The room was chilly as Annemae woke up, and with a groan she curled up under the warm blankets, nothing visible to the dark room than a tangled mess of curly, red hair. Hard as she might though, she wasn't able to deny the fact that she was no longer asleep for very long. She poked her head out from under the blankets, peering out into her bare bedroom. The bed, a small rug on the floor, a chair over which her clothes hang neatly folded, and an unlit fireplace. The room felt too big for her, the ceiling too high up and the walls too far away and in the darkness and silent it felt alien and nearly frightening. At least the bed she had spent her last coins on was hobbit sized and comfortable. Again she considered simply staying in it, before realising the futility of such thoughts and sitting up.
The chill in the air made her shiver, and the cold floor against her feet even more so. She walked over to the fireplace and knelt to start the fire again, to bring back both warmth and light to the room once more. Once she was confident that the small flames wouldn't die out the moment she turned her back, she went on out into the main room to do the same to the fireplace there. The autumn chill was even more prominent in the larger room, but she ignored it and consoled herself with the thought of a nice cup of tea and some toast, both of which would be possible once she had the fire started properly.
It was no wonder the house felt large and unfamiliar, she hadn't lived in it a week yet. It was very obviously built for humans and her sparse furniture looked even more lonely standing spread out in the large room. Renting the house and buying the basic and most needed furniture had cost her last coins, but she was confident that with the pay from her new job, she wouldn't have to worry too much about future rent. It felt strange to live in a human village though, far from smials and the familiarity of other hobbit-kind.
Once both fires were going, she got dressed and went out into the garden to feed the chickens. She stopped at the doorstep and looked up at the path of sky visible between the trees to judge the days weather, a habit she had had for as long as she could remember, before taking a walk around the garden to check that everything was in order and give the chickens their feed. The garden was nothing impressive, no ornaments or luxurious flowerbeds; only a chicken coop, a couple of trees and what would soon become a vegetable garden.
It didn't bother her though. This place was for practicality, for somewhere to sleep and food to eat. The gardens where she worked would be different. She had grand plans already, grandiose flower arrangements that would awe the humans she worked for. Right now they were little more than fields of wildflowers decorated with assorted statues and fountains, much could be done to better them. However strange living among humans might be, this was familiar ground and she was putting heart and soul down into her planning for the gardens. In a few months, there wouldn't be any doubt of the wisdom in hiring a hobbit to take care of the grounds.
She smiled to herself as she returned inside, mentally listing various flowers, how they would look side by side with other flowers, and during what parts of the season they might be in bloom. While sitting down on the front step of the house in a tiny patch of morning sun to drink her tea, seeing how she didn't yet have neither kitchen table nor chairs, her mind was already at the days work and she was happy.
