The author gives some account of herself and family.

[lurkingkobold]

So, that was a party. It was nice, right up until it wasn't - almost like having a tribe again, if she didn't think too closely about it. But then it wasn't, and it really wasn't, and now here we are.

Here, in this case, is the floor of the closet of the room she's been sleeping in, in Miles' house, wrapped up as tight as she can manage in the blanket she took from the bed, waiting for her heart to calm enough that she can go back to sleep after a familiar and expected nightmare. The blanket is wrong - it's missing the smell and stiffness and most importantly the weight of the leather blanket she wishes she had - and the floor is wrong and the acoustics are wrong and being alone, with no other kobolds, is so wrong, and she wishes she could go home, just for a day, just for an hour, just for long enough to let everything be right again for a little while.

She can't, of course. In the light of day, with her new strange almost-tribe, she doesn't even want to, wouldn't want to even if she could. But here, now, in the dark, in this space that is right only in that it's less wrong than her other options, that it's small enough and closed enough that when she wakes, shaking, she can be sure that she is alone, that no one has snuck up on her - here and now, she would trade it all for the smell of cookfire smoke and the sound of a hundred sleeping bodies.

Remembering helps, a little. Even if she can't be there now, tribe is something she had, something she knows like breathing, like heartbeat. She can't be there, but, if she was.... it would sound like this, and it would look like this, and it would feel like this...

Eventually, her breathing slows, and she drifts back to sleep.

Comments

[greatcomposure]

Indeed she is.

[lurkingkobold]

Good.

The kobold leads the way down the trail, which runs fairly parallel to the rocky hillside they came out of; she slows, when they come to patches of plants growing there, and goes to investigate more closely a few times, but doesn't find what she's looking for.

The trail itself is narrow, but reasonably easy to follow, with only the occasional intruding branch or dangerous root or stone in the way. The kobold seems to be familiar and comfortable with leading people in this sort of context, holding aside the branches and pointing out the tripping hazards without any particular effort.

The trees continue to be familiar, except for one especially large-trunked type that appears occasionally. The underbrush is a little more mixed; something like two-thirds or three-quarters of the low plants are identifiable, with the remainder being similar to Earth's plant life, but not any recognizable species.

After nearly an hour and a half, the trail veers away from the hillside, and the kobold pauses to consider her options.

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia has been quietly enjoying the slightly nostalgic mental effort of categorizing all these plants. The hike is slightly nostalgic too, although in her Survey days she never had such an effective trail guide.

She pauses when the kobold does, and waits patiently.

[lurkingkobold]

After a little contemplation, the kobold makes a grumpy sound, and says "wait, am look." She then heads to the hillside and starts climbing.

[greatcomposure]

Well, then, Cordelia will wait.

[lurkingkobold]

It takes several minutes for the kobold to return, and when she does, some of her grumpiness has transformed into frustration and worry.

"Is big of hole," she nods in the direction the trail was headed. "No of safe of do, big of travel of." She sighs.

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia gets out her not-mirror to reply.

"Well, that sounds annoying. Do you think we can fix this problem with magic? I could try to change the hole so it's safe to walk across, or cast fly on both of us so we can fly over it."

[lurkingkobold]

Hm. "Maybe? Is... hm. Do of look," she says, and motions for Cordelia to follow her up the hill again.

It's a steep climb, but she picks out a path that avoids the worst of it and has plenty of handholds. When they get above the lower elevation's treeline, she motions to Cordelia to take the spot upslope of a sturdy-looking tree, while she braces against a slightly smaller one nearby.

The kobold's 'big hole' turns out to be a massive cave with most of its roof collapsed. There are trees growing in the middle of the hole, but the vegetation thins out toward the edges, suggesting that the stone has been falling in stages, and fairly recently. The cave's walls are still in deep shade; it seems unlikely that any vines could grow there.

[greatcomposure]

"I see," says Cordelia, beholding the hole.

She considers it for a moment, and then says/types, "I wouldn't want to try daeva magic on that in case more of it fell in while I was working, but it looks like we could fly over it easily."

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold... pauses; looks away, clinging more closely against her tree; takes a very purposeful breath.

"Not do. Is good of idea; am not do."

She looks like she wants a hug. She also looks like she's not letting go of her tree right now.

[greatcomposure]

"Okay," she says/types. "We can go around, then, or go a different way."

[lurkingkobold]

The kobold nods, and considers, not letting go of her tree just yet.

(Well, 'considers'; she takes a little time to calm herself down first.)

"Place of tribe, am know of place of plant. Other of place," she indicates their surroundings with a one-armed gesture, "am not of know; maybe is no of plant."

"Reason of plant is - person do of big of stress, do of hurt of stress, many of trouble? Plant do of help of stress - do of stress, do of plant, do of small of hurt, maybe do of no of hurt."

"Am of stress; am of hurt. More of stress is of more of hurt. If do of more of stress, no do of plant, am worry of big of trouble... am not of know of place, place maybe no is of plant."

She seems resigned, when she finishes speaking, but shaky.

[greatcomposure]

It seems like maybe there is unexpectedly little of this plant to be had around here. But Cordelia isn't sure what to do with that conclusion. She thinks for a moment, and then asks:

"Where else can we look, to find some of this plant? Would it be helpful if I flew across the hole to see what's on the other side and if there's any of the plant there? Or we could ask the rainbow goddess what to do; she might be able to tell us something useful."

[lurkingkobold]

"Ask," is the immediate answer. "Am not want of alone."

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia nods. This seems like a sensible preference, under the circumstances.

She sends Esthfora a planar message: What's the best way for the kobold to find some of the plant she's looking for?

And after a few seconds, she gets a response.

"...Esthfora says: Go of cave, do of touch of magic of cave - magic do of happy, do of teach of big of big of hide," she reports. The message is in the animalperson language, which Cordelia doesn't otherwise speak, but apparently minor concerns like that don't apply when Rainbow-God is involved.

[lurkingkobold]

...okay.

"Do of Gate of cave?"

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia shrugs slightly, and casts a gate to the cave where the kobold can easily step through it without risking falling down the hill.

[lurkingkobold]

...this requires letting go of the tree, doesn't it. Okay. Right. She can do that. Here we go.

Hello nice cave floor, the kobold missed you.

[greatcomposure]

It takes Cordelia another half a minute to climb around to the gate and step through it herself.

[lurkingkobold]

By which time, the kobold has gathered herself back together and is examining the magic thing from the entryway to its niche.

To mundane sight, it's completely invisible. To someone able to see magic, it appears to be a brightly glowing group of crystals, plainly visible even in complete darkness; there's no other hint as to what its purpose might be.

The kobold will have to go a little way into the niche, to touch it. She waits to do that until Cordelia has her bearings.

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia sits on the cave floor and turns on her not-mirror for the light it provides and closes the gate.

[lurkingkobold]

In she goes, then.

A moment later, there's a dazzling burst of white light. When Cordelia can see again, the kobold has vanished.

[greatcomposure]

This activity was recommended by Esthfora, and she did say 'do of teach of big of big of hide'. Cordelia decides she can wait a little while before becoming alarmed.

[lurkingkobold]

After a few seconds, there's some rather rainbow-ey giggling, with the rainbow effect fading out over the course of a second or so. Similar rainbows accompany the kobold's return to visibility - she's lying on her back, half out of the niche, with a goofy grin on her face. "Magic!" she giggles, enthusiastically, when the rainbows are all gone.

[greatcomposure]

Cordelia smiles.