Liya yanked her hands out of Helly's grip, tears spilling unbidden down her cheeks. Her voice came out shaky at first, and then got louder and angrier. "Wh--what the HELL are you talking about!? How could you--"

"Ah, he thought you might do this," Vlad interjected. He managed a wry sort of smile, bloody hands tucked behind his back. "He said, 'don't tell her til she can see me for herself. Otherwise she won't believe you, and she'll start yelling.' He really nailed that one, huh? So I guess you'll just have to see for yourself."

This seemed to stun Liya into silence. She sniffed and wiped the tears away, while Vlad and Helly simply let her have the moment. Then she dashed past them, towards the open hub doors.

"Oh--wait!" Vlad called hastily, hurrying after her. "Liya, he really does look different! Don't freak out, he's just shapeshifting--"

There were people just inside the entrance, who shied out of the way as Liya pushed past, sparing only a glance back at Vlad. "What? My brother doesn't--"

She stopped dead.