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"You''re trying to irritate them, aren''t you?" Aleric asked, pulling his hand away and raising his staff again. "What happened?"

"Well, seems the old lady doesn''t much like touching for one." Silva said before the fighting began again. "And she''s passed it on to the kid. Like I said, give it up. That one''s a lost cause." He wanted them to hear this part.

"I don''t want to believe that. I have hopes that when the bloom arrives, she might become friends with her." Aleric said. "Our little girl will need friends."

"Yours, not ours." Silva said, finally attacking. Aleric blocked.

"Either way, she''ll still need friends." He replied.

"I don''t have any, I came out perfectly fine." Silva replied, speeding up just enough to force Aleric to concentrate. He was done with this subject.

"Bertrand, look!" A voice rang out just on the edge of the area, surprising strong for such a little source. It was immediately followed by its source, a tiny figure of yellow, who immediately flitted for the closest thing, which happened to be one of the human-sized tire swings. This figure landed on it immediately, teetering on the lip of what appeared to be a bottomless cavern. After all, she had never seen a thing like this before, and dark spaces, back where she came from, tended to be just that.

This strange being was trailed by another, this one blue, who soon landed beside the first, then looked out over the entirety of the park. "I dare say, Ernestine, this may yet be the precise location we have needed." Though he knew it impolite to point, he was in friendly company, and he knew the minority of said impoliteness could be overlooked. So point he did, across the way to where the miniature playground stood. "And behold! There lies a space that appears to be solely for us!"

They both looked at each other, sudden bright grins lighting their faces, before an unspoken challenge was issued, and they both lifted from the swing and made a beeline for the tiny toys. It wasn't long before they were both dangling from various parts of the monkeybars, upside down and rightside up, laughing and conversing in a much quieter tone than the one they had used when they had entered the scene.

Both paused in their conversation, turning their heads nearly simultaneously to see who was greeting them. Ernestine, who was hanging by her elbows, was the first to call back, "Greetings!"

"And salutations!" was immediately chimed in from Bertrand, who happened to be hanging from his knees at the moment, his hair dangling all about his face. In a smooth movement, he bent backwards and grasped another bar, then dropped his legs and twisted his arms, turning himself about to be able to look straight at the coming person.

It occurred to them both that he was Feien, and a grown one at that, though not near as tall as Maq was. However, Bertrand was the only one who realized what it might be that the man was carrying. After all, he'd had some experience with blooms, and this was the most bloom-looking bloom that a Feien could possibly cart about.

They smiled pleasantly, then dropped off the monkeybars as one, landing neatly on the ground and waiting for him to reach them.

Bertrand bowed from the waist as Aleric introduced himself, then took the liberty to do the same on his side. "I am Bertrand, and this is Ernestine." Ernestine bowed as well, a bit more of a bob, though her eyes were on the bloom.

Her hand caught one of Bertrand's wings eagerly, and she tugged ever-so-slightly. "Bertrand, is that a bloom?" While some might think it odd that she would confer with her companion, and not the one actually in possession of the alledged bloom, Bertrand was more concerned with the properness of the inquisition.

"What my Bondsister means to say, sir, is that we are both terribly pleased to be of aquaintance." His smile was broad and pleasant, and he shook the wing that Ernestine continued to cling to instinctively.

At the offer, Ernestine quickly released Bertrand's wing, her hand reaching towards the bloom. Bertrand had moved forward as well, not being needed to be told twice that he could touch the bloom. They both laid palms upon it, Ernestine a hair of a moment before Bertrand, and she smiled happily up at Aleric. "You know that she's a she?"

Leaving Ernestine to ask the questions, as she would be much better at doing so than he, Bertrand instead turned his attention to the bloom, speaking softly and directly to it. After all, he'd had much experience doing the same when Ernestine had been a bloom. "It is a honor and a pleasure to make your aquaintance, Ruby Soho." His hand smoothed the petals gently, taking care not to bump into the circling palm that was Ernestine's. "You are a lovely bloom, and I am of all certainty that you shall be a lovely person as well."

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"Monsieur Maquinar is quite a gentleman, and if Ruby Soho is to meet any adults, I would highly recommend him." Bertrand's words were echoed by Ernestine's nod.

"Even though Maq's waaaay taller than you, Aleric." She didn't know his exact height, but she knew it was taller than Aleric.

Both looking up at him, eyes wide and alight with excitement, they exclaimed in unision, "Of course we would!"