Aloisia de Tuirne waved goodbye to her family with a smile firmly planted on her face. She was surprised to chosen this for the caravan this young, but had no qualms to speak of. Really, she mused, the only one who minded was her father. He minded a lot of things: namely Xander, though she could never quite understand why he hated the boy so. Trivial matters aside, she was off new quest, and she was going to make the most of it: whether all she heard of her Selkie companion was true or not.

Tira stood leaning against the caravan. It was hot today, and Selkies were never very fond of heat. The headache from the heat was only intensified as the words of her father still rang clear in her head.

'Remember to bring back lots of money and fish!'

Tira shook her head. You'd think all the man cared about was the welfare of his own money purse.

Aloisia's mood was not deterred any as she saw the Selkie in question. Firm in her belief that no one could be as bad as they seemed (abundant rumors ro not), she confidently strode right up to her and held out her hand.

"HI!" She seemed to smile even more brightly. "My name's Aloisia de Tuirne! And you've gotta be Tira, right right?" She nodded again and waited patiently for the Selkie to respond.

Tira looked up from the gravel path al the way-too-cheerful-for-this-early-in-the-morning Clavat. "Yes that would be me. Charmed I'm sure." She said slowly before reaching out to shake the other girl's hand.

The blonde Clavat shook the offered hand vigorously, and nodded once more. "I'm really super pleased to meet you, too!" Letting go, she quieted her hands by placing them behind her back. "I hope Xander isn't too late. He should be coming with your friend you see, and I'm anxious to give him a warm welcome, too!" Her words were like rapid fire and had an inexhaustible spirit behind them.

She cracked her knuckles trying to get her fingers back into alignment after the energetic handshake. "I'm sure Kail will be just as pleased to meet you as I am." She tried to smile but it ended in somewhere between a smirk and a grimace.

"Oh, good!" With a skip in step she greeted the reluctant looking camel-cow that was already set up to pull the caravan's wagon. "How are you Mr. Camel-Cow?" She asked petting him, "Oh, thank you for asking, I'm very well, too."

Tira glanced over at the Clavat for a moment questioning the young girl's sanity before returning to her inquiry of the incredibly interesting gravel path. It was at that tense moment that up the road a ways appeared Kail and Xander walking towards the caravan.

Aloisia had spotted them, as well. Though she entertained a different approach to the Selkie's when doing so. Without any second thoughts she ran right up to the disheveled Clavat with brown hair and launched herself onto him in a death hug.

"XANDER!"

The male Clavat winced as he fought for air. "…Aloi…sia…" He felt himself go red in the face, "…Aloi….air!" He spat the last word with as much force as much as he could.

"Don't kill the boy before we even leave town, Aloisia. It wouldn't even fill a page of this huge journal the Elder gave us." She jeered waving a very thick, black, leather bound book.

Aloisia seemed to reluctantly let go. "I was just so happy to see Xander," She paused and seemed to think hard for a moment, "Oh! And you too, Mr. Kail!" She turned to him and held out her hand in a similar fashion to the way she greeted Tira. "My name's Aloi-"

"He knows who you are…everyone does…" Xander loosened his collar a bit as if he still had a lack of air. "It'd be impossible not to, I suppose." He said thinking of how she said good morning to people she did know.

"Pleasure to meet you Aloisia" He reluctantly moved his arms from defending himself incase he got one of Aloisia's 'good morning hugs' to shake her hand.

"You too, you too." She chimed. After another fierce handshake, she moved to her semi-permanent spot at Xander's side.

"What's with the hat, dufus." Tira seemed to ask randomly. She motioned her head towards the bandana tied around Kail's head.

"You don't like it?" He asked sarcastically. "And here you were just last week saying I should 'do something with that mass of spikes' and now your insulting my choice. Honestly woman, make up your mind!"

"I honestly believe that there's no hair powder in the world that tame…" Xander pointed to the silver mass in question, "that." Looking smug some he nodded at Tira, "So I think it suits him just as well, if better than nothing."

"I agree with Xander!" Aloisia put in with a raised hand.

Xander smirked some at Tira, "See that?"

Tira smirked evilly back. "She'd agree with you even if you told her the sky was purple and that Camel-Cows could speak fluent Selkie."

"But Tira…the sky can be purple when the sun sets, and and…" Her face took on an uncharacteristic seriousness, "Camel-Cow's can understand Selkie." She nodded gravely and added, "It hurts their poor feelings when you say they don't, you know."

At this moment Tira broke out into laughter doubling over, clutching her sides. Kail seemed to sigh, "If I could get a word in here I really think this is frivolous. It's my hat, learn to deal with it."

"But it's not about the hat!" Aloisia pressed with a small whine in her voice. "It's about a certain someone's feeling's being hurt."

Xander sighed at the girl next to him, and gently patted her shoulder in pity. "It's ok Aloisia; really, I think that the Camel-Cow probably forgave her, okay?" Appeasement was the only thing on the brown haired Clavat's mind at this point.

Tira finally recovered enough from her laughter to stand back upright. Her hands returned to their usual spot on her hips and she coughed regaining normal speech. "Very well." She turned to face the Camel-Cow, a big cheesy apologetic grin on her face. "Oh please great Camel-Cow, forgive me for my transgressions against you!" With the last of her words she collapsed to the ground bowing to a very confused looking Camel-Cow.

Aloisia seemed to glow, "Oh, Tira! Thank you, thank you so very much!" She walked slowly over to the bowing Selkie and lifted her up, "Today," She smiled again at her, "You have made in the first step on better Camel-Cow relationships with their caravaners." She hugged Tira tight, "WE THANK YOU!"

Kail suppressed the almost overpowering urge to burst into laughter. "Bravo Tira! You will bring a tear to the eye of every Selkie for generations!"

"Shut up." Was her only response she gave the other Selkie. After being let go from the death-grip hug, she dusted off her clothes.

"Can we please set off now?" Xander said exasperated with the situation. Midday already and here they were not on the road but talking of hats and Camel-Cow rights. What he would have given to run into a random goblin and give it a piece of his mind.

"A brilliant idea. If it had had more to do with Gil I would have said I'd thought of it myself!" She laughed at her own stereotypical joke before jumping onto the front of the caravan.

"I call shotgun!" Kail called childishly running forward and jumping up into the caravan next to Tira.

More than happy to join in, Aloisia grabbed Xander's arm and said, "And we call the inside!"

"Hey, Selkie, are you listening?" Xander said being dragged into the mouth of the wagon, "Do not ever give her any ideas again…I call this and I call that, is not a game you play when I'm right next to her." He shook his head as he sat down with Aloisia right next to him, far enough for modesty's sake, but close enough for him to be uncomfortable, of course.

"Oh, Xander! You know I love games!" She clapped, "You're so thoughtful."

"Sorry, mate! I'll try to remember that for next time." He laughed. Tira laughed too before starting the caravan, finally, out of town onto the path.