Oh goodness yes, I've been around a very long time. I can keep a secret though. I have secrets from the beginning of time.

It is, learning to talk in that form was tricky. I'm quite good at it now though.

[She takes the offered hand to shake, and she's warmer than one might think she should be, if they didn't know she was a fire being.] Ara is a good name too, I like it! And I think there's maybe four or five of us phoenixes around. Most of the others are arrogant jerkfaces though, you wouldn't like them much.