"It's not that! I just don't want to walk through the street when everyone can see...huh?" Aurana stopped when she noticed Rhazii and Julan's expressions change. They sniffed at the air, realisation coming to their faces. Julan was hard to read, but Rhazii's ears flattened in anticipation. They were looking past her.
Aurana turned her upper body and jolted with such surprise that she lost her balance over the edge of the dock. She let out a small scream before a splash silenced her. Rhazii and Julan's parents all stepped up onto the dock.
While Julan was speaking in their defence, Rhazii looked at the struggling shape of Aurana under the surface. He dived under, becoming a dark shape swimming underneath her. They broke the surface together, Rhazii propping her up. She clung onto a pillar of the dock and caught her breath, mouthing a thanks to Rhazii and keeping her head above water. However, both of them had most of their attention directed up to the not-so-happy Kaleeth, Janius, Fendros, and Ahnasha.
"...You're Janius and Kaleeth?" Aurana was too bug-eyed to be embarrassed at what she had just done. "Um..." she laughed nervously. "You're...I'm..."
"You're Aurana, aren't you?" Fendros lowered onto one knee. "We'll take you home. Rhazii, Kaj-Julan, out of the water. Now."
Rhazii gulped and grabbed onto the edge of the dock. He pulled himself up, letting a shower of droplets make noise where they fell from his fur.
Janius was silent, avoiding eye contact with Aurana. Aurana gave inverse attention. "It is you, isn't it? Janius, I'm your sister." She tried to mimic Rhazii's motion to pull out of the water. She bared her teeth as her thin arms put in as much effort as they could. She slowly raised her shoulders over the threshold and threw her elbows onto the dock, stopping. "Uh, I don't mean to be a problem, but."
After biting his lip and peering around at the stars, Janius abruptly turned, reached down, and took Aurana by her arms, pulling her out of the water and standing onto the dock. She was just as dripping wet. Her nightgown was soaked. She immediately covered herself and began to shiver. "I've h-heard a lot about you, big brother."
Janius closed his eyes and breathed out. "Yes, it's me." He opened his eyes. "I see you met my son."
"Y-y-yes. They came l-looking for me." Her shaking was intensifying. "I w-w-w-wanted to m-meet you as-s s-s-oon as I h-heard Julan mention-n you."
Janius listed his head over to look at Julan. He was, surprisingly, not angry. He sounded defeated. "Son, lend her your cloak, please. She is freezing."
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