Ling forces the passage stone back into place. The smears of viscera weigh upon her mind. "Thanks for... something, ya b*****d."
J: Why would you be upset about him dying. L: Because nobody had to die. I didn't want him dead. I wanted the witches to give up; they hadn't killed anyone yet. They could have ...cleaned the forest? Something to make amends. J: Seems like it worked out just fine.
Ling hurries down the corridor. "Yo, Outie," she yells, "Where're the kids?"
"Same."
As Ling approaches the portal, a red stone, with several indentations, the size of her head is launched from it into her claws.
Ling twists and turns it, inspecting it's odd shape. "Thanks, mate," she says, sliding it into her cloak, "Now, about those kids."
Out of the portal pops seven kids: two smallgoblins (the boy with spiky growths), two kobolds (one is red, the other white), a teen dwarf (with a poorly shaved beard), an elf (with hair of gold), and an orc (fingers covered in burn scars).
"Ripper, the lot's all here," says Ling, before clearing her throat, "We're getting out of this cave, back to town, stop by Gizzard King, and get ya all home. How's that sound?"
"Gizzard King!" yell Hanzy and Grater the smallgoblins, throwing their hands up, "Thank you, Jevoi's Mom."
"I don't..." mumbles the orc presumably known as Matches, "I don't have a home."
"Then I'll find ya one," says Ling, leaning down to eye level. "No worries, got it?"
Loxi (elf) whispers to Genette (dwarf) and nudges her forward.
"Dr. Ling," Genette begins awkwardly, "I- I don't want to go."
Ling almost begins speaking, but looks across the other kids first.
"They know."
"Okay," Ling whispers to herself. After everything thus far, this should be easy. "I can't make ya go back, Genette, but I don't know what ...uh?" Ling realizes she doesn't even know where that sentence was supposed to be going.
"I want to work for Uncle J."
"Who?" Ling conjures chairs for everyone.
"And why should I allow that?" Ling stares at the portal.
"Besides you," says Genette, sitting down "He's the only adult willing to listen." She sighs. "And I know you only did because you knew no one else would. You never told me that I'm bad or weird for how I feel."
"I'm not going to lie," says Ling, awkwardly laying forward in her backward chair, "Even knowing some others that went thr- are th- ya know what I mean." Ling rubs her head in frustration. "But just 'cause I was the first doesn't mean I'm the only one who'll treat ya the way ya deserve to be, the way everyone deserves to be. See, when I first moved to Rankedge, no one could understand me; I was that fast-talking wizard from Ozzel -er, Ozzelia. And back in Ozzelia, I was that weird lizard from the surface."
Ling takes a moment to look at the kids; while the teens understand, the younger ones are a bit confused.
"No worries, though," says Ling, "Because I always found people who didn't see me that way. Always found mates that treat me right, and that's why I try to pay that forward."
J: Yet you mock me for "walking like an elf." L: 'Cause it reminds me of the drongo I used to be, thinking looking like a mammal would make them see me as a person. It didn't work, like I told those kids back then.
"I don't know if me saying this is helping ya," says Ling. She takes her wig off and puts it into her cloak, "But it's honestly helping me."
"So why don't you trust Uncle J?" asks Genette, "Why judge him like that too?"
Ling thinks for a second and, finding no answer that would sound out of place coming from Mr. Geneson or the late sheriff about her, concedes. "I'll have faith in your faith, but if Uncle J acts up, ya call Aunt Ling."
"Can we join too?" asks Rosen the red kobold.
"Yeah, I think our boss here's... you know," says Graupel, pointing down.
"I guess there's your coven," laughs Ling, "Now, le-"
"Wait," says Genette, leaning forward suddenly, "You said you knew others like me? Who do you know? Why didn't you say that earlier?"
"I didn't know if that'd help," shrugs Ling, "One's a bloke in a billib- swamp, a ways away. Another's a vrow sheila that... may not be a great role model. Then th-"
"Well, maybe I need a bad role model," says Genette with a smirk.
"Ya cheeky little..." Ling tassles Genette's hair, then gets serious. "Why'd ya come out here anyway?"
"I thought my aunt Gudrun would let me stay with her," says Genette, mood falling again, "But her crazy girlfriend dumped me in that portal."
"Aunt Gudrun?" Ling maintains a calm facade. "Anyone else know about her?"
"Mom hates her," says Genette, pulling on her scratchy almost-non-existent beard, "She says we can't let anyone else know about her."
Ling continues to stay calm in front of kids. "I'll let the deputy know."
Loxi interjects. "Deputy? The guards are here?"
Ling nods. "Yeah, hopefully she'll deal with your dad," says Ling to Genette, "I'm still thinking of what to say if he comes knocking."
"Just tell him the truth," says Loxi, wagging her finger, "He's not going to ask about Genette."
Ling laughs, "Just like your aunt..." She whispers to the dwarf, "She's a keeper, girl."
The teen dwarf sputters and fails to come up with coherent series of words.
Ling smiles, "Find mates that'll treat ya right; that's all I'm saying."
Loxi smiles at Genette, who blushes and fidgets awkwardly.
"Are we still going to Gizzard King?" yells Grater.
J: What was the point of this story, Mum? That I should feel bad about killing that lousy sheriff? "Prejudice is bad;" I already know that. L: What message could a yarn about an awful person in power not always bring that way have for an empress? Ya really think I care about that creep that used ya to blackmail me into her bed? J&L: ... J: Mum... L: Let's stop here.