One Curious Kobold

[lurkingkobold]

It's winter, and all is well with the tribe. Their new magic, an ability to make portals from one place to another, which was found by one of their members during the early-summer trip to meet with the other tribes in the area, let them both build up a decadent food stockpile and move to a much deeper part of the cave system without the worry of being unable to find their way back out. No-one has had to go hungry, and even the fiercest ice storm doesn't reach them; they are as content as kobolds can be.

Well, aside from their new mage, that is. She's bored, and curious. Making portals to known places is straightforward enough, with the magic she found, but that's far from the limit of what it can do... so one day, she slips away, portals off to a different cave system - one can't be too careful, after all - and experiments.

Temperature roughly the same... gravity roughly the same... air the same, not into stone or underwater or in a volcano or on top of a mountain... but, instead of patterning it after a place she knows, what happens if she only specifies those things, and lets the innate patterns of the spot she's casting on do the rest? Particularly this one part, which seems to specify the world...

She finishes the spell, and hesitates for just a moment before activating it.

Comments

[of_all_trades]

"This island is safe," Franklyn says "the only large animals are humans that turn into animals," he gestures to himself "if someone sees you they won't attack you... but they will be very confused. Do you mind saying that you are person before hiding away? I can teach you the words."

[lurkingkobold]

Sure, that's fine - not that she intends to let herself be seen in the first place, but Franklyn might not be the only one with weird sensory magic. "Okay."

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn teaches the english phrases for "I am a kobold person", "I don't speak english", "I am waiting for Franklyn" and "Help", "Safe", "Yes", "No" and "Other". He explains what each word means and how to pronounce them, he won't mind if that takes awhile as long the kobold wants to learn.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold is a very quick study, as it turns out; this doesn't take very long at all.

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn has a special way to recognize a quick learner, so he knows when moving on to the next phrase or word. After teaching everything he will bid farewell and say he is going to return shortly.

The woods remain pleasant.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold hangs out, examining the local plant life to see if there's anything new and interesting or familiar and tasty.

[of_all_trades]

There are some berry bushes around that look familiar and ripe for consumption. The kobold should be able to eat those peacefully, the largest animal she will see are squirrels, one looks at the kobold curiously before scurrying off to parts unknown.

It doesn't take long before Franklyn returns.

[lurkingkobold]

When he does, the kobold is harvesting berries from one of the bushes and dropping them into a portal made of twine. She hears him approaching and hides in the bush until she can see who it is, then emerges and yarks a greeting before approaching him.

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn waves back, he is holding a backpack.

He steps a bit closer and then says apologetically "I talked with some people, they asked me to take you to my house until they can take us to the Mars move magic, unless you really don't want to. I think it is because the Mars move magic place is secret. Sorry for the inconvenience."

[lurkingkobold]

Shrug, nod. "Okay."

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn smiles and guides the kobold back to his house, it is the large white house.

"I brought food," Franklyn says on the way waving at the backpack and reaching out and taking an tangerine.

[lurkingkobold]

"Move-magic do of food," she grins, demonstrating with one of the berries she just picked. She is interested in the tangerine, though: "orange fruit is of new of food."

[of_all_trades]

Smiles at the magic demonstration and holds the tangerine offering.

"I have plenty new food, the fruits should be safe, not sure about the rest, but you can smell and try what you want."

[lurkingkobold]

She takes the tangerine and, a brief examination and application of her claws later, nods approvingly.

And then they're at the house. It's... large.

[of_all_trades]

Large even by human standards, but it is quiet and empty in the moment.

Franklyn opens the kitchen door and lets the kobold get in. The kitchen has nice wood paneling painted in white, and it is clean (at least in the moment), it is full of unfamiliar objects, some metallic, some made from a weird glossy substance (plastic). There are a dozens of photographs on the walls, Franklyn is in half of them. Several pans, pots and metallic arm hang from a pot rack near the stove.

Franklyn takes a small object and disconnects it from a cable, and then disconnect the cable's prongs from a couple of holes in the wall.

"Be careful not to touch that," Franklyn says while pointing at the holes "it is safe to be around and use it," he waves the cable "but poking a finger can hurt you."

[lurkingkobold]

Nod, "okay."

She's a little intimidated - this is definitely a space made for someone whose smaller form is nearly twice her height and easily four times her mass; on her scale, it's not nearly as inviting - but still curious enough to peer around at everything.

[of_all_trades]

"If you want ask, I can tell you what everything does," Franklyn says "for example. This thing is a light-switch. Light off. Light on. See?"

[lurkingkobold]

"Okay." Hm. "Kobold is of safe of magic thing - kobold do of touch of thing of magic, kobold want of magic, thing do of magic; kobold no do of want of magic, thing no do of magic. ...maybe. Human magic maybe do of different."

[of_all_trades]

"Not magic" Franklyn explains "it is technology," he says the english word "like making a fire isn't magic, or making trap isn't magic, it is knowing how to do things. It does light. It does fire to cook. It does cold for food storage," He points at the lights, the oven and the refrigerator while saying that.

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold blinks, first intimidated, then intrigued.

[of_all_trades]

"Humans discovered how to do many things without magic," Franklyn says "this is a cell-phone and that is a telephone, both can be used to talk over distances. If I press this things the right way," he points at the buttons "it will make another phone ring, it will make a sound and if someone picks up they can talk with me. Wanna see it?"

[lurkingkobold]

And, back to intimidated. She shakes her head.

[of_all_trades]

Franklyn winces "Sorry... Would it better if I made them go silence so it doesn't startle you? The sound isn't uncomfortable but it can be surprising."

[lurkingkobold]

She considers, briefly, and then nods.

[of_all_trades]

He does that. He also takes a few food items from the bag, including a entire bowl of fruit, on their respective cabinets.

"Do you want to do anything while we wait?"