...they are incredibly strapped for mana. If it's not going to try to eat them right now they can let it sit there for a bit.

"I assume that if either of you'd heard of this kind before you'd've mentioned."

"Is very unfamiliar. Is your head okay?"

"I think my hat took the worst of it." She takes off her hat to see if there's mal goo on it.

The hat is a bit battered but otherwise okay. The butterfly waves its wings gently and looks at Ennis with its giant bug-eyes.

They all hang around building mana and passing around the decanter and watching the butterfly. They relax only very gradually.

Nia is back to jumping jacks and knocks the side of her foot into a rock.

The rock reacts to this rather differently than a rock should.

Specifically, the rock pops up into the air, unfolds a pair of wiry arms, opens a pair of angry eyes, yells "Dude!", and goes to take a swing at Nia.

The butterfly gets between Nia and the rock creature and flaps at it, emitting a cloud of colorful dust. The rock creature goes cross-eyed and falls to the ground, apparently unconscious.

"Vivillon!" the butterfly shouts triumphantly.

"Is... the butterfly... our friend now?"

"Do rocks here say 'dude'?"

"...thank you?" says Ennis uncertainly to the butterfly.

Cheerful flapping. "Vivill!"

The team exchanges uncertain looks.

Ennis takes a step toward the butterfly.

The butterfly takes a flap-hop toward Ennis.

In this way they can gradually approach one another and Ennis can make sure her glove is secure and reach toward it.

It doesn't object to this.

...pat pat?

Its wings have the texture and consistency of stiff foam. It waggles its antennae and chirps "Viv."

"...we beat it up so now it's friendly?" Ennis says tentatively.

"Okay, but will that work on the rock one? We should leave before it wakes up."

"Under those trees?" Nia asks, pointing.

They head to the trees. Carefully. Trying not to kick any more notmals.

The butterfly follows along. The trees are weird foreign trees but seem to be inert.

"You should name it."

"All I'm coming up with is 'Margarine'."