“Yeah, I know.” Victoria’s lips pursed together as the memory of the failure of the last self-defense class she had attended flashed through her mind. She sighed in resignation. “Might have to actually take you up on that this time ‘round.” [i]This isn’t kids’ stuff anymore, after all,[/i] she added silently as he answered her question.
	“Yep, sounds great. Important stuff first.” She nodded in confirmation at his final statement.
	She looked up as they neared the door. A young man exited, his eyes quickly registering Alex and Victoria.
	Victoria inhaled through her nose as their eyes met. His human guise vanished beneath her gaze, leaving a human-like face with a blueish-green tint. Gills lined the sides of his neck, moving with his breaths. Fish scale sideburns glittered slightly in the sun filtering through a new opening in the dwindling clouds, and his previously brown eyes glowed an eerie orange.
	Her attention snapped to the ground, her teeth chewing once more on her lip as she involuntarily stepped into Alex to get as far from the naiad as possible.
	The young man held the door open for them, his brows furrowing at Victoria.
	“Afternoon,” he said cheerily, his voice holding a bubbly, echoic sound in Victoria’s ears.
	Keeping her head down, she reluctantly separated from Alex so they could both get through the door. She hurried inside, muttering a nearly unintelligible “Thanks" before looking behind her to make sure her friend was still there.
	She couldn't help but wonder what Alex thought of her odd behavior around other people. She hated the thought that he might somehow figure out her little secret and think her a freak like the select couple friends whom she had chosen to tell in the far past, only to have them push away from her. Her fallback story of autism could really only go so far, after all.