Good!

After an appropriate amount of time has passed, Ana eases up a little. "Missed you."

And now Ana is hugging a giggly kobold. "Not as much as I missed you, you didn't have time."

"Tell me everything."

The hugs, they don't stop.

Heee.

Well, spring is hatching season, and there are five new baby kobolds (so tiny, according to the accompanying gestures) this year, which is kind of low but they all seemed healthy so that's good. Hunting's been a little slow but trapping and fishing and gathering are fine; they're doing just fine for food and medical supplies and things. Teleportation continues to be a real boon for finding firewood. Socially - she wouldn't say it went seamlessly, getting back into the swing of the tribe, but they're used to some moodiness from her and it wasn't a problem, and basically everyone is doing pretty much okay and there was only the usual background level of drama and conflict - the high point of that was that one of the hatchlings imprinted on someone that someone else has a grudge against, and the grudge-holder had managed to take their eggs for three years running and was upset that they didn't manage it a fourth year. (The hatchling will be fine, the kobold assures Ana: the rest of the tribe thinks their parent will be a good one, it's just this one person who disagrees.) And then they packed everything up to go to the meetup, and that takes a couple weeks - teleportation makes getting there so much easier but doesn't help much with the preparation - and they somehow managed to be only the second tribe there, and her chief was a jerk about it and diplomacy with a tribe without a Speaker is hard-to-impossible but she got him to take his second choice of camping spots instead and not start a fight over it, and then she was stuck for a few days keeping an eye on that situation, but then two more tribes showed up on the same day and that's enough pressure on the chief's reputation that she was okay to leave, and now here she is! Hugs!

Tiny kobolds! Adorable! Ana is glad that kobold's tribe is doing well, and is sure that she did the best possible job of managing camping spot diplomacy.

So many hugs!

So many hugs! Raafi smiles at the two of them - they really are adorable; he's pleased the kobold has found such good friends here - and passes the kobold a sandwich so she can eat without having to unhug.

Ana unhugs a little bit more so she can eat as well.

Nom lean hug hug nom.

"So, I'm going to be starting giving out the exile spell tomorrow."

"Oh." Hug. "Good."

Chuckle. "Yeah. It sounds like it's not going to cause problems for Master Satele's diplomacy now - I don't have details but it seems like that's going really well - so there's no reason to wait."

"I'm glad you're back. Have I mentioned that yet?"

The kobold giggles. "Nope, not even once."

"What! How terrible of me! Well, I am."

Heee. Hugs.

Hugs and noms!

Hugs and noms, and eventually dinner is done; Raafi takes the trio's trays to the receptacle.

How thoughtful of him, now Ana doesn't have to stop kobold hugs.

Isn't it just?

The kobold seems perfectly satisfied to hang out as long as Ana is willing. (Raafi is perhaps a little bored, but doesn't seem to want to do anything about that.)

Ana will stay until the yawns become unstoppable.

"I'll be here in the morning." Hug.

"Okay." And Ana yawns her way to bed, after one last hug.

And Raafi and the kobold head back to the cave.

The kobold is back at about the usual time the next morning, albeit with a slightly skimpy delivery of fruit. Raafi has apparently decided that she doesn't need to be accompanied today.

Oh well. More hugs for kobold, then!

Heeee.

"Has Raafi been telling you kobold stories," she asks teasingly.

"Nooooo..." Grin. "Should he have been?"