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If he'd been more self aware he might have grown terribly frightened, toning himself down- but Zero was a thousand-watt bulb without a dimmer switch, and his enthusiasm easily blinded him to any of Själ's dis-ease. Besides, when he looked up at her the girl was laughing, her gold eyes glowing with brilliant delight that sent the boy's heart to flutter. What could be better than to see his friend laugh? Nothing, except, oh, to cause it himself.

He grinned, an echo of his Princess' mirth plastered unevenly against the dark face. Sunbeam eyes darted from girl to egg, a thousand more questions darting to the tip of his tongue. Where had she been? Who had she met? Did she have a family here, friends, a favorite place, a Ma, a Dad? With difficulty Zero held his tongue, though his body squirmed eagerly as he waited for her first response.

Mr. Badass.

The boy flushed, his expression a mixture of confident pleasure and embarrassed delight, white teeth glinting in the dark brown face. "I've been everywhere!" he told her glibly, single wing stretching to express the vastness of his experience, the long blue feathers dancing dangerously near her face. Too many stories clouded his mind, a hundred things he'd done since the last time he'd seen his Princess- but of two he was particularly proud, and so of course those were the two he shared. "I built Squishy an' met a whale!"

As if to prove the truth of his tales, Squishy appeared from a snow bank where he'd been forgotten, trotting silently up toward the lightning child and pausing to stare inquisitively at the pair. Zero ignored the stony creature, "What about you, Princess?" he asked the girl, genuine interest making his words bright. "Didja find any more subjects to rule?" But clearly she had, at least one, and Zero followed her interested eyes to the egg which lay stubbornly between her hooves, his smile fading at the touch of sadness which had crept into her voice. He tiled his head, brows furrowing as he inspected the orb. "It looks like a egg," Zero agreed dubiously. "I never heard of an egg not hatching."

He turned his attention back on her, turmoil rising within his young breast. "Is it gonna be your 'panion?" he asked, the thunderous voice softened to a pattering rainstorm. Companions were a point of conflict for poor Zero, because Ma said that having them was bad, and that it was like chaining someone else to you forever and taking away their ability to even think- which did sound bad to the boy. But lots of his friends had companions, like Zah and Tavi and Aunty Meg and they all seemed very happy. They weren't bad people, and they'd never be bad to their companions, and Ma didn't seem to hate them, but... oh, it was simply too much for the boy. Besides, for all he knew this wasn't even a companion, wasn't even a companion egg- for all he knew, really, he had nothing to be concerned about, and she had just found a little bird and was going to get his help in setting it free and they would be heroes!

....Yeah!