Jack drummed his fingers on the cardboard. The intoxicating smell of pepperoni and sausage made his mouth water. However, there was one problem. “Lys? Come here please," he said in an inquisitive tenor.

The kobold poked her head out from under the couch. She checked to make sure the coast was clear before squeezing herself free. “Who was at the door?" she asked in a voice dripping with feigned innocence.

“Lys, why is there a large pepperoni and sausage pizza on the counter?"

Her tail began curling around her leg. “L—I, uhhh, I doesn't know." She tapped her claws together as her gaze fell to the floor.

The corner of his mouth raised into a half-smile and it took all the effort in the world not to grin. “I think you do." He continued drumming on the pizza box. The sudden appearance of the delivery guy at the door had scared the bejesus out of him, but he put two and two together pretty quick.

A small growl escaped her lips. Her feet shuffled back and forth, tapping against the kitchen tile. “Lys" —she gritted her teeth— “I, kind of used Jack's phone." Over the last two days Jack had managed to convince her to start improving her speech. A hard-won battle with a long war ahead of it.

 “My phone?" He remembered leaving it on the couch last night, but thought nothing of it. “How did you unlock it?"

Her look of shame turned to pride. “Lys been watching Jack play with his phone. Wanted to know how it worked and Lys…sort of remembered the numbers Jack pushes." Her toothy grin fell back into a frown. “Lys didn't touch anything. Promise!"

“Then—"

“Ok, played with a thing called Columnums? Colmms?"

“Columns, it's a game."

“Yeah, very fun! Match colored rocks and…"

Jack cleared his throat.

“Sorry…did see one thing. Book? Bookmark? For pizza. Lys was hungry so she looked." She waved her claws in a defense gesture. “I touched nothing but 'favorite' and 'order'. It did everything else." She pointed at the phone and then went back to surveying the floor. Jack struggled to keep a serious look on his face. Secretly, he just wanted to hug her right there, but he needed to establish some boundaries.

 “Alright. Well, first off, please don't mess with my phone again."

“Ok," she squeaked.

“Second, it costs money to order pizza. You may not see it, but this just cost me fourteen bucks."

“Ok," she repeated, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“And last of all"—he flipped open the box— “we're having pizza for breakfast."  He flashed her a smile. A look of relief washed over her scaly muzzle. “So, you've had pizza before?"

“Just whatever Lys and friends could get."

Jack got the plates out. “It tastes a hell of a lot better hot." He handed her a couple of slices and they sat down at the table. Her jaw snapped shut as a throaty hiss emanated from her mouth. “Is hot!" she said, dropping a slice back onto the plate.

“I said it was, silly." Jack placed his fingers underneath his slice. Lys watched him eat it like an apprentice studying a sensei. She tried it for herself, taking a few nibbles. Strands of melted mozzarella draped over her maw.  

“Ugh, this stuff gets everywhere." She flicked out her tongue to clean up the mess. He merely sighed and carried on. “This takes too long," she grumbled and then dropped the rest of it into her maw. A look of ecstasy washed over her muzzle.  “Iff rryry gud. Whuh Jaff strring at?!"

“Nothing," he snickered. Lys gave him the stink eye. Outside a distant boom echoed and rain continued to beat against the rooftop as it had for days now. A thousand fingers tapping against the weathered roof sounded like music to Jack. Now that he had eaten a healthy breakfast of cheese and grease, he was ready to face the rest of the day. A day that Lys would remember.

“So, what now? Watch TV? Listen to metal?" Lys asked.

“Actually, I was thinking we could go for a walk."

The kobold tapped her horns and squinted at him. “Did you forget that Lys is kobold?"

“I didn't forget." She'd been cooped up in his crappy apartment for a week. It was unfair to her. And besides, he was tired of this clandestine nonsense.

She sprang about three feet into the air. Her tail swung about with enough force to send her onto her rear. “Yes, for sure."

“Well, let's get ready then."

“But is raining outside. Lys doesn't have" —her eyes narrowed— “Jack didn't buy me more clothes, did he?"

He stole away into the bedroom with Lys tailing after him. “Jack said he was going out to get nasty cigarettes yesterday."

“I did, I just made a little detour."

“So that's why Jack was gone so long. You need to stop buying clothes for Lys. How can Jack buy clothes when he can't pay for pizza?"

“That's different." He yanked on the dresser. The wood squealed and scraped against the rollers with years of neglect. He pulled something out and slammed the drawer shut. A package cocooned in leftover Christmas paper and long strands of tape sat in his hands. Jack groaned silently at the haphazard wrapping job. It was the best he could do on short notice. He set the mess down on the bed. Lys's eyes darted back and forth between him and the package. “Well? Go ahead."

The sticky mess of tape and wrapping didn't last long against her sharp claws. Her scaly, green tail flew in a frenzy. Underneath the mess laid a plain box. The kobold lifted the lid and peeked inside. The loudest squeal Jack had ever heard rang out in the bedroom. In her claws she held a raincoat in a bright, beautiful red. “Oh, it's beautiful! Lys…Lys doesn't…" She held it close to her chest and began to weep bitterly.

Jack wrapped his arms around her. “What's wrong?"

“Don't deserve it." Lys burrowed into his chest, still sobbing.

He stroked her head gently. “Why?"

“Lys is kobold, kobolds don't deserve nice things."

He took her by the shoulders. “Lys, look at me." She met his eyes, tears still streaming down her scaly cheeks. “You deserve to be happy. I don't care what anyone else has told you." He gave her a kiss on the snout. “Understand?"

The kobold nodded at him through a sniffle. “L-Lys thinks so." She opened her claw, dropping the raincoat. “Lys is lucky to have Jack," she said, gripping him tight. “I love you." Hearing those words changed something. Even after the night before, it still seemed like he was waking up from a fever dream. Now for the first time in years he felt alive.

"I love you too, Lys." His lips quirked with a shaky laugh as he held her. All the tension washed away. "Do you still want to go out?"

The kobold wiped away her tears and smiled. “Yeah." She hopped off the bed and picked up the raincoat. The material squeaked as she slipped it on. “This really keep Lys dry?" She spun about several times, admiring herself like a princess trying on a new gown. And then she tried to pull on the hood.

“Guess we better cut some holes for that."

“Good idea."

After Jack made some adjustments and a place for her tail. “I'm not sure what to do about your feet. They don't make rainboots for kobolds."

She tapped her foot against the floor. “Kobold feet are tough for reason. Water won't be trouble long as not too cold."

“It's summer rain, shouldn't be too bad. How's the leg?"

“Little stiff, but okay. Ready?"

“As I'll ever be." The doorknob rattled in his grip. One small step for Jack, one giant leap for God knows what. The door opened and the two stepped outside. A rush of wind pushed against them. As if the world itself disapproved. Rain flew into their faces. “You sure you want to go out?" Jack asked.

The little kobold clenched her fists and glared into the wind. “Hell yes!"

The wind died back down.

“Remind me to bring you out here when it starts snowing."

She snorted. “We going?"

“Yeah, stay close to me."

He led the way down the steps. Lys took her time, taking in everything. After all, the last time she'd been outside it was dark and she hadn't been in the best condition. “Nice trees." She pointed a claw at one of the untrimmed monsters that loomed over the place. He looked up, checking on the widowmakers nestled in the swaying branches.

“A lawsuit waiting to happen."

“Huh?"

“Nothing."  That was the difference, she saw the beauty. Meanwhile, he kept casting nervous glances at the doors and windows, looking for the hazards. Work or weather, most folks would be gone at this hour. But what would people think? What would they say?

He felt a tug at his side. “Jack?"

“Mmm? Sorry. Was just thinking."

The corner of her scaly maw lifted, her eyeridges narrowed. “Nervous?"

“Is it that obvious?"

She grinned. “If Jack nervous then Lys is terrified." She offered him her claw and the two started down the street. The wet footfalls of his shoes made a stark contrast to the clack of her toeclaws on the concrete. Green leaves twitched and bowed to the impact of raindrops as they passed underneath the trees. The occasional car cruised down the road. Lys watched as one of them went by. “Feels so weird."

“What does?"

“Not having to watch my back. Not having to be ready to run." She stopped in front of a large puddle and bent over. Lys smiled at the green kobold looking back at her from the rippling water. Jack stepped up behind her, his reflection dwarfing hers.

“I wouldn't let anyone hurt you."

She kept staring into the water. “Jack will watch Lys's back?"

“Absolutely. I'll even wash your back."

Her tail started to twitch. “Might be fun."

She stood back up and the two made their way down the block. “So, where we going?"

“Well, I can't exactly show you the sights. Not that there are any. But I figured we could go somewhere where we could just walk." They stopped in front of a semi-maintained landscape of paths, swings, and sand. It was trite, but the local park was probably the safest place to go due to the weather. Lys looked a bit confused. “Never understood these places. Why do humans have places where they just walk?"

 “They do more than just walk. People come out here to eat, play, and deal drugs."

 “Drugs?"

“Never mind, c'mon." Jack couldn't remember the last time he'd been out here. Probably back in high school when he and his friends would sneak out at night to smoke. Good times. Something caught Lys's eye and she let go of Jack's hand.

“What's this?" She pointed to the collection of metal poles and bars buried in the sand.

“A sprained ankle."

“That not what it called!" Her tail whipped back and forth, almost smacking him.

He walked through the damp sand and placed a hand on the slick metal. “They're called monkey bars. Kids like to climb on them."

“Why?"

“Because kids like climbing on stuff. Didn't you climb on stuff when you were a kid?"

She tapped a claw against the pole. “Yeah, but not much for fun." Her hand slid across the steel. “Can I climb them?"

“Not a good idea in the rain, these things get really slippery when they're wet." He turned around and went on.

“Bah," she huffed. Not too much later they came across a large circular disk of rusted metal with handlebars sticking out of it. She walked over and pushed on it, it moved. “And what's this?"

“A bruised shoulder with a moderate concussion. Ow!" In the blink of an eye, she swatted him with her tail.

“Stop saying stuff! What is it?"

Jack rubbed the stinging welt while she glared at him. “It's called a merry-go-round. Kids sit on it and someone spins it around. If you spin it fast enough people fall off and get hurt so you can laugh at them. Damnit, that smarts."

Her glare changed to a look of remorse. She ran over and hugged him. “Lys is sorry."

“I kinda deserved it."

She gave him a lick across the cheek. “Yeah, but Lys doesn't want to hurt Jack." It made him blush. Something about how kobolds expressed affection was just another one of their endearing qualities, but one he was still adjusting to. “I want to sit on the merry-go-thing and you push it."

“That thing is older than I am."

“Please?"

“You'll slip."

“Come on!"

Rain dripped from the rusted metal and he swore he saw a blood stain on one of the handles, but she wasn't going to take no for an answer. “Alright, alright." He sighed in defeat. “Far be it from me to deprive you of your second childhood. Hold on tight."

The kobold sat down and clutched the handlebar in her claws. Jack started to push and the aged metal screeched with every rotation. Lys started giggling straight away. That musical tone in her voice worked its magic on him.

“Faster!"

He put his muscles into it and the metallic screech turned into a high-pitched squeak as it spun around. She began laughing out loud, having the time of her life. Once the merry-go-round started to wobble back and forth, he laid off. She slid down toward the bottom, clutching the handle with everything she had, still laughing hysterically. A little more oomph and he might have sent the little kobold flying. At last, the merry-go-round groaned to a halt and she staggered off, falling into Jack's waiting arms. “That was really great. Thanks."

“You're welcome. You okay?"

Her eyes did circles, but she nodded. A man in a hoodie jogged past, Jack tensed up, but the jogger paid them no mind. A bit later they spotted an elderly couple strolling towards them. Jack braced himself again. The couple strolled arm in arm and had the look as if they'd always been together. It made him ponder if he could ever be so lucky. The woman, who looked about sixty, held an umbrella in her bony hand. Lys pointed her claw at it. “Why don't we have that?"

“Because I always lose mine somewhere."

The older woman looked down at Lys. The smile on her wrinkled face turned to a look of shock. Jack kept Lys moving. The couple turned back to watch them go. From a distance Lys probably looked like a child, but the horns, tail, and pretty much everything else would be a dead giveaway up close. “Ha, did you see old humans?" She chuckled, showing all her pointy teeth.

“You enjoyed that didn't you?"

“Yes. Fun to see humans surprised. Well. Surprised, but not chasing Lys."

“You're going to be trouble, aren't you?"

“Lys has been trouble for Jack since the start."

“I can't argue with that."

She gestured to a nearby wooden bench nestled under the trees. “Can we sit? Leg is getting cramped."

“That bench is pretty wet."

“Everything is pretty wet." She parked herself on the wood and looked at him expectantly. Now he wished for his own raincoat instead of a jacket. He took a seat beside her and tried to ignore the dampness creeping into his jeans. At least it gave a nice few of the park, such as it was. The deep summer green made a stark contrast to the light gray sky. Darker wisps of clouds blew past. The delightful smell of petrichor drifted through the breeze. “What do you do?" she asked.

“You mean like, for a living?"

She nodded.

He leaned back, letting the rain hit his face. “I work at a warehouse." His tone sounded subdued. Just talking about it made him feel tired. “I drive a forklift most of the time."

“Lys knows what a warehouse is, but what is a forklift?"

“It's a machine you ride around in. Let's you stack stuff really high and then get it back down again." He let his eyes close. Work was not his favorite subject.

“Lys thinks she knows what that is. You ride around in a forklift lifting stuff? Sounds kind of fun."

Stray drops of rain kept landing in his face, it seemed colder all of a sudden. “It sucks," he groaned. “Humid in the summer, freezing in the winter, and the drive to and from work really gets to me. I mean, you experienced that first hand."

“Then why does Jack do it?"

“Rent doesn't pay itself."

 The kobold scooted closer to him. “There must be something else Jack can do then?"

“Maybe. I've just been too chickenshit to—"

Lys doubled over howling with laughter. She braced herself against the bench, wheezing as she tried to get a breath. Her tongue lolled partway out of her maw. Tears of laughter beaded up in her eyes. “Lys…Lys is…" she started laughing again.

“What is with you?"

 “Lys is sorry, but that sounded so funny." The kobold rubbed her head. “What does chicken…" she couldn't finish.

“Means I'm a coward, that's what," he huffed.

Her laughter died away and she placed a claw on his leg. “Jack is no coward," she said, sternly.

“Yeah right. If I had any guts, I wouldn't be working this crap job."

“And you wouldn't have met Lys either."

“You're right. I hadn't thought of that."

“Jack is brave enough to take Lys home and be seen with kobold in the park."

He hadn't thought of that either. As much as he wanted to pretend that he didn't care, he felt nervous. Always the pessimist, the worst-case scenarios kept playing out in his head. Becoming a pariah didn't mean much to him, but he hadn't been in a real fight in ages. And he kept thinking of what Allison would say when she found out. She was the one friend who'd stuck by him when he decided to give up on himself. He didn't deserve friends like her.

“Leg is feeling better. We want to go?"

And he sure as hell didn't deserve Lys. If anyone had a right to complain it was her, but the kobold saw the beauty in everything, even him.

“Yeah."

“Where we go now?"

He shrugged. “Let's just walk about before we go home."

“Ok. Lys in no hurry to go back."

The two of them moseyed out of the park and further down the main street. One of the benefits of living in a smaller town meant there weren't too many people about and even less so when it was raining. Of course, the downside meant that someone was always watching from somewhere. Busybodies were endemic to small town life.

Old style lamp posts lined the sidewalk, providing light to the hollow shops stocked with dust and ghosts. The town just didn't get enough traffic to support anything but the most essential of businesses. And yet, near the middle of the street, a warm, yellow glow shown through a window in defiance of the changing times. The old mom and pop craft store caught Lys's eye. She pushed her snout up against the glass and her tail began to sway back and forth.

“You're really into arts and crafts, aren't you?" Jack asked.

“Lys just likes making things."

“That's what I said."

An assortment of handmade treasures lined the window display along with some of the supplies used to make them. Painted mugs and paper flowers shared space with spools of yarn and knitted tea cozies. Signs with corny feel good sayings on them hung on the nearby walls. “Maybe Lys could make things to help Jack with money?"

“There really isn't much of a market for crafts, but maybe we could sell those flowers of yours online. All we have to do is say they were made by a kobold. People would go nuts."

Lys looked up at him with disbelief. “Why would people buy things made by kobolds?"

“Conversation starters." He shrugged. “And people wanting to show off how they support the poor kobolds."

She scoffed, “humans would buy things made by kobolds, but not want kobolds around?"

“Yeah, exactly."

“Humans make no sense." She turned away from the window.

 “No, they don't." Jack continued to saunter down the walk. His mind began to wander. What were things like back then? He liked the idea of being able to buy groceries locally, even if it meant waiting for a clerk to fetch his items for him. He might have let himself slip into a daydream if Lys hadn't stopped right in front of him.

 A car sat at the intersection. A black and white paint job with blue and red lights on the top. The words “to serve and protect" cleanly displayed for all to see. Lys went stiff as a board, staring at the patrol car like it were a predator waiting to pounce. Gently, Jack laid his hands on her shoulders. “It's alright," he whispered. The officer in the car waved them across. Jack had to give her a push to get her going. She clutched her coat tightly and the rain seemed to pick up all of a sudden. The officer watched them through the disrupted view of his windshield wipers and then he did a double take. Jack gave the officer his best, brightest smile. The cop shook his head and drove on.

“You're okay," he said, trying to reassure her.

“No, not okay at all." She stood there, trembling.

He patted her shoulder. “You haven't done anything wrong."

“Don't matter. Lys is kobold and that's enough."

“Do you want to go home?"

She took a deep breath. “No. Lys wants to stop being afraid." The kobold looked back at the crosswalk and shook her head. There wasn't anything else he could offer her. It was going to take time for her to learn to trust someone other than him. Now he just needed to find some trustworthy humans. Whether by luck or subconscious decision their wanderings had taken them close to the local convenience store. A single car sat at the fuel pumps. Jack could see the occasional customer coming and going. Trust, he needed trust and trust always came with risk. It would be another hour before the lunch rush so now was as good a time as any.

“Do you want to go in?"

A chirring noise vibrated up her throat. “Is Jack crazy?"

“Yeah, but that's beside the point. It's quiet and I know the guys working the counter right now. You said you wanted to stop being afraid. So, we're going to have to try this sometime."

She ran her claws up and down her scaly muzzle and shifted back and forth. Lys watched the store for a long minute. Another car pulled up to the pumps as the other drove away. A man in a colorful outfit bearing the store's logo came from behind the place with four large bags of ice. He paused and turned to see them standing across the road. Jack waved and the guy gave him a nod before heading inside. Lys looked up at him, her yellow eyes full of uncertainty. “You will stay by me, yes?"

“Of course. I won't let you out of my sight."

“And you'll buy Lys something, yes?" She began to grin.

“Oh, I see how this is. Fine, fine. So long as you don't want a six pack." He did his best to feign exasperation.

The kobold let out a small chirp and reached for his hand. Jack said a silent prayer. He wanted this to go well. She was excited for the prospect, but her tail told him how nervous she really was. The closer they got to the store the tighter she gripped his hand. Trust came with risk and this was the biggest one so far.