It was still strange to observe that Fauna and Kurby had some relationship with each other that didn't include him, but it made sense that at least part of it included Kurby being annoyed. Tonight, out here in the night with all that had happened, Hogwarts and youth couldn't seen further away somehow.

"It's the first gift Trouble brought you," Figaro corrected. "I've got a proper museum on my mantle thanks to her."

Craw! came a cackle from the trellis. Trouble was poking around the dead and dormant vines.

"You're welcome, dear. She must know Faun's an investigator and bring you all the cool stuff."  Figaro said it off-hand, without any real attempt to make sense of the trinkets. But it was true - the pendent and now the instrument key stood alone from the beads and bottle caps and coins the raven had brought just to Figaro.

Then, a slice of orange light suddenly cut the garden down the middle. Zelda stood in the open kitchen door.

         "You'll catch your death," she said and then remained.

Bagnold grumbled and rolled his eyes. After the day they'd had, Fauna scowled and shrugged a piece of hair over her shoulder, a piece that promptly flew back into her face with the wind.

Fig was his usual self again in some way, reminding her who had brought what, when. She wasn't about to investigate his rubbish pile though. If Fig was right, and Trouble was bringing her silver gifts for a reason, then maybe she wasn't silly to care so much about them.

Her fingers closed around the two trinkets, letting the silver key fall into her pocket, and holding the pendant at her side. When Fig's mum appeared in the doorway, Fauna glanced at Bagnold and cleared her throat.

"Uh, I'll be leaving soon."

She managed a smile at Mrs. Sellaphix. It was a miracle she'd made it this far, really, out here in the Sellaphix garden, her choice of coffee or alcohol by her chair.

When the door closed, she nudged Fig's arm.

"Fig. I saw Trouble a few days after she gave me this pendant, too. She didn't bring me anything then, but I think she was trying to warn us away. Er, another Auror and I."

The raven had flown to her while she and Trevelyan had been inspecting the creepy doll propped up in the back room of Grimshaw's. Right before the shop had attacked them.

"Anyway, that was in Knockturn. Hopefully she hasn't been visiting you there," she asked half-jokingly.

The werewolf hunter had absolutely no interest in debating over worthless trinkets delivered by an overly-vocal bird, and now his beer was almost empty again with no easy way to refill it.  He drained the rest of his drink, wishing again that he'd bothered to bring more than one bottle.  After the events of the day, he was happy to spend the rest of the night forgetting them in the bottom of a glass.

But the night seemed like it had other ideas.  Kurby had been on his feet for most of the past three days, and now that he'd been sitting for more than a few stolen moments, it felt like the wave of exhaustion that he'd been fighting off was finally starting to creep up on him.  Sitting by the warm fire amidst the cool night air, listening to Figaro and Blake chitchat away about their feathered rat of a pet, was enough to make his eyelids start to feel heavy.

Zelda's voice cut through the night, interrupting his companions' conversation.  Kurby blinked his eyes open and glanced back at her.  Clearly, the Sellaphixian tolerance for their presence was reaching an end.

At least he'd accomplished both of his objectives for the night, which were to check on Fig and his parents and then occupy himself long enough that he could collapse into bed without having to think about anything else.  Grunting, he leveraged himself to his feet, bending to retrieve the empty bottle along with his empty glass.

"If that thing's followin' you both around, someone should check and make sure it's not a goddamned Animagus," he grumbled in the general direction of his two young companions.  "Birds don't just bring gifts to people."

Fauna took Mrs. Sellaphix's subtle hint and began to make her leave but not before reporting more news on Trouble who was apparently not exclusive. He wondered who else she visited. She hoped out loud that Trouble didn't visit the house.

He shrugged. "Well, not here." Trouble had found him at Blackwood Cafe and frequently at his flat. But under Kurby's grim glare, Figaro didn't want to go into it. "Later," he mumbled as quietly as he could.

"Birds don't just bring gifts to people," Kurby grumbled, paranoid as usual. Paranoid about a bird.

"Ravens do," Figaro retorted. Crack a book, Bagnold! There'd been an episode of Muggly the Bear about it. Or maybe it was Cab's Creatures. Something they'd listened to as kids.

Kurby's gloom was thicker than usual and radiated off of him like a fog. Sure he'd come on a wellness check, but his soft-hearted compassion had faded. The man had seen some shit. Figaro realized he missed it when Kurby was just some adopted uncle. Being under the scrutiny and protection of Kurby the Werewolf Hunter wasn't nearly as fun. Just another fun new part of growing up.

Deciding to appease him, Figaro relented. "Feel free to ask her. Look, I'm knackered. Thanks for coming by. I'll see you around, alright?"

"I did," Fauna muttered. "I did check."

Sorry, Fig, it had been on her mind. She'd checked the registry in December, but hadn't seen any ravens or crows registered in the past few years. Maybe she'd check the archives sometime soon, especially if Trouble kept bringing gifts.

The pendant warmed in her hand. Fauna looked over her shoulder past the fence, where the wind rustled through the trees, and the moonlight shined on the canopy of branches.

The raven let out a croak.

Shoving her hands into her pockets, Fauna let the pendant go.

One cue, two cue, Bagnold's mood a third cue, Fauna stepped forward.

"Goodnight, Fig," she hugged her friend, managing a small smile. She pulled back to look at his face in the firelight. He was here. He was okay.

Fauna collected her beer, finishing the last few sips, and her coffee, which was still half-full, and brought the cups inside the house. She said goodnight to Mr. Sellaphix, and Mrs. Sellaphix, and the stink of cabbage, and Bagnold too, before heading out.