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"Greetings, sister," Gwynna replied, holding up one hand to press palms with Kidra. "Oh yes, I'm fine. I just missed out on those beautiful banyas. Nusa here brought them to my attention."

As if the mere mention of her name could wake her from her light doze on her mother's shoulder, Nusa lifted her head and chirruped at Kidra. She sniffed at Kidra; this new person had all sorts of interesting smells.

Gwynna smiled proudly at her little daughter. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Kidra. I am Gwynna and this little one is Nusa."

"Oh, such a sweet little one. Such an unusual animal, too." Kidra smiled up at Nusa's mother. "She'll likely be quite a unique child. I'm sure you can't wait to see her smiling face. ...That always does it, you know- that sweet baby face. Grabs at your heart and won't let go." Kidra was feeling a little sad that Stefan had returned home... but at least she knew that he was in the right place. Even though she had become fond of the Persian Roe Deer, there was little place for him with her. She was not meant to be his mother- and the meij knew it. He would never be blessed with his next form until he found his true mother or father.

"But aren't you headed into the Twiggle? There are many Banyas there, deep in. You could catch a Wild."

Leax pulled back from the kiss, swamped with the feeling of unabated love. He did not know that some of it had been manipulated- he didn't even think of it that way.

"So... you'll consider coming with us, then?" He crooned.

"Trust me," Algonya said, while Annjette was still getting the creature, and keeping her head bowed down so that Voltaire would be unable to distinguish the deformity of her face, "this is a deed that will save more than just the child."

When Annjette returned with the petrified mouse, Algonya reached out to take it, thrusting from beneath her swarthed clothing... a large, black talon, with three golden, vicious claws protruding, as if they were ready to strike. She took the mouse gently, however, and turned it over with her other hand, also taloned and malformed.

"It's been Hesitated. Medusa Dust." She bowed slightly to Annjette's level. "I can take it from its hesitation, but it will be as it was before... gasping for breath, gasping for life." She held back a shudder, recalling the nightmare as vivid as day. "But... I can transform it, now- change it to a creature similar, to one that is whole. Then, when it is changed, it can return to a life."

She knew the girl wanted it healed- and that she would have done so, even if there was hesitation on Annjette's part... so she did not wait for a response. Algonya cupped her two talons together, creating a horrifying shield about the mouse. Then she tipped back her hood with a jerk of her head. What showed... was a face more animal than human, more twisted than real. She had been a golden eagle at birth- a glorious, magnificent creature that had been tainted by the meij into a Darkling Infant... as all Fortunettes are, in the beginning of life. But unlike so many who grow into a path of Fortune, into love and understanding and acceptance- she had been cursed, and every growth had brought her closer to a path of darkness. She was one of the few Unfortunette Adults who could still be around people- who hadn't become innately evil. But she had paid the price for her life of darkness, and now, her form had spent years trying to revert back to a day when she had been whole... when she had been a Golden Eagle. But every step her body took to heal itself, the dark meij inflicted more pain upon her, covering her with the black marks of Evil, and twisting her shape. But she could still do good in this world, she knew. She could still prevent the wound of this from happening to any other.

Particularly to this child... who had such danger and power in her future, were she unguided.

Algonya had no choice but to show her face, but she bowed it, ashamed of its visage. For a brief, shining moment in her life- solely in infancy and early childhood, she'd had long, beautiful golden hair and vivid green eyes- she was a child of beauty. But now, all that remained were those few strands of gold hair- a mockery clinging to darkness... and her eyes were cloudy with muddy brown.

Her beak opened, and a stream of black and gold came from it. The CurseBreath flowed over the Medusa'd Mouse... and with a frothing of black bubbles that seemed to erupt upon the air- it transformed into a stone ermine, still twisted in the form that the mouse had taken upon its final breath. Only then did she bring the creature to the air, and speak several words of an incantation. As the stone dust cracked and fell from the creature, she handed it back to the girl- and covered her face and hands once more.

The ermine, once it had come free of its prison, was confused, believing still... that it was a mouse. But it had forgotten its deadly squeeze, instead imprinting upon Annjette, and curling into her arms, deciding that this was where it was meant to be.

"Well, most of them are Wilds, actually. Only a few breeds- the Fire, and the Lilas, and a few other mottled ones, are bred in towns and by breeders. The rest are all from the Wild. And only Fortune Banyas really crave the wild- they're the most likely to fly away, I believe. But the others truly enjoy having someone to read for. There are a few cases of a Banya being Wild for so long, that they catch every meij fortune that blows by on the wind- not having a specific person to catch fortunes for, so they capture them all... and go insane. ...Which can be an interesting bird to have, but still- a little overwhelming."

"The ermine, now... has been tainted by the meij. Which means that it may become a fortuneteller itself. But that... was not the gift," the woman explained. "Just righting what had gone wrong."

Algonya knelt down- it was easier to maintain her balance when she did so- especially when she would need to use her arms to invoke the meij.

The Unfortunette swirled her arms in the air, and spoke a deep, thick incantation of power and pleading. It asked the meij to deliver to this girl her gift- to protect her and to give her the power over her own destiny. These last words- were the only that were spoken in the language that Annjette and her father would understand.

"....The aid to give her... a power over her own destiny."

With that, a black and white light clapped over them, creating a sound like a thunderbolt, and blinding them all for a moment. Algonya was prepared for it, but even she almost fell to the ground with the sound, and the flash of light.

When it ebbed, a white glow covered Annjette's left hand, and a black on the right.

"That... will fade in a few minutes," Algonya explained, "But now, if you concentrate, you will be able to create swirls of energy in the air with your hands- black from your right, and white from your left. In time, it will become easier to do- and you may even be able to attach the energy to objects. Also... for now, they are powerless, but as you come to understand them, and as you come to grow- they will take on distinct powers. ...Just... be careful what you use them for, and how you grow. These can become powers of good, or powers of evil."

They now watched Algonya go through the next set of motions. The ermine with the curiosity of any creature of it's ilk (far too much). When the clap and the flash of light happened it blindly retreated onto Annjette's shoulder and curled up there for a moment throughly startled.

Annjette's hands now free (and glowing); the swan-girl looked them over with amazement and curiosity. This was turning into quite a day for her, "I...I will try to be careful." Which was as good as good a promise anyone can get from a child still unsure of her own destiny. Annjette only knew that she suddenly felt more secure somehow.