The Systems Challenge-Chapter 400: Discussion Between Kim a nd Elin

Kim didn't exactly see everything, but she still aw enough. She saw some of the birds turn into people, she saw that the were friendly towards Jonas and Elin, she saw that Elin was talking with them conversationally. She also aw Elin trying to use a large rock to hit something on the ground. Which felt strange to her, but she was reserving judgement until she knew more about what was going on.

She wasn't sure what everything she saw was about, but it stung when she felt that Elin had left the camp for this. It wasn't that she didn't trust Elin or think that Elin really didn't want to try to work things out, it was more of an emotional reaction to the facts she had so far before her. Even as Elin brought the rock down on whatever she was aiming for again, Kim almost felt like it was her heart that Elin was metaphorically hitting with the rock.

Though, before she gave into the doubts that were starting to swirl in her mind, she wanted to learn from Elin what her reasons were. Which meant she needed too approach Elin right then and ask her what this was about.

"So, was this the reason you left the camp so early?" she asked when she reached her. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she hoped that it would be something that was eaily explainable and wouldn't take long.

Elin down and as Kim followed her eye, she could see a crystal, as big as Kim's thumbnail, that was heavily damaged, with cracks running through it. Elin looked at a loss for how to respond but was saved by the smaller bird. Kim assumed it could take human form if it wanted, but didn't for whatever reason.

"She helped us," she said almost defensively. "She helped get mother and father out of that."

"Elin," Kim said, doing her best to ignore the bird. She wasn't ure what exactly Elin had had to do to 'help,' but he wanted to hear it from Elin as well. "Whatever you say, I'll do my best to understand. I won't get upset with you."

While part of that was wishful thinking on her part, she hoped that it would urn out to be true. That she'd be able to keep her emotions in check rather than taking any hurt ones out on Elin directly or indirectly.

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Elin didn't look at Kim, but Kim could hear her take a deep breath before responding to her question. "I came to clear out this crystal and see if it would help us rescue Elmo, but when Jonas followed the orc we released, he came out almost as soon as he went in with Elmo. So, I finished clearing out the crystal and decided to try and destroy it, but I'm not quite done yet."

Elin didn't look at Kim through her entire speech and even after awards, her hands reached for the rock that she'd been using before. However, Kim could see that her hands weren't as steady as they had been before.

Sighing, Kim then walked over so she was across from Elin, with the crystal she was trying to smash into smithereens between them. As in a way it had come between them already, and Kim couldn't think of a better way to deal with that before they really began continuing their conversation from the night before that had only been postponed because both had been starting to fall asleep as they spoke.

Elin paused as she lifted the rock above the crystal, so Kim reached out, took hold of the rock and used all her strength to smash the rock down on the crystal. When the rock collided with the crystal this time, the crystal shattered, shards of it flying through the air, one biting Kim in her left knee.

"Looks like that's taken care of now," Kim said, hoping that it wasn't something that Elin had wanted to do herself. As she hadn't even thought of that aspect until this point.

However, Elin smiled, looking as genuinely happy as she used to before their trouble started, which came as a relief to Kim. "Thanks. I wasn't sure how long that'd take," Elin said, starting to stand up.

"What was that anyway?" Kim asked, not sure why Elin had been so intent on destroying it in the first place.

"It was the thing that held most of these firebird captive," Elin replied. "Plus, it held a naga, roc, and a big orc, as well as my memories."

Kim blinked. She wasn't sure what to make of it, but she had the feeling that the giant bird that could be seen from their camp a few day ago was probably the roc. Not that she really understood what exactly that meant. Just that from what Kim knew of mythological creatures, that the giant bird could be a roc itself. Although, it also looked like it could easily be a giant eagle as well.

However, as Elin's words fully sank in, she couldn't help but catch the part about Elin's memories being in there as well.

"How did you memories end up in the... whatever that was?" Kim asked, pausing when she was about to say 'crystal,' since she wasn't confident that that's what it really was.

"It was a 12-colored crystal," the small bird said, landing on Kim's shoulder. "It can be used to hold creatures for long periods of time. When I was in there, it felt like years passed before I was able to get out with Jonas here."

Kim glanced at the small bird briefly before shifting her focus back to Elin. "What's this bird talking about?" she asked, not sure how else to refer to the bird.

"Oh, Etaina was one of the ones inside the crystal. Jonas got her out when he accidentally got caught inside it. Though, I'm not sure how that happened, just that's what it sounded like when I heard about it after Jonas came out with Etaina," Elin answered.

"Hmmm," Kim replied, wondering if it'd be worth the effort to try and get that story from Jonas. It didn't really matter at all really, but she thought it might at least be good for a laugh, if nothing else.

However, she couldn't be sure that it wouldn't take a lot of prodding and bothering Jonas to hear about what happened. Which he supposed meant she probably wouldn't even ask about it, since she doubted that he'd want to talk about it anyway.

"Anyway," Kim added, trying to push the thought out of her mind. "Was there any reason you couldn't wait to deal with this... uh, crystal?" Kim paused when he drew a blank on what Etaina had called the crystal. All she could remember was that it was a crystal.

"Well, Jonas wanted to get started on releasing the orc because he had an idea about it, but that clearly went sideways when it came out before him and just started walking off when Jonas hadn't given him the directions to the orcs, but fortunately it was heading the way we wanted it to."

Kim nodded, not sure what this had to do with her question, but she didn't think this was the place to mention it. Especially since she couldn't be sure that Elin wouldn't get to the point on her own.

"Anyway, Jonas then followed the orc when he came out and I started walking after them too," Elin continued, though Kim suspected that she'd forgotten about what Kim's question was with her narration. "When I was about here, Jonas came out of the cave with Elmo, just after he'd gone in, so I set to freeing the last two firebirds when Elysia and Etaina showed up."

Kim waited for a couple minutes before she sighed. It was clear that Elin had in fact forgotten about the question. Plus, she also could spot a few holes in her narration. Such as when Elysia and Etaina had arrived, for example.

"So, Elin," Kim began tentatively. She certainly didn't want this to create another problem between them. "Why was there the rush to clear the crystal out so quickly?"

Elin looked blankly at Kim, making Kim wonder what might be going through the girl's head, given Kim couldn't think of a way to make her question any clearer.

"Oh, yeah! That!" Elin cried after a minute, making Kim further wonder what she had been thinking about that took so long to get back on the topic from earlier. "Well, at first..."

Elin started up her narration again leaving Kim to sigh as she listened. First Elin pointed out that Jonas had been in favor of destroying the crystal because of how he'd gotten pulled in by accident before, which Kim certainly could understand. He'd probably be the same if it had happened to her. Though, she couldn't help but glance towards Jonas when she heard his reasoning for it.

Kim could only imagine how she'd react if she saw Elin disappear in front of her without warning. If nothing else, she knew that she certainly wouldn't be happy to learn that it was an accident after that.

Though, when Elin went on her own personal reasons for destroying the crystal, Kim couldn't help but smile at her, even though Elin's gaze was directed towards their camp and Kim got the sense that Elin was avoiding looking at her. Which made Kim think that Elin might be even more nervous about this conversation than she was herself.

"Next time, just let me know, okay?" Kim asked quietly putting her hand one Elin's shoulder, since she wasn't sure Elin would be up for an embrace rigth then. "Or at least leave me a note, okay?"

Elin looked at Kim with a surprised expression on her face before she grinned and nodded.