Weird. But apparently trustworthy.

They get to a much larger space, with more of the large furry creatures. Eliko is immediately mobbed by several of the smaller ones, all licking excitedly.

That's sort of cute.

Once sufficient pets have been distributed, she manages to push the cubs off. She sets her feet, knees slightly bent, hands held out with palms up, and lifts. A bench-like slab rises out of the ground, and she sits down on one end.

One of the more excitable cubs rears back and claps with its front paws, creating a sloped incline next to Eliko, which it clambers up to lay its head in her lap.

That's cute and interesting. Tarinda stands back, staring curiously.

Pet pet.

"My name is Eliko," she says, pointing at herself. "These are badgermoles," indicating the creatures.

"Tarinda," Tarinda says, pointing at herself. "Badgermoles?" she attempts to pronounce, pointing at one.

"Badgermole," she says slowly, sounding it out. "One badgermole," point, "many badgermoles," sweep to indicate room.

"One badgermole, many badgermoles. One -" She holds up one finger, then holds up two and tilts her head.

"One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten," counting on fingers. Flash all ten then one, "eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty. Twenty-one. Thirty."

"Twenty-two, twenty-three...?"

Nod. "Yes."

"Ten tens?"

"One hundred."

Nod. She makes a gesture that might be trying to encourage Eliko.

Right, what else...

"Hand. Finger. I have two hands. I have ten fingers. A badgermole has four paws."

Tarinda nods along. Points at parts of her body and her clothes and armaments to elicit vocabulary for them.

Words can be provided.

Tarinda never seems to need to have anything repeated for her, but can't produce words Eliko hasn't given her.

Can she pick up grammar if Eliko makes up sentences with the words they've used?

Yes she can. She formulates questions and tries statements.

Good. When they run low on local objects, she starts doing little raised doodles in the ground.

Doodles, okay, cool! Tarinda can doodle too, although she does not have magic powers and has to draw with her finger in the dirt.

She draws four elemental symbols and points at the flame.

"I am from Fire. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Mars. Not these."

A sketch of a map: one central continent, a few island chains, two landmasses at the top and bottom.