Pest had decided to visit Variq again...
Or rather, he'd been dropped off until his brother Brig and Draven decided to pick up.

Because Pest still felt a bit shy around everyone else, he and Variq were playing quietly together somewhere in the house. The toys of choice for the night were the Pinkys.

They were playing rather happily, Variq going along with Pest, when they were interrupted.

Ferrahn grinned down at them, and Pest smiled back uncertainly.

"What are you two doing?" he asked with a purr in his voice.

Variq frowned at him, and Pest looked at Variq and then back at Ferrahn uncertainly. Ferrahn only smiled wider at them.

"We're playing," Pest said. He paused a while and looked back and forth between Variq and Ferrahn again. "Do...do you want to play?"

Ferrahn raised an eyebrow at him and then smiled slowly. "Sure."

Ferrahn settled down by them and Vahri looked at Pest as if asking him whether it was okay. Pest nodded slightly, remembering Razkil's gentle reminder not to make Ferrahn angry. He'd said Ferrahn's toy would be gone for a while and the cat wasn't happy about it. So they weren't supposed to make him any more annoyed than he already was. Ferrahn didn't seem to be annoyed at the moment, but still, Pest edged nearer to Variq.

"So what are you playing?" Ferrahn asked, ignoring the Pinkys standing around them.

Pest looked at him. He didn't look like he was going to snarl at them. "We're playing with the Pinkys... Do you want one of them?"

Ferrahn thought for a while and then grinned. Pest resisted the urge to shiver.

"I'll use Miraj."

Pest and Variq shared another look. But both of them waited for Ferrahn to come back with Miraj. When he did, he immediately set him up before the small Pinkys.

"All right, so here's a giant coming across the tiny Pinkys' path. What will the small tiny little boys do??"

Ferrahn grinned down at them.

"Look, the giant is kneeling down in front of them. Is he going to attack?"

Ferrahn raised an eyebrow at Variq and Pest, waiting for their reactions. Pest, who was used to playing, smiled.

"The Pinkys are worried, of course!" Pest said quickly. "They've never met a giant before! (And worse, a scary-looking giant!)"

Ferrahn chuckled. "Scary is the right word to use. The giant isn't a very nice either. So...he's going to capture one of the Pinkys."

Pest's eyes widened.

"There you go. Giant-Boy here knocks down a couple and takes one for his own. Now, what are the others going to do?"

Variq and Pest looked at each other in silent communion.

"The others are thinking of a plan to rescue their friend!" Pest nodded to himself. "They're thinking."

Ferrahn grinned. "Think away. Giant-Boy here thinks they're wasting their time. He's ready for anything they can throw against him."

Pest puts forward two Pinkys. "These two are going to be the brave ones. They're going to fight the bad mean Giant, and demand that he give their friend back. (It's something Brig would do.)"

"Very good," Ferrahn approved. "What about you, Variq? What will you have your Pinkys do?"

Variq took Venn the worried-looking Pinky and hid him behind Pest's braver ones.

Ferrahn shook his head. "Look here, kid; hiding isn't going to solve anything. You have to have some guts some of the time."

Pest looked at Variq uncertainly. He didn't think there was anything wrong with worried-looking Venn standing behind the others.

Ferrahn shook his head again. "Try again."

Variq sighed quietly to himself. He'd hoped that by doing nothing Ferrahn would stop paying attention to him. So instead, he did what he'd meant to do; he gathered all of the Pinkys and made them crowd around the Giant.

"They are going to fight the Giant," he said quietly.

Ferrahn grinned at him. "That's more like it."

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