Leaf

  —

  I had never been so excited to eat at Mister Miltanks. Ever. I mean, I don't think I had ever been excited to eat there, considering I had only done it a few times before our Journey began, usually just when I biked to Viridian for specialty groceries. I had never craved their food. It wasn't bad, but it was never good. What was it, then? Consistently average.

  Me and Alex had stared at Erin as she bit into a Pidgey wrap. Alex had seen her eat one in Cerulean, even if she hadn't known the reason at the time, and I had seen her eat one in Cerulean and Pewter for this exact purpose. She hadn't gagged each time, but she had not enjoyed it. Not that I blamed her. I had tried them, and they were… Not bad, actually flavorful, it just wasn't a good or bad flavor… They were consistent, though.

  Considering my sister teared up a little when she bit into it?

  Well, after the soba noodles last night she had been… calmer? Happier? More accepting? She barely complained about wearing her girly outfit, and I got the feeling that was out of habit! I knew she liked it! She hadn't complained at all about putting her pigtails back up! She hadn't complained about our plan to buy her another outfit, either! She actually looked like she was slightly looking forward to it!

  So when we left Kanto's most mediocre fast food restaurant and Erin was smiling? Well… it felt good. Maybe she would allow herself to be a little happy… Even if it had still tasted kind of bland, it had tasted much better than the previous two times. She didn't just have hope, she was sure she was 'advancing', even if I thought it was more like adjusting.

  She still hated crowds, and may have growled a little, but even Dexter let that one go.

  —

  —

  "I honestly never had an eye for fashion, Leaf, and I still don't! I mean… I didn't get the chance to enjoy what I wore, so I never cared all that much. Even in games I always ended up dressing myself in darker colors when there was the option… usually."

  I honed in on her words like a Carvanha scenting blood.

  "What games did you dress yourself brightly in?" She blushed as she looked away from me.

  "I mean…" Alex was staring at her too as we stood in a nice, if expensive, clothing store. Boutique? Whatever the fancy name was!

  She mumbled her response so low we barely heard her. We still did, though.

  "A few where your main character was a… bright, happy girl that wore bright clothes… I think there may have been a few DLC's that had darker outfits, but the pricing was predatory…" We were both just staring at her, and she frowned at our insistent gazes.

  "Look, I actually liked Ryza's outfits, sure, but… I do not have the body shape to pull off those clothes at all." Alex giggled, earning her a mild glare, one that Dexter let slide even as Alex's next words made it fierce.

  "What, they weren't tiny?"

  Erin's face was red now.

  "They weren't tall, but no, they weren't… tiny. They were also like, seventeen and… all around, uhh…" Now she was blushing, but I was smirking.

  "They weren't a twig? A tiny twig with small bumps?" She turned away from our giggles, because she had nothing to say to that.

  She might be a year older than me, or close enough since we'll never know exactly, but she wasn't just tinier than me. Puberty hadn't hit me hard like it had some girls my age, but if you took the face out of the equation, Erin looked like my younger sister in every way. She was going through puberty too, obviously, but so far? Twig with some small bumps. She hadn't grown any taller yet, either!

  Alex spoke up through her giggles.

  "Come on, Erin! You have to have an outfit idea up there!" Her eyes got wide for a second. "Oh! How about the, uhh… other main characters of that one series?" Oh! Yeah!

  Erin was frowning, though.

  "I mean, not really? Even if I accept girly clothes in the equation, most of them were… either basic, or too over the top, the ones I can remember at least. Serena's wasn't bad, but it's all black except the red skirt and hat… Gloria's default outfit was cute, but you're not getting me into a sweater until it's winter, or one of those stupid beanie hats ever… Honestly?" Her eyes drifted to me and she looked me up and down briefly.

  "The, uhh, first one was my favorite? Still simple and boring, but still my favorite?" I blushed a little, but I was also frowning along with Alex.

  "You have to have something!" She glared at me.

  "Leaf, most of the female characters I thought looked cool were adults! Even if I put together something similar, which I refuse to, it would not look right on a fourteen year old!" I glared at her, because Erin didn't lie.

  "What about the others? Not 'most'?" Her frown never disappeared, but she closed her eyes briefly.

  "I'll… try and think of something? I said 'most' so I'm not lying, but remembering is a different matter! Basically the only games I played where you weren't an adult were those games! Most games with kid protagonists were for kids! I don't have many options to pull from! Especially when it's modern clothes and not fantasy characters with swords!" I giggled a little at that.

  "Well, what are your kukri, then?" She glared at me.

  "Tell you what, then! I'll pick an outfit out!" I smiled widely at her.

  "Sure! You can even make it dark, as long as it's cute!" She… didn't glare at me? She just nodded?

  Okay, glad she's doing better, still kinda freaky.

  We let her move off into the store as me and Alex turned to each other. She spoke up first, voice disbelieving.

  "She's just… not complaining? I mean, that's good, but still!"

  I smiled happily as I responded, voice light.

  "She has hope for once. Well, not even hope, it is working, and she does want to be nicer and happier, and to branch out… Kind of like gently pushing you into what you wanted, even if it made you uncomfortable… Plus… she's said it a few times before, but this time? I'm pretty sure she does see herself as a teenager again. Just is one, instead of accepting that she can't change it, but still resisting in her own head. I mean, that must be hard to adjust to, or to even let yourself adjust to… I would not be happy to be seven again!" Alex nodded along with me.

  "Me neither… Maybe she'll actually pick something nice out?" She didn't sound too confident, even as I smirked at her.

  "And you could?" I dodged her hand with a laugh.

  "She liked the outfit I picked out, Leaf!"

  —

  —

  Erin hadn't picked out a horrible outfit, and it wasn't all black, so I didn't say anything. It was kind of basic, honestly? Well, it was different? She had on black tights, a pair of short yellow shorts, with a black belt, a tight white shirt, and red jacket, capped by her headband and feathers. It was… nice? I mean, it looked good on her? It just wasn't what I was expecting her to walk out of the changing room wearing. At all.

  Alex was confused too.

  "Erin, that's not bad, but it's… certainly not girly in the slightest, sure… In fact… What game did it come from? We all know you have no fashion sense." Erin glared at her for a moment, then grinned.

  "Well, there was a mobile game from that series, and this is similar to the outfit the female character had… Well, a fan art of her. I mean, I can do short shorts with tights, absolutely, but I'm not even sure what you'd call the original outfit… Like a dress that ended in tiny shorts? Some sort of body glove? It looked awkward, honestly." We both giggled a little at that, because she didn't look awkward now?

  Well, no, actually. She looked fine. Not excited about the clothes, but not upset about them… Still…

  "Erin, it's not bad, but that is not going to work. I thought you were branching out?" She frowned at me for a moment, then sighed while rolling her eyes.

  "Yes, I am… and I don't actually like this all that much. It's not bad, but it's not good…" Her face was resigned, but not upset, so that was progress!

  "Well, let's find you something cute!" I ignored her wince as I dragged her towards a very bright selection of dresses. I also ignored how her heels dug in slightly at the sight. I was still stronger than my tiny sister, and probably would be forever.

  —

  —

  Erin didn't complain when we picked out a simple light purple sundress, one that matched her eyes. She looked happy, but also almost afraid… Alex had looked sad, though, and that had clued me in. She probably hadn't worn one before, and probably felt… in danger… Well, she wasn't trans anymore, or in her previous, hateful world, but old scars probably don't heal easily…

  She still wore it as we left the store. And her detached sleeves, of course… Honestly her 'bracers' almost looked less suspicious…

  "You look cute, Erin! Your new swimsuit is cute, too! Maybe now we can go pick out some accessories!" I knew Alex was just messing with her, but Erin didn't snap or anything.

  "Maybe another day, Alex. I'm trying to accept all this, and I might even enjoy it a little bit, but you know what I want to do now?" She grinned, but not viciously.

  "I want to train!" We both groaned at her excitement. Also at her transparent attempt to get out of the dress and into workout clothes.

  "In fact, I know the perfect place to train!" Now we really groaned.

  What insanity did she have planned?

  —

  —

  It wasn't insanity, in fact. It was unexpected, but it was a good deed. Because if we were this close to the plains, why not help out one of moms friends?

  That's why we spent more than two hours shopping with Maxx, who charged into Fuchsia that morning in Rosie's pouch. He rented a huge off-road cart designed to be pulled by a team of Mudsdale and filled it with amenities for his home. A larger bed, cabinets, a free-standing kitchen unit, larger fridge, larger TV, even a huge bag of Pokemon toys for Rosie's and the other Kangaskhan's babies! It would have been very expensive to hire the team of Mudsdale to pull it, and far more expensive to have them go into the plains.

  That wasn't an issue for Leto, though, after we got Rosie to slowly, laboriously pull it to the city limits. It was a mild issue rigging up a system that would work, but eventually we had a huge wooden bar for Leto to bite and pull, because Leto wouldn't do a harness! Obviously…

  It hadn't been a fun ride out there, even with mom moving at a relatively sedate speed to not shake everything to pieces. Or us, since she couldn't carry the basket and the bar at the same time. It may have been rated for off-road, and the wheels were huge and sturdy with independent suspensions, but that didn't stop us from bouncing. A lot.

  Still, all that may have taken all morning, but by noon? We were back at Maxx's compound in the plains, Rosie and Hecate already helping him move furniture inside. While she did that, however, we got started on training outside of his compound. Erin had cleared it with Head Ranger Bruce beforehand, making sure we didn't cause a Stampede or anything… Not that any Tauros would be Stampeding for a while. I really didn't blame them, either.

  I loved Leto immensely, she was my second mom, but she had been terrifying yesterday! Even more than she normally was! It was one thing to know intellectually that she was a Master level Pokemon, a huge, fast, and vicious Alpha Tyrantrum with plenty of experience in hunting. It was another thing entirely to see her contain a huge herd of Tauros single-handedly, even if it had utterly exhausted her.

  It was very different even than that to watch her kill almost two hundred Tauros while barely using Moves! In fact, I don't think she used any Moves other than Bite, and that was for the three she had eaten! Well, that and Dragon Tail when they tried to surround her.

  We were not worried about Tauros.

  Most of our Pokemon didn't need directions for training these days other than specifics. For a half day of training, we started out with the entire group facing off against Hope. Hope also trained, of course. Even before Cerulean she had been far too powerful, but the other Pokemon were catching up. She couldn't just stand in midair anymore, she had to dodge, and her Protect broke often. It just rebounded very fast. Because my fae was… different. Stabby was still more powerful, slightly, but he was just uncontracted.

  The younger, newer Pokemon were kind of stuck adjusting to Gravity for the moment. Noibat and Noibat- Okay, I need to name my lazy little guy. He was adorable, and relatively affectionate, but he was so lazy! It wasn't even the whole 'me dragon, me strong' thing! He was just lazy! He hadn't even wanted to fight Erika! In the Gym he had an advantage in!

  If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

  Either way, the siblings joined Jangmo-o and Dipplin at the edge of the Gravity and tried to adjust. Well, the Noibat siblings had been with us for a while, but it was still impossible for them to fly in it. They still tried, but I wasn't confident in their ability to ever fly in high Gravity. It was kind of one of the main uses of the Move in battle. Not even Kallen could make his floating work inside it, he just used water jets to maneuver himself around. They still got good workouts trying, though, so we just let them.

  Jangmo-o was enthusiastic about Gravity training. Enthusiastic about so much! I was so grateful we had been able to help him. Well, Erin helped him, and Alex, too, but either way he was happy! He was away from that scumbag, he had an honorable trainer, and his team was honorable, too! Or at least not Hazard…

  My baby wasn't a dishonorable dragon in actions these days, sure, but he was very much a dishonorable dragon in nature, if not desire. Still, I had been breaking through to him more and more. He returned a hug last night! Only for a few seconds, but it hadn't been a celebratory hug! No, I had just given him a hug and he returned it! Stiffly, growling, but it had happened!

  It still stunned me sometimes, but I couldn't be more grateful.

  Dipplin was having both an easy time with Gravity, and a hard time. He didn't move around all that much unless he needed to, so he didn't mind that part. He very much minded how he could barely come out of his apple, and his tail-wyrm just drooped out of its hole. He was trying to work on his Dragon Tail and Double Hit, but he was having trouble moving, so we weren't expecting anything for his first training session.

  He would adjust. Eventually.

  Of course, we weren't staying out here for a week, so Leto hadn't made an insane arena for us to use. We were just in the grass, and I quickly learned that insects were far worse than any Bug or Tauros out here.

  Thankfully, they ignored us in favor of Dipplin. Yesterday Erin had whispered to me the fact that he was pranking Alex with his stickiness, but he really needed to control his scent! He couldn't even eat most of them that covered his apple, he couldn't exit it! Well, the ones that had been high enough and moving fast enough that they landed on his apple when they hit the Gravity, actually. There was a circle of insects crushed to the ground…

  Eventually, however, we called for individual training. Once again, we didn't have to tell them what to start. Even Artemis would calmly start training… For a while, then it would be 'Slow down Artemis!', but still! It was mostly our younger Pokemon that needed direct instruction. Alex's, more precisely.

  Jangmo-o's Dragon Tail was already perfected, and his Headbutt was close, but his Work Up needed… work. Dipplin practiced his Bullet Seed and Dragon Breath now that he could stick his head out of his apple again, well, after he had frantically eaten every insect on it. There was nothing sticking to his apple now, and Alex had given him a look, so hopefully he could prank her a few more times. It was funny! Or maybe I would get him to cleanly sit in my hand for a while! That would drive her insane!

  Our Noibat were… about as different as could be. Mine was lazy but still affectionate. Hers was super affectionate and driven! Mine was calm and quiet. Hers was loud and hyper! Hers was also quite a bit stronger than mine, to nobody's surprise. Volume aside, she wanted to be strong!

  Mine?

  He wanted to be strong, sure! He was a dragon! Not all dragons had drive, though, and he barely had any! I was close to just asking Erin or Dexter to translate for me so I could ask him, in all seriousness, if he had come along with me just to get away from his other, more-driven siblings and parents.

  I got the feeling he had…

  Hazard was working on his Dragon Pulse, and it was already looking decent. He was in a much better mood these days after his training had finally shown proven results, so he didn't rage when he failed his Swords Dance occasionally. He was still Hazard, and still got frustrated… but that wasn't exactly unusual for my baby. He wasn't… super bright? I loved him, but he was… let's just say direct.

  Indeedee was practicing her Calm Mind, but she had started practicing it only a few days ago, and it was… rough, but usable. Better than her Dazzling Gleam that Hecate had taught her. That was worse than Hecate's first attempts, even if it made sense. Still, it would give her a nice offensive option against Dark and Dragon types other than Disarming Voice. Her Shadow Ball, from an expensive TM, was horrible. Not that anyone had expected differently, but the fact remained. Indeedee was trained and powerful, but she was working on a lot now.

  I need to name her! And Noibat! I keep putting it off!

  Maybe when we got done today…

  —

  —

  "You know, I feel bad for those Tauros… Kind of, I mean? They could have broken through the walls here…" Maxx looked nervous as he said that, and I couldn't blame him in the least.

  Leto had actually taken the time to turn his compound's walls into thick monstrosities of walls that looked more at home in a castle that evening. His steel gate was still small, but Maxx had bought Rosie Rock Tomb, so if the worst happened she could just bury the gate. Luckily Scyther didn't Stampede due to their hunting packs being too territorial, because they could fly right over the wall. A single Scyther wouldn't even bother with the compound, either. They weren't that aggressive… towards humans or large Pokemon, that was… Anything smaller? Edible.

  "Mom was actually a little worried for you last night, that's why I texted you. Glad we could help you out today, though!" Erin was smiling as she played with Rosie's baby inside Maxx's house.

  His newly furnished house. The floor and walls were still bare stone, if smooth on the inside, but with the amount of rugs he had purchased? With the huge new AC unit powered by a second solar panel? With the pile of cheap mattresses for when the Kangaskhan would sometimes drop their babies off?

  We would actually be staying the night here, inside. Cerberus wasn't happy about it, but everyone else was! It was cool in here with the new AC, and even mom hadn't fought it, despite her 'pack' sleeping away from her. If it was with a friend? And she was close? All good in her mind… for one night. One! We would have a full day of training tomorrow before returning to the Center, and our Gym Challenges the day after. Well, mine and Erin's. Alex would just be fighting Janine.

  "It was very helpful, obviously! I might be a little low on money now… or a lot low on money, actually, but I have more than enough until another photo sells! And a comfortable home! Still rough, but give us a week!" Maxx was so happy, and I couldn't blame him. He had essentially been living in a very poorly furnished stone hut before. Now he was living in a nicely furnished stone hut with a powerful AC unit!

  Rosie was also happy, but I think she cared more about the toys Maxx had bought for her baby. All the babies… They were just simple Kangaskhan dolls made out of rope, cheap and easy to buy hundreds of, even if the shop owner had gone pale when Maxx had literally asked for every single one he had. The baby was still so enthusiastic about them, no matter their simplicity!

  Alex was looking at the door with a frown, though.

  "You think Dipplin will be okay outside? Maybe I should just put him in his Pokeball? He's going to be tempting to a Scyther…"

  Erin actually gave it thought for a long moment before shaking her head.

  "He'll be fine out there. Mom won't let him get eaten, and I saw him asking her something earlier. Probably for a nice stone cage to sit in on the wall. He'll feast all night in safety, is my guess." Alex breathed out a sigh of relief as I smiled at the mental image.

  Then I freaked the fuck out!

  Why would I freak the fuck out inside of Maxx's home? Safe, comfortable, and surrounded by friends and family?

  Because the Egg I was holding in its harness cracked!

  A few things happened in rapid succession.

  First, I ran outside, even as Erin and Alex ran to return their teams and mine returned themselves. Baby Pokemon already knew who had spent time around them in the egg by our psychic signatures, but visual imprinting was also key. I needed to be the only person it saw first. In addition, it was a fae! I was immune to anything they might do, and so was Erin, but nobody else was! Granted, most baby fae couldn't take anything, or commune at all, but some could!

  Hope and Stabby had been very educational. Mainly Hope, because while Stabby wasn't contracted, he still followed rules about what he could share of his knowledge. Hope? Hope gleefully shared all that she could. Which still wasn't a whole lot, she still had rules that governed her existence, but enough.

  As fae, their minds weren't of this reality, they were… somehow a constant? Outside of time, even as they flowed forwards? It was hard to wrap my mind around. When they came here, however, one of the rules all fae followed was the steady progression of time. It was what allowed them to grow, to change, the entire reason they came here, other than in search of their desires. When Hope returned to her… realm, she wasn't time traveling, and indeed, she could only interact with others like herself that were also following our time there. So when a baby fae was born? It was relatively 'mature' in mind, if not experience. So why did they act like babies, require the same care that any other baby would?

  Because they weren't integrated into their new form yet, into this reality. They had agreed to follow time to grow, to change, so for a time they were essentially babies as they struggled to… control their vehicle, as Erin might put it. To grow into it. They crashed, they ate the wrong 'fuel', they misinterpreted signals. It took them time to adjust, and for most of them it was not an easy process. During that time, they could theoretically take from anyone. In practice, it would be like a human baby playing a complex video game. They might stumble through a single level if they were very lucky, sure… Most would babble and slam their hands on the controller randomly.

  I had also done a lot of research on fae since Hope Evolved. Quite a lot, actually. I had devoured every bit of information I could get from the PokeNet and Professor Oak, not to mention grilling Erin for all of her knowledge. Most of which was accurate for this world, sure, but not all…

  So I wasn't worried as I stood in Maxx's empty compound. Well, everyone was watching, heads peeking out from behind the door, AC forgotten for the moment. I wasn't worried when the top of the Egg began to spiderweb in cracks. I wasn't even worried when the top finally broke apart. I wasn't at all worried as my eyes locked with the eyes of the baby Pokemon inside for a few seconds, especially when they smiled at me happily.

  I should have been.

  Especially considering the fact that the tiny pink humanoid inside the Egg looked around briefly before beginning to wail in one of the most distressing ways I had ever heard. It wasn't pain, or fear, or anything like that. It wasn't strictly a negative emotion like those. No. It just needed something! Badly! Now!

  So it decided to get it!

  It leapt out of the Egg, collapsing onto the ground briefly, but before I could even try to grab it it was running! Desperately running, stumbling towards the… gates?

  Everyone else was outside now, imprinting done, but it was Erin who spoke up, voice slightly worried. Also highly amused.

  "Uhh, Maxx? I think we're going to owe you a gate. Or at least part of one…" I spared a quick glance at her, noting the overwhelming amusement on her face, before a terrible screech of metal tore my gaze from her to my newest Pokemon.

  My newest Pokemon, apparently from Paldea! My newest Fairy, also a Steel type! One of the few Fairy/Steel combinations… One of less than a dozen Pokemon in the world that utilized true weapons in any real form. One of the few Pokemon that had the exact same legal rights as a human in Paldea, even without a trainer, so long as they were peaceful.

  It was hard to justify not doing it when they were intelligent, generally personable, and had eagerly apprenticed themselves to blacksmiths and craftsmen all throughout history!

  So far the only Pokemon discovered who not only used weapons, but crafted them! Improved upon them! One of the most dangerous and unpredictable species of Pokemon in battle, because each one's hammer was different in their later Evolutions!

  I stared at my baby fae as it slowly, agonizingly peeled a section of steel bar right off the bottom of the gate. The metal gave, not easily, but like super tough taffy, almost. Then there was a frantic minute of smashing the bar into the rest of the gate as the bar slowly turned into a lumpy, ugly cylindrical club. As soon as it had the completed club in hand it stopped wailing and calmly looked around, eyes landing on me even as it ate a small piece of steel.

  Then it charged!

  It charged happily, babbling nonsense the whole way. It tripped twice, but its little feet never stopped running, even as it face-planted. I felt like I should be trying to help it, help her, but I was still mildly stunned.

  I mean, I had known it would be a fae, sure! I was even prepared for an Impidimp to come out of that Egg! It would have been very awkward, considering Erin wouldn't have liked me keeping him, but it would have happened anyways! This baby girl, though? She was already dangerous right out of her Egg! That club, that rattle couldn't cave my skull in, no, not yet. She was only eight inches tall! She was a baby!

  It could absolutely knock me out, though. Possibly kill me if I didn't get healed… which I would, but still!

  So when she leapt for me, eyes shining in happiness… I still knelt and caught her with a smile, of course! I just did it very carefully and managed to grab the rattle in one hand. She looked up at me with joy shining in her eyes, and I felt my own smile grow wide. Yes, she was dangerous. So were all Pokemon. She was also a literal baby!

  "Hello there, little Tinkatink!"

  The faint reply through communion was very unusual. Mainly because it wasn't words, or concepts, or meanings. It wasn't even a feeling. It was just pure noise.

  Happy noise.

  "She says hi. Kind of? It's A greeting, at least. Give her two or so weeks and she'll be able to talk for the most part, even if she'll still need some time to use words effectively." 'I kind of figured that out, but thanks, Hope. Can you ask her not to take from anyone? Well, make sure she understands what I'm about to ask her?"

  "Sure… go ahead, but she might not agree. She does understand you, she just can't commune effectively." 'I know, but she will have to. Considering how surprised she is right now by us communing so easily, I get the feeling she might not fight it much.'

  I sat down in the grass, smiling widely at the stunned baby Pokemon. She was adorable! She wasn't actually one of the 'baby' Pokemon Evolutions, like Cleffa. They eventually Evolved simply through time and care. She would require fighting experience to Evolve, to want it badly, or at least the kind of drive that Hazard'd had… She was a baby for now, though, and she looked like a pink baby with a tiny mound of tied up hair… with a rattle. A very dangerous rattle, despite its unassuming appearance. She was easily wielding it despite the fact that it had to weigh half of her weight or more! Right out of the Egg!

  "I assume Hope has already told you, but I'll say it again. I want a promise from you to never take from anyone without their permission or mine. I do not do this to bind your future, or your desires. You will not be permitted to take, this is true, but you would be able to receive! Your species integrates well with humans, in general. You rarely take anything from our minds, in fact, that would only hurt you! You would make your teachers less. Before you answer if you will or won't take, do you understand why I make this demand?"

  She was scowling at me now, her single underbite-tooth thing making it adorable… Eventually, however, she nodded at me, and I smiled warmly at her.

  "Great, now: Will you promise me to never take from anyone without their permission, or mine? It would be rare, but I would permit you to take freely from a true enemy intent on harm. I hope to never see it, but should our lives come under threat? I would give you free reign to take as much as you wished. Do you promise me this?"

  She continued to glare at me from my lap for a moment. Her eyes wandered around, skipping over the humans, but the only Pokemon out right now were Hope and Stabby. Rosie and her baby were in the house, and everyone else was watching from their Pokeballs. She locked eyes with Hope for a long minute of silence, before her eyes came to rest on me.

  She tried to commune with me again, and this time the sound was angry! Angry, but… anticipating. I looked at her in confusion.

  "She wants to know if she'll get a name, too, eventually."

  I smiled at the baby in my lap, ignoring the nervous energy that tried to overwhelm me momentarily. That was how many people died to fae.

  "You may get a name in the future, yes." I ignored the hiss of surprise from Maxx. "I will not say for sure, bind myself to a future. It would be in the far future, after your first Evolution at the minimum. Probably your final Evolution, honestly." She frowned at me, but I just shook my head lightly.

  "Don't mistake me, I do not say this out of a desire to avoid a direct answer. I know how important names are for your kind. Aside from your own anger should I give you an inappropriate name, I wouldn't want to do that to any fae that has done me no harm. It would be binding you to disappointment forever! I have met two fae like that!" She knew I wasn't lying, and her frown slowly lessened, but it was still there as I continued.

  "I say potentially until your final Evolution because I have to know you! I have to know your dreams, your desires! What you find amusing, worthwhile! Hope likes hope! Stabby loves stabbing! I know that neither of those names would make you happy right now, correct?" She shook her head tightly, and I smiled warmly at her.

  "I will make you this promise, however. I will never name you something you hate. You already know that communion doesn't hurt me. You would agree to your name before I ever uttered it. Do you understand my reasoning, now?" She glared at me for a long minute, then sighed and nodded. I patted her head with a smile.

  "Good. Now… Will you promise me to never take from anyone without their permission, or mine?" Her glare was gone now, and she looked so dejected, but eventually she nodded. I couldn't help the small squeal of happiness I let out as I picked her up and held her in the crook of my arm.

  "One more thing, Tinkatink. Do not commune with anyone but me and my sister over there with green hair unless it is an emergency, or I change my mind, okay? You hurt other people when you do so, but it doesn't bother me or her in the least." She gave an easy nod, not that I had expected differently. Fae loved to talk with me and Erin because we didn't 'moan' about the pain… We didn't 'complain'...

  "In that case, it's good to welcome you to the family, Tinkatink!"

  She babbled up at me, not quite happily, but close.

  She would get there.