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Quest Time!

On a particularly snowy day, a package wrapped in brown paper arrives on the doorstep. It isn't addressed properly, thus it can be assumed that it was delivered by hand; yet, there are no signs of footprints on scene at all. Prana's name, in messy cursive writing, seems to be the only clue to the mysterious person's identity.

Inside will be a drum bound in leather and decorated with beads and feathers. Take us through a twilight experience in which the drum, as well as the feathers that Prana has been collecting, play an important role in helping Prana discover more about her past self.

Lafe was wriggling in Wren's as much as possible, once he heard the click of the HQ door shutting behind them. They were inside the building and that meant Wren could let him down now, he didn't have to hold him all the time. Obviously, the demon didn't realize that Lafe was well over his being held and carried limit. He buried his face into his scarf, tail swishing in mild agitation, while Wren continued to carry him towards the couch and the chairs.

"Impatient today, aren't we?" Wren asked, peering down at Lafe as he set him on the couch and put his courier bag beside the baby. The look Lafe gave him, or rather the childish glare, might've been cute but it faded quickly and the young pooka started to look around the place. He was seeing if anybody else was around, his ears listening intently and his nose sniffing at the air. Wren was, of course, busy pulling out a few things for Lafe from his bag.

Prana ran from the car, and was at the HQ door well before her Guardian even stepped out of the car.
"Hurry mum!" She called back, cupping her hands over her mouth to amplify the sound. Faevan just shook her head, laughing.
"Go on inside. I'll be there in half a moment." She gave a quick glance to make sure Prana did indeed go inside before rummaging through the backseat of her car, past the wrappers from yesterday's lunch, looking for her Prana's things.
Prana, in the meantime, had barreled into the HQ. She had been anxious to get back, wanting to knw if Guinny was feeling better. However, a Legend of a whole different color seemed to be watiting for her. Her green eyes grew wide, reflecting the swishing tail, the pointed ears. She remembered the fox Legend...and despite her best efforts, she was scared. Unconciously, her hand rose to her injured arm, covering the scars gently. He's not Anasai...He's not Anasai... She repeated over and over to herself. However, try as she might, she couldn't coax her feet to move.
"Munchkin, why are you standing in the doorway?" Faevan inquired as she caught up with the girl. A look of understanding crossed her features as she caught sight of Lafe. "Prana, why don't you go say hi." She said deliberately, placing her hand square between Prana's shoulderblades and unshering her forward a few paces. "Here." She placed a tupperware container full of sliced avocados in Prana's hand. "Maybe he's hungry, Why don't you go share?" Prana glanced up at Faevan nervously, her hands trembling a little. But she nodded, and slowly, she made her way closer to the other child.

Lafe's ears perked up at the sound of voices and then the scent in the air. It was one that he could only vaguely remember. There was an edge to it, fear as his instincts told him. Silver-blue eyes watched Prana from the doorway, trying to peek around Wren when she was briefly out of sight. There was a small half-smile on his face, tail swishing a bit slowly. Part of him was curious why she smelled of fear.

"... and it looks like company," Wren said, watching Lafe carefully and straightening up. He turned around to face both Prana and Faevan with a smile. "I believe I've run into you once before," he said with a grin, "hello to the both of you." This was the girl who was afraid of foxes, as Faevan had told him the last time they met. He took a step away from Lafe, careful for the moment and just watching the preceedings.

The pooka barely paid Wren any notice, Lafe's interest was elsewhere. After a moment of studying Prana once more, he raised his hand and opened and closed his palm in a small wave. If anything, from the smile on his face, to the posture he was keeping, he was trying to seem like something one shouldn't fear. Instinctively, part of him was trying to put Prana at ease.

Prana watched Lafe wave at her, the simple opening and closing of the hand a gesture she vaugely rembered doing herself as a child. She relaxed her posture a bit, just a little bit, at this sight. Slowly, she took a step closer, then another, then another, her eyes locked with Lafe's. Finally, when she was about five feet from the other child, she sat down. Prying the lid off the food, she placed the tupperware on the ground, pushing it toward Lafe so it rested between them.
"You can have some...if you want." She said, looking at Faevan for approval. Faevan nodded, crossing the room and depositing Prana's bag gently by her side before seating herself on a chair nearby Wren. Prana watched her Guardian walk away, then turned her attention back to Lafe. There was somethng about this little fox...He didn't 'feel' like Anasai, or any of the shadowy foxes she'd seen in her dreams. But he was still a fox, and they weren't to be trusted, right?

"Looks like she's still not over it yet." Faevan sighed, looking at Wren. "Lafe really is a lovely Legend. I just wish Prana could see to too. Lafe is the only one she hasn't warmed up to yet..." She looked at Prana once more, her grey eyes looking seemingly into her Legend, as if she was trying to divine her thoughts.

Lafe's head tilted to the side, his ears cocking different directions, as Prana came closer and finally sat herself down. He let out a small noise, a happy one at that, and scooted forward some. He peered up at her curiously when the tupperware was pushed closer and she spoke. Sniffing at the air once again, he found that he remembered the smell. It was ... those things that was put on the salad at home. Cautiously, he reached forward to pick up one of the avacado slices. Once he did, he gave another glance to Prana to see if it was all right. To him she was wary and uncertain, so he wasn't sure if taking something from the tupperware was good or not.

"... it takes a bit to get over a fear though," Wren murmured back to Faevan, sitting on the arm of the chair he had claimed for himself. "I'm sure, with time, she'll get over it. Lafe wouldn't do a thing to her and when she realizes that, it might just help a bit." His eyes shifted to look at Faevan briefly, a smile on his lips, before he turned back to look at Lafe.

Prana watched Lafe cautiously, but when he paused with the food, she blinked. Was he asking her permission? Very slowly, she nodded, and reached into the tupperware, taking a slice for herself. She took a bite, relaxing in the familiar flavor for a moment. Avocados were her favorite. Swallowing, she spoke. "See, they're good. You can eat it." The corner of her lips curled just the smallest bit, probably without her even knowing it. That Lafe was being careful...that was enough to lower the alert a bit.

Faevan nodded at Wren. "It just might..." She said, catching Prana's little smile and smirking herself.

The uncertain look on Lafe's face changed into a small half-smile at Prana giving her permission for him to actually take the avacado and eat. He pulled his hand back and brought it to his mouth to take a bite. It was kind of slimey, in a way, but he liked the taste of it and nibbled on the rest of the avacado slice until it was gone. His tail swished a bit, mood lightening a bit with Prana not as uneasy around him.

"She's a sweet young lady," Wren said with a small chuckle, meaning it as a compliment towards Prana's behaviour. If anything, he was a bit glad himself. Lafe was wary around most, but it seemed like he was trying to put Prana at ease and instead of the other slowly gaining his trust.

"Thank you." Faevan said, nodding her head at the compliment. "She's been through a lot. I'm suprised she's still so inquisitive and well tempered." She watched the two. "Lafe seems to be equally as sweet. You'll see, once Prana finds out his tail is fluffy and soft, she'll never want to let him go." She gave a small chuckle.

Prana watched Lafe eat, not sure what she should do now. She caught sight of his tail swishing and thought for a moment. She remembered that Waya's tail swished when he was happy. Maybe Lafe was too? Happy was always good. Her fingers began wrapping about the cord on her bag, and a wisp of a thought passed through her mind. She opened the bag, and began pulling out feathers, one by one, lining them up on the floor.
"The Legends gave me these." She explained abruptly.

"She's strong then, to be like that still," Wren replied, smiling easily and shifting so that he was actually properly situated in the chair. "And thanks, Lafe can be sweet." He merely chuckled, inclining his head slightly. "... though, he's a bit finicky about anyone touching his tail or ears. My other son, Mael, loves fuzzy things and ... well. You can imagine what happens when you mix a child who's forward and one who doesn't like being touched unless he wants to be."

Lafe's eyes went to the feathers on the floor that the older girl laid down. He had things like that! Were those from the ones with wings too? He patted his clothing, trying to find where it was, his feather. After a moment, he pulled his hand back and opened it up. There was a white feather in the palm of his head, surprisingly in good condition. He didn't recall who gave him the feather, but it was his, so he mimicked Prana and set it down on the floor in front of himself.

Prana looked at the white feather with a little suprise. She pointed at it slowly.
"Demare?" She asked, nudging one of her feathers closer, a white one identical to the one Lafe had shown her. Demare had given her one too. "Demare gave me this one." She pointed at hers. No matter how her mind tried to rationalize Lafe, it seemed this little Legend had the approval of her friends. Again, her guard dropped, just a bit. "Is Demare your friend too." Her fear was beginging to become replaced by curiosity, and unconsciously, she leaned closer to the fox child.

Lafe could only nod his head a little, agreeing. ( This feather wasn't from Mikhael, no, he had different feathers -- Lafe remembered seeing them. ) He nudged his feather forward a bit more, so that it was close to Prana's. His did look like hers. Making a small noise, a sign of him trying to say yes without words, he looked up at her with a small half-smile. Just a sniff of the air and his own senses told him that she was relaxing and as she did, he did too. She wasn't as scared of him, which was good. He didn't want her to be. Making another small noise, he pointed at another one of her feathers. Where'd she get the rest?

Prana followed Lafe's finger, pointing with her own.
"These are from Chesai." She pointed tot he two red and gold feathers. "And this is from Dare, it belonged to his brother." She nudged a hawk feather forward so Lafe could see. "The brown one is from Gyre, and this one," She picked up the black feather,"is from Chandra. That one is extra special. It turned black when she pulled it." She stroked the black feather gently, remembering the day it was given to her. She hadn't seen Chandra in a long time. "I don't see many of these Legends anymore." She said, idly toying with the feathers.

Lafe focused on each feather when she pointed at them, though his gaze lingered on the red and gold feathers as well as the hawk feather. Dare's name was familiar, he remember something like that being spoken by Wren. His attention focused on the black feather, as Prana ran her finger along it. Chandra he remembered and the smile on his face grew some, if only because he remembered the music the girl had played.

The tone of Prana's voice, however, made Lafe make a small whine. As if, he was trying to say '... hey, you could see them again.'

Prana looked up quickly at the whine, startles. But Lafe's face looked, almost saddeded.
"I'm ok. I just miss my friends. They all seem to go away. But I went away for a long time too, so its only fair, right?" She said, forcing a smile larger than she felt to reassure the Legend. Somewhere, in realizing she made the toddler worry, she placed her fear aside to reassure him. "They'll come back someday." She began to place the feathers safely away, but stalled when she reached Demare's feather. The two moved, and she didn't know which one was hers anymore. "Uh oh..."

Lafe's tail swished a bit slowly at first, but a bit more as Prana continued speaking. So long as she was all right, though he didn't quite believe she was all right ( and it showed in the look he ave her ) as the way her voice and smile wanted him to believe. Nodding his head a little, he watched her put up the feathers, before she paused at -- well. Lafe blinked his eyes repeatedly, the feathers did look a like, but they were moved about. ... but ... wasn't the one closest to him his? He reached forward with his hand, hovering over the feather he believed to be his. Hers ... wasn't it fluffier than his?

Prana looked at Lafe, wondering if he would recognize his own. Her hand moved toward the one he had not chosen, but hovered without touching it. Was this it? Was the other one hers. Her hand moved a bit, and she bumped Lafe's fibgers gently. Eyes wide, she pulled her hand back to her lap, looking more shocked than scared.

Lafe was pretty sure his was straight and smooth, it was why he wasn't heading towards the softer one. Maybe, if he tested the one against his cheek like he normally did he could tell the difference -- and then he suddenly pulled his hand back when Prana's hand bumped his softly. He held his hand back a moment, head tilted and curious eyes focused on Prana. It was ... all right. She just bumped him, that was all, and he was a little surprised by it. He slowly moved his hand back towards the feathers, though his eyes were on Prana and not the feathers then.

Prana simply sat frozen, pondering the breif contact. It hadn't hurt her...or so she thought. Part of her didn't want to find out, but part of her had to know...
Slowly, very slowly, she held her hand out toward Lafe, fingers outstretched, not sure what she was expecting.

Lafe paused, his hand pulling back from the feathers as Prana's hand was held out towards him. He, for a sudden change, eyed her hand warily and then looked up at her face. Silver-blues were focused on her, and it was a gaze in which Lafe was truly trying to determine if it was ... all right or not. His nose twitch and he sniffed a bit at the air, before he finally started to move again. Something told him it was a good idea to touch her hand again and slowly, cautiously, his small fingers reached out to brush against Prana's larger hand tenatively.

Prana felt the touch, scrutinizing it. It didn't hurt at all. And his hand was warm, and most of all safe. Finally, a true smile broke out on mer face, and one of her last remaining barriers melted away. Finally, she was ready to give Lafe a fair and fighting chance. In her relief, she gave a small chuckle, and with her free hand she pushed her bangs out of her eyes. She hadn't realized she'd been hiding behind her hair.

Lafe smiled, a wider smile and more than the half-smile he was all most all ways carried on his face. There was an echoing set of giggles from Lafe after Prana, and he patted her hand a bit once she seemed truly comfortable with him. Everything would be all right, he knew it, and unconsciously he was ensuring it. As wary as she felt, and the fear he had smelled earlier, the other Legend could do with a bit of good fortune in her life -- and all it took was one little pooka who wanted to see less fear and more smiles to cause it. Even if he would never consciously realize it ( and the other never know ), Lafe was tilting luck in Prana's favor.

After a moment, his hand simply resting against hers, he was peering at the size different. Everyone, it seemed like they had bigger hands than him.

At Lafe's giggles, Prana laughed agaian, feeling at ease and something else, something she couldn't quite place. She felt almost brave. Cautiously, she mover her hand, hovering it near Lafe's head. She had remembered Keita liking 'ear scritches', perhaps Lafe would too. She almost mimicked his questiong gaze, hovering her fingertips close enough to make her intentions known, but far enough away not to invade within his personal space.
"Ear scritches?" She asked quietly, explaing her actions.

Lafe went very still at the hand over his head and his head tilted up, peering at her questioningly. This time, it was a matter of him trusting her enough to scratch his ears. They were sensitive and he wasn't fond of people touching his ears ... He made a small noise, questioning still, before he tilted his head just slightly. If she let him touch her hand, then ... he could let her scratch his ears. He could trust her, he thought.

Prana gently let her fingers touch Lafe, not directly on his ears, but at the place wheer they met his scalp, running them gently along his hairline with enough pressure to be soothing, but not tickle. She let them linger for a bit, then retracted her hand back, feeling almost as if she had tamed a lion.
"You're soft." Prana said with a small smile.

Faevan caught her breath as she watched Prana play with Lafe's ears. "Well I'll be..." She breathed, her jaw hanging open in awe.

... well, that wasn't so bad. Lafe smiled faintly, making a pleased noise in his throat at the rubbing to his ears. She had soft hands and it felt nice -- it was different than he expected. He reached up with a hand, rubbing at his own ear, as if surprised himself that he had let her scratch his ear and that it felt nice. There was another faint smile on his face when she spoke.

Wren was entirely speechless. If only because, well. He couldn't remember anyone really scratching Lafe's ears besides Alejandro. The demon merely shook his head, an amused smile on his face, and no clue what to say to that. It looked like both of the legends had made a few steps forward today, so to speak. "... certainly something else," he murmured.

Prana started to giggle, but this time, her attention was not on Lafe. Closing her eyes, she grabbed at her leg, then her stomach, then her neck. Finally, a pair of little beady eyes peeked out from her collar. Swiftly, she clasped her hand about the small creatire, beaing careful so the claws on her gloves wouldn't harm it.
"This is Mouse." Prana said, opening her hand. A little mouse peered up from her palm. While Mouse and Lafe met, Prana looked about, wondering where Mouse had come from. A small trail of trinkets and beadsfrom her pouch to her pantleg had been left behind by her sneaky friend, giving away her secret hiding place. "I haven't seen her in a long time. I thought she ran away..."

Lafe squirmed back some when Prana started giggling and grabbing at herself. Just what was wrong now? And then Prana caught whatever it was and he leaned forward some to look in her opened hands. He sniffed at the air around Mouse and smiled a little. He had seen creatures like these before, Mael liked them ... This one was special to Prana though, unlike the ones Mael ended up with, and she obviously looked happy to have Mouse with her again. It was a good thing, obviously.

Prana placed Mouse up my her mouth and whispered something to the creature, and immediately, Mouse scooted back into her back, coming back out again with a little turquoise bead. Prana lowered her hand, and Mouse ran up to it, dropping the bead in her palm. Prana took it in her fingertips and held it out to Lafe.
"So I remember you're good..." She said, offering it to him.

Lafe peered curiously at the little bead, before he reached forward with his small hand to pluck the bead from Prana's fingers. It felt smooth and he let it slip from his fingers into the palm of his hand, where he pushed it around with a finger. After a quiet moment of studying the bead, he looked up at Prana and smiled at her ( his way of saying thank you ), tail swishing quickly. The bead was pretty!

Prana smiled, her eyes closing happily with the grin. Now she would remember that Lafe was good next time she saw him.

Faevan was awestruck, but not too much to notice what time it was. "I think we best be off, Prana needs to have something besides fast food for once, and if we don't get home soon I'll be too tited to cook." Faevan explained to Wren. "It was good to see you again." She gave him a smile and a wave before calling to Prana.

Prana looked at her Mum, then back at Lafe.
"You're a good fox, right?" She asked, collecting her tupperware and her bag (making sure to tuck Mouse safely inside before Faevan saw her) and standing up. With a small wave to Lafe, she turned toward her Guardinan.

"I'm proud of you Munchkin, you did good today." Prana simply gave a little nod.

Lafe plucked up his feather and carefully held onto his bead as well as he watched Prana, smile still on his face. He nodded in agreement with her words, waving in return when she did and started to move away. He felt good, very good, now. Like he had done something that he was suppose to be done.
"I need to get home too, before the wife decides to cook without me," Wren chuckled, nodding to Faevan and moving to pick up Lafe and his things. "It was good to see you two, hopefully we'll see you again." Charming smile in place, he waved to the two of them, before leaning over to pick Lafe up off of the ground. For once, Lafe held his arms up to be picked up. He wanted to go home too and let out a large yawn.