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It wasn't insight, or foresight, or any sort of sight that brought a small blue child trotting back in the house. It wasn't hunger, nor especial curiosity, 'cos the one could be sated t one of the fruit trees and the other seldom had cause to rouse about her own home. The people in it were awful interesting, sure, but the stuff not so much. She was familiar with it as anyone could be that'd lived their whole life in one home. And certain noises didn't belong.

As a daughter of beast wrasslers, Einsol had been taught to keep an ear out for the window moving, for sounds where there oughtn't be sounds. Most Matoran critters didn't slip in, and saving snaptrotters, you didn't worry much about anything above the waterline. She and hers were taught caution all the same, and to better guard their own den. So it was that she's snagged a long bit of pointy metal from beside the hearth, just in case it wasn't a critter at all, but a monster. Mama had taught her that the fire poker hurt monsters, an' it could bonk critters pretty good too. She crept towards the door she shared with her twin, iron in two hands...

She'd been about to crack it open and peek through when a familiar noise came through the door. Her own name, and in Papa's voice! Always sounded better when he said it. Though she opened the door fully, the poker stayed in her fist 'til she could see who it was. Mama said monsters could be sneaky an' tricky, just the voice could be foolin'.

Luckily for everyone involved, it really was her Papa! She leaned the poker up in the corner with care, 'cos she kept bein' told to be careful with it, then Einsol dashed full tilt into her father's waist from the side. Arms reached out and snapped to, trapping Kiyelt in a pincer-hug! And letting her confirm that voice and look were real by smell, of course. Monsters could only fool two at a time, she'd reasoned. "Papa! Whaddya comin' in through the window for? We got a door, Papa!"

She had no idea what a ramen was or why it'd need caution! But Kiyelt had used a tone she normally associated with his work, so that probably meant stillness. Unlike with Kina, for whom it was almost a game, mama and papa were all business when it came to sitting still. You didn't keep all your wiggly fingers around nervous beasts otherwise. Contrary to what her elder sister might believe, Einsol could go still as stone, and did so now, watching with steady eyes. The smile wasn't gone and her hug had only got better, but she remembered to bunch up and keep the fidgets little.

That her papa kept himself between child and serpent didn't go unnoted, nor that it was a sleepy thing. Smooth and somewhere between yellow and green, curiously so. She could see a great many of its bones, and brows furrowed when she noted its clear good health. Bones showing was a bad sign, but he looked fat an' sleek. A friendly face he had, unlike to most anything she'd seen before. After some consideration, she gave hushed voice to her thoughts. "He's awful pretty. Is he still scared of bein' touched, like some of your new friends?"

"Yup! Mama sent me an' Ushi to steal some eggs yesterday. Think we got some left in the cold cellar. Do keldari like eggs?" Kiyelt had brought the idea home, and they'd been happy to dig it out. Happier to have it, as it turned out, as it opened up certain options the smokehouse didn't. One of the youngest's chores was to check it over, make sure nothing got in to nibble at the food. True, they might steal a bite themselves, but they'd been encouraged to be honest about that, so as to keep an accurate count.

If the balled up critter didn't like eggs, she knew where a few lizards liked to sunbathe, and she'd got good at sneaking up on 'em. Lizards weren't too bright, so they kept comin' back eventually. Apart from her discussion, she didn't move. Wiggling free was easy, but it might scare their new friend. The bright noodle was beginning to poke around, turning his head this way and that to better see everything. At least one eye always faced them, Einsol noticed, so he definitely knew where the pair was.

"Okay."Once she was lowered to the floor, Einsol restrained herself from dashing off. Her feet padded soft, carrying her slow and easy out of her room. ...Until she closed the door, anyway. Then it was business as usual and off like a shot, out and around to the door beside their house. They'd had Honi bake bricks to line it, so it didn't immediately wash away at a rain.

Soon enough she climbed baked-clay stairs out of the cool cellar, a basket in both hands. Papa hadn't said how many, so it seemed right to just bring the basket. She slowed again at her own door, and slipped in. Making sure not to move with any hurry, she set her load down on the bed, and handed Kiyelt an egg. "Would you feed 'im first, Papa? Just so I know how it's done."

The small girl's attention fixed unwavering as her Papa did what he did best: making friends! If she wanted to be friends with this shiny critter (and she did, he looked uniquely snuggly), she had to see how to go about it. Watched the feeding process, the odd working of his jaws and separate sets of teeth. She'd long since given up on swallowing morsels as big as her head, and yet here was this potential new friend doing just fine at it! Little fingers didn't pinch at his trews, but the attached hands wound around the waist while an earthling observed in patient stillness.

"That'd just make a mess, papa. Where'd we get an egg as big fer us as these are fer him?"That they existed went unquestioned, as did the assumption that he'd know where to get one. Of course, the trial involved in the cooking of something that large didn't enter into her mind. What did for now was the instruction, and she put it to use. A cool egg came up from the basket, warming to her hands as she rolled it back and forth.

Once the snek had swallowed the first bit of his meal down, she set the second on his windowsill and oh-so-slowly set it to roll snakeward. No chimes from the chunky end of his tail, no warnings yet, though it stuck straight up. The smile bloomed across a little blue face as Einsol saw her offering accepted. Herded into his coils, the keldari got to work. "Good. Eggs're easier to get than lizards an' fish sometimes. They ain't as much fun, but I'd wanna keep him happy if he's gonna be my friend.

Since her hands were occupied, Einsol contented herself by bumping her father's leg, like she'd seen some of his fuzzier friends do. Hugs worked better, but this got the idea across. Her Papa's reasoning tracked, but for a little detail that caught. "But Kina seems like she's grumpy a lot. Ain't she hungry all the time, too?"

She had to hold in a delighted squeal and content herself with another giggle. High noises were almost as bad as sudden moves for unfamiliar critters. They generally got scared pretty easy. Despite a lack of teeth in her grin, the smile might have been a sunlamp for all the warmth it shone. A name, huh? "Hummm," she hummed. Ushi was better at names than his sister. She thought quicker, but he thought trickier. "...Ray. If y'look, he looks like one of those bits of light when it's cloudy but ain't rainin'."