"Elf knows?"

One wiggles his head - he's not sure. "Don't- not...really?" (Doesn't know he speaks, thought he echoed.)

"Important."

"Why scared of elf?"

One dithers, clearly not sure how to answer. "...Scary?"

He makes another gentle trilling noise. "Scary big, scary loud, scary mean? Hurts you? Something else?"

He ducks his head down. "...I- all? It's- I mean- Just- scary."

"Shouldn't hurt you." Phantasm stretches forward to preen the top of One's head.

He twitches a little when Phantasm stretches forward but-

-But it hadn't hurt before, it had been nice, so he stays still.

"...But he's-" He doesn't have the words to explain, not really.

"Big, and yours?" he says through a beakfull of fur.

"Big," he agrees, a little louder now.

"Still shouldn't hurt you."

"Deka doesn't hurt anyone."

One tucks himself into a ball again. "Make mistakes. Lose control."

Phantasm snuggles up next to him, draping his wing over the larger creature's head. "Still shouldn't. Everybody makes mistakes."

...Oh. It's nice being able to hide under the wing. "...Just how it is?"

"Shouldn't be. Isn't everywhere."

The sounds of Deka working in the kitchen wind down, and there's a flap of wings from Figment. "No. Wuk. No, no."

"...okay," Deka sounds confused.

   "Wuk. Leave it."

"All right."

    "No!"

"Fig."

    "No!"

"Fig I'm just - looking."

    "No!"

Phantasm trills quietly. "Fig, down. Deka, down."

One tucks a little smaller (the fact that he's hiding against Phantasm is probably just a proximity thing), and a faint tremor goes through him. He wants to reassure Phantasm and Figment that it's okay, but...he doesn't want to talk in front of Deka.

Deka's voice comes from the doorway, next. "You okay?"

    "Scaring him," Phasm replies, and Deka sighs.

"He won't - get used - me - if I'm not here."

    "Different problem."

"Different problem. Tell me?"

Phantasm ducks his head under his wing to check on One.

He does not look happy at all about Deka being told, and actually whimpers slightly, and almost inaudibly, when Deka says 'Tell me?'.

Phantasm looks back at Deka. "No. Secret."

There's a long pause, and the griffon eventually ducks his head back under his wing to croak quietly at One.

"Is he a person."

One looks enough to blink, obviously not understanding the statement.

Feather-fluffing. "Secret."

    "Animals don't have secrets, Phasm."

".....wuk."

...Yeah, now One is going to tuck a little tighter against Phantasm. (If he's not an animal, what is he?)

"Scaring him."

    "All right. I want to - talk about it, later." And she goes.