Fenn blinked and rubbed the crust out of his eyes.

Woolen blankets had been swaddled carefully around him, hiding him from sight. They were soft. Pleasant to the touch. But, at the same time, a little stifling. Fenn poked his head out and peered around. He was now in a hide-roofed structure that largely resembled a stable; all around were pens holding a menagerie of odd creatures. Some seemed as ordinary beasts, if a bit larger than one would expect. A pony-sized jackrabbit lifted its ears and stared at him. Others were far more exotic, such as a grey-feathered serpent labeled “Pryderi”.

The air was musky with animals-scent and broken with their noises. Fenn sneezed.

“Good. You wake. Before you ask, we are in the stables,” Banrion spoke up. She stood with one hand on the wooden clasp lock of a pen, and the other playing absently with her mane. “I considered bringing you to my chambers while you slept off your nectar, but that felt inappropriate. Even if we are allies, we’ve hardly met.” She shook her heads. “In any case, it is time for you to leave our realm now, Fennik. The sun has set. I’ll show you out, and then you will be on your own in the mortal realm again. Does this please you?”

Stretching and rubbing his eyes, he gave a short nod back. He’d be relieved to be back in his own world again.

The Chancellor reached quietly into her robes, grasping something unseen. “There is something I must give you before you set off. But, I would like a fair trade for it; I cannot simply hand it off to you as if it were a paltry street-trinket. You need to understand the value of this object. What do you have to offer?”

A trade? That was intriguing. Fenn’s ears flicked as he pondered what he had on him. Flipping open his bag greeted him with a good deal of things that most people would pass off for trash. Bottlecaps, wrappers, cheap jewelry, emptied wallets… None of them seemed as if they’d be of any worth to a fae Chancellor. After a moment of sifting through the clutter, a thought struck him. Fenn reached into the collar of his cloak and pulled out a golden, heart-shaped locket. With absolute certainty, he unclipped it from his neck and held it forth in offering.

Both heads tilted to the side, Banrion eyed his offering shrewdly. “This? A curious trinket, my pigwidgeon. Care to explain what makes it so special to you?”

WAS ONCE SIGN OF FRIENDSHIP FROM NICE LADY. NOW, NOT, Fenn wrote in the dirt. He stared down at the locket, blinking back a brief watering in his eyes. SHE NOT SO NICE NOW. MY WRISTS...

“Ahh. Besides sentimental value, what might makes it worth giving to me?” the Chancellor prompted gingerly.

Fenn popped open the locket, spilling out half a dozen of shiny pebbles across the stable floor. Sheepishly, he gathered them up and shoved them into his satchel -- all except one. A green stone, softly glowing, remained. Banrion stooped to to inspect it. Hushed, secretive whispers filled the air in its presence.

HIT GHOST WITH SPELL, GOT THIS FUNNY ROCK? Fenn explained as she picked it up. He handed her the locket too.

“Odd circumstances result in odd creations,” Banrion murmured, locking the rock in the locket and slipping it into her robes. “Very well then. A stone and a necklace make a fair trade for a stone necklace, do they not?”

She pulled out a thick silver-chained necklace and tossed to Fenn. He caught it with a start. Its silvery-green pendant felt heavy in his hands. Heavy, and warm with magic, like a fallen star resting in his palm. Fenn moved it from side to side, watching as little cracks inside the stone shifted color.

“This is enchanted malachite. Call it suan gadai, a dreamstone.” She pulled back her sleeve, revealing a bracelet with a similar stone inset. “I have the matching half. It will allow me to delve into your sleeping mind and waking memories so long as you wear yours. And if you require privacy… You may remove it from your person for as long as you need.”

Fenn half smiled up at her from under his wispy bangs. THANKS.