When Pest left, Fanli hadn't perceived it. All she did was come back to herself and felt nothing beyond the chilled night air.

Before nightfall, she'd black out so often she'd lost track of time.

A soft fabric brushed the back of her hands. And then it pried her fingers from her cheeks and forced them to coil around something.

Fanli's hands felt warm. A familiar fullness seeped into her body and she gripped the material again. Finally, she risked opening her eyes.

A gasp left her parted lips.

Her treasure.

"What? I—I don't understand."

Pest sported a black eye as he lowered himself to sit. Each shift in his positioning had him gritting his teeth.

"I could only get the one. And—it wasn't easy," he admitted.

Fanli looked down but instead of a yellow fabric, it was orange. Her gift. This wasn't her dress from the hunchback's wife but it looked similar. Doubt and sorrow propelled her head to turn and face Pest's ragged frame. He was a mess.

"You—you fought them? You fought the dragons?" Fanli asked.

"Wasn't much of a fight. I lost." Pest helped her hands close around the dress. "I bought this with every last coin I had." He let out a gasp. "What's happening to it?"

Fanli pulled the dress close, a wide smile spreading across her face that she couldn't counter.

"It's turning into treasure!" someone exclaimed. "Pest, isn't that neat?"

It was that same voice. Fanli didn't want to, but she risked gazing in the direction of the woman.

A beautiful face greeted her, and then a fat grin. "Hello, ogre. Are you Pest's friend? He's never said he was friends with an ogre."

Pest hissed, "Mother!"

"And she likes you, Pest. Look, your gift is turning into treasure."

Too embarrassed to meet Pest's gaze, Fanli admitted, "It doesn't work like that. Any gift given with sincerity can become ogre treasure. It doesn't even have to be given to us. This dress was gifted with...with...."

"Love?" the fairy suggested.

Pest and Fanli both had nothing to say. But Fanli waited, expecting Pest to protest. He didn't.

Perhaps he was working up the courage but that faded when the door burst open.

"I could only catch a chicken," Pest's father's voice thundered.

His mother was less than pleased. "But that's not our guest's specialty."

"Well, I did go and demand that the Jaffo allow me to hunt a human, but you would not believe their arrogant response."

Disappointed, Pest's mother rose. The wings on her back where shorter than that of a fairy, but she could flutter around the table to retrieve the chicken.

"Such inconsiderate Jaffo. Surely they could understand our desperate situation. It's best to keep this ogre in good cheer. Did you tell them that, Matax?"

Fanli looked between them, appalled yet entertained by their palpable indignation on her behalf.

"I did. They suggested a chicken." Matax held the limp animal up for display. "So here."

The scratches along his arms and face spoke of a mighty fight. He nearly resembled Pest.

Five minutes later saw them at the table, the chicken resting in the center.

Fanli looked between the two human-sized fairies who watched her with disdain, waiting for her to eat. She took it for a joke but a glance at Pest showed him watching her as well.

This family was strange but sort of cute in their ignorance. The chicken was unplucked, unclean, and uncooked.

She opened and closed her mouth, waiting for a proper response to give.

"Matax, she doesn't like it. Maybe you can find a baby somewhere—"

"No." Pest stood. "We've talked about this. Babies aren't bargaining chips, decorations or...gifts. For one, they usually belong to someone."

His parents traded a glance and his mother sighed. "Besides, we promised the Jaffo leader."

"I know what it is," Matax attested. He leaned in and asked, "Ogres eat live prey? Don't you underestimate this fairy. Here. It merely appears dead."

Pest sat proud. "That's so thoughtful of you—"

"Shut up, human child. Behold, ogre."

His expression held daring but Fanli was horrified.

Matax clapped and the chicken sprang to life.

His wife cheered. "Oh, look! Wait. What is happening? Pest, catch it or your friend has no supper!"

The chaos to follow was unreal. Fanli watched them all gang up on this little animal that refused to stare death in the face twice for one day. It jumped, it scampered, and it avoided all three fairy-folk unfamiliar with catching it.

"Hadn't you gotten it the first time, Matax? You liar. I bet you had Ved do it on your behalf."

"What does it matter how I got it, woman? So long as I got it. You get the other side of the room. We'll close in. Human child, guard the door and window."

"But they're ages apart. How can I do that?"

"Excuses. Always with the excuses. I do not care. Do not let it fly away."

"I don't think it can fly, Matax. Oh wait, perhaps I'm wrong!"

"Ha! Fly? It flies about as well as the human child sings!" Matax roared with laughter.

Finally, Fanli stood, marched past them, picked up the chicken, and sat down yet again.

There was quiet after that. The bird trembled in her grip and she stroked its white feathers.

In minutes, the tired family sat.

"Oh, that was great fun!" Pest's mother attested.

Matax was the last to put his chair upright and flop down into it. "It was bothersome."

Pest eased into his own chair.

After everything settled down, even the chicken no longer called out in distress, Fanli held her dinner close. Then it came, all three of them looked at her...and waited.

Matax leaned close to his wife, though still eyeing Fanli. "I bet you she does it whole."

Pest's bruised grimace meant he didn't like the joke but eventually, even he watched her. All thoughts came back to Lowgli and she found herself wishing she'd practiced on those rats.

Fanli wasn't about to eat this chicken. Finally, she said, "It's...rather terrible when an ogre eats. I'll, I'll save him for later."

All three of them sat up in disappointment.

"There's nothing left but fruit," Pest grumbled.

Wordlessly, Fanli nodded. She took the opportunity to scan the house. There wasn't much to it. Other than the table and chair, no other furniture existed. On the wall, there was one stick-figure drawing of their family.

She asked Pest, smitten, "Did you draw that as a child?"

Several bowls of fruit landed on the table and Pest's mother giggled. "No. I did. Just yesterday."

Pest managed a half smile.

The woman reached out a hand to perhaps pat him on the head but stopped short.

"Pestel's always going on and on about how many portraits the Jaffo leader has. So, I've tried the one." She put her hands on her hips and beamed. "It turned out rather nicely, I think."

The men at the table gave no disagreement and she sat.

A glance at Pest showed him slowly dying inside but Fanli sat happily with her fowl.

The strangest thing came into her view before her. Two bowls, and three spoons. She was only one person.

Pest managed a smile despite his bruised lip. "They're trying to be hospitable." The pride in his voice wasn't lost on Fanli.

She debated how to answer that hospitality. If there was one thing she'd learned, it was etiquette. But the etiquette from the princess or her mother, she wasn't sure which to employ.

For the first time she could remember, she decided to abandon human customs. These were the Fae. And the Fae...hated tools.

As gently as she dared, she brushed the bowl and spoon aside, and plucked one berry from the large pile of fruit.

Matax gasped but Pest's mother clapped.

"Oh, ogre. You are wonderous! You know fairy eating customs!"

That wasn't all she knew. Charming a fairy was never hard but it was usually as a defense mechanism. And if there was one thing a fairy loved, it was to talk about...themselves.

"How did you two meet?" Fanli reached for an orange next.

Both Matax and his wife's eyes lit up at the question. But instead of answering, they watched her.

In front of humans, Fanli knew to peel it, but she really had no need. Therefore, she bit into the orange and chewed with a smile.

Pest grunted, sympathizing. He leaned in as far as he dared. "You don't have to do that."

"It's more flavorful this way."

Pest's mother clapped with glee. "Oh, she is lovely. Well, we met a century ago, really. And it wasn't a pleasant encounter."

With a scoff, Pest sat back. "How surprising."

Matax's eyes fell on him. His father wasn't impressed.

Fanli leaned to the right, drawing the man's focus. "Was it unpleasant for you as well?"

He said nothing when he focused on her. After a brief wait, however, his fairy narcissism won out. "No. It was lovely for me. I'd just been freed of my bondage and entered the forest. And with little else to do, I set up to mischief. That was when I saw her. Painting strange and obscene pictures on a trolls face as he slept."

Pest focused on his mother. "Really?"

"Oh. Not her," Matax corrected. "Another fairy that caught my eye. Your mother was there telling her what to write. I watched them, fascinated with their game. Day after day, at high noon as it slept in stone, they'd return to that troll to mock it after spending the night terrorizing it. Until finally, your mother grew bored and suggested changing to a new source of mischief." Matax paused and considered it. "I suppose it was my fault, really, as I cheered and laughed as I watched them. Her eye caught mine and she kept on to impress me. And I was impressed. Not so much with her miserable friend, your mother, who tired of the game. So, when your mother left, I still returned to watch that gorgeous fairy. She was also of red, a far deeper color. A far more magnificent red. So much so that your mother's dulled by comparison."

Pest grumbled, "Yes, we get it."

Though displeased with the interruption, his father continued, "Well, I was waiting. Typically, a female would signal when a male should approach."

Pest lost patience. "Well, obviously, she wanted an approach if she went through all that trouble."

"Oh, no. That is not how females work. And fairy women must be careful in their selection. So, it's sometimes a grueling process. Fairies are very spiteful and territorial. Once any female, human or otherwise, sleeps with a male fairy, he claims her, putting a curse on her that she never finds pleasure from another male. A terrible male could move from bedfellow to bedfellow, leaving her in ruin for all time, never to enjoy another but him. Our Fairy King was famous for this, and therefore well-hated. Her taunting the troll brought me back, and she could assess me from a distance. And I will admit, I was a fine fairy indeed."

"Yeah, I bet."

Matax's fist came down on the table and he told his son, "I was a fine fairy. Not this huge, oversized brownie before you. A proper one!"

"It's all right, dear. Of course, you were." His wife leaned over and whispered to Fanli, "Forgive him. He's promised not to shed his mortal form until Pest has died and we can return home to the forest."

Flustered, Pest opened his mouth to defend her words, but Fanli gave him a smile which calmed him.

"Anyway," Matax continued, "the day of my approach, she stood atop the sleeping troll's nose, beckoning me near."

"Beckoning you?" Fanli was intrigued. "How exactly?"

Matax opened then closed his mouth and said, "Oh no. The Jaffo leader has already instructed me not to speak of what fairies do with one another." He thrust out a finger. "In front of the human child. But should you want to know in great detail—"

"No!" Pest stood. With all eyes on him, he lowered himself back into his chair once more. "No. You can spare her that. Just...go on with your story. I've never heard it."

His father raised his nose, annoyed. "Because you've never asked. But anyway, she beckoned me near. And—I was eager. This was a good chance. She had very good...assets. Just then, your mother returned, perched on a different branch, waving at her friend on the troll. She yelled out, eclipse, and laughed."

Pest squinted. "Eclipse?"

"Yes. While the fairy did her...dance, very convincingly, and I approached, the moon passed over, blocking out the sun. As trolls only turned to stone in the sunlight, this one immediately awoke, grabbed the fairy, and shoved her into his mouth, swallowing her whole."

Fanli froze. Pest wasn't better off.

Matax sat back, pleased. "Turns out, while that fairy was using the troll to catch my attention, your mother was using her to do the same! It was brilliant. Simply brilliant. And it answered a slight from that fairy which had happened to your mother a hundred years prior." He raised a finger and attested, "A fairy's revenge is always answered. Fairies cannot usually attack one another directly. But it's always answered." With a roaring laugh, he clapped. "I was so impressed and terrified all at once that when she approached me instead, that perishing fairy's death cries still in earshot, I could do nothing but follow her way, very enticed yet fearful. You passed me up for color's sake, she'd said. The next one in a troll's gut could be you."

Pest's mouth hung open. Fanli risked looking from Matax to his wife to find a proud smile. "Always answered," she said, winking. "Will you be staying for the night?"