It was indeed not the reaction Shiraz had been anticipating, if she would have thought to guess at any of the possibilities. She thought about it for a moment, then realized that they were unconsciously facing off in the way their body language was, and sat down on one of the smooth marble benches that lined the walkway.

"When Vita asked Paris to become the Cajuzinho," she began, letting Nausy decide whether to join her in sitting or choose not to. "I was very afraid. I didn't want him to do it. I knew that the world was getting more and more broken, and I-- I cared, about that. Just not as much as about my family."

It had taken her years to fully include Jing and Cassis in that statement, and even longer for Kir. Shiraz had unfortunately grown up thinking that everyone, no matter how benign, was a threat to Paris' affection for her, even if the logical part of her mind knew it wasn't true.

"After we got to Quentão, I thought... the whole world knows about him now. Someone would come and try to take him away, or to stay and," Shiraz looked away for a moment, out over the waterfall. "Replace me, somehow. I was so jealous whenever I thought he was looking at human women," she admitted. "I didn't even really know why, nyaa. I even bit one of them."

She does, at least, look terrible embarrassed by that admission. "But Paris understood. So he promised that he wouldn't have anyone here at Quentão who would make me feel that way. He wouldn't--" Her gaze dropped. "Be interested in anyone as a partner."