Sunbeam Lair See, you almost would be gone if you couldn’t wait for me

Thus far she had avoided the public gaze, hiding behind her sisters, mother, and father. Airi might have been pleased to badmouth these big strangers, but Shiori was more cautious. She was inclined to believe that they were friendly. After all, hadn't her mother said so? And kachan had never led her astray before. Wide-eyed, Shiori was content to watch until her curiosity got the best of her and she stepped from her mother's shadow.

I am Shiori, she said softly, every inch the demure little princess her sister was not. Her gaze turned to the wolf called Ava, or rather to a point just above and to the left of her eyes. Thank you, she said, because that was what one did when they were complimented. She lacked the vocabulary and wherewithal to identify anything to compliment in return.

Most breathtaking was the new array of sounds, from the water, whose sweet susurrus was cold and blue, to the new voices of Bonnie, Hisaya, and Avannon. It was quite a bit for her to handle, for the overlap resulted in a visual cacophany the likes of which she had not experienced for a long time, if ever. Still, she was nothing if not curious, and though she wished to hide again in the shadow of her parents, she wanted to see what she could learn.