"Sure thing, button," says Kas. "I'll pack up; you tell me when you wanna go."

"I should say bye to my friends first," Helen decides. She gives Ranata a hug and whirls away to go look for Shura or Inkeri or both.

"We did it!" says Helen. "Now I think I'm going to go away for a few months and then come back and find someone to teach me more exciting kinds of magic."

"I hope you have a good time," says Inkeri.

Inkeri calmly accepts her Exuberant Hugs.

Shura is over here, apparently learning to weave silk.

Ooh. That is worth hovering to watch.

"Hi!" says Helen. "We did it!"

"Yay!" says Nicoa, and Shura claps her hands.

Helen swoops down and hugs her. Exuberantly.

Shura is much more exuberant about hugging than Inkeri is. "Are you and Kalavar okay?" she asks.

"Yeah, we're good," she says, "we're fine - I rode her all the way back, she's big enough to carry me and I don't hardly slow her down, it's awesome."

"That is awesome! Will she still be big enough to carry you when you're all done growing, d'you think?"

"Yeah. Probably. I hope so," she laughs.

"That would be really, really cool."

"It so would! Anyway, I think I'm taking off for a while," she says. "Enjoying my newfound adult freedom and stuff. But I'll be back in time for my birthday."

"Have lots of fun!" says Shura brightly.

"You bet I will!"

And another hug for the road.

Kas decides that this trip is a good time to tell Helen some things.