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If Coli's face could have turned any redder, it could be mistaken for a tomato. Now not only did she have to explain their heritage, but she would be responsible for a lecture on the sexes? How was she supposed to describe the differences between boys and girls without leading right into a discussion on mating, too? "Ahh... um... a g-girl is the opposite of a boy... Um... Your mommy is a girl, and your daddy is a boy... because boys like girls... Er, most of them do, anyway..." Oh, great, open that can of worms, too. She couldn't help that Laurent and Jasper had flashed into her mind at that very moment. Please don't tell your parents any of this stuff! she pleaded, cringing inwardly. She wasn't looking forward to another encounter with an angry Haku or Firefly, neither of which were terribly fond of her to begin with...
Emwe. Her little brother, Emwe. Coli couldn't help but smile happily at the youngster as he offered his name, although that smile fell as he refused to budge. "Well... th-that's very good, you're not supposed to go with any strangers. But, um, you know me now, right? So we're not strangers anymore!" She bit her lip, hoping the simple logic might fool the boy. Although if it did, maybe he wasn't so smart after all. Anyone with ill intentions could some up with some lame explanation like that to trick a pup. At least his Mommy did appear to be a good influence thus far, which was some weight off her chest. Coli worried too much.
"N-no, of course I'm not angry!" Coli quickly corrected, ears drooping as things seemed to spiral out of her control. Maybe she had underestimated his perceptiveness, or his intelligence, but... How had Emwe taken charge of the situation already? "And, um, I doubt Alexey was angry at you, Emwe. She was probably just worried about you. I'm sure she's glad that you're safe and sound now!" The self-conscious girl tried to smile disarmingly, but knew she was failing to gather his trust. It had been easier with Willow, it really had. Coli had so little experience with children, she still barely grasped their utmost faith in the adults around them. She didn't know how to act like a confident grown-up, so she settled for trying to lower herself to their level, to be a buddy instead of a parent. It meant that any smart kid could wrap her around their little finger, and they didn't take long to figure that out.
