"It should be your birthday today Karli. How old are you today?"

"Two."

"No, you were two on your last birthday. If you're one year older, how old are you?"

Shrugs.

"What comes after two Karli?"

"Three."

"So you're three today. Happy birthday little one."

Karli looked up from her activities at the table to regard her companion non-chalantly as though today was just one more day much like the last and similiar to all those that lay ahead of her. Grimsby returned her stare with a heavy heart, already she was responding to everything as one who had seen too much. Tapping the piece of paper before the little girl, he tried to revert her attention to her drawings.

"You?" she asked, lifting the piece of charcoal to the level of her eyes as a pointer.

"Me?" Grimsby inquired in return. "What birthday am I on you mean?"

Nodding slowly, Karli gave up kneeling on the stool and crawled onto the table, flopping down onto her stomache over her art materials. Lazilly she doodled circles all over the page, waiting for her friend to reply.

"Well.. I'm on my four hundreth some-odd birthday," he replied with some hesitation.

"How many?" she asked again, her limitations in arithmatic leaving her no better off for having been answered.

"Let's just say it's alot," Grim concluded, confiscating the paper she was doodling on and sliding a fresh piece into it's place. "Actually draw something this time," he instructed her, crumpling up the old paper and tossing it into the corner.

"No," she told him dispondently pushing the new piece of paper away from her and bringing her fist up to rest her head against.

"How are you supposed to learn if you don't try?"

"Dun wanna learn," she mumbled, her gaze slowly finding it's way to the door.

"Karli, you have to learn to do something," he tried persuasively, sliding the sheet of paper back under her nose.

"No!" she told him again, pushing the paper away more violently this time.

"Are you mad because the others left to go intown without you this morning?" he inquired, sliding the paper towards her for the third time.

"No!" she half screamed that time, flinging the paper away from her, along with the charcoal stick. Moodily, she crossed her arms infront of her and dropped her face into the nest she had just made.

"Karli, you need to practice. We all have to have a skill to feed ourselves with," he tried. Bargaining with a toddler wasn't Grim's forte that was for sure.

"No..." came the half-hearted mumbled response from behind a set of miniature arms.

"Fine then," he sighed and began gathering up all the instruments of art. "I can't force you to draw if you don't want to." She seemed adament about her current mind set raising her tiny head to watch him tidy off the table of everything but her.

When everything had been collected, Grimsby looked over the items carefully to make sure they were all accounted for. A raid on Karli's hovel the other day had turned up a small collection of Grim's drawing instruments; the search of her area having been called after various members of the group awoke to find their personal items and in some cases their bodies decorated with the less then geometrical ramblings of an artistic hand belonging to a two, just turned three year old. As it appeared, she had no interest in anything artistic, even to stash related items. Gathering everything up in one arm, Grimsby smoothed down an insane portion of the little sprite's hair before moving towards the stairs to lock away the materials.

A quiet growl escaped the toddler as she felt the touch, then listened for the sounds of her friend's departure. As his footsteps receeded beyond her senses, Karli slowly peeked up above her arms, checking the room for anyone. With the room clear, she rolled to the edge of the table tossing her legs over. Reaching her arms out, Karli slowly let herself slide off the table top, braceing herself for the abrupt two feet plummet she'd have to endure before she hit the floor. Making a face of determination, she took the tumble, trying for the life of her not to roll backwards onto her wings but failed. As her feet hit the floor she immediately fell backwards onto her butt, pinning her wings beneath her. Unable to arc her back, Karli's arms swung out in panick, not reaching the floor before her head, as the room suddenly exploded in bright white stars.

Disoriented, Karli swallowed hard as her vision faded to black then the room slowly came back into view. Staring up at the ceiling, she began rocking side to side until she built up enough momentum to flip herself onto her stomache.

Upset by the constant tangles and tumbles, Karli stood up haphazardously tugging her oversized sweater off and throwing it as best she could across the room, nearly knocking her onto her butt again with the venomous toddler force she applied. Nodding to herself, she spread her wings and wandered over to a window facing the main street.

Jumping, Karli grabbed the edge of the window sill with fierce determination, toes barely touching the floor as she stuck her nose over the ledge to see. It was a beautiful sunny day. Karli could see the tops of people's heads as they wandered by on the street. No sight of any of the group though. No Manx, no Jensen no no one...

Releasing her grip on the ledge, Karli made her way towards the front door. Listening for Grim, she paused as she reached her objective and quietly looked around. Knowing she could easilly get in trouble if caught, Karli displayed a distressed look as she turned around and jumped for the door handle.

She managed to grab the handle with one of her tiny hands, dangling as was a few inches off the ground. With a tiny grunt, she swung herself to one side, then the other, each leftward swing seeing her free hand brought about to try and smack the thumb latch down. She persisted in her activites for several minutes, her arms quickly tiring. She wished Drizzle was there, atleast between her and Driz they possessed enough strength to pull the chairs around.

Just as it seemed she was ready to give up, the thumb latch suddenly dropped down with a very forced click and the door swung open. Making a mad grab for the handle she barely got her free hand secured as she was swung backwards. Closing her eyes tight and holding on for dear life, the arc of the door came to a halt, causing her lower half to continue backwards kicking the wall. Making a noise of exertion as she was jerked forward, she didn't stop herself from kicking the door as she was flung into it. Her only objective was to hang on.

"Karli?" a familiar voice asked lacking alot of shock but possessing more then enough severity.

"No," Karli replied, neither opening her eyes or letting go.

"No?" they asked with little amusement.

"No," she replied again just as meekly as the first time.

"Trying to get into trouble?" they asked next, as the still lid blinded sprite felt herself suddenly hoisted into the air by the seat of her pants.

"No," she replied again to Jensen, who she worried would be mad at her again because he hadn't stopped being mad at her for doodling on his clean clothes.

"Where's Grimsby?"

"No," Karli replied as she felt herself tucked under Jensen's arm while the others made their way in.

"Grim!" Jensen hollard as he moved across the floor. Karli felt all the blood rush to her head as Jensen bent over, then opened her eyes suddenly as any light she saw through her lids suddenly darkened further and something was draped over her head. Reaching up, she pulled the sweater off her head and let it daggle before her as Jensen toted her around.

"Grim!" he called again, reaching the table and depositing Karli ontop of it. "Get down here and tend to yer pet, I caught her trying to flee her cage."

Abrupt footfalls resounded from upstairs and soon a set of dark booted feet came into view as they hurried to the main floor. Thinking herself in trouble again, Karli plopped herself down on her rump mutely, huddling her sweater in her lap. As Grimsby lept the last few steps to the mainfloor, he scanned the room and located Karli, making sure she was sound.

"She's not a pet," Grimby practically hissed at Jensen as he brushed past him towards the table.

"And I only left the room for a minute," he added, hoisting Karli to her feet as soon as he reached her and confiscating her sweater.

"She's a pet," Jensen stated bluntly. "We feed her, we clothe her, she can contribute nothing to the group and all she does is cost us. She is a pet, no more useful then a cat or a dog. And no bigger either."

"Arms up," Grimsby ordered Karli a little harshly, his mismanaged anger surfacing in the force to which he tugged the sweater back onto the sprite.

"I told you," Jensen began back into Grim, handing off his pack to the only female member of the group he returned with. "You take care of her, train her but if she proves to be more trouble then she's worth, we take her back to where we found her," he reminded him, removing his light decorative cloak and pitching it into one of the chairs by the table.

Grimsby turned a narrow set of golden eyes on his elven counter part critically before picking up his "pet" and giving her a seat at his hip. He wished all children were as light as this one. For all the trouble she was worth, she was still a child and the day Foxglove dropped her off he knew she wasn't gonna find much here, but he was willing to offer what they had.

"Pet..." Grim breathed, shaking his head as he carried Karli to the stairs. Placing her a few steps up, he pointed to the top and waited for her to commence the journey before taking a seat there. Giving a thoughtful look, he nodded then immediately stood up again.

"Forget it, I'm not gonna have this arguement right now," he informed his rivalling fraction before heading up after Karli.