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((OOC: Well, I'll be damned. Upper NWT, Canada. 8D *high fives*))

"Yes, I do," said Nezik solemnly, doing his best not to grin. "My life would not be complete without it." But when Joshua made his point about guiding, Nezik's amusement only seemed to grow. Glancing quickly at Katalina as though to assure himself she wasn't listening - she wasn't, as she was still ranting about insane little brothers - he said quietly, "I did have a guide. Narcis and I followed her back after she went to check on him - I stayed with him instead of going home." He grinned, but said nothing more.

((OOC: 8D))

"She was distracted," Nezik replied wickedly. "Worrying about other things, I guess. When she came to talk to Narcis, I hid. She didn't notice me." At Joshua's question, his brow wrinkled slightly. "They know. Narcis told Mother - they're related, so he can reach her. She said she'd tell the others so they weren't worried anymore. They just think I went to Katalina, though - they don't know about the boat." He shrugged. "Mother would be out of her mind if we told her."

He glanced over his shoulder, blinked and grinned. "Narcis wants to know if he can come out yet. I told him he should go hide when I heard what you guys were talking about," he explained, the picture of youthful innocence.

The boy grinned back. "She wouldn't rant about you - that's just for me, and I think it's mostly for form," he explained. "But okay. If she asks, I'm telling her you said I could." He glanced away again. A soft disturbance of the water followed. Katalina had actually fallen silent a few minutes ago, perhaps having run out of words to express her annoyance.

Narcis surfaced almost idly, very carefully not looking at Katalina. "He had a guide," the Siren muttered, staring at the beach. Nezik's eyes widened a little, and then he began to grin. Glancing over at Joshua, he said quietly, "I guess he must have heard. I've never seen him that awkward."

Katalina, suddenly very flushed, glanced away. "Didn't you send him home? I...my parents know that he's all right, don't they?"

At Narcis's nod, a very uncomfortable silence fell.

"It makes things easier for me," replied Nezik mildly, eyes dancing. Then he went silent and hastily glanced away when Joshua made his comment about the other two.

Katalina's gaze shot to him as soon as she heard it. She muttered something in her own tongue that made Nezik squeak and duck under the water. If I find out you knew about this, you are in so much trouble, her voice whispered to Joshua. Taking a slow breath, she said, "Yes, Joshua, it is. Thank you for the commentary."

Narcis, however, seemed to appreciate it. He tossed a quick grin in the general direction of the two boys.

Katalina's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. Narcis chuckled. "He isn't lying, cousin," he said, addressing Katalina directly for the first time since he'd shown himself. "It was just his bad luck." More seriously, he added something in their tongue that made her flush again. Then he gestured. She nodded, and the two of them moved out of earshot.

Nezik surfaced again cautiously. "I don't think she'll kill us," he announced finally.

Nezik thought for a few minutes. "I don't know if it really has a translation in your language," he said thoughtfully. "It was, oh, something along the lines of I am going to make you sorry you were ever conceived. That's not the exact translation, but it's the same idea." He grinned. "I wouldn't be so scared if it wasn't Sorry - she means it when she says stuff like that."

Pausing, he said, "So was anything interesting happening after we left?"

"Well, it's not like I meant to!" protested Nezik virtuously. "It was an accident!" Then he laughed, too. "I even told Narcis not to listen - he probably ignored me, but at least I tried."

He blinked. "She taught you some of our language? Like what?" He was interrupted briefly when Katalina's voice rose in a high, liquid trilling that sounded rather shocked. "Oh oh. Um. Anyway, what'd she teach you? And...what's write?"