"So - no, you said you've never met a parent.  ...But did the tree you came from have someone else's tree produce its seed?  Even if you never met them?"

"I think it grew from a seed but probably not a seed of a tree that was some other leaflet's tree; there weren't any other leaflets or any other trees big enough near mine. That's the kind of fairy I am, a leaflet."

"Did it come from a smaller tree, then, do you think?"

"Probably. Most trees don't live long enough to get that big."

"Do you want to try and have - well, make there be new adults, someday?"

"...no? Why would I want that?"

"Oh, I don't know.  I think most humans do.  Or, they want to have kids, which is different, but I thought fairies might also want to do something similar.  Mostly I'm trying to figure out how likely it was, given that I met you, that you're the age you are; I'm sorry if that's leading me to insensitive questions."

"There are breeding kinds of fairies but I'm not one."

"Really!  Are they also immortal?"

"All fairies are, yes."

"Woah.

"Do most fairies have as rough a time of it as you, do you know?"

"I think he's unusually bad, or - at least an unusual combination of competent and bad."

"That's good.  Do you have any idea - how many?"

"How many fairies there are? No idea. More all the time, of course."

"Of course," he echoes.  "...Okay, I know we can't see the house yet, but we're getting kind of close and I think I should go ahead and make sure my parents haven't gotten home yet.  Will you be okay to stay here for a few minutes?"

"Should be."

"Okay.  Where does this go wrong.....  I'm going to take my jacket back in a minute, because my parents saw me go out with it and they might want to come out here to look for it with me if I don't have it.  And we should move you out of sight of the path just in case..."  He pauses the music.  "Do fairies have any special problems with animals?  We have a cat."

"...Fairyland doesn't have animals so I don't really know."

"...Woah.  Uh, I mostly don't expect him to bother you behaviorally - do you know what allergies are?  And whether you can have them?"

"I don't recognize the term."

"That's probably a good sign.  If you start feeling sick while in my house it might be that, and we'll have to figure someplace else for you to be."

"Okay." Sigh. "I wish I had a cutting of my tree."

"I also wish you had that.  ...How would it help?"

"Well, sorcery doesn't work in the mortal world, but eventually it'd grow big enough for me to live in again, the way I can reshape it isn't sorcery."

"...Yeah, I wish you could have that.  Is it okay if I move you over there?  I think that'll be out of sight."