Raffles entered the main bar area of the pony that morning in good spirits...
He was well rested, well fed and hopeful for the day ahead.
Barliman had tipped him off that Leecher Cartwell, in Combe, might be interested in some of his finds from the marshes... the thought of a positive result from that particular debacle would have been enough to lift his mood by itself ... but at breakfast Aggie had handed him an envelope, the contents of which were a few silver coins and a rather lengthy note of apology from Eldo Swatmidge.
Then throw in the added bonus of his tab being reduced by a rather surprisingly large amount due to his mushroom haul, and life was good! So good that breakfast had involved extra bacon... again.
'Wish me luck!' He called to Barliman
'Aye Russell' was the short reply... the barkeep was currently trying to settle a dispute with a supplier.
'Golden shire? Do I look like this is my first time seeing a tater!'
Raffles hurried on his way, his plan for the day was simple...
Off to Combe bright and early to see what he could get for his wares, back to the outfitters in Bree for repairs to his backpack... and definitely a new hat.. all before a rather hefty lunch he had planned.
Then in the afternoon, a gentle stroll to pay a visit to Eldo in Staddle... he felt he ought to after the old Hobbits generous contribution.
The trip to Combe was uneventful enough, Leecher Cartwell had indeed paid a small amount of coin for the Neeker shells, so it was a cheerful walk in the spring sun back to the outfitters in Bree...
'Hmmmm it will be tricky to stitch it here... are these... teeth marks... on the strap?' Vivyenne asked hesitantly.
'Yes, yes a lot of wear a tear' Raffles hurried the conversation on hoping to distract her with the payment 'Will 2 silver be enough?'
'Oh yes, for 2 silver I can do some top quality repairs... leather patch here, re-stitch here, maybe even a few improvements'
'Improvements?' Raffles repeated, the word hung temptingly in the air, he had always been a curious Hobbit... too curious some might say back at the Golden Perch.
'Improvements... hmmm... what did you have in mind?'
'Oh, just a few things to make the budding adventurers life easier' Vivyenne said smoothly... she had seen all sorts come and go through Bree over the years, and had a knack for spotting those over-eager types with a little extra coin. She always did good quality work, which coupled with the ability to 'up-sell' where appropriate, helped her maintain a small but thriving outfitters right in the centre of town.
A couple of hours later and Raffles was seriously considering his options to upgrade the planned hefty lunch as well, although he was not quite sure what came above 'hefty'... but it seemed the work on his backpack was nearly complete.
He had to admit it looked impressive, larger somehow, more pockets and pouches, a waterskin had appeared, along with the addition of a wooden 'arm' upon which dangled a lantern, albeit at a somewhat jaunty angle... which Vivyenne was just making the final adjustments to.
'There you go, all finished. That will be 2 silver and 75 copper', the extra 75 copper seemed to have appeared from the same place as the waterskin... but Raffles didn't complain, he really did like the look of his new backpack.
'and I'll throw in this hat for another 50 copper' Vivyenne gestured to a rather battered hat on the counter... Raffles nodded, he had totally forgotten about his need for a hat, having become absorbed in the backpack improvements taking place. It seemed ok to him, not a patch on his previous hat, but serviceable.
He counted out the coins, bade Vivyenne a cheery goodbye, and setting his new, old, hat on his head, headed to the pony for that long overdue lunch... 'sturdy' lunch didn't sound quite right he mused... 'thunderous'?
