"Oh. They're... magic. Some of them can talk, and they vary a lot, but they're all smart."

"And I have to capture them to prevent catastrophe, but I'll try to treat them well anyway." Great, now I have a moral responsiblity.

He puts Float back into the book, tosses Windy out, tap, "Windy!"

This time she is a lady.

"Hello, Windy. I want to get to know you a bit. Do you want anything in particular from me?"

She nods.

"...Can you try to tell me what it is without using words?"

She spreads her arms, then gestures at the Float.

"Is that 'use cards a lot'? 'Use Float'? Am I on the completely wrong track?"

She nods at the last question.

"Hmm... Freedom? Cerberus, any ideas?"

"She's not usually this cryptic."

The Windy makes another gesture, indicating his staff with her translucent arms.

"You want me to learn magic? Capture more cards? Something to do with magic that isn't those two things? Or completely wrong again?"

She cocks her head at him.

"D'you think meditating will help, Cerberus?"

"...Do you mind if I give you a nickname, Cerberus doesn't seem quite right." Since he's not a giant scary three-headed dog and all.

"Meditation always helps in understanding what your cards mean," he agrees. "And this isn't my true form," he says, guessing what Terry's on about.

He looks toward the setting sun. It's getting chilly. "Windy, please return. I'll try to figure you out later, promise. Cerberus, I'm gonna go home. You want to come with or find someplace for yourself out here? If you come with me you'll have to try and hide from my family. They'd probably think you were some kind of animatronics I made as a prank."

"I can be very quiet," he says, and becomes as still as a plush toy.

...a floating plush toy.

"And not obviously magic. Would you mind riding in my backpack?" He asks, while packing the Clow Book and his notebook and pencils into same.

He promptly scrambles into it.

And Terry bikes home. How do you even meditate?

Eh, he'll look it up on the family computer. If he can kick his goody-two-shoes going-to-be-a-fancy-lawyer brother off it for two minutes.

Cerberus is very quiet and well-behaved in Terry's backpack.

When he gets home he has a short conversation about the imminent family dinner and where were you honestly, then rushes up to his room and lets Cerberus out.

"I'm going to research how to meditate real quick. I can probably get out of the family dinner by saying I have lots of homework. Do you want me to bring you something?"

"Oooh there's food? What's there to eat?"

"Today? Chicken and pasta and bread and really fancy sauce my mom likes to buy. Chocolate chip cookies as dessert."