He'll want to know if it's a you thing or an everyone thing, so he knows whether to avoid it in general, but beyond that dunno how much he'll worry why. If you don't mind doing it yourself I guess that'd be good. Why does it scare you? Seem meaningless, sure, but why scare?

Well, because it does seem meaningless, and that means I can't tell when the people who do understand it will suddenly get upset. And I'm new to being a mage; back when that was happening I was the least dangerous person around, not the most, so people getting upset and sometimes violent was a big deal. And even now I still don't know what'll happen if I react one way or another when it comes up - I'm harder to hurt, sure, but that doesn't mean nothing bad can happen.

Huh. It seems like it'd suck to think about the world like that and I wish no one'd - whatever made you have to.

Yeah. It mostly wasn't as bad as it sounds - it only came up when I was trying to do diplomacy with the tigerfolk, which was only ever on my terms, my tribe actually kind of hated that I kept going and doing it. It was worth it, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a downside.

No one here'd hurt you even if you weren't a mage.

Yeah, I feel really lucky about that.

Hope some day it works out to feeling safe and stuff.

It probably will. I don't expect it to be soon, though.

Yeah.

Can she send him a hug over osanwë? She can probably send him a hug over osanwë. She tries, anyway. Thanks.

Any time! Thanks for asking.

Mmhmm. See you around.

Lunch, she needs lunch and then she can go talk to Maitimo. She goes in search of soup.

There is tasty soup.

And then there's a kobold back waiting to talk to Maitimo again.

Hi!

Hey. ...I'm sorry if I as a little abrupt, before? That's kind of a hard topic for me, kobolds don't do debt, that kind of thing only came up at all with the tigerfolk and it usually didn't go well at all.

Sorry I scared you. I think we mean something different by it. You did a lot for us. We remember it and it matters to us.

She nods. I did it because I wanted to, though.

If you really want to do something for me I don't think I'll mind, it's just being asked that's scary. And you definitely don't have to.

Didn't think I did. I'm not clear what I could do for you, I don't know what you want.

Her ears go back, and she looks away and swallows hard - there's a very definite sense of her as someone who's used to being the smallest person in the room, with all the casual physical intimidation that that implies.

But at the same time - someone who's used to walking into a room where they're the smallest person, and at least sometimes walking out again with what they want.

She considers, then. There's only one thing I really want, and a couple very good reasons I shouldn't ask for it. It's fine.

Okay. Take care. We're glad you're feeling better. 

Mmhmm. See you tomorrow. And she disappears back to the city.

She regains her strength over the next few days, and things get back to normal.

Normal! He's so good at normal.

And she doesn't sigh at him about it at all, that'd be rude.

She does eventually ask, what happened to that plan to get spell forms from the elves? I haven't had any time to work on that since we moved.

Do you want to start spending some on it?