Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or places,

I am simply borrowing them. They belong to Tamora Pierce

Daine jumped off of Cloud's back with a scowl. She stripped off tunic, boots and socks, then paced away from the pony in her shirt and breeches, towards the sea.

"Now will you explain why you're hiding?" Cloud huffed impatiently, "I was comfortable in that field!"

"I am NOT hiding" Daine scowled again. "I just wanted to go for a walk!" Cloud raised on equine eyebrow and looked at the girl with an expression that reminded her of the time when she was six, her face covered in crumbs, trying to convince her mother that no, she hadn't eaten the cakes she had been expressly told not to touch, they'd just vanished. Needless to say, Sarra hadn't believed her.

Daine sighed. She was going to have to tell Cloud.

"There may have been a SMALL incident this morning..."

"Go on. And stop fidgeting, you're making me nervous."

"Alright, alright. Alanna… she caught us. I mean," Daine blushed, "She sort of… found me with Numair. In his rooms. This morning. Sleeping."

Cloud made a sound very similar to sniggering in a human. Daine blushed harder.

"We weren't doing anything wrong! Just sleeping! We haven't, y'know, yet… but Alanna got the wrong idea. What was she doing in his rooms that early, anyway? Coming in before we were awake, yelling about how Numair's report on the Immortals war and his fight with Inar Hadensra were late! And how Jon was moaning to HER about it, couldn't Numair be a BIT more responsible? And in the middle of all her yelling; she comes into the bedroom and sees us!" Daine paused for breath here, looking flushed, before continuing. "Well, you know Alanna, she completely lost it then, started screaming about how Numair was taking advantage of me, I was only sixteen, and innocent, how he should know better. I hated seeing them fight, they're usually such good friends…"

"Daine…" Cloud growled. "WHAT, exactly, did you do?"

"I… I started shouting at Alanna. I said… I said that she was being silly, Numair was NOT taking advantage of me, because… because I love him. Then she went purple. well, more a nice shade of maroon, really, and I ran for it. And here I am."

Cloud blinked knowingly. "So you ARE hiding."

"NO! Well, sort of" Daine mumbled, looking down.

"You should go back. Numair will be worried about you."

"Nu-uh! I can't face him after that! What if… what if he doesn't love me? I'd look fair silly!"

"Now you're the one being silly! Of course he loves you. Go back to him. Now, Daine."

"No. I can't go back yet! And I'm not scared, so don't say anything! I'm just… I'm just… gah! If you"re so worried about him, you go back! I, am going this way." She pointed towards the distant end of the beach below pirates swoop.

"Daine…" Cloud threatened.

"I'm going for a walk, Cloud. So stay here if you like, or go back to the swoop. I don't really care. Either way, I'll see you later." And she walked away down the edge of the water.

Cloud shook her head tiredly. Despite being one of the People, Daine could be so HUMAN at times. She sighed again, and headed back they way they had come.