Had Daja not met Rhiow before, she'd have been considerably more surprised by a talking cat.

And that wasn't the only thing that was familiar - that magic was also familiar.

"Excuse me, are you from Rhiow's world?" she asked, curious. "Your magic reminds me of hers." Well, the fact that he was a talking cat also reminded her of Rhiow, but she thought that might be too impolite to say.