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Hands and feet working in a steady rhythm, Dwr moved quickly through the water. Naida's dolphin-kick style of swimming was faster than his, though, and when she pulled ahead of him, his eyes grew wide and he gasped in surprise. True form - no wonder she had asked about that!

He wasn't helpless against it, though. He spread his fingers, revealing frog-like webs between the lower knuckles, and renewed his effort, shooting forward once more. He also put his legs together and mimicked Naida's dolphin kick, both of which gave him additional speed.


By the end of Lin's story, everyone was laughing to some degree.

Lily was amused, but also slightly confused. "So even with him acting in such a way," she said to Arthael, "you continued to work with him?"

Arthael's violet eye sparkled. "What you don't yet understand," she replied smoothly, "is that the reason we were partnered together was because no one else on the entire ranch could stand being with Halmir for longer than a few minutes. For a while, they wanted to split us up after we were married, but they soon found out it was best to keep us on the same shift."

Lily just shook her head, though she was smiling. "None of your parents were ever so serious as the two of you," she said dryly.

Dwr grinned without looking at Naida. He was focused on the race, and it was clear from the look on his face that he was not used to having someone keep up with him.

Another minute later, he had reached the boat and slapped his hand against the side of it, rolled over, put his feet against it and kicked off again for the shore.



Arthael looked equally interested in the comment. "Luk gave me the impression that they were at least a bit serious," she told Lily.

Lily looked at Luk through half-lidded eyes. "He would," she said flatly. "Though I guess he spent long enough keeping to himself that he could forget the way things really were. Elysia was one of the most cheerful people I ever knew, and I only knew her after Luk's father had died. She was always laughing, helping people out ... sometimes I would go to her for comfort when my own mother was angry with me. Leontis was ... well ... jolly, I suppose. Always had a quick retort ready for anyone who took a poke at him, but gentle as a lamb."

"And your father, Luk?" Arthael asked, looking at her half-brother.

Luk rubbed the back of his neck. "To be honest, I don't remember a lot about him," he admitted. "He was human, and I don't know if that affected anything but he always seemed ... tired."

When Dwr reached the shoreline, he kept underwater until the water was no deeper than his knees, and then he pushed himself to his feet and kept on running. There was a gleam in his eye as he looked briefly over his shoulder to see where Naida was at this point, but he never lost his balance and kept running forward.


Luk frowned softly. "Well, you have to realize, Lin, by the time I was old enough to really remember him, he was well into his forties. He died when he was in his early seventies ... and that was nearly a thousand years ago. But yes, from what I remember, he was always tired from his work, and the older he got, the more tired he was. Didn't really have the energy to do things with me like Mother did."

Aysu was standing with her arms out to the side, grinning widely and cheering for both participants, and even Ta'neer was showing more interest than she had been showing prior to the race.

Dwr was both surprised and pleased to see that Naida was less than half a step behind him, and he put on an extra burst of speed, launching himself at Aysu.

Aysu's teal eyes sparkled brightly and she took a half step back just before Dwr's hand would have touched her arm. Rather than touching her, he fell into the sand and skidded forward underneath her arm - which let Naida, who was just running, be the first to touch Aysu's hand.

"The winner!" Ta'neer cheered, despite herself. "Naida!"



"But what was he like when he did do things with you?" Arthael pressed, not feeling the same caution that Lin did in asking Luk for more detail. Then again, it was her brother's father she was asking about.

Luk smiled softly and leaned against the wall. "Very kind. Not always the most gentle, though he would never raise a hand against Mother or me. On feast days he made sure we really had fun, though he usually just watched."

He chuckled. "Leontis, on the other hand ... your father ... he was really full of life. I was a grown man by then but he made time for me as if I were still a child. Literally swept Mother off her feet, for any random reason, didn't have to be a feast day. Dedicated himself to her and me, rather than his work."

"Aysu, you cheated!" Dwr accused the laughing girl, glaring up at her.

She laughed. "Has no one ever told you to look before you leap?" she teased him. "Besides, no one said I couldn't move the finish line. You just said first one to touch my arm wins."

"Besides, Dwr," Ta'neer added, perfectly seriously, "face first in the sand is just the perfect position for you. A nice change from how you usually lord it up over people."

She finally finished inspecting the shell that she'd retrieved from him and put the thin point of it to her mouth. She blew into it gently, her fingers moving over the surface of the shell, and soft notes of music began to emanate from it.



"At any rate," Lily said, finished serving at last, "we should go tell my family that you're back. They'll-"

"They already know," Luk interrupted her with a gentle smile. "The whole city knows. You were the only one, I think, who did not come to greet us when our ship arrived - though with you being out here when we arrived, I'm not surprised you weren't aware."

Aysu held up one hand, looking suddenly serious - or at least, more serious than she had been until now.

"Don't encourage her," she warned Naida. "It's about all she does. Hey, Ta'neer, put that away for a while or next time Dwr takes it, I won't help you get it back!"

Ta'neer ignored her twin and kept right on playing. Dwr was about to say something, but a shout from one of the men Feng and Ryu had been speaking with earlier caught his attention, and he sighed.

"That's Papa calling," he said apologetically. "I'll see you all later. Nice to meet you, Naida - and thanks for the race!"

He grinned and ran off, waving at the three girls over his shoulder.

"Good riddance," Ta'neer muttered, otherwise ignoring the boy's departure.

Aysu sighed. "You know he only does it because he likes you," she said in a tone that indicated that this was a regular repetition. "Valar know why. Maybe if you paid him a bit of attention he wouldn't take it all the time."

"Maybe if he paid me attention other than taking it, I wouldn't always ignore him," her twin shot back. "Anyways, that's not the type of thing to be discussing in public."

"You're right," Aysu shrugged, "but that doesn't mean that you're right." She smiled and turned back to Naida. "Sorry about that. Do you have to go, too? Or can you stay a while longer?"


Lily seemed flustered by Luk's comment, and for the first time she was at a loss of what to say.

"So, Lily," Arthael said, breaking the silence, "why don't you tell us a bit about yourself? Aside from the fact that you so very clearly intend to become my sister-in-law, none of us know anything about you."

"There's not much to tell, I'm afraid," Lily replied, still blushing.

"Nonsense," Luk chided her. He turned to his guests. "She's one of the most talented artists I've ever seen, and considering her mother's skill, that's saying something."

Aysu smiled. "Valenya is our day off, so we won't be missed at least until dinner time," she explained. "So we're free."

A curious look came over her face, and she tilted her head at Naida. "When you were racing Dwr, you changed in the water - more than he does. What race are you?"

It was a very common question in this particular city, and it never entered her mind that it might have been a personal question.



Lily nodded slowly. "Nothing compared to my mother," she said, giving Luk a 'look', "but yes. I paint. Usually on canvas, though sometimes, if the notion strikes me, I'll paint on something else as well. Mostly for myself, though I do work on commission occasionally. Aside from that, I really just help out my mother around the house."

Luk chuckled. "Nine hundred years she's been waiting on me, and she says I'm the one who's been doing nothing."

It seemed as though Lily didn't know whether to ignore him or deck him, and in the end, ignoring him won out - though she couldn't stop the blush that rose hotter in her cheeks.