Elevation || solo
TIMING: today. SUMMARY: Estella discovers more about the tunnels with help from a friend! CONTENT WARNINGS: none!
There was something magnificent about puzzles. Language ones were her favorite sort, of course, but Estella was a fan of any and all sorts she could get her hands on. This particular puzzle case, as she’d realized when a friend came to talk to her, was a bit more ‘life or death’ than most. Not that she thought death was even somewhat of an option, but it did ramp up her nerves like nearly nothing else if there was even the possibility of death (though she’d dealt with that, back with the giant worm and she also knew she would have to come to terms with that in regard to her very human friends but maybe for now she could help figure things out and the town would not all die out or whatever the exact prediction was (she knew, but she couldn’t think about it too much).
She actually had part of an answer. They needed a buggane to make a tunnel and Estella did happen to know one. His name was Frank and she knew that he looked a bit imposing in his true form, all twelve feet of him (over twice her height) but he was kind and had a good sense of humor and was even learning a bit of Arabic with Estella to impress someone else who he wouldn’t name yet (but she’d get it out of him – love was one of her most favorite things and something that did exist for both fae and humans, and Frank deserved this). Well, correction, they needed to make a tunnel but Frank was just the fae for the job. It was the first thing Estella had thought of and Frank was eager to help and he’d been so happy to be invited along.
“I hope –” she shook her head. “This is Frank.” She gestured to her friend, introducing him to whoever else might have been around them. “He’s cool, he likes Blues and Folk music, gummy worms, helping out, and baseball hats.” She grinned. “It’s all good stuff, but like, the helping out is the number one reason why I –” she turned back to him, this time just to him and not for any sort of performance, “well, why I wanted to get your help. Plus, you’re good at digging and we do apparently need that!”
Frank looked at her, quizzical. “What do you need help with, Miss Hartmann?”
She scrunched up her nose. “You really don’t have to call me that. We’re friends and equals. That sounds too formal, unless you really prefer it.” After a few seconds and her throat cleared, she added, “we need tunnels.”
“Tunnels?” Frank’s expression remained quizzical, though with a glint of excitement in his eyes, now.
“Yes, tunnels.” She nodded. Frank seemed pleased with the humans and that delighted Estella as well. If he’d been judgy about all of this they wouldn’t be able to be productive as much as they’d like. But he wasn’t judgy (that wasn’t his nature) (Estella didn’t think moles or mole-adjacent fae really could judge, though then again, there was that mole in Thumbelina… but Frank wasn’t anything like that!). “It might also be a safer place for someone to go.” A place where someone could feel wanted and not be ostracized by the human world. She, personally, was not a fan of living underground, but some people were and she applauded those people. Maybe there were some seed nymphs who needed to live underground. It was something to look into.
“Yes. A home. A home is a safe place to go, usually. When you make it yourself. Or make it into what you need.” Her homes were multiple and not all places. Some of her homes were people. Three of her homes were very specific people, even if one of those homes was a bit more absent recently. But she did her best not to think about that too much.
“I might need some help, if that’s alright with you.” The buggane said, looking down to Estella with a nod of his head. A head that, to many others, might seem more than a little bit terrifying, but he was just not something most people ran into. He wasn’t going to do any harm.
“Of course. Anything you need.” Estella nodded readily. She’d already asked Frank for so much. Even if he liked digging and things like that, it wasn’t kind to assume that someone – anyone – would just do your bidding without you helping them out at all. It wasn’t right, and though she had to deal with some amount of ‘not right’ in the world, but if she could have any control over any amount of anything, then she would make things more equal. More right. (Of course, she still very much liked getting her way, but that didn’t mean she was going to force everyone to do her bidding – especially not fellow fae and kind folk like Frank – who was, obviously, both.)
“I’ll help you out, absolutely.” She didn’t promise; Frank didn’t like that, especially from people who he’d decided were good and kind, and she knew he’d decided that about her a while before. She still didn’t understand exactly what was happening or what all of this was for, but if it would help, she’d do anything for its sake.
