Ree wouldn't let the questers start out until they'd slept a few hours and eaten a decent meal. Rani dreamed her usual dream, of swimming. Her wings became flippers, and her lungs became gills. Fish circled around her. Mermaids let her join their festivities. After hours of revelry, she rose up, up, up and out of the water. Her flippers became wings again. She flew over the lagoon, her flight as exhilarating as her swim. She woke up, crying. She'd never swim; never enter the ocean's realm.
After she dried her eyes, she changed into her dress with six pockets and tucked a leaf kerchief into each one.
In her sour plum tree home, Vidia dreamed of flying through a cloud of fairy dust. When she woke up, she opened the seven locks to the strongbox under her bed and took out the pouch that held her remaining fresh dust. She hung the pouch on her belt and tucked it into her skirt so that the bulge didn't show.
Prilla's dreams again took her through the dreams of Clumsy children. The last dream, a sweet one, that took place at a candy store clung to her when she woke, and it took her a few seconds for her to remember where she was. The quest! The quest to restore the egg; and her own quest to discover her talent! She leaped out of bed and dressed quickly. She hoped the spaghetti laces on her boots weren't too flimsy to last. She pinned a swatch of her dandelion-fluff arrival dress inside her collar, just to have something familiar. She wished she had a stuffed animal or a doll to take, but there were no such things in Never Land.
The questers dined in the tearoom with Ree. They were served dwarf-mushroom caps filled with sesame seed puree, the first food the kitchen had ever cooked without fairy dust. The mushrooms were half raw, and the puree was too salty, but only Vidia noticed.
Night had fallen. Prilla saw a full moon through the tearoom window.
Vidia said, "Ree, my love, how are we going to carry the broken egg from place to…"
"place?" Rani wished she'd thought of this, "and what about the quest items?"
The cigar holder and the comb would be heavy.
Ree said she would leave the egg for them at the fairy circle. "The tinker fairies are building a shed. The egg will be in there. You can store each item as you get it, and collect everything at the end."
"If we get everything," Vidia said, "if we get anything! Sweeties, we should pluck Mother Dove now, before she croaks." She enjoyed the shock on the others' faces.
Ree didn't bother to scold her, she just added, "I'll give you a balloon carrier to use when you go to Kyto."
Prilla wondered why Vidia was going on the quest if she was sure it would fail. But Vidia wasn't sure it would fail, and she wanted it to succeed as much as the others did. Besides, she wanted to fly, when other fairies couldn't, and she wanted to keep her supply of fresh dust in reserve.
Rani suggested they go after Captain Hook's double cigar holder first.
"Love, how do you plan to take it away from him?" asked Vidia.
"Might he be sleeping?" Prilla asked.
"Dear child, he never takes the cigar holder out of his…"
"…mouth. That's only a rumor," said Rani.
Ree said, "Perhaps you can pull it out, without waking him."
Prilla hoped she could do it, and show a talent for pulling out cigar holders, or a general talent for pirates.
After the meal, Ree escorted them to the lobby, where a throng waited to see them off. Terence stood at the entrance with a satchel slung over his shoulder.
Ree said, "Terence has four days of dust for each of you, and I'm keeping four days for the scouts. In five days, our dust will be gone." Her voice caught. "And I fear Mother Dove will be gone by then too."
Tears began to pour down Rani's cheeks. Prilla was sad too, but she was also excited. Her life was beginning. She was on her way to save Mother Dove, and find her talent.
Ree had the nagging feeling she needed to do something.
Terence dipped into the satchel. He ceremoniously sprinkled a cup, not a particle more, or a particle less, on each quester.
"Three days remain," he said.
He tightened the satchel's drawstring, and held the satchel out. Vidia reached for it. He drew back.
Ree realized what she had to do. She had to name Rani leader, or Vidia would take over. Rani wasn't ideal. She was too gushy and eager to please. But Prilla was a complete unknown, really just a newborn.
Ree had considered going herself, but Mother Dove hadn't chosen her. "Rani, I want you to lead the…"
"…quest? Me?" Rani wondered if she was up for the job. "Thank you for your faith in me."
Prilla thought, Rani's awfully nice, but is she a leader?
"Vidia," the queen said, "Vidia, look at me."
"Yes, dearest," Vidia looked up.
"The quest won't succeed if you make trouble," Queen Clarion said.
"Make trouble, dearest?" Vidia asked.
"I want you to accept Rani as your leader," Queen Clarion said.
"Yes, dearest," Vidia said.
"And help her," the queen went on.
"Yes, dearest!" cried Vidia.
"And be good to Prilla," went on Queen Clarion.
"Yes, dearest," Vidia said.
"Hmm," Ree knew Vidia's promises were worth little, but she didn't know what more to do. She told Terence to give the fairy dust satchel to Rani. He lifted it over Rani's head and adjusted the strap across her shoulder. They were ready to go.
"Wait!" Tink pushed through the crowd. "Here!"
She gave Rani her favorite dagger, once a pirate's toothpick. "I have another one." She touched her second-best dagger in its sheath at her waist.
Ree intoned, "Questers, be careful. Be kind. Be a Never fairy at her best."
They were off.