[center][h2][color=#008b8b]Fionn MacKerracher[/color], Tyaethe, [color=chartreuse]Fiadh[/color], and [color=#cc6666]Laoise[/color][/h2][/center]
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Fionn almost had to wonder how often Tyaethe had ridden atop Cyrus's shoulders in the past, or any of the other knights, given how rapidly she'd come to terms with it. Aside from the most [i]minimal[/i] of protestations at the beginning, he'd almost have guessed she preferred it over having to try and keep up with the rest of them on her own feet. Enough so that she hadn't bothered trying to get loose or get down at all in the entire time it took them to return to the Moonlit Queen.

Or even in the presence of the Moonlit Queen, for that matter, while still wrapped in his cloak. No telling what [i]that[/i] one would think, he was already imagining the questions he'd have to try and fend off from the green girl who came to stand next to him. [color=#008b8b]"Have a nice time while we were away, Fiadh?"[/color] he asked, hopefully before the Niyar had gotten too far into putting together some of her suspicions about the knights. [color=#008b8b]"How's my cheek look, by the way? We haven't had a chance to really do anything about it. Figured folks should focus on the ones that actually got hurt."[/color]

[color=chartreuse]"We got to watch what you were doing! It was very impressive, darling, but I don't get why you threw the sword…"[/color] Fiadh trailed off and stretched to get a closer look at Fionn's cheek, pouting, [color=chartreuse]"It [i]looks[/i] quite distinguished, but I think I like your face more without it."[/color]

Distinguished? Maybe. Mostly he just felt it made his cheek sting and a bit dirty. [color=#008b8b]"He made me mad,"[/color] was his defensive answer to the sword comment, with a hint of wounded pride behind it. [color=#008b8b]"Calling in all those falcons [i]after[/i] accepting my challenge wasn't just indecent, like, it was an [i]affront[/i] to myself [i]and[/i] the duel!"[/color]

Fiadh blinked slowly, cocking her head to one side. [color=chartreuse]"But, darling, those falcons would be part of him, like your magic, or one of my plants…"[/color]

[color=#008b8b]"..."[/color]

Fionn thought for a moment, furrowing his brow.

[color=#008b8b]"I took them for well trained spirits. Like if any of us went out with falcons on a hunt. Besides, [i]I[/i] didn't do any magic until after he called them all in! It was supposed to be a physical contest!"[/color]

On his shoulder, there was the sound of Tyaethe's palm meeting her face. "Did you [i]ask[/i]? I wouldn't think a duel is restricted to physical strength only if you didn't [i]say[/i]."

[color=#008b8b]"That's silly. Everybody knows a duel is limited to skill at arms and strength of body if nothing else is specified."[/color]

"What? That's completely [i]backwards[/i]; everyone knows that if the restrictions aren't specified, you can do whatever you like."

[color=#008b8b]"That's acting like rules don't even exist, Tyaethe. How could we have a society if everything was like that?"[/color]

"There [i]are[/i] rules. The rule is that there's no rules."

[color=#008b8b]"That's not how rules work."[/color]

[color=chartreuse]"Why would fae rules ban magic? We all have magic. That would be silly, darling, it would be like banning your right arm—"[/color]

"I like those challenges."

[color=chartreuse]"—So you should apologise next time you meet this falconer,"[/color] Fiadh said with a nod, interrupting the… whatever it was.

[color=#008b8b]"Duels without extra stipulations are supposed to be [i]physical!"[/i][/color] Fionn protested.

The Niyar reached up and gave him a pat on the unoccupied shoulder, [color=chartreuse]"Not [i]our[/i] duels, darling."[/color]

Fionn's brow furrowed deeper. [color=#008b8b]"But that's not how [i]duels[/i] work,"[/color] he stubbornly continued to argue. Despite the rapidly growing knowledge that it was not going to really get him anywhere. He stayed silent for a moment after, before changing the topic once again. [color=#008b8b]"Tyaethe, you never did say if it tastes different after Fiadh found me again."[/color]

"I haven't [i]tasted it[/i] yet," the vampire pointed out, "And now wouldn't… be safe."

[color=chartreuse]"…You keep saying you're not all together, and yet…"[/color]

[color=#008b8b]"She's a [i]vampire,[/i] love."[/color]

"He means blood."

[color=chartreuse]"…Oh!"[/color] The fairy raised a finger to her lips, deep in thought.

Fionn looked up to Tyaethe, then back down at Fiadh.

[color=#008b8b]"..."[/color]

Time to change topic again.

[color=#008b8b]"Fiadh, you understand Feinyar, right?"[/color]

There was an enthusiastic nod, although she still seemed to be thinking, looking between the two of them

Fionn was starting to grow concerned by how Fiadh's eyes kept turning between the two of them, especially given the growing suspicion of what [i]she[/i] had thought he and Tyaethe were referring to. The temptation was there to ask after her thoughts, certainly, but Fiadh being Fiadh...she'd share them eventually. Hopefully it'd be more amusing than confusing once she did.

All the more reason, though, to focus in. [color=#008b8b]"Could you interpret for me, then? I tried asking what her name is, but I couldn't understand a thing of what she signed back at me."[/color]

[color=chartreuse]"Of course!"[/color]

[color=#008b8b]"Alright!"[/color]

It was decided, then. While Gertrude tried to do whatever she was up to with the Moonlit Queen, Fionn waved the little Feinyar over. [color=#008b8b]"Sorry about earlier, but Fiadh here—"[/color] He nodded down at the green woman. [color=#008b8b]"—Should be able to translate for us! What was your name, again?"[/color]

"…Can I get off your shoulder yet?" Tyaethe wondered while the Feinyar happily went through the motions to answer again.

[color=chartreuse]"She says her name is Laoise."[/color]

[color=#008b8b]"Will you behave yourself if I let you down? And—Laoise, got it."[/color] Now it was Fionn's time to start jumping to some completely unexplained ideas locked in his head. He loosened his grip, letting Tyaethe slide her way free, before turning his injured cheek towards the little flame sprite with a playful grin. [color=#008b8b]"Well, miss Laoise, Fiadh here apparently doesn't like my new little scratch quite so much. You don't have anything you could do about that, do you?"[/color]

The Feinyar tilted her head back and forth, hair – presumably, it was hair – making crackling noises each time, until she nodded and started making a rather more complex series of gestures in rapid succession.

[color=chartreuse]"Yes, she says she can – [i]no[/i], you aren't going to just burn it shut! That would make a nasty scar, which is just as bad!"[/color]

[color=#008b8b]"Maybe she knows how to do that [i]without[/i] making bad scars?"[/color]

There was a fiery headshake, which clearly meant 'no' even without translation. Followed by some more signing. [color=chartreuse]"Oh, she's apologising! Feinyar aren't very good at anything non-destructive, she says."[/color]

Fionn shrugged. [color=#008b8b]"Unfortunate, then. What all [i]are[/i] you good at, Laoise?"[/color]

He paused.

[color=#008b8b]"I hope that didn't sound as bad as I worry it just did."[/color]

Rather than gesture, the other fairy just lifted her hand up, fingers curling until there was only one extended and, resting atop it, was a fireball. It was, perhaps, a bit of an obvious question to ask the fire fairy.

Fionn blinked once. Yes, that [i]was[/i] an obvious answer, but he'd figured there'd be a bit more to it than that. [color=#008b8b]"You know, like how Niyar can do more than just grow plants, yeah? There's [i]fire,[/i] and then there's everything [i]beyond[/i] the fire. Getting fancy, like."[/color] Surely that explained what he meant well enough. It sometimes seemed that, at least within their spheres, a fairy was only really limited by their imagination. [i]He[/i] at least could certainly imagine a few things a Feinyar could do with not just fire, but heat and light, that might go beyond the normal sorts of spellcraft that people could ascribe to them.

The fire turned green and shaped itself into a vaguely humanoid form. He looked closer. [color=#008b8b]"A Niyar, right?"[/color] More vigorous nodding, along with an approving clap from Fiadh.

[color=#008b8b]"Neat!"[/color]

He turned back to Fiadh, before starting to look back and forth between the fairies almost like how she'd been looking between him and Tyaethe earlier. [color=#008b8b]"Fiadh?"[/color]

[color=chartreuse]"Yes, darling?"[/color]

[color=#008b8b]"All the [i]spells[/i] I know from you are very useful, but the magic that's [i]yours[/i] is the absolute easiest, right?"[/color]

[color=chartreuse]"Yes…?"[/color]

He smiled broadly, turning back to Laoise. [color=#008b8b]"Are you able to travel, or does she prefer to keep you close?"[/color] There was another flurry of gestures from the Feinyar, which got interpreted as [color=#cc6666][i]I'm not bound here, I just like the weather[/i],[/color] which took slightly longer for Fiadh to interpret as the Niyar was now walking around the other fairy and giving her a thorough inspection.

Fionn nodded along. [color=#008b8b]"Fiadh has a very nice garden,"[/color] he continued. Neverminding that it was the [i]castle[/i] garden, Fiadh may as well be its official garden fairy after she'd come to Candaeln with him and Tyaethe. [color=#008b8b]"Everybody else is usually very friendly too, so if she's alright with it, would you like to tag along with us for a while?"[/color]

Laoise had an uncertain look – as much as anything was definite when it came to staring at a Feinyar – until Fiadh added, [color=chartreuse]"There's a nice little dwarf forge just next to me, too! He does a lot of working."[/color]

[i]That[/i] got an enthusiastic nod.

[color=#008b8b]"Do you think Ardor might be more inclined to forgive what happened to my sword if Laoise's willing to help him with the forge?"[/color] he mused, scratching at his chin. With that thought in mind, though, that made one other thing very clear to him—he had yet to get [i]his[/i] sword back, with Súileabhán's feather still loosely slung at his belt. [i]That[/i] was not something he could forget before they left the Moonlit Queen's realm.

But, of course, now he was left with yet [i]more[/i] things to consider. Magic weapons forged with fae help, how they might compare to the normal enchantments and reinforcements that were done, whether any of the other knights in the order had such...

[color=#008b8b]"Alright. How's about I let the two of you talk that over, and I'll go trade this back to its rightful owner and get my own sword back? Play nice when I'm not looking, you two. Hey, Súileabhán!"[/color]