Small Lurker in Milliways

[lurkingkobold]

Here is a kobold.

To people familiar with the species, it's obviously a young one, not quite three feet tall to the adults' three and a half foot average. Its fur is blueish-grey and relatively dull, a sign that it hasn't been eating properly recently, though it's not thin. It's wearing a simple animal-skin skirt and carrying a stick, not quite long enough to serve as a walking stick, but useful for shielding itself from the worst of the undergrowth at least.

It is moving through the forest at speed, not following any path, and then suddenly it is elsewhere. After a few minutes, it notices the difference in the light; after a few more, it notices that the trees are subtly wrong - wrong species, wrong growth patterns, wrong in subtler ways that defy describing, but that tell the kobold that it is not in the forest where it grew up.

After even more minutes, it stops, having come to a clearing. There is a building, which, despite not being alarmingly large, cannot be traveled around.

The kobold does not have permission to enter the building.

The kobold cannot go back to where it was.

The kobold sits, and waits.

Comments

[scatteredstars]

"The door was safe when I went through it earlier," Tyche says.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold shrugs.

She considers leaning against Tyche, but that might discourage zir from food-related things, so she doesn't.

[scatteredstars]

Tyche considers this a moment more, and then stands. "It really is reasonably safe," ze says, offering the kobold a hand up.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold seems confused at Tyche's offered hand, but takes it with minimal hesitation, and stands, orienting on the doorway.

[scatteredstars]

The confusion earns a tiny puzzled look, but Tyche marks it down to culture clash.

Ze heads for the door, doing zir best to be reassuring.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold follows, without balking this time.

[scatteredstars]

Tyche seems relieved that they actually get inside this time.

Ze heads straight for the bar itself, not paying a great deal of attention to the other patrons.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold looks around a bit more, but continues following.

[scatteredstars]

Tyche requests a meal meeting the kobold's dietary requirements from the bar, which appears (Tyche does not seem to find this alarming). "Do you want to eat here or at a table?" ze asks the kobold.

[lurkingkobold]

If Tyche isn't alarmed at the magic, the kobold won't be either.

In response to the question, the kobold examines Tyche's face, looking vaguely dubious, then turns and sets off for a table.

[scatteredstars]

The last of the trinkets Tyche was counting out on the bar drops from zir hand to the floor. "I--"

Ze is silent for a long moment, then picks up the trinket, puts it on the bar, takes the food, and heads after the kobold, zir body language radiating something is horribly wrong.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold has made it to a table by this point. When she sees Tyche coming, she goes stiff and wide-eyed.

[scatteredstars]

Tyche -- sees the kobold's reaction, stops, and attempts to collect zirself.

Ze succeeds in the sense that ze is no longer radiating something is horribly wrong quite as strongly -- the overtones of distress and concern are stronger.

Ze looks to see what the kobold's reaction to this is.

[lurkingkobold]

The stopping helps. The other helps too, but less so. The kobold is still tense, but more wary than panicked; she's watching Tyche's face again.

[scatteredstars]

Tyche considers this for a moment, and then takes a cautious step toward the kobold, watching her reaction carefully.

[lurkingkobold]

There is just the shadow of a flinch in the kobold's reaction to this - they aren't sneaking up on me, I see them, they see that I see them, this isn't that - and she keeps watching.

[scatteredstars]

The flinch is subtle enough that Tyche doesn't notice it. Ze takes another cautious step forward, trying to make zir movements clear and obvious.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold isn't getting any more wary, at least. If Tyche settles into a more natural approach, she'll even relax a little.

[scatteredstars]

Unless the kobold reacts, Tyche will continue gradually walking toward her until ze reaches the table.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold declines to react, except that she seems to expect something to happen when Tyche reaches the table.

[scatteredstars]

Well, Tyche stops, when ze reaches the table.

Now that ze no longer has to project zir voice across the room, ze seems to be considering what to say.

"I grew up," ze says, eventually, "with some people who treated me like a tool to be used for their purposes. It took me -- I don't even know how long -- to realize I wasn't even a little, and even then I didn't know what to do about it. And then, one day, the person they sent me after caught me in her systems. Pinned me down. Asked me what I was doing there.

"...I didn't know, and I think that showed. I said that I had been told to.

"She was quiet for a little bit, and then asked if I needed help.

"I don't know exactly what happened to them. I know she wrecked their operation. Freed the other people they had. Left me with some things to start and -- bit of an idea how wrong they were."

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold looks extremely confused, when Tyche's story is over - confused, and sympathetic, and calmer. She seems to be thinking about the story, though; a little more alive behind her eyes, a little less profoundly passive. After a minute, she mouths to herself, "am not do of know of reason", and looks up at Tyche, examining zir face again with a different sort of purpose.

"Am... is... is different," she starts. She seems unused to speaking, stopping often to work out how to say things. "No is use, is... keep. Is... am go of," she seems confused, again, this time at her own statement, "am do of go, am do of stay. Is not of... is not of need of reason."

[scatteredstars]

Tyche brightens a little when Lurker starts to speak, but it fades as ze listens into sadness. "I'm not sure," ze says, slowly, seeming to think hard, "That keeping someone like that is much better."

Ze thinks for a little while longer. "Someone I know said to me once, 'When you are doing something, especially something that significantly affects your life or other people's, it is very important to think about the reasons, and whether they are good ones.' I think that applies even more if you don't know what they are."

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold is again confused. She thinks for a few moments, but gives up in short order, shrugging.

Thinking is hard, she doesn't want to do any more of that just now. How about let's change the subject. Tyche still has the food, what happens if the kobold makes eyes at it?

[scatteredstars]

Tyche seems about to try to say something else when the kobold makes eyes at the food.

Ze realizes several things in short order:

1. Ze is still holding the food

2. Ze was going to give that to the kobold

3. The kobold is hungry

4. The kobold is actually very hungry

5. The kobold has not eaten in several times longer than biomorphs tend to be able to sensibly go without.

What happens is: the kobold very rapidly has the food in front of her. After standing there awkwardly for a moment, Tyche sits down next to her, moving slowly and deliberately enough to back off easily if it looks like she objects.

Tyche does not seem very interested in the food except in relation to the kobold.