Norur is super asleep. He's been whittling stuff, he's going to try carving the antler.

Ahhh, hibernation. She's curious to see how the antlers come out. 

She's been learning the very basics of magic item creation. (Is he interested in anything small?)

He has a couple magic things - his bow's special, a dryad made it for him from her own wood - and he's taken stuff off people he's won fights with, but he wouldn't turn down more. He's not sure what's small.

She knows a Cloak of Resistance can be small, and there's a kind of Bag of Holding that counts too, but otherwise she'll have to get back to him on that! She's got a lot to learn.

Bag sounds cool!

Happy nodding.

And now it's time for her to head back. She waves goodbye.

Wave wave.

The days pass by in a blur.

RJ doesn't have the supplies with them to craft something new, so they go through the entirety of the spell structures on both the bag and the cloak. By the end of the week, she can draw the spell structures for both.

They eat a lot of elk. Kaitiaki learns a lot about halfling cuisine. (It's very different from what she's used to! She thinks she likes it, though.) 

She tries very hard to learn how to cast prestidigitation - RJ humors her, even though they're pretty sure that it's just not a thing druids can do. They show off every mode of the spell - creating things, levitation, flavor, color, smell, cleaning things, making things dirty, as Kaitiaki watches with her intense stare and detect magic.

This isn't how RJ was expecting to spend this week at all, but they don't have any other commitments, and Kait continues to be oddly satisfying to teach, despite her social shortcomings.

They start asking her questions about herself at mealtimes - they don't mind eating in silence, but as they get to know her better, they realize she doesn't mind conversation; she's just not any good at it, and almost never initiates it.

Questions about her past get lots of short answers or shrugs. She grew up in a town nearby. Her family doesn't know she's a druid. She doesn't really miss her family. She doesn't hate them, either. ...after a long pause, she says that they didn't really like her, which. Yeesh. RJ stops asking questions about her family.

Other questions get more involved answers. She loves being a druid. She's been one for a year and a half. She met Damisa a little over a week after she ran away into the forest, back when he was only thiiiiiiiis big (much smaller than he currently is, but still bigger than RJ). She saved his life when he was hurt badly and couldn't get food for himself. Then he saved her life when she got bit by a snake, and now they're best friends. She loves the forest and finds caring for it fulfilling. She loves druidic magic. She can't drop spells for summoning animals - instead she can drop them for cure spells, like a cleric. She made her backpack with help from her mentor. 

She (and her best friend) are always gone when they wake up in the morning;  out doing Druid Things, RJ imagines. She's usually back within a few hours, with some kind of foraged food, or some of the various herbs they've taught her are good for seasoning. Sometimes they bring in dead branches to supplement the firewood supply.

After the third day, she starts smiling back at them, when they welcome her home. It feels nice. 

They can tell she's not sleeping enough; they start taking naps after lunch (which they like doing anyways) and Kait starts following suit. (The way she sleeps all curled up with her enormous tiger is very cute...)

And then the week is over, and she's escorting RJ to the edge of the woods, but the snow is deep and it's definitely slow for them, with their little legs.

"...do you want me to carry you?" She asks, watching them struggle through a patch of thicket. 

UM??? 

"...we can try it, if that won't bother you?" they manage, after a bit. 

She scoops them up easily in a two-handed carry and proceeds, clearly unburdened. They're so light! 

...it's extremely obvious that she doesn't mean anything by it, hasn't noticed RJ blushing, much like she's never noticed them looking at her arms. (Arms which are now holding RJ. Effortlessly.)

They decide to close their eyes, because the alternative is staring, and it's a long trip to be staring at someone at this distance, if you're not sure how they'll feel about it.

Awww. Maybe they didn't get enough sleep and that's why they're tired? She doesn't mind if they nap.

She's fast and she knows exactly where she's going - she makes it to the edge of the Forest in a little under two hours. The direct sunlight seems to wake them up, and she gently sets them down. 

"See you when the snow melts." 

To the surprise of them both, RJ hugs her. (She stiffens momentarily, but then relaxes, awkwardly patting them on the head. They wonder when the last time she got a hug was.)

"When the snow melts," they murmur, and then let her go.

"...want to see a new spell, before you go?"

Ooh. She nods and casts Detect Magic, and gets to see her first arcane summoning spell, as RJ conjures a beautiful pony (...the pony is in fact average, but the spell is beautiful).

Then she helps them into the saddle, and watches as they ride off, leaning into Damisa more than usual.

After they disappear into the horizon, she goes looking for Zisel.

Napping on Norur.

She's suddenly pretty tired as well. Lots of missed sleep to catch up on. Naptime, Damisa.

Yessss he LOVES naptime.

When she wakes up Zisel's up and braiding some rope out of his stash of grass. "Hey you."

"Hey." She looks at the braiding with curiosity in silence for a bit.

"...I think I made a friend?" She sounds rather unsure. (Is she friends with RJ? She's not sure. If so, it's a very different kind than her friendships with Damisa, Zisel, and Norur.)

"With your wizard?"

Kaitiaki nods. "They stayed here for a week, just to teach me about their magic. It was nice."

She thinks they did it in part because they're excited about having her help, but - not only that. She's not good at talking to people, but she's okay at reading them, and - she thinks RJ liked spending time with her. 

"You thinking of doubling up or something?"

It takes her a bit to realize what he's asking, at which point she blushes and shakes her head vigorously. She's not sure she's felt like that about anyone, really? (...not that she meets a lot of people.)