The serene fellblood woman probably looked quite frightening with the shadows cast from the flickering flames. She wasn’t trying to kill the slippery little bugger, oh, no. Kou had seen firsthand how difficult it was to get hold of the little guy, with his ability to pop around the shadows and such. To be honest, she didn’t fully anticipate being able to hit him with her toy hammer at all.

No, she had a different objective in mind.

It was all too apparent the difference in power between the grandmother and the gremlin. The little yokai clearly possessed ample magic, and was quite familiar using it to terrorize other people. Kou couldn’t hope to brute-force her way through this interaction. But perhaps, if she could be as annoying in turn, Kou could beat him at his own game. It was a question of whether he could take what he dished out.

Kou was about to find out.

He didn’t see the little creature leave the still-burning plants, but Kou heard his voice in her mind at the same time she saw movement out of the corner of her vision. He’d pulled himself atop the park bench where this had all started, as if claiming it for himself. She couldn’t stop herself from startling at the sound of the little thing’s question directly within her mind - but Kou did not respond, merely turning around to face the little critter as the last rays of the setting sun gave way to dusk.

And then, still atop her broom, she raised her hammer, as if to throw it at the little guy -

And then her robes lit up in a flash of brilliant, blinding light.^[1]

Hopefully, enough to blind the little creature, and giving Kou just enough time to fly up to the bench where he’d taken refuge. “I intend to win, little man! Give me back my Tarou or else I’ll subject you to a taste of your own medicine!”

She raised the hammer; but instead of hitting him, Kou struck the wood that made up the back of the bench, right near his ear.

Squeak!

SQUEAK!

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK-

… It was admittedly very annoying. But would Kou’s petty retaliation be enough to annoy him into leaving her alone?

---

1. Moon Moth Robes

Hylltywyll threw his hands over his burning eyes, the sudden bright flash of light blinding him, and even worse, making him extremely angry at this damn old woman who would do something like that to him! He was already mad about her attempt to burn him to death in a flaming maze, and this wasn't helping him think she had no ill intentions.

Now she was really coming at him seriously! He grimaced and blinked rapidly, squinting as his eyesight was returning but was still as fuzzy as he was, looking at the incoming hammer-wielding old lady. He prepared himself for a fight, his hands ready to cast spells and defend himself. As she swung her hammer at him, he threw another wall of light up between them to block it.

Squeak!

Hylltywyll blinked in confusion, his vision starting to clear.

SQUEAK!

He rubbed the last bit of blurriness from his eyes and looked on in confusion.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK

What was she doing? She wasn't even hitting his wall of light, she was hitting the back of the bench. His hands fell to his sides. He was dumbfounded. Was she not even trying to fight him? What, did that flash from her robes blind her too? What was she hitting the bench for?

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK

Alright, that was starting to get annoying. Every time the hammer hit the bench, it let out an annoying squeak. It was getting on his nerves. His confusion at the situation was fading as it dawned on him. Was this her plan? To annoy him? The master of annoying people? Him? She had to be joking.

Hylltywyll snapped his finger and the hammer, along with any other weapons Kou was concealing on her person, suddenly vanished. He looked at her through his wall of light with an expression that clearly said "Are you kidding me?"

---

Wall of Light
Disarming Aura

Well that had gone rather pear-shaped. Kou supposed some spirits were too tricky to be trifled with; and as her hammer disappeared from her hands, along with her other scant weapons she had on her person.

… As did her cane.

Kou would have fallen over if she weren’t still perched on her broomstick. Still, the loss of her grandson’s beloved gift ached. Kou frowned, reaching into her bag for anything she had left. Nothing, save a few chocolates and cloth-wrapped dumplings she’d saved for her outing with Tarou.

Hmm.

Well, attacking and annoying were off the table. It was as if the little creature was expecting annoyance and retaliation. But why was he attacking people on Hearth Day in the first place? As silly as it was, Kou could not help but wonder if there was a deeper reason behind it. Perhaps the little spirit was harboring some bitterness because he didn’t have a companion this fine day.

Perhaps he was lonely.

Or perhaps he was so spiteful that the very concept of love repelled him. Either way, it didn’t hurt to do the one thing that might disarm him. Kou reached into her bag and ate a piece of chocolate, one which made the air warmer around her.^[1] She lunged at him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and enveloped him in a deep, near bone-crushing hug. She nuzzled her cheek against his and reached up to pinch him.

“Maybe it was love you were looking for, hmm? Don’t worry sweetling, Mama Kou will give you all the love she can to make up for the loneliness.”

Either it would work, or this would surely annoy him enough to free Tarou.

---

1. Dragon Chocolate

Hylltywyll's special ability to sense the magic of others before they could even finish casting it, to read the formula arcanum and decipher the spell's effects more accurately than even the caster might know. That didn't help at all with predicting this.

He struggled, kicking and screaming as Kou suddenly wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a hug, pinning his arms to his sides. What the hell was wrong with this lady!? First she was throwing shoes and swinging brooms at him, trying to burn him to death, and now she was giving him a hug and trying to give him the love he'd been missing for such a long time?

Wait no, what was he thinking? He hadn't been missing love or affection at all! He was fine on his own! He didn't need any help from anyone.

"Get off me! I don't need love, you crazy woman! I'm fine on my o- glrk."

Hylltywyll's eyes opened wide in shock as he felt the Tarou orb, pushed out of his cheek by all the grandma nuzzling, slide into his throat. The fist-sized ball of gold and Fellblood was far too large for the tiny Fairy to actually swallow whole. It caught in his throat, blocking his breathing and cutting off his words.

His flailing legs suddenly flailed even harder as he hacked and coughed, trying to spit the orb back out. The bulge in his throat was letting out weak groans of complaint, the spherified, magic-drained Tarou obviously having a bad time as well in this situation.

In his panic from choking to death, Hylltywyll nearly forgot the mental connection he had made with Kou.

"I'm choking!" His voice sounded directly in her mind. "Help!"

The little creature started writhing and thrashing wildly in her grip, and Kou knew she’d touched a nerve. Of course that was the solution! The gremlin had been working so hard to sabotage their day – he was looking for retaliation. Which meant the best course of action was to stop giving him what he wanted. Kou much preferred this method of victory, anyways. She held no love for yokai, but it was much more fun to win by showing someone kindness and compassion.

The creature protested, asserting that he didn’t need love – which only prompted Kou to squeeze harder… a mistake on her part. For a moment she didn’t even seem to realize that the gremlin was choking on something, until she heard his voice directly in her mind.

“Oh no!” She cried, alarmed – working in a restaurant had given her a good enough understanding of first aid, particularly how to assist someone while they were choking. She readjusted her grip, which wasn’t difficult given she was already hugging him, and applied enough pressure to dislodge the Tarourb from his throat.

“There, there.” She cooed, patting him on the head once she was certain he was safe. “Let me take care of you. All better?”

Kou would wait to make sure he was alright before hopping down off the bench, attempting to grab the Tarourb from the ground – hoping that the little creature was stunned enough by her love and care to let her collect her poor marble-grandson.

"Hegh! Hugh! Hurk! BLEGH!"

Hylltywyll was turned around in the old woman's arms and given the Heimlich maneuver repeatedly. For such an old bag, she could put a surprising amount of force into it. By the time the Tarou orb was launched out of his mouth, Hylltywyll was pretty sure some of his ribs were cracked.

The saliva-coated golden sphere bounced off the ground a few times before rolling to a stop in the grass, maybe ten feet away from the bench, the eyes spinning dizzily as Tarou let out a muffled groan.

Hylltywyll gasped for air and coughed some more, finally able to breathe. Still held in Kou's arms, he needed a moment to recuperate after that near death experience. Weak grunts and groans escaped his lips as he practically went limp in her arms. The pats on his head elicited an annoyed growl from him, but he took no further action against them. Typically, Hylltywyll would feel indebted to someone for saving his life. She might have saved him from choking, but she was also the reason he'd been choking in the first place. As far as he was concerned, this old lady had just caused him pain, and he owed her nothing except some payback.

He didn't even notice her going and picking up the grandson ball. He didn't care anyways. It wasn't like she knew how to turn him back to normal.

Kou wiped some spittle off the Tarourb with the hem of her robe’s sleeve, smiling at the little object. “There. All better, dearie. Don’t worry. Mama Kou will make this alright.” She had no idea how, but she’d figure it out. The little creature had yet to disappear, which meant she could still get it out of him. Cradling the orb gently in her hands, Kou turned back to the creature still recovering from her rescue attempt.

“Are you alright, hon?” She asked, reaching into her bag for something - after a second, she pulled out a steam basket, opening it to offer one of the dumplings inside to the little thing. She’d made them especially for this trip, but she’d be remiss if she didn’t offer one to the little fellow.^[1]

“Here. For your bumps and bruises… I’m sorry about the damage, but you have to be a little rough when it comes to these kinds of things. It’s definitely a better fate than choking to death!” She chortled at her own not-joke.

Regardless of whether Hyl took the dumpling or not, Kou would continue, cradling the orb in her hands. “Now, I’m not sure why you decided to attack my grandson and I today of all days, but I have a proposition for you. Turn Tarou back to normal, or else I shall give you the strongest, most affectionate, bone-crushing hug you can imagine! Or you can turn him back… and spend the rest of Hearth Day with us. I’m sure that it would be fairly boring to you to feed the ducks all day.” She was certain it had been boring to Tarou too, who’d only been humoring her.

She didn’t want to be humored.

“But I’m sure we can find some sort of happy medium between outright terror and a little mayhem!”

---

1. Potion of Minor healing offered to Hylltywyll

Hylltywyll gave Kou the most criminal offensive side eye she might have ever experience in her long life. In her arms, he started to wriggle and try to slip away from her grasp, but he stopped when a dumpling was presented to him. His little nose twitched as he sniffed. It did look pretty tasty and it smelled good. If this old lady was trying to trick him with a poisoned dumpling, she'd be disappointed to find out that poisons don't work very well on him.

He took the dumpling and started to eat it, only slightly less angry at her. He felt the magic in it as he ate, but his bruised torso and cracked ribs didn't mend. The healing magic found no purchase in Hyll's body, the little creature unable to be healed by anything other than directly draining the magic from someone else. His stomach didn't feel any satisfaction from the meal either, his hunger also only satiated by raw magic. He finished the dumpling anyways, just enjoying the flavor.

"Hmph. Why would you want me to spend Hearth Day with you?" Hylltywyll asked grumpily, wincing from the pain in his ribs once he finished speaking.

This had to be some scheme against him. He didn't want another hug, so it'd be best not to outright deny the deal, but he also didn't like the idea of spending the whole day with this boring old lady and her grandson, especially after the grandson wasn't a shiny little trinket anymore, but a big angry Fellblood man.

Some tiny part of him felt a bit of hope she would give him a good reason to join them though and he didn't know why. That was stupid. He was better off alone, causing more mischief around the city. That would definitely be way more fun than whatever these two would want to do.

"Ugh... It still hurts... Things like that don't heal me." He whimpered, holding his ribs and making sure Kou could see he was still in pain. It was easy to see he was still tired and in pain even if he wasn't playing it up. "I need something else to heal this."

That was… strange. Her dumplings didn’t seem to be doing the trick as they usually did. Kou frowned, unsure what to make of what she saw. The elderly woman did not have a particularly strong grasp of her magic; perhaps if she’d been educated in the subject, she’d be able to more accurately pinpoint why she’d not been able to help him.

The question, too, threw her for a loop.

“Well, by my estimation, we already are spending Hearth Day together right now, aren’t we?” Albeit in an admittedly strange way. But she figured that this still counted, given that of all the people in the city enjoying one another’s company, the little creature had decided to continue tormenting them for a reason.

Probably because Kou threw a shoe at him.

Kou sat down on the bench next to him, brows knit together in concern. She had no reason to believe he might be faking it. The thought never even crossed her mind. Perhaps he was trying to get her to lower her guard and strike back, steal the marble, but she hoped that they’d reached some sort of truce for the time being.

It had also not yet occurred to Kou that the little creature would agree to anything if it meant getting healed.

Kou leaned in closer, as if sharing a secret.

“Well, to be honest, I’m having a wonderful time with Tarou, but he’s the one that picked this outing, and… oh, I could feed the ducks anytime, and it’s rather boring! But he’s so terribly insistent on sticking to routine, and easy activities so I won’t hurt myself. Between you and me, I don’t mind tearing up the streets every now and then, you know? I’m saddened you stole my bread, and my shoe, but this is the most fun I’ve had since my last excursion!”

She carefully did not mention that last excursion involved her and her best friend stealing a wagon and accidentally kidnapping a couple of youths.

“The point being… I don’t want Tarou to feel like I am as brittle as glass. I am far from it, and I don’t want him holding himself back for my sake. So if you wanted to tag along with us, maybe you could convince Tarou to have a little bit of fun and loosen up, too. So long as we don’t do anything too mean-spirited!” She added that last part with a wink.

The grandmother could not help but gasp at the assertion the little creature needed something else to heal him. “Well, what is it that you need? If it’s within reason, I could try to help you find some…”

Hylltywyll considered her words. This old lady just kept surprising him. She was actually having fun this whole time? Well, he was also having fun. Their sort of prank war with each other had been fun. That is, until he almost choked on a spherical Fellblood, but before that he was actually having a good time. He didn't even realize the joy he'd been feeling until it was pointed out.

She didn't need to know any of that though. He looked away and huffed, a tinge of embarrassment on his face. He was glad she was still holding him with his back against her so she couldn't see his face as the grey cheeks grew a little red beneath the purple fuzz.

"Hm. Fine, I guess I can let you enjoy my presence a little longer, if you insist." Hylltywyll responded in a haughty tone, but his bravado was undercut by him wincing every time he moved slightly in Kou's arms and felt the pain in his ribs. He really needed to fix that. What a pain it was being so skilled in healing magic yet unable to use any of it on himself. There was only one thing that could heal him.

"You should sit down for this." He advised earnestly, turning his head to look over his shoulder at Kou. He could just bite her arm here and now, drink some of her magic and heal his wounds, but he knew what effect it had. She'd get fatigued and dizzy, so it would be best for her if she was sitting down when he did it. Being considerate was such a pain.

He waited until she listened to him and then pulled her sleeve up and bit down lightly, his teeth not pressing hard enough to break the skin, but just enough that she could feel the points poking her. He drank her magic slowly, stealing just enough to fully heal himself, and then letting go with a satisfied sigh. He had to admit her light magic had a very pleasant flavor that reminded him of the dumpling she'd just given him, like it was made with love. Something he knew very little about.

"Ah. That's better." He sighed in Kou's lap. He visibly looked much healthier, no longer wincing with each movement, and the bruising that was developing on his ribs disappeared. He had clearly recovered from his injuries in an instant after stealing just a bit of Kou's magic.

While Kou was still a bit fatigued from being drained, Hylltywyll turned in her arms and grabbed the Tarou orb from her hand. He tossed it onto the grass just a few feet away where it bounced a couple times with a muffled grunt before coming to a stop. Like a wacky inflatable balloon man being inflated, the orb grew a body which sprouted arms and legs that filled out until hands and feet popped out. The sphere itself reshaped back into a head, the hair resprouting, the nose, ears, and horns popping back out, and a crack forming that became a pair of lips and then a mouth.

A gold-covered Tarou reappeared lying on the grass. The golden coating melted off, dissipating into the grass and vanishing as if it had never been there, leaving Tarou completely back to normal though still a worn out from such an experience.

Hylltywyll sat in Kou's lap, kicking his feet and looking innocent as if he wasn't the reason the two people around him right now were so tired and worn out.

“I do insist!” Kou said, an agreeable smile on her face that almost could have been misconstrued as placating. Mostly, she was just pleased that she’d managed to get through to this little fellow. “Sit down?” Well, she wasn’t sure how that would help, but she’d promised she would, so she sat down, still holding the little creature in her lap -

Oh, dear, that was stronger than she anticipated.

It was a good thing she’d heeded his warning, otherwise the elderly woman of ailing health might have sustained serious injury from a subsequent fall, one she probably couldn’t have gotten up from. Those little spirits were no joke!

“Good, you’re looking right as rain!” Kou marveled as the little fellow expressed his contentedness. He was even moving with his earlier spryness, too! “I’m happy to see… oh, dear, give me a moment.”

Another wave of wooziness overtook her, and Kou clutched at her head, staving away the sudden fatigue that wracked her. She wasn’t quite sure what the little fellow had done, but she supposed it didn’t matter all was well that ended well!

And it certainly was better. Not but a few seconds later, Tarou reappeared from the prison the creature had created for her, in an… interesting way, like watching a doll come to life. But he was here! No fatigue in the world could keep her from reaching out to her grandson with a smile.

“Tarou! You’re back!”

“Huh…” Tarou was slower to regain his senses; getting turned into gold, then a sphere, then back into a person again, and drained of what little magic he had left had taken a toll on him. And the first thing he saw, upon returning to the world of the living, was the very creature who’d trapped him sitting in his gran’s lap.

“What the FUCK.” Tarou scrabbled to his feet immediately, reaching for the sword secured to his hip. The blade sang a menacing tune as he drew it, pointing it at Hylltywyll. “Gran, get the hell away from that thing!”

Kou raised her hand, beckoning for Tarou to come closer. “No, no, it’s quite alright! He’s no more trouble, isn’t that right?” She pat him on the head, finally remembering that she’d get to learn the creature’s name. “I am Kou, and this is my grandson, Tarou. And you are?”

Tarou frowned, not quite lowering his sword, but not quite attacking just yet. Kou gave him a find, yet exasperated look.

“Oh, put that thing down and come here.” She beckoned, pulling out her last dumpling. “Come here. Enough of that posturing. Take this dumpling and regain some energy. Our new friend here will be joining us for the rest of the holiday, won’t you?”

Tarou grunted but sheathed his sword with no small amount of reluctance. Mostly ‘cus he didn’t feel like angering his gran. He accepted the last dumpling, feeling some semblance of his energy coming back.^[1] Once he was feeling a little less drained, he turned back to the fae creature still sat on Kou’s lap. “So, what, you fuckin’ adopted this thing?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! You can’t adopt a spirit.” Kou admonished. “We‘ve merely come to an agreement. He’ll spend the rest of the day with us, and we’ll find something fun to do together!”

Tarou stared, bewildered.

Here he thought the day couldn’t get any weirder.

“I mean… if that’s what’s going to make you happy…” He muttered eventually, feeling like he’d lost the plot ages ago. But if Gran was going along with it, there was no reason for him not to. “But let me make one thing clear. Any funny business, and I won’t hesitate to gut you with this. Got it?”

“There will be no gutting anyone! Now come on, let’s have some fun!” She pulled herself to her feet, giving Hyl the opportunity to either climb off or get on her shoulder before she started hobbling forth in pursuit of other folks who’d chosen to spend hearth day in the park. Despite the fact that she was drained of magic and utterly fatigued, one thing was for certain - her lack of physicality would put no damper on her spirit. It was almost frightening.

---

1. Last Minor Healing potion given to Tarou

Hylltywyll answered Tarou's hostility with plenty of his own. Leaning forward and letting out a cat-like growl at the Fellblood pointing a sword at him. He wasn't about to be scared of the grandma's boy who he just used as a jawbreaker. He only stopped growling when Tarou stopped growling when he felt some pats on his head from the grandma.

Saying he was no more trouble. Well, he'd be lying if he actually agreed with that. He was absolutely going to still be trouble, especially for Tarou. He kept his eyes on the sword that hadn't lowered at all. He had half a mind to just make the sword disappear like he'd done to the hammer earlier. He didn't like having it pointed at him like that. But, in the interest of not immediately antagonizing him while they were somewhat trying to get along, he let it be. He had plenty of ways of avoiding harm if he did try to run him through with the sword anyways.

"Hylltywyll." He answered curtly.

There was a clattering of wood and a soft thump as the squeaky hammer reappeared and fell onto the bench and Kou's cane dropped into the grass, Hylltywyll's magic that had vanished them ending. Hylltywyll didn't even glance at the sounds, keeping his narrowed eyes on the sword.

Kou and Tarou went back and forth with their conversation. It was obvious the grandson was against the idea, which just made Hylltywyll happier about it. He'd spend all day with the two of them if it meant driving Tarou up the wall. This was looking to actually be a fun Hearth Day after all.

Hylltywyll climbed onto Kou's shoulders as she stood up. He gave Tarou a smug smile as he sat, one leg over either shoulder and his body behind her head. With his face out of Kou's view behind her, he stuck his tongue out at Tarou silently.

The hell did this cat think it was doing, hissing at him? Tarou Miyami was the leader of the Defiant Drakes; the dread insurrectors, opposition to the Crescent Empire! He wasn’t going to be bested by some goblin of a creature who was taking advantage of his gran’s kindness –

“Now, stop that, both of you.” Kou chided, procuring another sandal from her bag, different from the one Hylltywyll had stolen. It hit the fairy in the forehead, and in a split second it soared through the air and impacted with Tarou’s forehead with a solid CLONK. Tarou reeled back as Kou gave them both a stern look. “Put away your sword, Tarou.”

Tarou grunted but relented, if only because he feared the sandal’s wrath again. He didn’t have the same ability to make things disappear like Hylltywyll did.

Speaking of her things, there was her hammer and cane! Kou bent down to scoop them up as she set on, Hylltywyll on her shoulders. The cane was a balm to her aching knees. She was physically and magically exhausted, but so excited for this new venture!

Tarou did not share her sentiments. Hylltywyll stuck his tongue out at the taller fellblood, and Tarou might have popped a blood vessel.

Kou carried on, oblivious to the budding rivalry between her grandson and her new friend. It was rare she got the opportunity to be a prankster, but she had a few ideas! “Now, Hylltywyll, have you heard of the water cup prank? The joke is... you fill a bunch of cups with water, and you put them on someone’s front porch and watch as they fall into it where they try to leave! Oh, or considering how many people are out celebrating the holiday, we could pull the soap prank! The one where you pretend to sell baked goods and watch them bite into a piece of soap! Oh, it’s diabolical!” She giggled behind her hand, as if she genuinely believed that the evilest thing you could do to a person was watch them eat a piece of soap.

---

Grandma’s Sandal | Marksman | Small | Bludgeoning | Ranged

"Agh!" Hyll yelped as he was hit in the forehead with a sandal. He let out a growl of anger, like a mistreated cat. His annoyance was only slightly lowered by the solid clonk as it also hit Tarou in the forehead, but he was still not going to be dealing with this all night.

"Stop hitting me, or I'll have to make all those weapons disappear again, including that cane!" He threatened, taking note of just how relieved she seemed to be able to lean her weight on the wooden stick. He didn't care if it was mean to take away an old woman's cane. She was the one smacking him in the face with a smelly sandal. She started it.

Hylltywyll wasn't sure if he should feel pity or disgust. Were those really her best ideas for pranks? Putting some cups of water out, or feeding someone soap? Hylltywyll could turn someone into soap if he wanted. These were just lame. How long would it take to place all those water cups? That was way too much work for so little payoff.

"Hm, diabolical... Why don't you let me handle the pranks? You can just, uhhhh... pick a target." He suggested with an innocent smile behind her back. He could do plenty of pranking on his own, but he figured he should let the old lady be involved somehow. Picking who he pranked seemed like enough involvement to satisfy her and let her feel like she helped.

“There’s more where that came from!” Kou admonished, not particularly scared of the little fellow taking more of her weapons. Besides, he talked big game, but if he was truly content with being alone then he wouldn’t have taken Kou up on her offer in the first place! Besides, though Kou was accommodating, she was no pushover. Hylltywyll could threaten to take her shoes all he wanted but she wouldn’t tolerate misbehaving. They were supposed to be having fun… not fighting one another! “Take my cane and I suppose I’ll just have to lean on you instead!”

Capricious spirits. They always were a handful. Luckily through Kou’s travels she’d gotten much better about standing up for herself in the face of whimsical creatures. She liked Hylltywyll… mostly… and it wouldn’t do if Tarou ran his sword through the little bugger.

At least they managed to carry on with a somewhat uneasy peace established between them, mostly because Hylltywyll had become bored enough to entertain this nonsense. Well. It was kind of alright. No one had died yet which was a plus.

Kou blinked, taken aback as Hylltywyll shot down her idea. “Pick someone? Well, alright, if you say so.”

She scanned the crowd while Tarou continued to glare daggers at the pesky Fae. “And exactly what kinda ‘prank’ are you plannin’ on pullin’, punk? You gonna turn someone else into a ball? Make their insides into outsides? Or somethin’ else wicked and disgusting?” His pride was still definitely wounded from being turned into an orb.

Meanwhile, Kou hadn’t seemed to hear any of that, utterly preoccupied with the task at hand. Eventually, she spotted someone in the distance, relaxing and eating a sandwich alone at a table. A bespectacled elven fellow, one who didn’t look like much physically; he might not have even been worth paying attention to if it weren’t for the city government official patch emblazoned on his dark purple robe.

“What about him?” She asked, a twinkle of mischief in her eye; as if challenging, waiting to see whether Hylltywyll would actually terrorize a government official or not. “I still think we should do the soap prank, but if you’ve a better idea, I’m all ears.”