They had brief warning of the humans’ approach when Hafsa, who had been dealing with them off and on for some time now, recognised the thumping in the ground for the beat of hooves against it. Horses, she explained to those who had never seen them, were very large and would probably hurt if they stepped on you, but could be startled away with a simple hiss and threat display. But they should try to avoid startling the beasts when they had a human on their back… The wry manner with which passed on her warning told Iri that she probably mentioned that from experience, but was unlikely to tell her the story, no matter how much she pestered. 

The temptation to try it for herself and see what the result was crossed her mind and kept her distracted until the beasts and their burdens came into view. 

Never mind startling them. She was going to stay as far away as possible from creatures that size, even if they only ate grass. What if they took exception to her lying on top of it?! No, thank you, she was going to stay right here on her rock where it was safe and she could observe the hubbub without being included in the fuss. 

Beside her, she could hear the others remarking on the flurry of activity that seemed well rehearsed, as not a one of the tall humans (and they were all tall, having the advantage of being able to stand upright) stepped into another’s way. They were extremely coordinated in a way that mers could never have emulated on land. It was interesting to watch. And she wanted to know what they were doing with the horses and the ropes and the huge cloth and what was in the big basket-thing the horses were pulling. 

She’d seen them about before, of course, and had occasionally gone as close as she could to the nearest ocean town, but it was rather different to know that these humans had come to see them, specifically, rather than that they’d all met up by chance. There was no small amount of awkward gazes being met and flitting away again as curiousity matched curiousity. 

Iri’s own gaze eventually began to sort through each of the humans, trying to guess who she might soon be bound to, but she hadn’t any notion. Would a princess be put to work? What did princesses do, anyway? She had been summarily informed that a princess was her own gender when she’d snarled at her mother about the whole not getting to choose who she performed the rite with, and that they would both be unable to choose and it was for the good of their clans. As far as she was aware, a princess was the daughter of a king. But she did not know how to tell a male from a female, or a king from a-… Actually, the human approaching them looked promising. 

Dignified, tall, so she guessed he was older… Did humans keep growing? How small did they start out? And he was coming towards them, which surely meant he was important enough to feel he could speak to them. Not that she wouldn’t have said something to even a beggar’s brat, had one been available and saying hello, but no one else was looked willing to say a word to them, so, she assumed…

When he bowed, she glanced at her mother and the elder and tried to imitate their own version of the gesture, dipping her head and bending her elbows a little. Then, because she had every right to be part of these proceedings now that the day had arrived, she hauled herself over to join the elder and the Hafsa, squeezing in between them without concern for interrupting the proceedings. From her lower vantage point, she stared up at the human, considering. She had learned the language from the elder on her left, but had had little chance to practise and was a little unsure of her manners, but she’d already given her mother all the opinions she could ever hope to want concerning the ceremonies, and didn’t want to wait any longer. “Hello. I am Iri. Where prince-ess?”

She was promptly grumbled at by her mother, and had her hair pulled by Tsuin. Hissing, she turned to glare while the Hafsa sighed. [i]“A good day, King. My daughter, Iri. We are hoping they might meet so they do not come together strangers. A tide to talk, as we speak of ceremonies, yes?”[/i]