[i]"A-AHHH!"[/i]

Nyx squeaked, her hood bobbing as she hurriedly grabbed a fistful of sweets from the table. Without a second thought she stuffed several honey cakes and sugared violets into the oversized pockets sewn into her cloak until the fabric bulged awkwardly.

[i]"Be careful, nice Mister Mage!"[/i] she whispered loudly, as though sharing an important secret. [i]"She's here to steal all the candy..."[/i]

With surprising speed for someone so small, Nyx slipped off her chair. Her boots landed with a soft [i]thump[/i] before she darted behind Theron, using the much taller mage as a shield. Only the very top of her hood and two curious golden eyes peeked around his side. She stared at the winged woman in complete silence.

A sprite...

A pixie...

A fairy...

Nyx slowly tilted her head.

[i][center]...A fairy...?[/center][/i]

Her tiny hands rose to her temples as she squeezed her eyes shut in exaggerated concentration, trying to remember everything she knew about fairies.

[i][center]The tooth fairy leaves shiny coins.Sometimes sweets too. Fairies are supposed to be nice... aren't they...?[/center][/i]

After several long moments of very serious thinking, she nodded confidently to herself as if solving the world's greatest mystery. Her shoulders relaxed.

"So you're one of [i]nice[/i] fairies."

Satisfied with her own conclusion, Nyx reached into one of her stuffed pockets, pulled out one of Theron's glowing moonflower drops, and cautiously popped it into her mouth. Her eyes immediately widened.

"...Mmm. These are good Mister Mage do you have some more. Pretty Please."

She happily sucked on the sweet before finally noticing another small figure sitting elsewhere in the tavern. Someone else barely taller than herself. Another hood. Nyx leaned sideways for a better look.

"...Huh?"

She frowned.The hood hid most of the person's face, making it difficult to tell who—or even what—they were.

[i][center]Another child...?[/center][/i]

But then she remembered hearing them speak earlier.

They sounded...Old. 

Not old-old.

Just... grown-up.Nyx frowned even harder.

[i][center]That's strange. Children don't sound like that....And why would a child rent a room?[/center][/i]

Her curiosity lingered for only a few moments before drifting away, as most of her thoughts often did. She peeked back around Theron at Therezia, studying the tiny fae for another second before letting out an enormous sigh of relief. Another pause as she instinctively clutched both overstuffed pockets protectively.

"They're my emergency sweets."

Nyx finally stepped halfway out from behind the mage, though she still kept one hand gripping the back of his robe just in case. Her face brightened immediately. Her eyes sparkled with genuine excitement.

"Oh! By the way...Does anyone have any rocks? I absolutely love rocks. Shiny ones... smooth ones... weird ones... I even found one once that looked like a sleeping bunny. I've been trying to find rare rocks...but I can't really go looking by myself."

She scratched the side of her hood sheepishly. "I get lost. A lot. Even when I know where I'm going...Thinking is hard."

The words lingered in the air for a moment before Nyx suddenly lifted both hands to her temples, rubbing them in small circles. She let out a huge yawn.

"My brain gets tired when I have to think too much." 

Another yawn followed, even bigger than the first. She blinked several times, trying very hard to keep her eyes open, but the effort only made her eyelids droop lower. Without thinking, Nyx reached out and grabbed a handful of Theron's robes, using the loose fabric to steady herself as she clambered back onto her chair. To her sleepy mind, it was no different than climbing over a tree root or pulling herself up with a hanging vine.

"I'll just..."

She rested both arms on the table before gently lowering her head onto them.

"...rest my eyes for a little..."

The sentence faded into a sleepy mumble. Within moments, her breathing settled into a slow, peaceful rhythm. Fast asleep, the tiny hooded girl remained curled over the table, one pocket conspicuously bulging with emergency sweets while the other hid her treasured collection of rocks, completely oblivious to the conversation continuing around her.