Claire grimaced and readjusted the straps of her pack. This was what she got for going swimming without sunscreen. She had felt just fine yesterday but today her shoulders and face were a rather alarming shade of red. She could deal with the sunburns on her face and neck, but the ones on her shoulders kept rubbing. Next time they reached a town she was going to get some aloe and sunscreen.

"Claire!"

The sound of Blinky's voice drew Claire back to the present. She had made it back to the caves without noticing.

"Hey, Blinky," She said with a tired smile. "How is everyone?"

"Mostly sleeping." He smiled back at her as she stepped into the shadows. "Did the scouting go well?"

Claire nodded, absently swinging her pack off her shoulders. A small sigh of relief crept past her lips at the release of pressure.

"I managed to find a good route in an old dry streambed. Even if we can't make it to the hills by morning there will still be plenty of places to take shelter from the sun."

"Well done," Blinky said beaming at her.

"Thank…" Claire's words cut off into a hiss when he tried to pat her shoulder.

The troll immediately pulled back.

"Are you all right? Did I hurt you?"

"It's okay Blinky," Claire said holding up a hand. "I just have a sunburn…"

Blinky's eyes widened in alarm.

"A sunburn! I thought you humans could not be harmed by the sun!"

He grabbed her arms eyes darting around rapidly.

"Where is the stain?"

"It's the red skin," Claire said awkwardly indicating to the visible burning on her neck and face. "But it's not that bad…"

"Not that bad?!" Blinky exclaimed. Despite his apparent panic his fingers where gentle as he tilted her head to the side. "I know you're young and feel invulnerable, but injuries from the sun are not to be trifled with. How far down do your burns extend?"

"Just down to here," She said indicating at her chest. She tilted her head back down to try to catch his eyes. "Seriously Blinky it's not…"

"Of course it is! Clearly you have no idea what could happen!" His free hands nervously twisted themselves together. "We must get you treated immediately. I do not know what happens to humans, but in trolls untreated sunstains can result in loss of our surface layer in the affected areas. It can be crippling! You humans, however, cannot afford to lose your skin. You bleed so easily."

He carefully grabbed her hands.

"Please Claire, you must take your health seriously." He turned and started to pull her into the cave.

"Blinky!" Claire said sharply, digging her feet in. They did not need to panic the other trolls over this.

He glanced back at her and she pulled her arm out of his grip.

"Listen to me. I've had sunburns before; everyone gets them occasionally. I'll be fine. It just hurts. They aren't lethal to humans." Well unless they turned into skin cancer, but she wasn't discussing that particular topic with him until he calmed down.

Blinky blinked at this, eyes still slightly wide and fingers twitching with nervous energy.

"But…"

She rested a hand on his shoulder and tried to copy the firm but gentle look her Mom gave anxious townspeople when they needed to calm down.

"Seriously Blinky. It just hurts. I'll be better in few days, a few weeks at worst." She carefully kept her voice nice and level. The troll still looked anxious but he appeared to be calming down.

"Is there nothing we can do about your pain?" He asked finally turning back toward her. "You flinched when I touched you! I've seen you take harsh blows without hesitating."

"Humans have a lot of nerves in our skin, so sunburns tend to just cause a lot of pain for us even when they're mild." She finally caught his gaze. "I'm going to pick up some aloe when we reach town. That will help. I'm going to be okay."

His eyes darted around her face as if trying to confirm her words before he finally relaxed. His shoulders sagged and he slumped back against the wall, slowly sliding down to the floor with a soft thud.

"Thank Deya," He murmured.

"Blinky?" Claire asked, hesitantly settling down next to him.

"I must seem so foolish to you," He said with a soft watery chuckle. "Getting hysterical over something you view as so little."

Claire opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it and waited.

After a moment Blinky sighed. He looked down at his hands.

"I… Back when I started training Master Jim, I didn't realize just how fragile you humans are compared to us trolls. I almost killed him several times without realizing it due to my own carelessness."

Claire stared at him in surprise. Jim had mentioned that his training had been really rough back at the start but Blinky had been so patient and helpful when she started learning that she hadn't thought much of it.

"Since then I've watched the three of you -mere children!- fling yourselves up against foes that would make a grown troll quiver in fear. You've always come out on top… but for how long?"

His hands clenched into fists.

"When you told me you had been burned I thought I had missed yet another thing. That you were once again paying for my ignorance."

He looked back up at her, ears dropping and an oddly lost look in his eyes.

"We've lost so much… We… I can't lose you too."

Claire's heart twinged painfully. Her relationship with Blinky wasn't quite like Jim's (She had her own father after all.) but the kind and chaotic scholarly troll had still become something of a parent figure to her.

She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him.

"I'll be okay," She murmured as he returned the embrace, hands coming to rest on her head and back, carefully away from the sunburns. He was shaking slightly. "We'll be okay."

She held on until he stopped shaking and then started to draw back. Before she could move away completely he learned forward and gently pressed his forehead to hers. She blinked, eyes widening in surprise slightly. She remembered reading that knocking foreheads together (or horns) was a familial gesture for trolls. Surprise was replaced by an unexpected sense of rightness. She gently pressed back.

After they drew apart Blinky wiped at his eyes.

"Thank-you," He said, softly. Whether for explaining things to him or for the comfort or for accepting him as family she wasn't sure.

"Of course," She said easily because the reason didn't really matter.

She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"If you like, I could teach you about human health and first aid. Doctor Lake would probably send us some of her textbooks if we asked."

Blinky chuckled. He still sounded a bit shaky, but an excited glint was returning to his eyes.

"I would like that."