"Cripes!" I flinch in surprise from both the ringing shout in my ear and Krysts erratic movements as she spins under my arm. "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"Gotta keep you on your toes, Too Tall." Way too pleased with herself, Kryst hovers in front of my face. Grinning at my discomfort.

"Why are you back here? They had enough of your salt already?" I wave my hand toward Raven and Alec still engrossed in conversation at the end of the wagon.

There's agitation in my voice. More than I mean anyway, and I realize I'm overcompensating with defensiveness. I'm still not one hundred percent sure Kryst didn't just catch me and Cinnamon with what I'd thought had been our fairly slick theft of the fairy.

Or was it kidnapping? That's a uncomfortable thought. Rescue? Oh, I know! Liberation! I like the sound of that best.

Kryst lads on my shoulder so she can talk without needing to raise her voice. "I think that guard guy, Alec, is trying trying to smooze on Raves." She gives a little shrug. "Figured I'd give him a few to fly or flop."

"He is?" I glance over.

Insight vs Alec: Fail!

Alec is all smiles and is leaning over into Ravens personal space a tad as they chat but that is most likely to not have to talk too loudly to be heard over the fairy buzzing. Kryst is getting a total misread. It's pretty obvious that the guy is just being friendly.

"I dunno. I think you are off base on that one." I lean my head toward the fairy on my shoulder. "Men and women can just be just friends you know."

"Who's been filling your head with those lies." Kryst taps me on my temple.

I suck my teeth.

"Here. This is for you." I pluck a coin out of my pouch and hold it up to Kryst.

"Huh? Why?" Kryst looks at the coin and I'm pleased by the confusion on her face.

"Figured you could use it to buy a clue." I shoot her a smarmy smile, which Kryst immediately wipes off my face by snatching the nickel sized coin from my fingers. It's only then that I realise it is one of my few remaining gold pieces.

"Hey! Gimme that back."

"I don't think so." Wrapping the coin into the silk sash at her waist Kryst secures it tightly against her hip. "If I don't discipline you then how do you expect to ever learn. In actuality, I should charge you for that lesson too." Kryst taps her lips with a finger then shrugs. "Nah. It's fine. Helping. It's what I do."

I give an incredulous glance to Cinnamon, looking for a little back up. By the way she is cutely giggling at us however, there will be none coming.

It doesn't bother me. In fact, knowing that Cinni enjoys the verbal sparring of Kryst and I as much as the fairy does, only puts a smile on my face.

"Fine. Keep it you sneak. But don't be expecting me to fork out my cash on you when you've now got coin of your own." I say.

"When have I ever?" Kryst gives an overacted gasp of indignation and touches her chest. "You are a bitter man, Too Tall." She turns away from me in mock sorrow and shakes her head.

"That's enough outta you, woman." I make a move to poke her in the side but she slides around my hand and slips behind my head. With barely a flick of her wings she lands lightly on my opposite shoulder. Now closer to the cage of fairies, she pauses.

"Quite the flock that Raves has here, huh?" Krysts voice raises to carry over the din of the overactive fairies.

"They certainly are noisy, aren't they?" Cinnamon says. Her ears are folded, one turned away completely. I see a grimace tug at the corner of her lips as the buzz gets even more intense for a moment.

"Hey? Can you get them to chill?" I ask Kryst.

"Chill?" Kryst scrunches her face. She glances over to Cinnamon and picks up on my meaning.

"I guess I could try something." Kryst rail-slides down my arm to land on my bent knee like she is in a skate tricks video.

The fairies seem to notice Kryst and they move closer to her in a mass, climbing over each other. Some returning the stare.

Faster than the a crack of lightning the fairies cease their buzzing and the back of the wagon goes dead silent.

"-- JUST EXPLODES IN YOUR MOUTH!" Alec yells.

The guards eyes go wide with shock as we turn to him as one. The silence in the wagon and from some of the nearby pedestrians, grows even more deafening.

"Uhh, I was just telling Captain Raven about a tavern down at the..." Alec stammers out a hasty explanation and his cheeks redden in embarrassment. "Really good food."

"How did you do that, ey?" Raven asks me, ignoring Alecs discomfort.

"Wasn't me." I say a bit too loudly now that the buzzing is gone and my ears readjust. "This little spitfire is the one responsible." Leaning back I move my torso and arm so that Raven can see Kryst standing on my knee. "That you can blame Kryst for piece and quiet?" I grin, "Shocking I know."

"Watch it." Kryst points up at me with a smirk.

"Yes? But of course, I should have known, ey? My thanks to you, Kryst." Raven makes a rolling motion with her hand and dips her head in a sort of half bow from her seated position. "I was beginning to get the headache."

The rest of the occupants of the wagon all nod and shoot off various words of gratitude. Kryst waves away the praise, but I notice her chest is puffed out more than normal.

Cinnamon looks the most relieved. She sits back against the bench releasing a breathy sigh.

"That better, Cinni-buns?" I feel like a total jerk for not noticing earlier just how uncomfortable, or even downright painful the short ride so far must have been for her.

"So much." She says, "I guess those fairies must have been pretty angry, huh?"

"Yeah." I nod. "Though you can't really blame them for being agitated. I know I wouldn't be too happy to be snatched up and shoved into a cage."

"It's not that…" Kryst voice trails off as she leans closer to the bars and continues to study the fairies.

I don't care what she said before or what excuses she made, watching the little human like creatures in the cage has me feeling queasy. What must this be like for her? Will they somehow tell Kryst about the fairy we just liberated? And if so how will she react?

If the little fairy was sick or injured though who'd be better to ask than Kryst?

That might be jumping to conclusions. Just because I am...was human, doesn't mean I'd know what was wrong with a person who had mesothelioma, or something, just by looking at them.

Whatever. It would have to wait until we were away from the others anyway. I don't think Raven would take to kindly if she found out I'd taken one of them.

Crap! Alec might even arrest me.

Then again we did manage to somehow get out of any sort of prosecution with that whole... whatever it was, thing with the guard. Still, attempting to avoid further incidents a second... or was it third time? might be pushing our luck. I'm still a bit fuzzy how we got out of it in the first place.

The wandering thoughts shake loose when from the corner of my eye I see that we have passed the gates and are headed toward the steps of the Silverstone Citadel again.

"So, Kryst?" I ask, "Looking forward to checking out that tree?" I glance down and notice that Kryst hasn't moved a muscle.

She makes no move to respond. Her glare fixed onto the cage and the fairies inside. I catch Cinnamons attention and indicate Krysts odd behavior.

Kryst shoulders tense. Her posture shifts. Muscles grow taunt along her back, arms and legs. Highlighting the definition like she is posing for one of those bodybuilding crossfit competitions.

Cinni and I share a little look of concern. None of the others save for the two of us seem to notice.

"Are you alright?" I reach out to tap Krysts shoulder and feel a icy chine race down my spine. My mouth instantly goes dry.

Drow sense tingling.

I freeze.

Wild eyed. Kryst whirls around, magenta energy flowing from her hands and shoulders. Her body caught in the grip of fight or flight.

If it came to it, I'd definitely prefer the latter. She is still standing on my leg after all and I have no doubt that she could snap my kneecap like a cookie.

"Whoa." I keep my voice low and soothing. "Kryst? Let's take it easy." I raise my hands slowly in a non-aggressive motion.

Her eyes track me. Then, her head tosses from side to side like a wet dog drying itself. Quite literally shaking whatever has disturbed her off. Kryst stares up at Cinnamon and I. She glances down at her hands and, vacuum like, the steam like energy leaking off her body sucks back into her.

Insight vs Kryst Thunderfist: Success!

She is shook. When she meets our eyes again there is confusion there for what she could have... No. Was about to do. Kryst knows I saw it too. Like a deer in headlights her gaze swings between us. Her mouth opens and closes, wordlessly.

She wants to beg our forgiveness.

"B-Brian? I di--"

"What was that?" I cut her off with a whisper. Apologies weren't her style. I glance warily at the cage. Did they tell her about the other fairy? "Did they... say something to you?"

Insight vs Kryst Thunderfist + Situational Bonus: Success!

Kryst locks eyes with me and holds me in them for a moment. She finally turns and glances over her shoulder over at the cage.

"No." She says.

Kryst steps back, as if to put a some more space between her and the fairies. I lower my hand toward my thigh and she immediately retreats onto it.

"It was nothing like that. Like I told you last night they can't speak but I can get feelings from them." Kryst says.

The wagon comes to a stop with a creak of wood and clattering of hooves.

"Fairies are drawn to damaged nature. They saw or... experienced something… there." Kryst looks between Cinnamon and I then turns to look up at the tree rising behind the castle like building in front of us.

"As much as they want to go to and help her…" She narrows her eyes at the massive Redtree, "they're terrified that we're taking them back."