[ … That's not fair. There had been little choice in the matter. The lot of them had been there, dangling from the branches, wavering between the possibly of death via fire, orc or cliffside, and then Thorin had run off first. He's their leader, the one cementing the Company; without him, the quest will fail and the rest of them will be lost in one way or another. Someone needed to protect Thorin from his own recklessness. Out of the lot, Bilbo had simply happened to be the one to pull himself up first.
Nonetheless, he can admit that there may be a slight, very faint presence of hypocrisy.
So how does Bilbo react to finding his argument thrown right back at him? Well. It starts with a stilling of his fingers, a tightening of his muscles and a startled gaze. Lips part, open and bottom lip flops, marginally so, as though he's on the verge of wanting to say something, but for the life of him, he can't think of what it is. But then the shock ebbs and he's left with an exasperation that has his mouth snapping shut and chin upturning, haughty and the slightest bit challenging. ]
And why had this hobbit done that? [ He hardly takes a breath, clearly seeing little point in letting the question sit; Thorin will find some way to muck it up anyway. ] Because a certain dwarf did it first. [ He ties the bandage together, a touch tighter than he would have before. Bilbo knows what he is, thank you very much. He's not a warrior. He is just a simple hobbit with hardly a drop of bravery or might worth mentioning. Running to Thorin's side had been just about the most foolish thing he's ever done, but it's different than Thorin's reckless abandon. The point is the same rules don't apply between them because— ] The importance of one, small hobbit is little compared to that of a dwarf king. Too many depend on you. [ Thorin has to be okay, if not for his own sake, then for everyone else's. ]
it still exists.
Nonetheless, he can admit that there may be a slight, very faint presence of hypocrisy.
So how does Bilbo react to finding his argument thrown right back at him? Well. It starts with a stilling of his fingers, a tightening of his muscles and a startled gaze. Lips part, open and bottom lip flops, marginally so, as though he's on the verge of wanting to say something, but for the life of him, he can't think of what it is. But then the shock ebbs and he's left with an exasperation that has his mouth snapping shut and chin upturning, haughty and the slightest bit challenging. ]
And why had this hobbit done that? [ He hardly takes a breath, clearly seeing little point in letting the question sit; Thorin will find some way to muck it up anyway. ] Because a certain dwarf did it first. [ He ties the bandage together, a touch tighter than he would have before. Bilbo knows what he is, thank you very much. He's not a warrior. He is just a simple hobbit with hardly a drop of bravery or might worth mentioning. Running to Thorin's side had been just about the most foolish thing he's ever done, but it's different than Thorin's reckless abandon. The point is the same rules don't apply between them because— ] The importance of one, small hobbit is little compared to that of a dwarf king. Too many depend on you. [ Thorin has to be okay, if not for his own sake, then for everyone else's. ]