It had been over a year since she had last attempted to Hedgespin something. Sonnie glanced down at her long-toed feet, wrapped as they were in her previous project. The red leather boots gave her monkey toes their digital freedom and when activated made her run faster. The 'Cloud-Stepping Shoes' had been an unmitigated success. Now she wanted to replicate that achievement.

The Beast was, once more, situated in the Tavern, the communal Hollow of Sacramento's Spring Court. She'd helped maintain this refuge in the Hedge, and here she'd have direct access to the pure faerie magics that would be necessary for crafting.

Before her, on the table, were a variety of items Sonnie had collected over the months.

A dirty old horseshoe. A rabbit's foot on a leather string. A hand of playing cards arranged in a royal flush. A pair of six-sided dice (rolled until they had finally come up as a pair of sixes). All of these were arranged in a circle around a half-dollar coin, resting heads up.

She was also dressed in bright yellow and pink, colors considered in Chinese culture to be lucky for someone born in the Year of the Monkey.

"Really wish I could have found a four-leaf clover," she muttered. Maybe next time?

She'd decided against using a box of Lucky Charms cereal. She couldn't count on the Wyrd having that great a sense of humor.

With a shrug, the Emerald Courtier set to work.

Hedgespinning was an intuitive process, and every Lost went about it differently. Some went through the effort of actually crafting the real world item, like a smith at a forge. Others acted as if they were performing some arcane ritual, conjuring the item into existence. Sonnie Wu tended towards the latter approach, though with less seriousness than an Autumn might.

She danced about the materials. Standing upon the table, the Steepscrambler jumped and twirled and rolled about. In truth, she was performing kung fu maneuvers, katas of avoidance. She dodged and juked and jived. She blocked and deflected. A martial dance of defense.

All the while, between breaths, Sonnie recited a rambling story about a monkey. This monkey had incredible luck, for no matter how much trouble she got herself into, she always managed to evade harm. She was too fast, too agile.

Too lucky.

Good fortune protected the silly monkey.

The Beast lost track of how long she had been at it. Minutes? Hours? Time meant little in the Hedge.

At some point during her ecstatic dance, the Wyrd had responded. She hadn't even noticed right away. Most of the various items were gone. Only the coin remained.

No, that wasn't right. The coin was gone, as well. Replaced with a different one. The spinning materials had melded together, forging their inherent luck into one, new coin.

Sonnie stooped down and picked it up. It was bronze or copper, and looked old or worn. On both sides were inscribed the image of a grinning monkey, alongside the Chinese characters for luck. It also had a tiny hoop on the top, through which a leather cord was strung.

Giggling in excitement, Sonnie donned the newly hedgespun item, wearing the coin like a pendant.

Now good fortune would help protect her, too.