He could definitely use some comforting leaning. But by the time he talks to Maitimo he's calm. "Hi," he says. "We crossed the Ice. Want the names of the dead?"

"Yes."

And he starts listing them.

It's going to be a while. Ten thousand people.

She could use some comforting leaning, too. She's not going anywhere anytime soon. Might fall asleep, though, it's been a long day.

That's all right. He won't fall asleep. He'll speak until his voice is hoarse and then say to Maitimo, "what else do you want to know?"

"I don't remember any names," Maitimo says. "The Enemy took them from me. Tell me - tell me everyone, what they're like, what they care about -"

"I don't know that like you - like you used to."

"Tell me anyway."

The kobold sleeps on, a warm furry presence. She clings, just a little, when Findekáno shifts.

He talks to Maitimo all night. It wasn't how he'd planned to spend the day.

But.

This he will never forgive Maitimo for faking, if it's fake. And if it's not, it's going to be really hard not to forgive everything. 

The kobold wakes up before dawn. She doesn't interrupt, but gives Findekáno a brief hug before teleporting off, and returns a little while later with scrambled eggs for both of them.

He smiles wearily at her. Thanks.

And keeps talking.

She snuggles up again and eats.

After a while he says stiffly to Maitimo, "my people need me" and rejoins the host.

She heads home.

You okay?

If those were lies then I am much the worse for having listened to them. If true they'll be helpful.

Nod.

I like Findekáno. They seem very sensible.

He's all right.

Nod. Is it likely to cause problems if I start spending time with them?

What kind of problems?

Shrug. With you, with your siblings, with your host - with theirs, if I'm spending time with your host too, though I don't think that's very likely. I still don't know practically anything about what happened, and I don't mind that exactly but I'd rather not cause more problems.

It might make my brothers nervous that you'll end up aiding them in attacking or robbing us, or something. They'll work with you anyway, as long as you don't actually attack or rob them. 

What happened is that a lot of people in our tribe started saying that the chief should be killed because they were angry with him. The chief got scared and sad so he did not send the boats back for those people and the people who'd supported them, even though not sending back the boats left them stuck in a place they didn't want to be. I tried to stop him, but he was not thinking rationally because of the threats to him, and he was worried having them here would distract us from the war which is more important.

What a mess. Well, I'm not violent and I'm not going to help them attack your host; the only things I've even been tempted to steal from your host are the other host's things and that would obviously start a war or something so I'm definitely not going to do that. Or help them do it, but they don't seem to want to anyway.

Are you going to be okay with it?

Why wouldn't I be?

I caught that you're close to them. You haven't reacted that way to anyone else. I don't know the details and I don't need to know them, I just want to be careful; I don't want to have to choose between hurting you and hurting myself if it would somehow be a bad idea to be friends with them.

It does not torture me or give the Enemy information. 

...all right. I'll wait.

I did not tell you to do that.

Mmhmm. I'm choosing to anyway.

Okay.