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It is early evening: the sun has just settled below the horizon, leaving a warm flush to the darkening sky, and in the nicer areas of town street lamps are being patiently lit, one by one. There are few lights here in the seedier districts, though later in the evening the moon will provide some illumination. But there is still enough light to see a small blur dart through the streets, nimbly dancing around unwary pedestrians -- it runs on four legs, being about the size of a dog, though much more delicate in construction. Its legs are immensely long in comparison to its round barrel chest, and in the darkness cream-colored splotches are just barely visible on its rump.

Some distance behind the bolting fawn is a man, a good head taller than most of those he passes in the crowd. He is also running, but as he has a greater bulk to carry he is not running nearly as fast. Not being nearly as agile as the fawn besides, he is also greatly delayed by avoiding or stumbling into the poor folk that happen to be between him and his target. Every now and then he raises his voice, and a certain breathless hoarseness to the sound of it suggests he has been running (and calling) for some time now.

"CADENCE! Hold, me lad, hold!" Gasping, he continues to run, the whole of his attention on that little brown blur, muttering under his breath as he goes. " .. bloody-minded .. little .. bugger .."

The fawn skids to a stop just in front of her when she addresses him, tilting his head up to look at her. He is surprisingly long-limbed, as if someone took his legs and stretched them: despite his size, from the shape of his body and his lack of antlers, he is apparently much younger than he looks. The uninitiated might assume that he'd fled from fright, but his ears are straight up and his little stump of a tail is flickering madly -- oh, he's up to no good all right! He gives her a hoarse little squeak, apparently in pleasure, then sniffs cautiously in Oberon's direction. The much bigger buck is the first thing that seems to worry him; his ears flatten back down, and he side-steps away from the other Guardian … and then, tail fluttering again, dives for safety by ducking underneath Rajani's skirts. Surely the other Guardian won't find him now! (If he realizes his rump is still sticking out, tail still wagging, it doesn't show.)

The sound of pounding feet can be heard, followed by a ragged call: "Cadence! Where ye be, lad! Cadence!" The voice is familiar, if she can place it, though the distant figure that rounds the corner looks rather more rumpled than he'd looked when he walked her home that night.

It isn't that the bite on his rump isn't enough, it's more like the bite will get Oberon precisely the wrong reaction. He's still a little thing, after all, and he doesn't understand a lot about human anatomy, or humans in general. So when Oberon nips him, his first reaction is to rear up with surprise. And then she nudges him with her leg, and tugs at her skirt, and he reacts with a moment's panic. He bounces forward, then back, kicking his back legs in Oberon's direction, and a toss of his head flings Rajani's skirts up -- meaning when she pulls at them, they might get pulled up a little higher than she intends. This done, the fawn falls back in surprise, landing on his rump, and after sitting there for a moment in shock, he looks up and over .. and bleats with pleasure as Macaire comes skidding to a stop just behind him.

And at that precise moment, he looks like he's wishing the very ground would split open and swallow him whole. 'Mortified' is only the beginning. Not only is this yet another person that he dismissed for believing in Guardians, his Guardian decides to introduce himself by flicking up her skirt! Oh, small gods' fury, she's going to think he taught it to the fawn, that he's a horrible person, a pervert, a …

"Lass," he croaks, "so, so, so sarry, oi dain't know what came o'er him, he's a mad thing, jest mad."

Poor Macaire only looks more and more like he wishes lightning would strike at this very moment, burning him instantly to bits: he doesn't even try to halt her laughter. He's well aware he deserves it! After the grief he'd given her and Warwick, over thinking that their Guardians were little more than well-trained animals! He just hangs his head and waits morosely for her to be able to catch her breath.

All the while his own Guardian is entirely unrepentant; he doesn't seem to understand his master's the one being laughed at -- and if he does he clearly doesn't mind it. Unlike Oberon, being protective of his Chosen has not yet occurred to him, and the little fawn knows only that Rajani's laughter is a funny, happy noise. He dances in a delighted little circle at the sound of it, prancing back and forth between the pair, though staying carefully out of Oberon's reach. Now and then he bleats a high pitched squeak of excitement, as if trying to match the noises Rajani is making without even understanding what they are.

" .. ye daft little thing. Dinnae ye ken ye gettin' me in a mort of trouble?"

"Oh, aye, milady. Aye." The soldier just sighs, though he doesn't admonish the lady for her laughter or her teasing. He'd practically accused her of being so silly as to believe in fake fables, just like he'd as good as told Warwick that he was lying and parading around with a circus animal! He's just lucky she didn't get angry with him, neither then nor now. So he just glumly withstands her laughter, looking like he ought to be scuffing his foot in the sand or twisting his cap in his hands with embarrassment. It doesn't do him any good that little Cadence is practically on fire with excitement over the whole thing.

In desperation, he regards Oberon with a woeful look, addressing his next comment directly to the Guardian. "Oi'm sairry, me lad. Oi was a ruddy fool, and 'tis meself she's tittering over."

"A week or twa, nae maire." A heavy sigh escapes him, relieved that she should have ceased to giggle over him but wearied beyond belief by his new companion, who it seems has more energy than three men combined. The little thing seems to realize it is being talked of, and crouches down, rear end wiggling with glee as it looks up at them both. "Oi dinnae exactly, he's cost me a mort've sleep." This last has a bit of a grumble to it, but the careless answer may paint the fawn in a new light -- for a two-week old fawn, Cadence is surprisingly large. His young age may account for why his legs look so long and spindly; he's still a baby, but from the looks of him, he's going to be a big lad when he comes into his own.

"Do they alwuyz be like this?" He sounds a touch desperate, as if he cannot quite keep up with the energetic little thing, and he actually gives Oberon a rather wistful stare: why can't his Guardian be more like Oberon is now? "Oi didn't know they'd be wee things -- oi thought they jest appeared, loike out of the woods, when they'd be needed."

"Bloody well dinnae think he were a Guardian, now didn't oi?" He snorts, as amused at himself as anything. "Dinnae give it much thought. Be the auld songs, 'course, but auld songs dain't tell ye yon little buggers kin eat a man's shirts, aye?" This said, he gives the fawn a dirty look, and Cadence stands up straighter, as if he's being praised for destroying some of his Chosen's belongings. He even looks proudly at Oberon, as if he's sure that the other Guardian will agree that he did a wonderful thing.

"Me own shirt!" He runs a hand through his hair -- other than looking distinctly rumpled, with flowers sticking out of his pocket (likely treats for the wriggling menace at his feet) -- he looks better than he had when they'd first met. He's come into a job since then, and done well for himself .. which makes the upset of adding Cadence to his life all the more amusing. How did he explain the absence to his employer?

"His name be Cadence," he says finally, more than a touch embarrassed, even though the Guardian himself prances in a happy little circle at the sound of his name. "Loike sound of hooves on street."

Little Cadence snorts at the larger Oberon -- it sounds rather like a kitten's roar might sound -- and then makes a small quarter-turn, as if deliberately turning his attention away from the other Guardian. He turns it to Rajani, in a very obvious snub of Oberon, because clearly Rajani likes him! He stretches his little snuffling nose up to her, his tail twitching like mad, and squeaks hopefully, hoping beyond hope she shall reach out and scratch his soft ears. It's hard to tell if he knows exactly what's being said, or if he just knows he's being talked about.

Macaire groans, shaking his head. "Fair tae eat through me savings, he is! Half a flower stall once, afore oi could stop him. Everything what's green or growing, whether it be for sale or not." Suddenly dipping down, he grabs hold of Cadence's tail between forefinger and thumb, holding it still. This prompts an indignant grunt and immediately turns into a game, as Cadence tries to turn around and bite his fingers, and Macaire simply holds his hand (and Cadence's tail) out of the way. "Tsh, ye going tae wag it sae hard ye back end will fall off, lad. Leave yon lady be."

For all of his complaints, there is affection in his tone, particularly now: as much as the big man can, he loves the daft little thing, however unmannerly and greedy he is.