Yeah, this is frustrating, they should probably back up and do some more vocabulary-building now that they've established that they have reason to talk - though this would be going a little better if Kiri was also sharing vocabulary, too; the kobold might not have mind magic, but she is pretty good at picking up words anyway. As evidenced by the fact that she can speak at all, which kobolds usually can't.

Anyway, things... clothing is going to be the most reliable, and it needs to be something sturdy so it doesn't break too easily - a belt, perhaps? A leather belt with rivets for the trigger points would be an obvious choice, but anything solid enough to hold a spell and with obvious places to touch will work.