She stopped on the left of Balin, and him being one of the few she was slightly comfortable with, she nudged at his elbow, "Forgive me, Balin, but who exactly is here?" 

"Why, the King Under the Mountain himself, laddie," he beamed, motioning towards the newcomer. Only two braids, one on each side of his bearded face, were woven through his grey-streaked raven hair. Stocky build like most dwarves are, he held himself as royalty would, "Thorin Oakenshield."

"Gandalf," he nodded, flinging his travelling cloak into the arms of Kili, "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way. Twice. Wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door," slowly, he raised his ice blue eyes to look at the wizard.

"Mark? There is no mark on that door, it was painted only a week ago!" Bilbo objected, pointing aimlessly at the door. 

"There was indeed a mark, Mr Baggins, for I put it there myself," Gandalf admitted, "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our Company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"So this is the hobbit," Thorin's deep, scratchy voice was inquisitive and his gaze curious, until it fell upon Kali. Then his features fell confused, "And who is that one?" 

Feeling very uninvited, Kali shrunk behind Dwalin. Gandalf furrowed his brow, only now realizing there was an extra dwarf, "I've no recollection of inviting that one, Thorin."

"I came on my own accord," she piped up when Dwalin stepped aside, exposing her to the group, "Having no idea of your meeting. I wanted to leave and not intrude on the privacy of others but Bilbo wished for me to stay, and so I did."

"What is your name?" Gandalf asked the remaining unanswered query.

"Kali Silverarm, daughter of Nituri," she informed with a small bow, realizing soon after her voice could have held more boldness within it. He does not recognize me.

  Gandalf shrugged and turned to Thorin, "There you have it." 

Thorin ignored the comment and diverted his attention back to Bilbo, "Tell me, Mr Baggins, have you done much fighting?" 

For about the twelfth time tonight, Bilbo looked shell shocked, "P-Pardon me?"  

"Axe or sword? What is your weapon of choice?" Thorin folded his arms behind his back and walked circles around the hobbit.

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant," the halfling tried and failed at looking smug with his answer.

"Thought as much," Thorin turned back to the Company (and Kali), "Looks more of a grocer than a burglar," all dwarves chuckled and filed back into the dining room. Kali silently made her way back to her snug corner, and somehow ended squashed between Fili and Kili, still clutching a fairly large mug of brandy Kili had given her sometime in the night, though Kali's dulled senses impaired the fact it was not ale. 

It was almost dead silent as Thorin ate, save for a question now and then. Balin went first, "What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?"

"Aye," the King responded, "Envoys from all seven kingdoms." 

Dwalin fired a question next, "What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?"

Thorin paused his slow eating, "They will not come," Kali joined in the murmurs of disappointment. She was slowly realizing what this meeting was about, and in the back of her mind sat a voice that wanted her to accompany them, "They say this quest is ours and ours alone," Thorin finished.

Bilbo asked from the doorway behind Thorin, "You're going on a quest?"

The dwarves simply ignored the little one, paying more attention to Gandalf who was laying a map on the table, "Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," with a series of nods and murmurs, Bilbo went across the hall to retrieve one or two candles. He lit only one and returned, holding it over the map and listening to Gandalf explain the map to those who were too far to see it, "Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a solitary peak." 

Bilbo leaned over the map, but everyone knew the peak in question before Bilbo whispered the name, "The Lonely Mountain." 

"Aye," Gloin said, "Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it's time." 

Oin confirmed the statement by adding, "Ravens have been returning to the mountains, as it was foretold: when the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast shall end." 

Upon hearing the term 'beast' a spark of anger reared in Kali's chest, and Bilbo fidgeted uncomfortably, "Uh, what beast?"

Bofur answered, removing his pipe from his lips, "That would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire breather, teeth like razors, claws like meat hooks, extremely fond of precious metals-"

Bilbo cut him off with an impatient wave, "Yes I know what a dragon is." 

Ori, the smallest of the group, jumped from his seat in an attempt to keep spirits high, "I'm not afraid! I'm up for it! I'll give him a taste of dwarvish iron right up his jacksie!-"

Several others shout in agreement, and Kali simply grinned at the statement. But, however, the youngling's shout was cut short when Dori grabbed Ori's sleeve, "Sit down!" 

The racket subsided and Balin spoke calmly, "The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest."

Save Thorin, every dwarf shouted in objecting, and Oin was loudest over them all, shouting, "What did he say?!"

Fili jumped from his seat to attract all the eyes in the room. Voice filled with passion as his fist was pounded once on the table, "We may be few in number, but we're fighters! All of us! To the last dwarf!" 

Kili stood to join his older brother, "And you forget, we have a wizard in our company! Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time!" 

Kali's neck began hurting from craning to look at the two, so she simply stopped and looked at the reactions of the others, who had all turned to stare at Gandalf. He looked a bit uncomfortable, "Oh, well, now, I-I-I wouldn't say that. I-"

Dori interrupted him, "How many then?"

Just by looking at the slight details of the wizard, Kali assumed he hadn't killed a single one. His response, though, showed he was taken off guard, "Uh, what?"

Dori continued, becoming slightly agitated, "How many dragons have you killed? Go on, give us a number!" 

"Hm," Gandalf coughed embarrassedly on his pipe smoke, giving all the dwarves the chance to jump into an disagreement about how many dragons he's killed. Kali, however, found this pointless and did not participate in the argument. 

 Instead she watched Thorin jump up in annoyance or anger, "Shazara!!" you did not have to be of Dwarrow descent to realize this meant 'silence', for as soon as the word was yelled everyone returned to their seats and a deadly silence blanketed the room, until Thorin, still standing, spoke, "If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for over 60 years. Eyes look East to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize the chance to take back Erebor!?"

 Every dwarf, including the one who had no business attending the meeting, began to cheer, but once calmed down Balin's voice brought a somber aire upon the group, "You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain."

 Gandalf replied with, "That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," twiddling his fingers around he produced a large, iron key.

 Thorin's wondrous gaze went from the wizard's face to the key, "How came you by this?"

 "It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It's yours now," Gandalf answered. 

Bilbo's complexion, Kali just realized, had paled a considerable amount from the time she arrived, thusly giving him the aire of being severely overwhelmed. Everyone else, however, was more focused in wonder on the wizard as he handed the key to Thorin. Fili noted, "If there's a key, there must be a door." 

Yes, I am sure the Company thanks you for your excellent detective skills, Kali mentally added, though didn't have a chance to voice her comment as Gandalf nodded and pointed to some runes on the map, "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

"There's another way in!" Kili chimed happily.

"Gotten his brother's wits about that one, I see." Kali acclaimed under her breath from her spot between the two siblings. Her eyes, however, noticed that the runes were not of dwarven script, and she quietly voiced her suspicions, "That is not written in common Dwarrow tongue, Gandalf, how will we know where the doorway lies?"

Several others agreed, a slight murmur rising in the room. Gandalf nodded, "That, my dear Kali, is exactly what I was thinking," he pulled the rest back into the conversation, "Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The location of the door lies somewhere hidden in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But there are others in Middle-Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe it can be done." 

Ori stated, very loudly, "That's why we need a burglar!" 

A sense of humour washed over Kali, and I do not think it was all from the large quantity of ale finally getting to her head. Is that why they're here? They think Bilbo Baggins is a burglar? she thought, holding back a small chuckle. Whether the Company had already covered that the hobbit was their burglar or not, Kali couldn't remember. 

Bilbo himself, however, was completely oblivious, fidgeting with his braces as he added, "Hm... And a good one too. An expert, I'd imagine." 

"And are you?" Gloin inquired, leaning forth in his seat.

Bilbo looked at him, "Am I what?" 

Oin clapped his hands together once, "He says he's an expert! Hey hey!" several of the dwarves began laughing. 

Bilbo seemed to have finally caught on, as he'd begun objecting to the wrong assumptions, "M-Me? No, no, no, no, no. 'm not a burglar, I've never stolen a thing in my life!" 

Balin added in a glum tone, "I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Mr Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." 

Bilbo nodded in agreement and Dwalin shook his head, his gruff voice carrying well over the small amount of noise, "Aye. The wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves."

Bilbo nodded enthusiastically, and the dwarves proceeded to argue. Gandalf, growing angry, stood and cast a darkness over the group. They all fell silent and looked at the wizard in awe. Then in a powerful voice he commanded, (causing Kali to shrink behind Fili in fear), "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar then a burglar he is." after his fit he returned to his normal self and sat down and only after he began speaking in his normal voice did Kali remove herself from hiding, "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet! In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they so choose."

All eyes, save Gandalf's, were on Bilbo as Gandalf continued on, "And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the smell of a hobbit is all but unknown to him. This gives us a distinct advantage." he looks at Thorin, who returns the untrusty gaze, "You asked me to find the fourteenth member of our Company and I have chosen Mr Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest, and he's got a great deal to offer than any of you know, including himself." he looked at Bilbo, who swallowed nervously. "You have to trust me on this."

Thorin looked at Bilbo then down at the table, "Very well. We will do it your way." 

Bilbo shook his head, "No no no-" 

Thorin cut him off with a jerk of his head in Bilbo's general direction, "Give him the contract." 

And now, suddenly, Bilbo was all for it, "Yes please!"

"Alright!" Bofur exclaimed, "We're off!"

Balin stood and handed Bilbo a thick stack of paper, which Bilbo grabbed. When unfolded, the script was longer than he was tall. Bilbo read aloud to himself and Balin explained the major parts, "It's just the usual summary- out-of-pockets expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." 

Bilbo froze, "F-Funeral arrangements?" he repeated.

Balin returned to his seat, leaving Bilbo to his contract. Kali, however, kept her watch on Thorin, who leaned closer to Gandalf, "I cannot ensure his safety." Gandalf nodded once, just a small movement. Thorin added before he sat back down, "I cannot guarantee he will return." 

Gandalf said, "Agreed." and Thorin leaned away, staring at Kali with an ice cold glare, indicating he knew Kali heard the exchange. 

To distract herself from the piercing blue gaze, Kali listening on Bilbo's small mutters from the entry hall, "Terms.... Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fourteenth of total profit. Seems fair... Eh, present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to: lacerations, evisceration," he trailed off and looked up, wide eyed, at the Company, "Incineration?"

Bofur nodded, as if he should have known this already, "Oh aye. He'll melt the flesh of your bones in the blink of an eye." 

Bilbo inhaled quickly, as if he was trying to not faint. All he could manage to get out was a small, "Huh."

Balin leaned forward and looked at him, "You alright, laddie?"

Bilbo leaned forward with his hands on his knees, sounding nauseous and pained, "Uh yeah," his voice was unreassuring, "just feeling a bit faint is all." 

Bofur's brow furrowed as he attempted to make things better, "Think furnace. With wings."

Bilbo stood, quivering, "Air. I--I--I need air." 

Kali leaned over towards Fili to whisper in his ear, "Bofur's not too great with figuring how to word things, is he?"

"Not that I'd think, by the looks of it," he shrugged, slurping some ale. 

Bofur panicked, and continued in his attempts to calm Bilbo, "Flash of light, searing pain then poof! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!" 

Bilbo gasped sharply, trying to compose himself as everyone looked at him with concerned expressions. He was successfully standing upright for a brief moment before saying, "Hmmmmm, nope," and falling over in a faint. 

Gandalf's gaze traveled to the shocked dwarf, "Ah. Yes, very helpful Bofur." 

Kali stood from her seat, suddenly feeling uneasy herself. Very careful, but very quick, she snuck away, past the unconscious hobbit, unnoticed outside. The cool, crisp nighttime air hit her like a brick wall, but that did not block the bile rising in her throat. The quick feet of the she-dwarf only carried her down the steps of Bag End, to the waist high stone wall, before she leaned over and stopped fighting the uncontrollable nausea. 

Afterwards, she straightened up and ran the back of her hand over her mouth with an inaudible curse in Silvan. When she noticed a bystanding hobbit gawking at her from his garden, her temper cracked, "What? Have you never laid eyes upon an ill dwarf before? Run along!" 

She watched him scurry back into his home, completely unaware of the male lurking behind her, "Having more issues with your ale or your temper?"

Kali regained her composure after the small scare, turning on the newcomer, "Kili? You frightened me."

"Are you alright?" he took a step closer to her, "You look as though you have seen a ghost."

"If I have seen a ghost I've no recollection of it," she confessed slowly, "My intellect is clouded by the brandy you gave me."

"My apologies," he bowed his head a little, but not before Kali saw the small grin upon his lips, "I thought you would be able to handle it."

"Any other night I may have. Most likely tonight as well, had I not six glasses of ale," Kali backed until her legs hit the stone wall surrounding Bag End. 

"Ah, yes," he sighed, "I'd forgotten."

"Yes yes," Kali waved her hand in an impatient gesture, backing the young dwarf up his for fear of being smacked, "The past is past, only look forward to the future. Shall we return to the party inside?" without an answer from Kili, she brushed past him and quickly re-entered the hobbit hole and was greeted by a deep harmonized humming.

Kali slowly stepped into the living room to silently join the dwarven song. She started humming, her lighter, higher pitch weaving between the others, just as Thorin began singing, his deep baritone voice drifting over the hums. 

Far over

The Misty Mountains cold

To dungeons deep

And caverns old

We must away

Ere break of day

To find our long forgotten gold...  

By now many others had joined the low, solemn ballad rather than just sit and accompany with melodic hums. At this moment, Kali felt included: no one was ignoring her nor casting her strange glances.

The pines were roaring

On the high

The winds were moaning

In the night

The fire was red

It flaming spread

The trees like torches

Blazed with light...

A/N: This, I think, is a really long-azzed chapter and that's the reason I didn't update yesterday night. [That and the fact that I'd want this to be updated once a day, however, I need to write in it more than I update so no absolute promises but it'll be updated frequently I hope. 

A/N [.5]: Gimme feedback, please n thanks. *Bows a bit* Fave parts, least fave parts. If you ship anyone, your predictions. Least favourite character, favourite character and your favourite and least favourite things about said character. I'd love to hear from all you lovely dwarves out there. :) 

That is all

~ K.S ~