Trout's Landing.

  Jeb awoke with a muffled groan. He felt like he had slept for days. Even moving felt slow and burdensome. Like trying to wake up in time to go to school or work after a long night. His arms and legs felt like he was moving through molasses as he slowly turned himself around and moved his face from the cushion of soft moss that was his and Ruby's bed.

  He blinked blearily as he looked around the chamber that was their room. His eyes scanned the cool room for a moment as he got his bearings. After a minute for his mind to catch up, his eyes fell upon the forms of Ruby and Dougie. The latter lain sprawled on his back with clawed feet twitching as his thin black tongue killed out and soaked the dirt with his spittle as he let out wheezing snores.

  The former hummed along to a silent tune as she continued her vigil over the six onyx colored eggs. Her claw reaching into the ghostly flame that lapped at the smooth shells unafraid. She would shift or move the eggs as she believed needed. Seeing to it that none were in the center or outer edge for too long.

  Where once she was nervous, even a degree fearful, of the eerie flame. But now? Now it was like air to her. Or room temperature water. Where the boundary between the two could seemingly be differentiated by sight rather than feel. Even now as she closed her eyes and removed her claw did she scarcely tell the difference between when it was in the fire and not.

  Even running a claw over her scales revealed to her that she was warm. Even when she took the time to relieve herself, she found the chill air coming through the tunnels not quite so hindering as it seemed to the others.

  Not that it lasted. As much as the balefire warmed her scales and her core, she was still cold-blooded. While the fire kept the cold at bay for a time, inevitably it would return all the same. But that was fine by her. She wasn't exactly in the mood to go out for a walk or jog anyway. Her mind and duty occupied near entirely by her clutch of eggs.

  Jeb meanwhile just watched. Transfixed as she devoted herself to tending to the eggs. To their eggs. He doubt he'd ever truly get used to that thought. Even as he looked at the eggs with his own eyes did he hardly believe it.

  "You're finally awake." Ruby said as she kept her eyes on the eggs.

  "Yeah. How long was I out for?" Jeb replied and moved to a sitting position.

  "A few hours. What happened?"

  "Nothin' much. Just helped with diggin' a lil." Jeb replied as what he did slowly started to come back to him as sleep left him.

  "And that's why you don't see any fat kobolds." Ruby said with a smile.

  "Nothin' burns fat faster than diggin' that's for sure." Jeb replied as he scooted closer to her and the eggs.

  "Nothing?" Ruby asked even as her tail started to slide up his thigh.

  "Well, almost nothin'." Jeb replied and scooted behind her and held her in an embrace.

  "Got a lot to do that needs gettin' done." Jeb said as he stroked her scales with one hand while the other ran along the smooth onyx shell of an egg.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Like what?"

  "Like gettin' equipment for the tribe."

  "Isn't that what you were doing?"

  "Kinda? It didn't exactly go that well." Jeb said as he recalled the rather tense and not-at-all-friendly meeting.

  "Oh? What happened? Do we have to worry about the dwarves again?"

  "No. These ones seem like a good sort. Well, except maybe for the lil mouthy one. But the rest seem on the level. Just some folks that... that were in the wrong place at the wrong time is all." Jeb replied in a hoarse whisper as he recalled the damned lot.

  He didn't usually have to confront what his power actually did. The kobolds knew and were willing to tough it out with him. He was sure the murlocs couldn't rub two braincells together. But those dwarves? This was the first time that he met someone on the receiving end that didn't want or seemingly didn't care for the consequences.

  Well, them and... nevermind, Jeb thought as an eye flick caught the glimpse of something in the corner of his vision before vanishing away. That was something he wasn't quite ready to deal with.

  "Regardless, I still need to head back eventually. Gotta deal with 'em for tools anyhow. Gotta go pick it up and face 'em. 'Sides, can't exactly expand with just your bare hands, er, claws."

  As Jeb said that his finger trailer across the gold and garnet wedding band along one of Ruby's antelope-like horns. Still have to get used to that too, Jeb thought as he traced the metalwork around the piece of ivory. Or cartilage. Or whatever horns were made of.

  He felt Ruby doing the same to his own wedding band. The copper and pearl ring moving slightly as she played with it. Though even it wasn't immune from his influence either. The bit of copper was already tarnishing to the point it already almost looked black with a slight sheen to it. But the pearls were the opposite. Instead of dulling, they seemed to glow slightly. Like little moons around his finger, Jeb thought as he sat there with Ruby and simply enjoyed one another's company for the time being. The only sounds were the echoes of work and barter down the tunnel, the snoring of Dougie, and their own steady breathing.

  They wanted to stay like that. Forever. In the arms of one another. But reality wouldn't allow it, they both knew. They both had work to do. Her tending to the eggs, and him to the needs of the tribe. He sighed and bent slightly and kissed her head.

  "Love you."

  "Love you." She replied with a flick of her tongue along his chin.

  He scooted back and rode with a groan and a crack of bones. He took a deep breath before heading down the tunnel. While he might not be able to do his little excavation trick again, or at least not anytime soon, that didn't mean he couldn't still help out. While the kobolds might not be able to hunt or scavenge in this weather, that didn't mean he couldn't.

  Besides, he needed a peace offering to the dwarves. As much as an 'im sorry' could do, food and gifts were better. Maybe he could also give another try to moonshining again. Maybe just make a potato vodka or similar spirit instead, he thought as he conjured said black hairy potato from the ether. Or where or how his power worked to conjure food.

  Either way, if he wanted an at least non-antagonistic relationship with the dwarves down yonder, he'll need gifts. The best of which was food and alcohol. Both of which he knew plenty about.

  "Wonder if I could find another manticore?" Jeb asked to himself as he vanished into thin air, leaving the cool comfort of the kobolds burrows for the cold nip of the December weather.

  -----

  Jefferson Household.

  "I think she's lonely." Millie replied to Sam as she stared down the hall towards Sammy's room.

  "She'll be alright. Just needs some time to adjust is all." Sam replied, though even he glanced down the hall towards his daughter's room.

  "Not natural it is. Fer a wee girl like her ta be so secluded." Millie stated in worry.

  "It's more natural than you'd think." Sam gave a muttered reply.

  Sammy wasn't exactly popular around town. For a variety of reasons. Her own spoiled attitude being the main one. While she didn't have the stigma that Jeb's... colorful origins had, she wasn't immune from her own bullies.

  Not near as many growing up as Jeb did, and most of it stemmed from her relation to Jeb, what few she did have went silent around the same time as Jeb's did. For about the same reason. Learning someone's bullies got butchered mysteriously in the woods doesn't exactly inspire folks to keep pushing buttons.

  "Still not proper it is. A wee lass should be with friends or her husband."

  "Believe me. The only thing keeping her and Greg from getting hitched is her."

  "Bah, tis tha role o' tha parents ta secure a proper suiter fer her!"

  "Good luck." Sam muttered.

  "Fine, since Gregory is likely ta be thae only one. She'll still need some friends she will. Some ladies ta gossip and snack with."

  "As I said. Good luck." Sam replied and cracked open a can of beer.

  "Dinnae be givin' me tha' look! There're plenty o' lasses tha' need socializin'!"

  Before Sam could reply, Millie trotted over to where some pens and paper sat, mainly for shopping lists or kindling.

  "A few families back at tha colony got some girls tha'd do Sammy some good."

  "Well. I guess it couldn't hurt."

  "Course not! Our old wise woman has a wee lass tha'd get along with Sammy!" Millie stated and started scribbling something onto the piece of paper.

  "Wise woman?"

  "Oh yeah! Some folks dinnae trust magic. So most places gots folks tha' heal without magics!"

  "Huh?"

  "Not sure 'ow it works meself, but it works it does!"

  "Uhuh, and her uh daughter?"

  "Oh a nice young lass. Learned in tha Humours she is!"

  "Humors? Like laugh medicine?"

  "No silly! Tha Four Humours! When my Da had too much ta drink, tha wise woman just threw some leeches on 'im 'nd he was right as rain!" She declared as she finished her scribbling and headed out towards the mailbox.

  Sam sighed, but didn't stop Millie. Sammy being a bit of a recluse of late did make him anxious. An actual friend could do her some good, he thought.

  "Just hope she doesn't mind leeches."