Lelo and Switch: The Meeting

The Meeting

Weeks of traveling in darkness, alone, the chance of being found and devoured by any one of the creatures that lurked in the Underdark's winding passageways only slightly less frightening than the possibility of being found and dragged back to Erelhei-Cinlu. Finding a band of slavers blocking the path, waiting, stealing their supplies before dispatching them in their sleep. Finally stepping out into the night, breathing, taking the time to make sure that exit could never be used again...

Then falling prey to an ordinary trap for an ordinary beast.

Was this the cost for a few precious hours of freedom?

Maslyn's energy was spent, and if anyone from the city were to find him now, crippled as he was, his stolen supplies nearly depleted, he wasn't sure he'd be able to fight them off. But that didn't matter anymore. He had made it to the surface, smelled the air above, and finally seen the stars and moon he'd read so much about. Their glow was brighter than he could have ever imagined, and if he only had these few hours to enjoy them, then he was going to savor every last second. After leaving the mouth of the cave collapsed behind him, the false-drow -- even knowing what he was, after so many years, the changeling wasn't fool enough to drop his guise just yet -- had wandered into the nearby woods, touching every tree he passed, marveling at how tall they grew, how wide their branches spread out. Even at night, it was easier to see out here than it had been underground. It was during this long distraction that he'd stumbled into the hunter's trap, the steel jaws of the device tearing through the leather guards on his leg as easily as the flesh beneath. Only the thickness of his armor kept the bone from being snapped. It was not the worst pain he'd had to endure, but weary from his journey, it took longer than he would have liked to get the contraption off. He didn't have the right materials to make a proper bandage, but he made do with what he had. Now, laying on the grass at the top of a hill, running his fingers through the blades, trying not to close his eyes to sleep, Maslyn took one more deep breath to ensure that, if nothing else, he could have just this moment of peace. Just these few... precious... hours...

Warmth. Brightness. His brows knotted. How long had he been asleep? He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so soundly, felt so rested upon waking, but one thing was certain: he'd never awoken because of light before. Maslyn carefully sat up, rubbed his eyes, let them refocus. Everything around him looked changed, the same scene, but all awash in a red, fiery glow. Not fiery, no. This was nothing like torchlight or a campfire. This was actually bright, and growing lighter. From his spot atop the hill he was able to see across the treetops, follow the source of the light out, out into the distance, until his breath suddenly caught in his throat and realization struck. He knew what this was. He knew. He remembered reading about this, remembered it being one of the few things he desperately wanted to see for himself, if he ever made it to the surface. So bright, the books had said. So warm. So many colors. But words alone were nothing compared to this. The reds, the golden yellows, climbing up into the sky, bleeding into blues and purples, a few stars winking out in what was left of the night. The dark trees were now lit up with greens, browns, so vibrant, so rich. So many colors. Maslyn felt the corners of his lips twitch, a slow smile spreading across his face as he choked out a watery laugh. Tears burned his eyes, but he had never been happier. Now he finally knew what a sunrise really was.

He stayed there a long time, transfixed by the changing landscape, not ready to move on until the sky had settled on a cool, morning blue. After eating what was left of his rations and taking one last moment to survey his surroundings, Maslyn forced himself to continue. It was a shaky trip down the hillside, but he'd spied a river at its foot, and he really, really needed to get fresh water. It would help wash down those stale rations and allow him to clean his wound more thoroughly. Additionally, if his assumption was correct, following the river could lead him to a town where he could get much better medical care. It took hours to get all the way down, the woods and his injury slowing his pace, but what were a few hours to the years he'd spent in the Underdark? It was difficult not to rush forward once he'd reached level ground, but Maslyn did his best, limping over to the flowing water and carefully sitting down in the grass. He tested it with his fingers first: cool, but not so cold as the subterranean streams he was used to, and it smelled fresh and clean. He wasn't entirely sure it was, but he was willing to risk it; he was too thirsty to wait. Scooping up a handful of the glistening, clear water, he took his first, tentative sip. Oh, that was nice. Very, very nice. He scooped up another handful. Mmmm. Both hands plunged into the river, rubbing off dust and dirt from journeying so long underground, splashing up some of that cool, cool water to wash away the grime and sleep from his face.

"Excuse me?"

Maslyn couldn't believe he'd dropped his guard again, so much so that he hadn't heard the approaching footsteps, but the moment there was a voice, he whirled to face the new arrival, dagger already drawn and at the ready. His leg throbbed from the sudden movement, but he bit back the pain, his heart racing as he quickly analyzed what he saw. A child? No, this woman was an adult, even if she couldn't have been more than half his size... by the pointed tips of her ears and glossy black eyes, he suspected she was a gnome. He'd met gnomes before, but the ones that lived in Erelhei-Cinlu were far paler, their eyes bigger and tinged with madness, their hair stringy and wild. This gnome had forced her dark locks into a pair of buns on either side of her head, though strands stuck out here and there. Her eyes were wide, but in clear curiosity, watching him as much as he was watching her.

She stared a moment longer before she spoke again. "What are you doing?" There was scarcely a pause, her eyes glancing down at the crude bandage on his leg. "Are you hurt?"

Maslyn didn't know what to make of this creature, didn't know how to respond. It was obvious he was injured; why was she asking? Was she trying to figure out how badly? Judge whether or not she had an advantage? She seemed entirely unfazed by his weapon; was she hiding one of her own? When he didn't answer her, she took a step forward; immediately, the changeling tensed. The gnome stopped.

"It's okay," she said, pouting at the hand that held the dagger. "I'm not going to hurt you." A flit of a smile, worried, danced across her lips. "You happen to be drinking from my river. If you're so thirsty, that's fine, but I'd like to see how bad that wound on your leg is. My name is Lelo, by the way. What's yours?"

So she was trying to assess his weakness. Maslyn tried not to curse, lest she take that as a confrontation. He was cornered, the river behind him, no easy way to get up, and unable to run even if he could rise. He knew he was usually a capable fighter, but he didn't know anything about surface-dwelling gnomes, though if they were anything like their cousins... he suddenly caught sight of his own hand, noticed how dark it was. This time he did curse. He still looked like a drow, he realized. He should have thought to have switched to something else before coming down the hill...

"I'm sorry?" Lelo tilted her head, brows raised in question. "Could you say that again?"

He hadn't thought he'd said that out loud, but he was grateful that it had been unclear. Still, the gnome had heard him, and he had to think fast before she decided he really was a threat. "Switch," he said, the word coming out scratchy, his voice hoarse from lack of use. He coughed, tried again. "Switch," he repeated, this time more clearly. "You can call me Switch."

Lelo's hesitant little smile grew, her eyes crinkling while she nodded. "Well then, Switch, would you please let me take a look at that wound? I'm guessing you must have found one of our lost animal traps in the woods, and I think I have just thing to patch it."

It took several more minutes of coaxing before he felt reasonably assured that the small woman really did intend to help him, even if Switch -- the more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea of shedding his old, drow name for something that suited him better -- still remained skeptical. He put his dagger away, allowed her to lead him by the hand back to her home, which wasn't far off. It was a quaint little structure, mostly buried in the base of the hill, nestled beneath the roots of an enormous tree that kept it well-sheltered and made it very easy to miss. Lelo said that most of her warren -- that is, the community of gnomes that lived in this area -- had homes that were like this, built into the hills and trees and natural rock formations that sat at the edge of the forest he'd traveled through. Switch remarked that they also made for good camouflage, but that just made Lelo laugh. She said that while yes, that was true, that came secondary to the technique being an efficient way to work with the environment, rather than tearing everything down and working against it. Switch wasn't sure what she meant by that, but didn't feel inclined to ask further. He was just relieved to learn that her home was on the outer edge of the warren, which meant they'd be less likely to encounter others.

He still wasn't entirely comfortable with letting one gnome help him.

Lelo gave him a gentle warning to watch his head as he crouched to get through the front door, but the changeling was pleasantly surprised to find that he could stand straight once inside (though he barely had a few inches clearance from the ceiling). Her home was as warm and welcoming as she was: simple furnishings made of handcrafted wood and fabrics, wide open archways between rooms. It was bigger inside than the outside seemed to allow, though it was built directly into the hill. As far as caves went, this was certainly the nicest one Switch had ever been in. It felt... cozy. Yes, cozy was the word.

"Good thing you aren't any bigger," the gnome said with a giggled as she had him sit down on a stool, prop his leg up on another. "You just barely fit! We'll figure out how to make things less of a tight squeeze..."

"I still don't understand." Switch hadn't said much on their walk over, and had only spoken as much as he had needed to when she had been trying to convince him to follow her here, but his heart was racing again, fear that he'd made a fatal mistake creeping in. "Why are you helping me? What do you want?"

Lelo let out an exasperated sigh and rolled her eyes while she began undoing his makeshift bandages. "I already told you, Switch: I want to make sure this wound of yours doesn't get worse."

"No, I mean what do you want by helping me. What do you expect to gain in return for your aid?"

She paused, lifting one eyebrow and tilting her head, giving him this look that he'd seen many times before: that incredulous stare that one gets when he's said something remarkably stupid. "A thank you, maybe?" she suggested, shrugging before she went back to work. "The satisfaction of knowing I was able to help someone, and the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with doing something good for someone else? I don't understand why you think I want something more out of this. I just want to help. Free of charge."

"Help freely given is never free."

Again, Lelo sighed, this time shaking her head. "Maybe among the drow, but not here. Here, we always help those in need, no matter what the cost."

It wasn't worth the effort of arguing, especially since he'd already taken the risk by agreeing to her aid. Even if he had wanted to argue, their conversation was cut short by a sharp knock at the front door, immediately followed by a voice calling, "Lelo? Lelo, are you there? It's me, Roswyn, with a special homemade present!"

"Uh oh," the gnome muttered, eyes widening as she quickly tried to get Switch back on his feet. "Oh, she is not going to like this..."

Roswyn knocked again. "Lelo? I know you're there..."

"Answer the door," Switch told his host quietly, all too familiar with her panic. "Don't worry about her seeing me."

"But... but she's going to think the worst...!"

"Please," he said. "I'm trusting you to help me; trust me enough to help you?"

Lelo pouted, but then took a deep breath, nodded sharply, and strutted towards the door. She swallowed loudly before she opened it a crack. "Oh hi, Rosy," she told her neighbor sweetly. "Sorry, I was busy and didn't hear you..."

Switch grimaced from the shadow he'd taken refuge in, not planning on hiding long, but glad that he'd decided to listen first. His host was a terrible liar, and he knew before the other gnome spoke again that her tone had given her away immediately.

"Busy my left foot!" Roswyn snorted, pushing her way in further. Her voice suddenly dropped low. "Sweetheart, are you alright? Eldon said he saw..." She hesitated, voice falling to a whisper. "A drow follow you home."

Lelo was dead silent, then stammered, "Wh-what? N-no, don't be silly..."

The so-called drow wrinkled his nose, knowing he couldn't leave her floundering too long without causing more suspicion. It was a good thing he had shifted while he was listening, before he stepped out from around the corner. "I think I know what caused the confusion." Switch smiled tentatively at both gnomes, knowing that his host was probably even more flustered now that she could see him. He'd changed into the most neutral thing he could think of, his cool dark skin now a much warmer, earthy tan, the points of his ears shorter, his hair black now instead of white. He'd left only his eyes unchanged, hoping this would help Lelo recognize him, even if he looked nothing else like he had before. "It's my size, isn't it?" he continued. "Or perhaps my armor? I know it's of dark elf design, but..."

"My my my," Roswyn breathed, her brown cheeks turning pink. "Eldon certainly made quite the mistake. A drow? Indeed!" She huffed.

Switch laughed anxiously. "Far from it, I assure you. Your friend was worried there may be a confrontation if anyone saw someone so tall here, and, well..." He made a point to glance down at his injured leg.

"Oh! You're hurt! Lelo, you should have just told me you had an injured guest!"

Regaining some of her sense, the other gnome still stumbled over her words. "I... well, I was trying to... I was worried that..." She stopped, took a deep breath, rubbed her eyes, then tried again. "It looks like he got his leg caught in one of the old animal traps. You know, the nasty ones they stopped using years ago. Guess I just got preoccupied with that." Lelo shot Switch a look, one that was either irritated or confused (or somewhere in between), and he wasn't sure which. She then propped her little hands on her hips, eyes narrowing at him. Okay, that expression he recognized. "He was going to tell me more about it later, but priorities."

Switch nodded solemnly, knowing that he was going to have to explain himself for this. He wasn't a drow, but what he was could be just as frightening, from what he'd heard. By now, Roswyn had made her way over and was inspecting his wound for herself, and she hummed loudly as she looked at it.

"I think my husband might have some salves we can put on this," she said. "Lelo here can get you patched up pretty well, but you're going to need something stronger than basic first aid if you don't want to walk with a limp." She glanced back at Lelo. "Unless I'm entirely wrong and you're fully stocked for lacerations."

"Not one this bad," Lelo admitted, letting her hands drop to her sides. "You know most of what I keep are for burns. I was planning on cleaning it, wrapping it better than he had it, then getting the supplies I needed to fix it better in town."

"Well, I'll do you one better: you take care of this fine young man, and I'll retrieve what medicines I have for you. The sooner we get this treated, the better." Roswyn turned her head up towards Switch. "It's a good thing you stumbled this way!"

This... was not exactly what he'd been expecting, but then, he hadn't expected Lelo's help either. He gave her another weak smile. "So it seems."

"Before you go, Rosy," Lelo said as the other gnome started for the door. "What was this homemade gift you were talking about?"

"Oh! Right!" Roswyn scurried faster, picking up a large basket she had left outside and handing it over. "Eldon made a few extra loaves of that sourdough you said you liked. These are fresh from the oven (not to mention the perfect excuse to come check on you)!"

The smile Lelo gave her was thin, but nonetheless grateful as she accepted her offering. "Thanks..."

Switch stayed silent as the two exchanged simple farewells, bracing himself. As soon as the focus hadn't been on him, he had been surveying his surroundings, trying to search the area for any means of escape, in case he needed it. He'd made so many mistakes since he'd reached the surface, and with each one, he knew, just knew, he was digging his own grave: letting his curiosity get the better of him, missing that trap, trusting this gnome... and now shifting in her presence. He would have been dead already if he were still in Erelhei-Cinlu, and when his quick search of the room yielded nothing -- the only windows were too small for him to easily fit through, and he didn't know what to expect in the rooms he couldn't see -- all Switch could do was maintain the outward appearance of calm. Even if he felt anything but.

Lelo sighed loudly as she closed the door behind her, turning once again to face him. She stared up at him with those shiny black eyes narrowed, scanning over his face. "What," she said, her tone even, forced. "Are. You."

He stared right back, panic stopping the words from forming. He knew he had to say something, had to explain, but how? Drow was bad enough, but this? He swallowed the knot in his throat, briefly considering that small window again. The corner of Lelo's eye twitched. Had she noticed? Had he inadvertently glanced that way? Switch's fingers itched for his dagger, but before he even brushed the hilt he found himself unexpectedly on his back, the air abruptly forced from his lungs as he came down hard on the ground. What in the... when he gained enough focus to look up, he saw Lelo there, hovering over him, one foot on his chest, one hand raised. The air around her fingertips warped and flickered with a strange energy. Whatever it was, he had no doubts that it had been Lelo who had thrown him down.

"What are you?" the gnome repeated, this time the fear cracking in her voice. She wasn't angry with him, he realized. She was scared of him.

Again, Switch swallowed the knot in his throat, this time finding his voice. "Changeling," he admitted, resigning himself to defeat. He felt the tension in his shoulders suddenly release as he closed his eyes, let his head fall back. "Not much better than what you thought I was before, is it?"

Lelo didn't answer right away, but he could hear her breathing, could feel her still staring. After a moment, he felt her lift her foot from his chest. He waited. Still no answer. Switch opened one eye, then the other. He pushed himself up slowly, so that he was sitting. Lelo was still watching him, but her hand was no longer raised, no longer surrounded by that strange energy. Instead, she had her arms wrapped loosely around her waist, her head tilted to the side. Her brows were knotted tightly, lips turned into a frown. "Why do you say that?" she asked.

The changeling opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He... didn't know how to answer her.

"Switch?"

He should have been dead by now, but for some reason, he wasn't. This gnome had had every opportunity, every advantage, and he had made every foolish, amateurish mistake. "Why haven't you killed me yet...?" Switch dared to lock eyes with her, determined that, if this was to be his last mistake, at least he would face it straight on. "Why haven't you killed me?"

"Why...? Oh gods..." Lelo's eyes widened as his words seemed to finally sink in. "You... you actually think..." She covered her mouth to stifle a gasp, took a steadying breath. "I have absolutely no reason to kill you, Switch. No reason to want to. Gods, what you must've gone through, to think that..." She shook her head. "Is that why you looked like a drow? Because you thought looking like anything else was worse?"

It was hard for him to believe what she was saying was true, but he'd heard her try to lie, knew that she meant every word of what she said now. Switch lowered his head. He'd exhausted himself with fear. "When you live among them, looking like anything else is worse. I looked like a drow because I was a drow, as far as anyone else was concerned. I thought I was one too, for half my life. When I realized that I wasn't, that I was... something else..." He stopped himself. Even if she didn't want to kill him now, he didn't want to give her reason to later. "I escaped to the surface because I knew someone was bound to find out, to discover I was an impostor hiding in plain sight," he told her instead. "I knew that being discovered for a changeling meant death. I... I thought that would still be true here, but when your friend was so worried about you bringing home a drow..."

Lelo cupped his face in her little hands, made him look up at her again. "It's okay, Switch." She smiled, warm, gentle. "It's okay to be afraid. It sounds like you've been through a lot, and I bet there isn't a thing I could say to make you feel any less frightened by that. But please, don't be afraid of me." The gnome's eyes crinkled, a few stray tears rolling down her cheeks. "You asked me to trust you, and I will. I do. Will you please trust me?"

She wasn't lying. Switch knew she wasn't lying. Hesitantly, but genuinely, he smiled back. For the first time in his life, he wasn't afraid. "I will try."