Acceptable

“No you foolish gnome, don’t you see? The moment you step foot back on Toril time will catch up with you. Think again about what I taught you yesterday about the river.”
The gnome looked at the small blue figure with doubt, wondering if this was yet another trick. She placed her fists on her hips and glared at him. “You have been here too long not to have figured more out.”
“I am trying. I am barely understanding this whole debt thing and how the land could possibly hold anyone to such. You said it wasn’t alive or conscious…this just doesn’t make any sense. Can’t I just release you?” he asked in growing frustration gesturing at her.
She was silent and crossed her arms and waited for him to accept the realities she was explaining. She felt a touch of something warm her cheeks at his dismissal of her debt but that would not do. She brushed it aside. No, normally she would have just wrapped the debt back on him but something prevented her. He wasn’t like the humans she had encountered. Perhaps because he was genuinely concerned for her above himself that caused the magic to prevent her escape from it and tempered her normal independence? She took a breath and let it out through her nose. “Sit down you fool. You will trample the moss if you keep pacing.” The gnome did so and folded his hands over his head with his head in his lap..
“How did you make it out of the Feydark anyway? You should have been a quick meal for the Fomorian.” The gnome looked up and a faint smile flickered over his face briefly. He flicked his hand and mumbled some of the old arcane language and suddenly he was indistinguishable from the other stones around him. Her eyes squinted as she sought to peer through the illusion…she was unable. The illusion dropped and he met her surprised gaze. “I haven’t met someone from your world that could deceive me with an illusion.” The gnome shrugged his response “Glittergold blessed us with creativity and we can better picture and hold what we want to create than most races.” She nodded briefly. “They should have found you by smell though?” The gnome nodded and produced a bit of grease from a tin and held it out for her. She shouldn’t accept his secrets she knew, it would further hold her in the debt magic. But she took it anyway and peered at it. He must have cut the gills of the larger ones to collect the dust and mix it in. She nodded approval and handed it back. He leaned back and rested his head against the trunk. With a flutter of her wings she lighted on his knee. He didn’t jump or start. This was an odd one. He just looked down at her.
“Alright, can you recount again the exact phrasing she used when she offered you the necklace?” He nodded. She walked up a couple steps toward him, feeling his aura carefully for any sign of deceit or anger. “Alright then. Lets go over it again and see if we may make a counter offer that would prevent you being stuck for the rest of your life or lose it.
 
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She glanced at the lantern again. “And you said the oil you mixed with Morai helped you find the crossing points?”
“I was trying to make another batch that would allow me to see spirits. I didn’t realize they floated between both planes. Morai didn’t really explain it though I guess she warned me.”
Ethyl picked another pear carefully, cutting it in two and removing the seeds as she had instructed and pocketing them after planting one nearby. He took a bite and enjoyed the sweetness. He cut a thin sliver for her and she took it in her hand, freezing it and eating it with a crunch like a carrot.
“Ok,” she said after a mouthful “We have enough to work with. She thinks you are entirely dependent on her. We can work with this. Come…we will make some vellum and draw up a counter offer then.” She drew her bow and took to the air. A few feet up and away and he didn’t follow. She turned back and looked at him. She didn’t need to get close enough to feel his aura to know what was going on. He wasn’t scared but he was embarrassed. “You don’t know how to defend yourself or hunt really do you?” He splayed his hands out and smiled. Shoot that was growing on her. The land would not let her go from this one for a while…The other sprites would give her a time of it if they found out. Better to help him and escape that embarrassment anyway.
“I’m willing to try.” Ethyl said. She gave a nod. “Alright, fetch your rope and hammer. We will start with something small.” and she twisted in the air and allowed the heat to carry her further into the wood ahead of him looking for signs of almiraj or perhaps those ferrets. She would love to deal with them. Yes, they would start with the ferrets. She looked back at her gnome, hurrying to keep up and smiled slightly. She would teach him. He would surely do better than that arrogant wizard had.