Lyriia tried to think of an excuse as she rummaged around for the herb packets; after all, Ahmal called just seconds after she’d gone inside again. He’d had to have seen her go back into the house.

She shook her head at herself and stepped back out onto the porch, with a rueful smile. Intending to make some excuse about forgetting her coin purse or something. Then her jaw dropped open slightly.

[i]My goodness, he’s gorgeous.[/i] she thought, before mentally slapping herself and putting her jaw back where it belonged. [i]Well no shoot, Lii, it IS a ball, he’s supposed to look fancy.[/i]

She took his hand with a bashful smile, letting him lead the way upwards. The silence was thick, but she didn’t mind it. Observing the forest was always interesting, after all.

As they flew into sight of the hanging flower gardens, Lyriia stopped flying for a moment and just gawked. She’d seen the festival before, of course, but it still took her breath away. So many flowers, and all the merchants displaying all their brightly-colored wares—

She was jolted out of her thoughts by a small object colliding with her back. She went tumbling through the air, but soon righted herself, and turned around and looked down to see the grinning face of her little sister.

[color=bc8dbf]“Lii-lii, you’re so preeeetty!”[/color] she sang, flying around in circles. Then she noticed Ahmal, and jumped backwards in the air, then fluttered close to him, circling around him.

[color=bc8dbf]“Are you Lii-lii’s boyfriend?”[/color] She asked.

Lyriia blushed and reeled the toddler back a few steps. [color=7bcdc8]“Um, Kierie, no. No. Kierie. No he’s not. Or I don’t think he is. Um, no. No. Maybe? No. I don’t think so…”[/color]

Kierie frowned, then seemingly had an epiphany, and grinned up at Ahmal.

[color=bc8dbf]“oooh, I know… You’re her flower-friend!”[/color]

Lyriia choked. [color=7bcdc8]“Kierie! No! No! No, nononono, no, no, he’s not my flower-friend, no, no, no, why don’t you, um… Where’s Gaeven?”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“In his new house. With his wife. I’m not supposed to bother them.”[/color]

[color=7bcdc8]“Wait, you mean he got married and didn’t tell me about it?!”[/color] Lyriia squeaked indignantly. Then she sighed. [color=7bcdc8]“It doesn’t matter right now. Where’s Mykiel?”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“He’s away on his honeymoon. They went to ee-loo-mee-ray, or something like that?”[/color]

[color=7bcdc8]“…He got married, too?…Tell me Kinny’s here.”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“He is but he said he’d be… indisposed for a while. I’m not supposed to go knock on the door. His girlfriend got angry and dumped him the last time.”[/color]

Lyriia shuddered; the idea of her younger brother already fooling around with people was not a pleasant one. [color=7bcdc8]“Lyellan, then?... He's got to be here, tell me he's here...”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“Nope. He’s out with his flower-friend-soon-to-be-wife. Or at least that’s what he told me about her. He says he doesn’t much like her anymore but now she’s got a little fairy in her belly and so he has to marry her so that things don’t look weird.”[/color] She shrugged, happily ignorant.

Lyriia rubbed her scalp. [i]Gods save me, my whole family is getting married and they didn’t bother to tell me. Or ask for advice. Or even talk to me.[/i]

Again Kierie looked up at her and hugged her. [color=bc8dbf]“I didn’t think you were coming, Lii-lii. I’m glad you came, even if you did bring your flower-friend-who-isnt-your-flower-friend. Wait, if he’s not your flower friend, is he just your bed-friend?”[/color]

She blushed even more.[color=7bcdc8] “Kierie, that’s enough.”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“Or if he’s not your bed-friend, is he just your public-friend?”[/color]

[color=7bcdc8]“Kierie…”
[/color]
[color=bc8dbf]“ooh! Is he your tie-up-friend?”[/color]

[color=7bcdc8]“KIERIE! THAT’S ENOUGH! How did you learn about this anyway?!”[/color]

[color=bc8dbf]“The older girls at school told me. Well, and I guessed, about tie-up-friends, when I came home from school one day and Lyellan had some random girl tied up to the ceiling in the living room, all naked, with a big knobby stick in--”[/color]

Lyriia thought she’d explode if she turned any redder. She quickly put her hand over her sister’s mouth and said, [color=7bcdc8]“Oh, look over there, Kierie! Miss Asandre’s setting up for the scavenger hunt! Why don’t you go see if you can help her?”[/color]

The little girl looked a little crestfallen, but then brightened up. [color=bc8dbf]“Okay, if you buy me a sugar crystal at the carnival! And then promise to tell me exactly what’s going on between you and your flower-friend!”[/color]

Lyriia was in such a hurry to get her sister to go away that she didn’t think about the agreement before she spoke. [color=7bcdc8]“Okay, Kierie. You go have fun now.”[/color] She hugged her little sister, kissed her on the cheek, and sent her off. [color=7bcdc8]“Wait, what? What did I just agree to?...”[/color]

She rubbed her temples and tried to will herself to quit blushing, not daring to look at Ahmal as she spoke. [color=7bcdc8]“As you may have guessed, that was my sister, Kierie. As you also may have guessed, it is unlikely we will be seeing any of my brothers here today. And as you may have finally guessed, I am not sure which one of them I am going to murder first. Or maybe I won't murder them, maybe I'll just pay the schoolteacher to keep a leash on them, since Mom and Dad aren't here anymore to do it...”[/color] The words trailed off, and she shook her head to clear the thought. [color=7bcdc8]“Aaaaanyway.” [/color]She said, with a perhaps overly-enthusiastic tone, dragging the first syllable out. [color=7bcdc8]“What’s our plan?”[/color]