Jamie
It felt much more laborious alone. Sizzle would slip through pathways in the mountains, climbing sheer faces and generally look around as he started to travel through the peaks. He made careful care not to look down, jumping small gaps and using his claws to stick into walls where necessary. Eventually, he'd slide down a small wall, landing in a small clearing. Exhausted, he'd sit down, leaning against the wall he slid down and just generally recouping his energy. Then, he'd quietly mumble to himself.

".. Don't know how they did it for so long.."
Tina
As Sizzle sat down to rest a second, he felt the cold biting at his skin... But focusing his ears, eventually, he could begin to hear something echoing in the distance. Something that he felt... Drawn to, somehow? Maybe it was just his mind, some sort of mirage, but he felt he had to find it.*
Jamie
Sizzle sighs, wrapping his cloak around his body carefully and looking around for a short moment. Though shortly after, he'd cock his head, ears twitching slightly, before furrowing his brow and getting up. With a light growl, he'd kick up his staff, grasping onto it tightly.. Before loosening his grip and relaxing his face.

Arguably, this should have made him a lot more paranoid than it would have before.. But.. If AC had taught him anything in the time he spent with her, it was that maybe he should just be a bit more open to these things. With that in mind, he began to move closer to the sound, peering around corners with a slight amount of caution, though forced a non-threatening look.
Tina
Eventually, Sizzle gets close enough to make out the strange sound echoing through the area... Some sort of music box, with... A quiet voice singing along. It sounds... Sad.
Jamie
Not wanting to necessarily interrupt, Sizzle would quietly approach, donning his hood to camouflage himself with the surroundings, the light reflecting from the silvery cloak. He'd scrunch up his maw in frustration for a moment, putting his claw over his eyes to block the sun as he searched for the source of the music.
Tina
*As he approached toward the sound of the song echoing through the mountains, he climbed his way to a cliff face, overlooking a small, snowy clearing where he saw the source... Another kobold, sitting against a log... The log discolored a deep, bloody red. The music box sat in their hand as they sung along to the eerie, yet... Somehow inviting tune. Their scales were nearly as white as the snow itself, blanketing much of their body in a torn, red cloak.*
Jamie
Sizzle almost audibly gasps at the sight; it had been a long while since he had seen any of his kind, after all. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for a moment as he looked down to the kobold, but he finally takes in a bit more of the situation, looking over their body. Were they injured? No, he was overthinking it. 

The black kobold would shake his head for a moment, blinking a few times, before starting to make his way down. His steps were almost silent even through the snow as he made his way over, pulling his hood down and allowing a nervous but friendly smile to come to his maw.

".. Uhm.. Hello!"
Benjamin
*The kobold stops singing and gasps in surprise... Nervously looking at the kobold approaching them...*

*She's completely silent for a moment... Her eyes wide...*

*She turns around, whispering something to herself, putting her hands over her eyes... It almost sounds like she's on the verge of panicking.*
Jamie
Sizzle stops for a moment, putting his hands out for a moment. He'd gotten so lost in the idea he hadn't really thought to consider how they might feel about the situation, and he cursed himself for it. Thoughts raced through the kobold's mind, questions without answers, but- that was getting ahead of himself.

".. Sorry for scaring you. I just heard the singing.. It was very good, you know?"

He tries to relax his pose in general, stepping back a little and softening his gaze. He seemed to fidget with his hands for a moment, before putting his staff down into the snow.
Benjamin
*She's still muttering and whispering to herself, though her volume is steadily increasing... She refuses to even look at you... As if she's convinced that there's something wrong with your existence...* 

*There's an unsettling aura around her... As if there was something that didn't want you to know her...*
Jamie
He sighs quietly, leaning against the wall and slumping down for a moment. It was.. Slightly disheartening. The kobold wraps his tail around himself for a moment, holding his cloak shut and generally turning to look over the peaks. That unsettling feeling barely clicked with the kobold, his mind focused on other things for the moment.
Benjamin
*After a short while, the kobold sighs in relief. She looks behind her again... And... A bit of realization sets in as she sees Sizzle still behind her...*

"Are you... Real?"
Jamie
He cocks his head in faint confusion, raising his claw for a moment, before reaching out with it for a second. Sizzle flips it over, creating a few small lights in his palm absentmindedly.

".. Well, yeah. I don't see why you'd ask me, though,"
He chuckles for a moment, shivering a little in the could and moving back to hold his cloak shut, and standing up, looking around for cave entrances, grumbling something incohesive about the sun.
Donald
You have summoned the corn. 🌽
Benjamin
*She stands up, a look of disbelief on her face, her tail softly swaying behind her as she approaches Sizzle... A tear welling in her eye...*

"M-m-may I... Touch you...? I..."

*She stumbles forward a little bit, falling over into the snow, though she manages to catch herself from falling and stops to stand right in front of the new sight.*

"It's been so long since I've seen a fellow kobold... Alive!"
Jamie
Sizzle almost recoils a little at the request, before chuckling and reaching out his claw for a handshake. His other claw rubs the back of his head, and he stands.

"Of course; you can shake my hand if you'd like.. I'm Sizzle, and-.. Same, honestly. I haven't seen another one of us since I left my tribe."

A faint sad look comes over his face, but he closes his eyes and shakes his head, before smiling once again and strengthening the reach of his arm.
Benjamin
*The kobold eagerly reaches her hands out to shake Sizzle's hand, enthusiastically introducing herself,* "Please to meet you! My name is... Uhm... Slush! Yes! It's... It's been a while since I've even said it! P-P-Please forgive if i make you uncomfortable, I just... I'm just **So** Excited to know I'm... I'm... Not... The last one, y'know...?"

*A tear comes to her eye as she hopes that you were not at all weirded out by her enthusiasm.*
Jamie
Sizzle chuckles lightly, holding her hands firmly but not too tight, shaking it. He beams for a moment, his head raising up.

"Don't worry about it! Slush is a nice name, and-.. I get it, truly I do.. I-.. I've.. Been alone for.. Well, a long time. It's nice to.. Well, finally see another."

He seems to bounce on the balls of his feet, finally pulling his hands away and tapping them together nervously.
Benjamin
*Slush's expression seems to drop into a subtly somber one, as she then asks...*

"So... I should... Probably ask... How did you... *Survive?*"
Jamie
His eyes widen for a moment as she speaks, and he takes a moment to sigh, looking out over the mountains and taking his staff off of his back, holding it almost like a cane. Sizzle then shivers for a moment.

".. I-.. Hunted. I hunted for food, and.. Well, I lived alone, I guess. Only recently have I started moving around, looking for just.. Answers, I guess."
Benjamin
*She stares over the mountains as well... Looking at him... Obviously.. Not the most satisfied with his answer... She elaborates on her question, hoping he understands it...* "Yes, I... I understand, that's... Sort of how I've been surviving, but... How did you escape the tundra? The village? The... The tree?"
Jamie
He furrows his brow quietly, tilting his head for a moment and turning around, putting a claw on his maw and scratching as he thought. Then, he just sits down on the edge and looks out again, his claws digging into the ground beside him to keep himself stable.

"We come from different tribes. I come from mountains in far away lands, surrounding a lake.. I'm not sure what you mean by the village.. Or what tree you're referring to."
Benjamin
*Slush steps back a moment, chuckling nervously, whispering soemthing to herself before questioning,* "Different... Tribes...? There are... Other places Kobolds are... Uhm... Settled in...?"

*She facepalms, gumbling and growling something in a fit of frustration, mumbling incoherently about her own ignorance.*
Jamie
He looks down for a moment, moving his claws into his lap and staring at them quietly as he thinks on what to say.

".. Yes. Though.. The ones I knew.. Are not nice. I'm glad you seem to be, though.. I was very worried you might be.. Just.. Just like them.."
Benjamin
*After a second more of frustration, Slush looks toward Sizzle, a worried expression spreads across their face as they share,* "Oh... Oh, i see... I, as well, know some... Not-nice people... S-S-Sorry i ever said... Anything about where I came from, then, it's... I don't think i should really share it... But it's nice to know there are still some kobolds around."

"M-m-m-may I..." *She spreads out her arms a bit, as if requesting a hug.*
Jamie
He tilts his head for a moment, before smiling quietly, trying to soften his gaze and widen his eyes to seem slightly happier and back to the friendly state he was.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I don't have a problem with it. A friend of mine showed me that I should be a bit more positive about things, so.. I'm trying to keep that in mind."

Then, he nods, standing up and moving closer, his arms outstretched a little, though still with his cloak mostly draped over them for warmth.
Benjamin
*Slush tosses herself into Sizzle, caressing and embracing him as she tightly hugs him. Her skin is nearly as cold as the winter air around them...*

"Th-thank... Thank you so much..." *She whines softly to her new friend, starting to cry... Sniffing and quietly whimpering.*
Jamie
His arms recoil a minute at the cold touch, but he quickly reorients himself, his arms wrapping around her back. In a strange way, Sizzle almost felt warmer despite the colder kobold's touch. He'd pull his cloak around her for a moment, holding her in it loosely, with clear room for her to get out or push it away if she didn't want it. Despite this, he'd avert his eyes slightly.

"Don't uh.. Don't worry about it. As.. As calm as I seem I..-.. I needed this too, you know?
Benjamin
*Slush nods, resting in Sizzles hug for a quite a few minutes, nuzzling the side of his head as he looks slightly away... Until... Eventually, she she stops nuzzling to ask him a question with a glimmer of hope in her eyes...*

"M-may I travel with you? I don't... Have any place to stay, other than the mountains."
Jamie
The kobold seems taken aback a moment, opening his mouth to speak multiple times but being unable to form the words. He turns his claws over, looking into them for a second, before then looking to Slush.

".. Travel with me? I-.. I don't know if that's.. The best idea. For you specifically-"
There was slight panic rising in his voice as he spoke, but he steels himself.
"I have a bit of a problem with my magic. I-.. Might explode at any minute, for lack of a better way of putting it. For the moment, it's on hold, but.. I don't know when it will come back.. In fact, that's what I'm currently on a journey to figure out."

Then, he looks in a direction, furrowing his brow.
".. I suppose.. You could come along with me, someone has before, but if I ever start sparking magic, stay away from me, okay?"
Benjamin
*Slush hugs tighter for another moment before finally letting go as she says,* "Alright. Then... I shall help you along your journey! And... Perhaps you can help me with mine, as well..." *Slush blushes a little, before hiding her muzzle under the neck of her cloak, clearing her through into it.* "I'm... Sort of struggling with my magic as well."
Jamie
For a moment, his breath quivers. A few green sparks fly from his gloved hand, and he tightens it, them sizzling away. Then, he backs just a bit away to give Slush some space.

".. Maybe.. What do you know about your magic? For me.. I know it's from my blood.. But beyond that, nothing else.."
Benjamin
*Seeing the sparks, Slush backs away as well as she explains,* "My magic, it's... It was given to me by... S-s-someone. It's supposed to let me control plant matter, but it tends to hurt people rather than help..."

*She demonstrates, inching her hand toward the ground a few feet away, curling up her fingers as some sort of deep red colored tree root emerges from the ground, thrashing at the area around it, like a tentacle flailing a knife. (/ref) Luckily, it only grows a few inches out of the ground... Long enough to be visually impressive but not enough to reach and potentially hurt either kobold.*
Jamie
Sizzle stares at the root quietly, examining it for a moment before reaching forward. His claw recoils back just as the root thrashes at it, barely dodging it and wincing.

".. That's.. Uhm.. Interesting. I don't know where my magic came from, but.. I've heard it's from a being that lived long ago; Something about.. Ancestry, or something."
He curls his claw for a moment, looking down into it and sighing before he continues,
"- I would give you a demonstration, but I can't even show it without risking both of our lives.. And beyond the wild nature, it just feels like.. *Magic*. Normal magic, or at least as normal as magic can get."
Benjamin
"No, it's alright. I get it... It's... Hard to describe stuff when it happens to *Just* You... You just think it's normal, and... Assume everyone has it as well, until you're... You're..."

*She seems to trail off for a short moment, getting lost in some sort of mental fog, before suddenly snapping back out, and telling Sizzle,* "Sorry! I... I... Uh... Tend to do that when thinking about mental stuff!" *She giggles nervously... Though... You can't tell if that's truly what happened.* "Sh-should we go?"
Jamie
Sizzle nods faintly for a moment, looking to his claws quietly. He desperatdly hoped that it wasn't just to him, but.. He didn't exactly have any proof of it happening elsewhere.

".. I'm hoping wherever I end up I can learn something about it, at least. The nature of magic, perhaps? Why I have it..? I don't know."

The kobold seemed to not even notice the mental fog until right before she snapped out of it, and he blinks quietly as he responds.
".. Uh-.. Yeah. We should.. Or we'll be here forever,"

With that, he finds a foothold near to a drop, starting to head off, down to the south, assisting Slush if he needed to.
Benjamin
"Sounds good." *Slush eagerly follows him back through the mountains.*