Mia's wound-up anxiety gave way to a new feeling at the sight of Sun's change in expression. Up until then, Sun had been a picture perfect match to her name... it was jarring to see. And incredibly saddening. And extremely guilt-inducing. Almost reflexively, Mia rose a hand as Sun turned to put the dress back away, but no words came out.

Mia didn't want to be found out, but... she didn't want this, either. And seeing Sun's disappointment... recalling how her mother had acted... the girl's situation was starting to fall into place for Mia.

"... W-wait."

She briefly hesitated after calling out, but eventually rose up and, with some caution, made her way past Sun over to the trunk and slowly reached inside. With gentle care, she held the dress up in her hands... the material was really soft. Almost entranced, Mia wrung her fingers through it for a while, staring into it with a pensive gaze. Eventually, she sighed, trying to choose her words carefully.

"... Don't apologize. I'm bein' rude... it's not you. I promise." Briefly, she looked up to Sun with empathetic eyes before averting them again. "I just... I-I can't stay here... I'm sorry."

Gently - and almost reluctantly - she lowered the dress back into the chest.

"I'm just not safe t' be around."
 
Sun watched the other girl cautiously. She had already been too overzealous, she was not about to further scare off this girl. Mia was scared about something, not that Sun was going to pry her for an answer, though.

At least it was not something that Sun had done to Mia. Something deeply was troubling Mia. Sun's mind immediately went to the fact that Mia had seen Sun's ears so that was why she was acting so strange. She must think that I'm a freak... Sun's nasty thoughts got worse.

"I do not wish to keep you here any longer. It was my mistake for bringing you here in the first place. Many apologies Miss Mia. I will escort you out." Sun raised her hands to her hat to make sure that it was still in place and then she continued to clean up her room quickly. It was bad enough that she had blown past her mother without an explanation. If her Mam came into her room and saw the explosion of clothes... Sun did not want to even think of what would happen to her tail.
 
Mia looked every bit as glum and guilty about things as Sun. After just a brief, regretful stare, Mia set to somberly helping Sun clean up her things... the least she could do. She made sure to keep any of Sun's garments away from the mud on her sweater sleeve, still a little wet.

Things went on like this for a little while, until...

An abrupt, yelping yowl rang out from Mia, as she leapt about five feet into the air, twisting all about. Fumbling clumsily onto the floor, she frantically searched and patted all around her for whatever had just squirmed under her clothes and startled her. Soon enough, an albino squirrel wormed its way out of Mia's sleeve, looking much more at ease about what had just happened than Mia.

"C-Cadet...!! How did you-?!" Her tail bristled in panicked anger at his sudden appearance.

... Wait... fur?

Mia immediately forgot all about Cadet. Her entire body coiled in terror, she glanced down at her hands. Paws, yet again. She'd turned - and this time, in plain sight.

Her breath trembled. Her head whirled up to face Sun with huge, terrified yellow eyes. Her shabby cap had slipped off of her head, fully displaying her pointed, tufted ears. She cowered, frozen stiff, looking about ready to burst into tears and make for the window all at once. Mia said nothing, and was at the complete mercy of Sun's reaction.
 
Ears. TAIL! Sun's finger immediately began pointing to the scarily similar attributes that her own body had. The only differentiation was the colouring and the shape of Mia's ears with her own. With Sun's finger thrust out in front of her, she force of the point caused her own hat to come flying off.

Surely, this is all some sort of bizarre dream, she thought.

Sun felt the immediate urge to get out of her room. Now. She needed to ask Mia so many questions. Here was not the place. If her mother came in and saw all the goings on... Sun made an audible noise of disgust, but it could have been misconstrued at disgust on Mia's end.

Here they both stood. Ears out. Secrets out. Sun had to speak up. Had to say something to tell Mia not to be afraid. Somehow, Sun was not freaking out. It was as if suddenly the whole world made sense. SHE WASN'T ALONE.

"I -- I cannot believe it! Miss Mia, you are like me!" Manners forgotten, once again, she began hiking up her skirt from the rear and digging around underneath for her own tail. She grabbed hold of it and yanked it into sight. With a death grip on her spotted tail, she grinned largely and stared at Mia. It could be taken from an outside view that Sun seemed a little insane. Though endearing.
 
Mia's expression changed the very second Sun's ears came into view.

Every one of her muscles went completely still. Earth-shattering shock was plastered over her face. Her pupils widened at what she saw. Her mind had partially shut down and partially gone into overdrive. An uncomfortable swath of emotions burst within her.

Sun went on to reveal even more... a tail. Hers was spotted, unlike Mia's striped one. And Sun's words... Mia never could have dreamed she'd ever hear anything even remotely resembling them.

Mia was dead silent, still aghast. Shakily, she rose to her feet and shuffled a little closer to Sun, bugged-out eyes looking back and forth between her ears, tail, and beaming face.

Her eyes grew wet. Her voice quivered.

"... Are... a-are those... real...? A-are... you real...?"

Cadet had retreated to a corner, watching with keen interest.
 
"Aye! They are real! I just... I had always been told that I was the last of my kind. H-how are you...?"

Words began to fail Sun. It was finally settling in that she may not actually be the last of her kind. Had her mother been lying to her all her years?

She nervously fiddled with her tail fur and flattened her ears against her skull. Sun was suddenly worried that it may have been not the brightest idea to show her features. Sun desperately had clung to the idea for years that she was not alone in the world. That she was not actually the last one.