It was odd to think that it wasn’t even quite spring, when there were plants blooming all around. Seasons were a little bit optional in the Caldera, and while the Village was still emerging from the depths of winter, other places were just as hot as summer. One of those places was the lush jungle to the south, where volcanic cones loomed overhead and red lines of lava traced their way down basalt slopes.

Taelah felt very out of place picking through the verdant undergrowth, even if [Vow] kept her entirely safe and comfortable. When she had just been an [Herbalist] she would not have imagined dealing with such exotic plants, and even after the Village had bound itself to Blue, she had mostly thought of herself as staying there. Despite everything she still thought of herself as a simple village Elder.

Yet here she was, actively seeking ways to level her Class and break through to the third tier. Some of that had already been accomplished simply by adapting some of the wildlife from the Bay of Stars. Glowing fish now swam the depths of the great central lake, and a number of [Nebula Foxes] resided in and around the Village. Starflies danced with fireflies in the warm fields to the south, and come summer they’d find the Village too.

All that had been fun and interesting and worth some Class experience, but she was looking for something that would push her further, and for that reason she was going through Blue’s most exotic areas. He still was missing a number of Affinity-specialized chrystheniums and the equivalent Sources, and while time and space were probably still beyond her ability, mind seemed like it might be possible.

The Scalemind would benefit the most from it, or so Taelah assumed. She wasn’t entirely certain how monsters worked, and whether they could use Sources the same way Classers could, but mind Affinity materials and Sources were so rare the Scalemind had never had any to test with. If Tor Kot brought his own monsters, there might be a chance to try then, but even if monsters couldn’t use Sources and Affinity materials, she’d still make it.

The Scalemind wouldn’t be monsters forever.

Besides, it was a real challenge for her skills and Skills. Between them, she and the dragons hadn’t catalogued half of what was in Blue’s Climates, and Blue himself didn’t really know. Part of it was that there was just so much that sorting through it was a tedious and lengthy process, and part of it was that Blue didn’t have any way to actually identify what any of his flora did. Not really.

She picked her way through vibrant reds and oranges, using [Phantasmal Gardener] more than her eyes to sense things. It wouldn’t be possible to tell whether a plant was using mental Affinity to begin with just by looking, and even if it were, a plant with such an Affinity would surely be hiding itself. With her Skills, though, she could find any such specimen. Prior to seeing some of what Blue’s Climates turned out, she would have doubted a plant would use mental Affinity, but with examples like the Tree of Eschaton it seemed very possible.

Even if she wasn’t finding mind Affinity flora to use, there were a lot of very interesting plants growing in the thick jungle. Here, there was a purple orchid that her Skills implied would make the most vibrant dye, there, an eye-searingly red creeper vine that was surprisingly sweet and tart once her Skill confirmed it was edible. Some thorny plants growing by themselves in a glade had a deadly enough poison that Taelah passed by them entirely, not wanting to bring that kind of thing into the Village. She simply took note of it for later so if anyone was interested, they could come find it themselves.

Iniri had been good enough to send out missives to other countries for any mind Affinity type plant they might have run across, but so far there had been no replies. The Caldera didn’t have everything in the world, despite the astounding variety Blue was capable of. Even several weeks into her search she hadn’t found anything, but she hadn’t even scratched the surface of what was there. Of course, she wasn’t spending all day looking, just a few hours while the twins were napping.

A shadow passed overhead and Taelah glanced up to see Telmarch banking toward her, the volcanic dragon looking like a lava bolide from certain angles before he dropped down to the jungle floor. Taelah winced as he shattered several trees doing so, just by sheer bulk. But little tongues of flame burnt the splinters to ash before they could even reach her, not that she really had much to worry about.

“Telmarch Ayn,” Taelah said neutrally. She wasn’t worried about the dragon. Not only had Lady Ziir beaten respect for her and Blue into their heads, but surrounded by plant life as she was, she could probably overpower him, at least temporarily. But Telmarch and Kesteni had been the least gracious of the dragons, and the ones most sullen about their place in things.

“Matriarch Taelah,” Telmarch responded, inclining his head. He seemed somewhat nervous, but that could be put down to the fact that Kesteni was nesting, or whatever it was called with dragons. She was closeted in their mountain peak, tending to the eggs. “Is there something I can help you with?”

“I expect not. I’m merely cataloguing what is around here and finding things to take back with me.” She gestured at the basket in her other hand. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”

“I am not disturbed,” Telmarch said, glancing back toward the volcanic peak. “In truth, it is probably good for me to give my mate some space.”

“Grumpy, is she?” Taelah asked with a smile. Obviously things worked differently for dragons than for human-kin, but she could conceive of no species where a new mother and a new father would not end up grumpy at some time or another.

“She is…” Telmarch took a moment to choose his word with care. “Fretting. She could not ask for a more perfect lair, and yet she finds it difficult to do anything but measure herself against the Great Lady.”

“Ah, I do understand that.” Obviously Telmarch couldn’t appeal to Lady Ziir about his mate’s worries, both because they involved her and because comparing one’s self to the greatest Power in the world was just silly. But people often thought silly things. “And of course, the more you try to reassure her the grumpier she gets.”

“Yes, exactly,” Telmarch agreed. He hesitated for a moment, then finally tossed his head slightly in a draconic shrug. “I was wondering if I might be able to ask you to have one or two of those source-bearing flowers nearby? A metal one and a stellar one?”

“You’ve already picked out the Affinities?” Taelah asked, smiling. From her discussions with Syrinu that was actually more important than picking out names.

“Yes, but I think it would be better if she found them growing outside rather than simply asking for the Sources.”

“I think that can be arranged,” Taelah said with amusement. It was actually quite thoughtful, and seeing the big volcanic dragon act so concerned was oddly adorable. “Just keep an eye out for anything with a mind Affinity, would you?” Telmarch blinked at her, then looked around at the vast jungle as if appraising how much he’d have to look through.

“Of course, Matriarch Taelah,” Telmarch said. Taelah nodded in satisfaction. While she hadn’t been intending any sort of dragon diplomacy, it had turned out quite well. If she wanted to build trust between the different people of the Caldera, she had to be on useful terms with them. She mentally moved the Ayn pair from neutral to positive, and hummed to herself as Telmarch dipped his head and took back to the sky.

Taelah regarded the scorched clearing he left behind and shook her head. While he might be in the positives, she still didn’t want him visiting the Village. They’d be extinguishing fires the entire time he was there.