The Systems Challenge

Elmo wasn't sure what to expect with the news that Sonya's foot might not be fully healed for three weeks. Everyone seemed to have a different reaction.

Stanley made it clear that he didn't want to wait that long. Owen merely tended making lunch as if nothing was going on. Elwin said that they should just head back to the bear and fight it anyway. Frank was accusing Sonya of trying to delay their fight so the bear could get away. Patricia offered to help keep 'ice' on Sonya's foot. Patrick suggested they just cut Sonya's foot off and regrow it, clearly ignoring the point that it affected Sonya's entire body and not just her foot. Bart suggested they observe the bear and see if they could notice any peculiar behaviors. Thomas seemed more worried about them sticking around for much longer. Kim seemed to like she was getting a headache. While Jonas merely looked at Sonya, her foot, then back to the fire as if there wasn't anything creating a problem about the whole matter.

Elmo wasn't sure what he was supposed to do or react, so he was hesitant to say or do anything, as the others could very easily push him into one of their reactions and Elmo would rather leave the matter be. If Sonya wanted to fly them over to be in front of the bear so they could try Kim's idea in the morning, then he was fine with that, but otherwise he'd rather not worry about how long it might take for Sonya to be able to start healing regularly again.

Though, what bothered Elmo the most was the fact that Harold had apparently been sent out to look for firewood or something, but with how long it had been, Elmo was wondering if maybe something had happened to him. After all, he'd been gone since before they'd gotten back from their morning 'walk' and now they were almost done making dinner.

"Shouldn't we go check on Harold?" Elmo asked Stanley as 'discussions' were halted for a short period of time so everyone could enjoy something to eat.

"Why? He's able to take care of himself," Stanley replied casually.

"The kid's got a point," Jonas remarked. "Something could have happened to him. We don't really know what the dangers of a landslide are here. Not to mention other dangers like actual dragons in the area."

"If he needed help, he'd have called out for it," Frank said. "Trust me, you wouldn't be able ignore that if it happened."

"Then what's taking him so long?" Patricia asked. "If he's gone much longer, we'll have to have another person go out for firewood."

"It just can't be helped, I guess," Stanley replied, his lack of concern starting to annoy Elmo.

He wished that Kim's sword would be able to use it's 'locate' ability more often than once a week. That way he could ask Kim to expend one of its uses to find Harold just so he could make sure that he was alright. Especially since he was getting the feeling that Stanley and his group were actually trying to get rid of him or something.

All he could be certain of was that there was a dynamic between them that he didn't understand. Harold seemed almost devoted to Stanley, yet Stanley hardly seemed to be concerned with Harold's safety or even his well being.

While he knew it wasn't his place to judge it, he felt like there was something off about it. Even to the point that he felt a little like if he didn't say anything, that he'd be somehow condoning abuse.

He wasn't sure he could explain it, or why he had that feeling, but it didn't stop him from feeling that way.

While he wanted to push the conversation about Harold forward, he felt like he just didn't know enough about the subject to do so. Not to mention that it really wasn't his business anyway. Despite the fact that Stanley seemed to think that the rest of them should do exactly what he said, when he said it, and not question anything about what he said, Elmo couldn't say that he was doing anything that could directly hurt everyone else.

"You know, once we're done with the bear, if Harold hasn't returned yet, we can always search for him, just to let him know everyone's moving on, if nothing else," Kim offered.

"Yeah, and how long do you think that'll take?" Frank asked derisively. "We haven't made any real progress in defeating it." Frank stopped for a moment before quickly adding, "Oh, and you're offering to get eaten by the bear. Let's not forget how insane that sounds, either."

Kim rolled her eyes, and Elmo felt guilty for even feeling that Frank had a point about Kim. He didn't understand why Kim even suggested it, since he couldn't say if there couldn't be another way. Such as his sending any number of his spells down the bear's throat. If he did that, wouldn't that be something that helped deal with the bear's weakness?

Elmo speculated if she should go for a walk himself. He didn't think that he really needed one, but it would at least get him away from everyone else who seemed to be either dealing with their own problems about what was going on or they were coming up with their own ideas of how to solve the problem of the bear. Some sounding more reliable than others.

Although, Elmo had to admit that Stanley's idea of trying to decapitate the bear certainly had been closer to the category of 'reliable' than Kim's idea was. Yet, whatever it was that had grabbed hold of Sonya's foot enough so that it got crushed certainly wasn't anything that any of them could have predicted would happen. Which made Elmo wonder if maybe they should throw logic out the window for this problem altogether. As logic didn't seem to apply to whatever it was that kept the bear protected or whatever.

"Uh, Kim," Elmo ventured, speaking a thought that he'd had almost since he'd first learned of Kim's idea in the first place. "How do you plan on getting the bear to open it's mouth in the first place? I-I mean you can't just jump into its mouth if it doesn't have it open, right?"

Kim looked at Elmo like he had said something that gave her pause. Elmo wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, not that he'd ever been able to figure out Kim's moods or the way she thought. It was always like an enigma to him. Something that just wasn't meant for him to understand in the first place.

"Then do you have a suggestion?" Kim asked, making Elmo wonder if she was using her question to avoid any embarrassment about not having thought of that little problem herself.

"Well, I could use my magic to maybe irritate its nose?" Elmo asked, not sure if that was something that would actually work. It was merely the first thing that came to mind.

"Might work," Kim mused, looking like she was thinking. Which Elmo wasn't sure he should be around for. As he couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't find a problem with something he said or did, even if he didn't know what the problem about that would be.

Then before Elmo had time to react, Kim turned and started looking around. Elmo wanted to ask what she was looking for, but at the same time, worried that it would only draw her ire in his direction. Especially since she was still pretty sure that she didn't like him on general principle.

Elmo watched as she walked over to Elin, who was still sitting by Heather, who wasn't leaving Sonya's side. Elmo couldn't hear what Kim was saying, but he had a feeling she'd thought of something that Elin would be able to do to help her on her plan.

Elmo also noticed that Patrick and Elwin had taken an interest in what Kim was talking with Elin about, though they didn't say anything. He had a sudden urge to walk over and listen, but quickly stifled that urge. He'd already made himself noticeable enough with everyone in the camp and he was feeling like it'd be better if he found a way to be out of the way for anything, just so he could start to blend into the background again.

Yet, as he started to collect his dinner and find a place away from everyone else, Patricia pulled him down to sit next to her as he started to pass her by.

"Okay, here's what you're going to do," she told him before he had a chance to say anything. "You're going to tell me everything that happened from when we parted in the capital at the king's palace and when you guys arrived where we beat the fire dragon."

Elmo blinked, feeling almost like he was imagining this. Like he had been given a hallucinogen and was experiencing a figment of his imagination. It would explain why Kim seemed to think that his idea was good and didn't go off on him about it as well as why everything seemed to strange to him.

"Elmo!" Patricia snapped, pulling him out of his thoughts as he jumped. "Tell me everything. Including why you're not so starry eyed when you look at Jonas or why Kim and Elin seem to be at odds with each other."

"Uh…" Elmo hesitated. He wasn't really sure where to start, or even what was for him to say in the first place.

"If you don't tell me," Patricia asked, her words filled with false sweetness. "I can freeze your balls to the point that you'll always feel cold there, no matter how old you get."

Elmo had a feeling that reality was finally letting him know that these events really were happening. Why it had to choose this method, he couldn't say. Just that he didn't dare try to call Patricia's bluff. While her threat was rather extreme, he didn't doubt that she could make his life miserable, even without any of the abilities that her system gave her.