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Aliya blinked at the ruckus she had created and slowly let go of Cindy and took a half-step backwards.

"Oops," she murmured. "Sorry ..."

But she couldn't stop blinking at the two who were on the floor, who she could have sworn had legs the moment before. She knelt next to them and held out a hand to help them sort themselves out. "Um ... sorry," she apologized again. "I ... didn't think that would happen ..."

Adonai giggled at Lin's comment, but then he looked up at the man with the cat-ears and tail and blinked. "Who are you?" he asked quietly, shyly. Everyone else had been introduced except him, the only other person that he didn't know.

"I am Triton," the neko explained nodded slighlty at Adonai.

It was a pity he thought that his mother could not come on this trip, she would have been completely delighted to to see and not just hear about their children.

Ulani laughed. "One of those kind, eh? Just like Miyu and Skye that one time." She smiled. That had been a very long time ago now.

"Did ... you want to go to the ranch tonight yet?" Ulrich asked warily. "Or wait until morning now?"

Adonai blinked at Triton and couldn't help but stare as his face turned a light shade of red.

Aliya stared at Feng and Ryu in shock, then awe, and a slow smile spread across her face. "Hatah," she murmured softly in elvish, then added in English, "Are you like Serenity, then?"

"Yes and no," Ryu explained, "There is only two forms we can choose, this one and another form which is a lot more complicated for us to hold."
Feng nodded, "We can't hold the other form for very long yet and sometimes we turn back. I don't think... if Serenity is like Nara-chan that she has that problem. Of turning back, it's just not that natural for us, so no matter what we turn into we're still in a sense mers."

Ryu nodded at that as he also motioned to his form.

"And it shows, I think we're only this tall because our tails are so long."

Ulrich shook his head. "No," he replied softly, "even riding we wouldn't be able to make it. To tell the truth, I'm amazed that Aliya's back before nightfall - she's usually there until dark, or later." He glowered a bit. "Not that I approve of it, but she is after all an adult now ..."

He took a deep breath and muttered, "Not that she acts it."

Adonai blinked at Triton and shook his head violently, turning away self-consciously and picking at the food on his plate.

Aliya blinked, for once at a loss for what to say.

"Nara ... chan?" she repeated blankly.

"Then we're camping in your living room for the night," Donovan chuckled, it seemed like Aliya had indeed become the kind of person he figured Lin would become one dya, though he didn't understand what he meant by not act like an adult.

"Why don't you just stay in the other house?" Ulani suggested, rising from her seat. "It's all fixed up again now, and no one lives there, so you wouldn't be putting anyone out. There are several bedrooms in there, too."

Aliya was still slightly confused, but she pieced together what Cindy had explained. "So ... Serenity has a daughter ... who is also a shapeshifter, then?" She blinked again. "I ... I've met Serenity several times, but only very briefly. I spend most of my time at the ranch, and even before the ranch was started I wasn't home much."

Her eyes lit up, and she looked back at Feng and Ryu excitedly. "Hey, your Ada said you have to learn how to ride a horse - can I teach you? I don't have much work to do during the days anymore, and what I have is brief - breeding season was a few months ago!"

"You're too crazy to teach," Adonai muttered under his breath without looking at his sister.