"Oi!" Kiara protested, giving a startled burst of laughter. She batted the little Zerdani gently away from her boot. "I've only got one pair of those," she said, but she smiled, hoping the expression would keep her in their good graces.
Kit grumbled and seemed to be resisting the urge to shake himself, consequently sending his several new passengers tumbling back onto the sand. With a heavy sigh, he dropped to the ground and rolled his eyes, evidently accepting his fate.
Bibi and her Zerdani seemed to be intently studying each other's fingers. Perryn had gently removed a Zerdani's paw from his veil, but seemed to be fiddling with the fabric himself. After a moment, he let it drop away and held the sheer material out to her with a smile.
Tala gasped and Kiara arched her eyebrows. Ras shook his head, eyes wide, and Bibi exclaimed, "You can't-!"
"Why not?" the boy asked, looking to them with a broad smile. "No one's a slave here, what does it matter?"
Kiara beamed in response, nodding at him. Now that she could see it properly, she thought he had a very sweet smile. She bent closer to Eihmo'tei and said, "Thank you for bringing us here." She gestured to the people around them, then put a hand to her heart, giving him a nod and a smile as Kit translated her sentiment.