"Yes." There's no question: she's onto him. Ned, too, is enjoying this moment of childishness. This chance to pretend, for a little while, that River really is his sister. They've been turned into related things, haven't they? Her the spirit of a tree, him... whatever he is right now. He imagines this is what it must have been like, for all the boys at school who had little sisters they saw around the holidays. Spending time together, playing games, being happy without it being an effort.

Of course, part of him knows that it likely wasn't that way. They were always complaining in loud voices (the school was always so loud when everyone came back after the weeks of silence and snow, or silence and sun) how annoying their sisters were, how they followed them around and wanted to spend too much time with them. Ned can't imagine that concept: a surplus of someone wanting to spend time with him.