She nods. A lot of people have trouble understanding that.

People're stupid.

Yeah, more often than not. She chuckles.

The Noldor send food to the tribes. The summer passes uneventfully.

And then one day in early fall, Rána goes to dig out some more ore for the Ñolofinwëans.

And removes a section of rock and finds herself looking at some other people who were removing that section of rock.

Well, 'looking'. She's not bothering to light up the cave when she's mostly using her mage-sense anyway.

They look weird, to the mage-sense; she can sense some things about their bodies, but not nearly as much as she'd usually be able to, and nothing whatsoever about their minds, not even that they have them. They're humanoid and carrying tools, though, so she makes the obvious inference, and drops the trance and jerks to a stop - she's hovering in midair - and then makes a querying sound, trying osanwë at the same time: hello?

They respond in a language she doesn't recognize.

...okay. Her Quenya's still a little shaky, but worth trying: "Hello? Do you understand me?"

Nope, they don't recognize that language either.

...well.

She lowers herself to the ground, sits, and activates a light spell, just a dim one - enough to let her see them, hopefully not enough to be uncomfortable for them.

They don't seem bothered. They try a few more languages. They try some hand signs. They are very curious about the light.

She repeats their words back, but doesn't actually understand what they're saying. She's glowing, for the light, and she's not going to let them get too close - she clucks at them and scoots back if they do - but in between language attempts she trances for a moment to grab a piece of rock from the wall and make it glow for them to look at.

They can't figure it out. They are fascinated.

She stays put and watches.

After a while they point to themselves and offer names.

She repeats those back, too, and adds "Rána. Kobold."

Gesture. "Khazad."

Nod. "Khazad. Kobold." She opens a small portal in the cave wall to show the wood shop: "Tirinquo, kobold. Quendi."

They are completely astonished by the portal.

She gives them time to examine it, but warns them off if they go to touch it.

They return to trying to learn some vocabulary for conversation.

She picks up the basics quickly. (She also closes the portal again when they seem to be done with it, and breaks the spell for good measure.)

They would like to know how the portals and lights are done.

"Magic," she says, though they really don't have enough shared language for that to be anything but a circular definition. "I do it by thinking." Sort of. Closer, anyway.