again after noticing the look on Lilith's face accompanied by the words coming from her mouth.

Ruth Ann glared into Lilith's eyes for a moment, and, without a word, retreated back into Bag End, determination pounding in her heart. Her mind raced with the prevailing thought of finding any sort of hint or clue about the whereabouts of Frodo Baggins.

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(I just wanted to tell you that I will be on for, at most, another hour, and then probably not until late Saturday.)

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(that's fine, smeag...I'll post now and then of course I'll wait for you to come back )

As Ruth Ann did not answer, Lilith followed her into Bag End.
"I followed them" she said, trying to hide the tremble in her voice. "Until they left the shire. They didn't know I was after them, anyway"

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