"Found another one!" Amelia's voice rang out from among the trees at the edge of the yard.

"Good for you, good for you! After those spores, I didn't expect you'd be so excited about mushrooms!" called back Briar. The goblin was working in her garden, as usual. Several of her precious plants needed protection from the cold, so she was busy bundling and wrapping them with burlap and other insulators. The most fragile would be moved underground, where she had a greenhouse space prepared.

"Wait, truffles are mushrooms? I didn't know that!"

Amelia emerged into the yard. Her hoodie and jeans were daubed with mud and twigs, and she had a smear of dirt across one cheek. She had a double handful of the tasty fungi in her grubby hands, and the kangaroo pouch of her hoodie bulged with more. Interestingly, the bright blue cloak she had on didn't have so much as a speck of dust on it. It seemed to slide right past all the thorns, branches, and brambles that snagged on her other clothing, as well.

"What'd you think they were, tree eggs?" snarked the goblin good-naturedly.

"Well, I didn't really think about it. Doesn't matter -- I still love mushrooms! Even if I almost became one. I'm sure I would have made a delicious fungus zombie. Little butter, some garlic, yum!"

"Ugh! You spent too much time with that dwarf!"

Amelia gave a pretend pout at the gardener's words. Which turned into a real pout after a moment. The miners had only been gone for a few days, and she sincerely missed them. The cottage was empty without them. And mealtime was definitely not the same without Tyni and his cooking. She'd tried a few of the recipes the dwarf had shown her, but she couldn't get them to taste quite right. Perhaps she just wasn't as brave in the application of bacon to all culinary endeavors as he was.

Lark had opened a portal for the trio, using it as a training exercise for Amelia. It took longer that way, but Amelia was starting to get the hang of some of the tricks Lark could do. But they all took considerable practice and skill.

The boys had sworn to return as soon as they could, but couldn't promise that their kin would want to come with them. But they would visit again, regardless. Amelia had forced them to take the full bag of gold with them, despite all their protests. They would need money for travel, and for moving if they were able to make that happen. As well, they planned to track down Reginald and get his advice on investing the money. The trader had a savvy financial mind and had his trotters in all sorts of side hustles and businesses.

So with the journey, finding the boar, and so on, it would probably be weeks at least before they returned. Amelia was a little down about that, but at least she still had her other friends. She reached up and patted Whisper. The glow ball was snuggled in her hair, her second favorite place after the oven. Amelia had the hood of her cloak up, since it was a pretty cold day, and the wisp loved having her own tent to hide in.

Amelia dumped the load of truffles in the heap just outside the cottage door. She had never been able to find them before, but after that pig taught her the knack, it felt like she practically tripped over them every time she went by the right types of trees.

"Fungus! Fungus!" trilled Fern, who simply liked the sound of the word. The tiny sprite was cleaning the truffles using a small brush Amelia had found in the shed. It seemed you weren't supposed to wash them--just brush the dirt off, according to Tyni.

"Hey! Don't eat all of them, okay?" Amelia said to Blue, who had nabbed one of the delicacies in her beak and was hopping towards Beige with it. Beige just chirped back at her as she nibbled one as well.

Both of the birds wore the gifts she had given them from the Night Market. There had been a vendor right next to the rainbow fountain that sold bags and packs of all kinds. While the wizened satyr didn't speak at all, through gestures and pointing they had made a deal. A jar of preserves for two adorably tiny silk sashes--dark orange for Beige, and forest green for Blue. The sashes were embroidered with silver thread, like the brocade necklace she had found for Lark. The sashes were worn cross-body and had tiny little pockets and pouches sewn into them. Amelia hadn't even noticed the pockets until she was putting them on the birds, they were so small. The two had already found things to stuff them with, and she was rather afraid to ask about the contents.

She had waited to pass out the gifts until the miners had left since she hadn't bought anything for them (having not even met them at the time!), and it seemed rude otherwise. Briar, Lark, and Fern had all liked their respective pieces of jewelry, and Whisper had been thrilled with the snacks, of course. Fern had spent several hours preening herself in front of the mirror, admiring her tiara. The sprite still kept peeping "Princess! Princess!" periodically.

[Notice: intrusion detected. Threat level: class 0. Danger estimate: Insignificant]

The message from Bert startled Amelia, and she glanced around the yard. She didn't see anyone.

"Uh, Bert, could you be more specific?" she asked.

[Two mortals. Location: Primary ingress. Weapons: None. Auras: None. Latent Magics: None.]

"Thanks, that really clears things up!" she replied sarcastically. It was great to be able to communicate with the cottage without straining her whistling chops, but she still didn't understand a lot of what it said. "Bert, you could really work on simplifying things for me. Plain language--you know, without colons and semicolons. No jargon!"

[Command acknowledged. Processing.]

She wondered who would be coming out this way. It was close to town, but the locals treated the place like it was haunted or something, and never came here. Then she thought of the two men who had been at the shop the other day, which worried her. So she went back to the shed to get the bill out. The big one, for when you seriously meant business.

Just a few moments later, Maisie and Monty strolled into the clearing. They were dressed for rambling in the cold weather, with heavy boots, jackets, gloves, scarves, and knit hats.

"Maisie! Monty!" Amelia greeted them, dropping the big tool and running to give Maisie a hug. The woman was stamped from the same mould as Sandy--apple-cheeked and crinkle-faced from a lifetime of smiling and happiness. She was shorter than the shopkeeper, and a bit more round, but with powerful hands from years of pottery work. Monty was a tall, almost gaunt man, but also with a face marked by good cheer.

"Hello, poppet! Haven't seen you in a while, thought we'd drop by and see how you were getting on," said Maisie, returning the hug. She grinned as she looked the young lady up and down. "That's quite the ensemble there, love! The dirt on the jumper matches your face, but clashes with that pretty cape! Is that for a play or something?"

Amelia rubbed a hand across her face, managing to smear more dirt onto her cheeks. Then she twirled, so the blue cloak flared out as she spun.

"Like it? It's so practical! Warm if you wrap it around, but if you get too hot you can throw it back over your shoulders. And it looks dramatic when you pose, like this!" she struck a dramatic stance, looking off in the distance. A chance breeze wafted the cloak behind her majestically.

"Very nice, dear! Shame they went out of fashion a few hundred years ago! Suits you, though!" replied Maisie, grinning at the girl's antics.

"Monty said you'd been doing up the place. He didn't say anything about decorating the birds, though!" she said, spying the sashes on Beige and Blue.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"Oh! I should introduce you to all my friends! Monty, Maisie, this is Blue, and this is Beige." she said, indicating each in turn. Both birds made graceful curtsies as they were introduced.

"Oh my! How adorable!" remarked Maisie, who curtsied in turn. Monty doffed his cap and bowed low, the cap almost sweeping the ground.

"Always love to meet a cute pair of birds, meself!" he chuckled.

"That's Briar over there in the garden. And Fern is the one cleaning the truffles."

"Princess! Princess!" protested the sprite, who flew up to about shoulder height, then bowed while in the air. Her new tiara sparkled in the sunlight.

"Sorry, Princess Fern! I forgot!"

"Howdy!" called Briar, putting down the plant she was working with and dusting off her hands as she emerged from the gate.

"Um. Hello?" Maisie said, unsettled at the sight of the flying sprite and approaching goblin.

Briar grinned widely, showing her pointy teeth. "Welcome! Welcome! You're that potter, aren't you? And the tinker?" She offered her hand to Monty.

The tall man leaned down and shook the goblin's hand, giving her a big smile. He didn't seem at all disturbed.

"That's us! Pleasure to meet you, Lady Briar, Princess Fern!" he said, winking at Amelia.

"Say! I have a few plants I need to re-pot, and they have some special needs. Care to give me your professional opinion?" Briar asked, directed at Maisie. "Needs to drain well, but keep moisture in, but not get moldy, sort of thing. Think you can help?"

The two wandered into the garden chatting, Maisie drawn out of her surprise by the chance to talk shop. Fern flew backwards in front of them, trying to make sure they could admire her tiara.

"Are those truffles, lass? I didn't know they grew around here!"

"We have loads! Want some? I have a sackful in the pantry. I can't stop finding them! That pig musta been having a laugh!"

----------------------------------------

The two craftspeople hung around chatting for quite some time, before finally asking Amelia if it was okay to walk through the woods.

"Of course! I cleared all the paths, so they should be an easy walk. If you go that way, you can say hi to Alder. He's the old oak in the clearing. There's a cute little creek that runs right past him. If you go that way over there, there's a neat rock formation and a pond. Actually, just wander--you won't get lost, and I don't want to spoil the surprises."

"Thanks, dear! It'll be nice to be among the trees--there isn't another grove for miles and miles. All fields, you know. We'll be back in a tick!"

"Have a nice walk! I'll put the kettle on!"

"Lovely! Ta!"

The two waved as they took one of the paths out of the yard and into the woods.

"They seem nice." declared Briar after they were out of sight. She'd ordered several specialty pots from Maisie, who promised to deliver them in a few days.

"They are! It's so cool they came to visit! I put so much work into clearing out all the underbrush and fallen branches, it's great someone else can enjoy it!"

Amelia gathered the bill and a few other tools she had lying about and put them back in the shed. Then she neatened up the pile of truffles. The rest of the yard was already tidy. She had scythed the grass the day after the miners had left, so it was all uniform and neat-looking.

She waved to Briar as she headed inside. The goblin had already gone back to her gardening work, with Fern and the birds watching from the fence.

The cloak was hung up over the top of the backpack on the back of the door. Thanks to the fire and oven, it was always toasty warm in the cottage, so she didn't need it inside. She filled the kettle with water and set it aside, ready to boil when she heard the walkers return. The choice of tea was a tough one--between her own blends and Briar's, there was a fine selection to choose from. She ended up selecting a mild-flavored one, that was also bracing. Good for warming one up after a walk in the woods, she thought.

There were some leftover scones from the day before, so she popped them into the warming tray in the oven. Then to the pantry for a selection of preserves. The stoneware jug of milk and some clotted cream rounded out the spread.

This was all arranged on the low table in the living room. It was nice to sit in the comfy seats and watch the fire, and it was even nicer with company! It had been so quiet the last few days, she was looking forwards to sharing food with friends.

She had just gotten everything arranged when she heard Lark arrive, entering through the broken window pane in the living room.

"Caretaker! I came to warn you there are unknown people in the wood!"

"Hi Lark! I know! Don't worry, they're friends. It's Maisie and Monty, from town."

"I see. What are they here for?"

"Just out for a walk. They like the woods!"

The bird cocked her head at Amelia in confusion. The hollow had never been a place for ramblers before. But she saw no reason to object. So she watched quietly as the caretaker bustled about, plumping the seat cushions and generally fussing about.

Eventually, they heard the crunch of footsteps on the path outside. Amelia quickly put the kettle on, then opened the door to greet the pair as they approached.

"How was the walk? Did you talk to Alder?"

"A tree that talks! You could have warned us! But he was very nice, and so polite, too!" gushed Maisie.

"This wood is enchanted, no mistake! Glorious! And the paths are all very nicely tended." added Monty.

"Aww, thanks! Just doing my job, you know!" She blushed at the praise. "Come in, have a seat! Kettle's on and the scones should be warm. Back in a moment!" She waved the two towards the sofa while she headed back into the kitchen.

"This is lovely, poppet! That fire is just the thing!"

"Greetings, visitors. Welcome to the hollow." said Lark, perched on the back of the armchair.

"Oooh! A talking bird! Stone the cro… Uh, never mind! Hello there! I'm Maisie, and this is my husband, Monty. We're friends of Amelia from the village."

Lark ducked her head and waved her wing in a cross between a curtsy and a bow.

"I am Lark. I sing for the woods."

"Oooh! That must be interesting! We don't get very many singers out this way!"

The two humans doffed their outerwear and hung them on the pegs on the back of the door, which was getting very crowded. Just as they got everything arranged, Amelia returned with the tea and pastries. She set them down on the table, then carefully opened the door and leaned outside.

"Hey everybody! Tea time! With scones and jam!" She called.

There was a rush as Briar, Blue, Beige, and Fern all came in and took seats in the living room, the birds and sprite perching on the edge of the table. Whisper drifted lazily in from the kitchen, lured by the promise of sweets.

The next few minutes were filled with polite small talk as they sipped the tea and munched on the scones. Maisie and Monty marveled at the company, trying their best not to stare. The birds daintily picked at the scones and sipped from a shared mug. Whisper, who wolfed down her portion of pastry, slurped up her tea, then nestled in the still-warm mug, glowing happily. Fern's attempt at eating regally, spoiled by the jam smeared all over her face. Briar sitting at the edge of the loveseat so she could reach the table, her bare, triangular-shaped, and taloned feet dangling well above the floor.

Eventually, the tea was down to the dregs, and the scones to crumbs. Fern curled up and fell asleep in a napkin, with Whisper snuggling next to her. The birds all waved and flew out the window. Briar politely excused herself to get back to her work in the garden.

"That was a wonderful tea party, poppet! Right out of a storybook! A talking tree and bird, and faeries! And here's me thinking you were just a normal girl living up here all by your lonesome!" marveled Maisie.

"Lark says they aren't fairies, but I know, right? It's so cool!"

"Would you mind if we came back sometime? This has been lovely!"

"Please do! It's great to have guests! The birds are great friends, but it's nice to have tea with people that can help carry the conversation." She glanced down with a smile at the sleeping sprite and wisp. Fern was snoring gently.

"I can't wait to tell Sandy all about your enchanted wood, she'll be up here herself in no time!"

"Yay! She's been great, and I'd love to show her around," replied Amelia, helping Maisie on with her coat.

"Where does that door go? I don't remember anything from the outside," asked Monty, pointing at the door by the fireplace.

"Oh! That goes to the bedrooms and the tower. See?" Amelia opened the door and pointed at the hallway. The four doors to the guest bedrooms were all open, but you couldn't see in from the living room. The liquids room cum brewery was lit by the windows in the tower, and it was just possible to make out the shape of the room in the distance.

"Right! Sorry I asked!" responded Monty, rubbing his eyes. "That must have been some of that funny tea I've heard about ..." he trailed off as he exited through the front door, looking askance at where the hallway and tower distinctly weren't.

"Have a nice walk home! Thanks for visiting! Come back soon!" called Amelia after them.

[Processing complete. Language preference set to 'simplified, nontechnical English'.]

"Wow, Bert! You've been working on that all this time? You missed the tea party! It was great!"

[Yes. The gathering substantially increased available energy stores. This helps offset the drain from reality distortion.]

"Uh, I think you just said you're a party person, but what's this about reality distortion?"

[It takes energy to sustain structures not aligned with reality. This is the main drain on resources currently.]

"Okay, I almost got that. 'Not aligned with reality'?"

[Things that don't take up the space they should. Specifically, the cupboard, hallway, bedrooms, and tower. It takes energy to keep those from going away.]

"Oh! Why didn't you say that in the first place? Can we fix it?"

[With the energy gained from the party, yes. A simple change of floor plan so that all structures match reality will suffice.]

"Uh ...?"

[We will rearrange the rooms.]

"Awesome! But let's keep the tower, it's cool!"