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Cam studies. He studies madly. The next week elapses with him having very little sense of individual days. He doesn't want anyone to know anything special is up, so he goes to a movie with Renée and to a friend's house after school to play Nintendo games and Charlie gets his weekly phone call and he shows up to his classes and gets his homework adequately done. But other than that he studies. He wants to be fluent in this thing inside three months if possible. It's easier than Spanish, he's motivated, he can use it in everyday conversations as he asks passing animals and convenient plants how smart they are (dogs: smarter than goats; squirrels: about goat level; his friend's hamster: dumb as a rock; shrubs: way dumber than trees; indoor potted rosemary: just a step above grass) and chats with Grace, he's basically dropping himself in an immersion course with some inconvenient English here and there so he can interact with humans. He thinks three months is ambitious but reasonable.
He's not actually doing that many spells. He does wheedle tofu into tastiness on a nightly basis, and when he feels a cold coming on he looks up a spell about that, but he wants to know what he's doing before he gets going on what he most wants to be doing, because he wants to be doing big things. He swore to oppose death. He meant that.
Today he is preparing to oppose death in his backyard. It's threatening rain and he doesn't want to be all the way down the street with Leafy if the clouds open up. The jerk tree doesn't talk to him if he doesn't talk to it and it's perfectly serviceable as something to sit under, anyway.
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lifes_sake
lifes_sake
"You might have to explain 'trouble'," Cam tells Jellybean. "That sounds either useful or anti-useful depending."
"Trouble: getting into, getting out of, causing," says Jellybean. "Fixing's more Tilly's speed."
lifes_sake
"Yeah, I don't mean what do you do with the trouble, I mean, what constitutes trouble here?"
"Depends, doesn't it?" He shrugs. "It's not like I keep a list."
He can have several!
Matilda interrupts occasionally to explain a detail or prevent him from including something unnecessarily shocking.
Matilda interrupts occasionally to explain a detail or prevent him from including something unnecessarily shocking.
lifes_sake
Cam is somewhat curious about the contents of the unnecessarily shocking parts!
"Well, if you wanna hear the juicy details..." says Jellybean.
lifes_sake
"Maybe start with one juicy detail and I'll see if I prefer to hear its relatives too."
Jellybean proceeds to explain just what went on between him and the nice lady with the tentacles.
lifes_sake
"I will pass on further of same," Cam says after listening quite levelly to this story.
Jellybean giggles. "Suit yourself," he says. "She was sweet, though. And cuddly."
He shrugs. "I'm fifteen, what's it to you?"
lifes_sake
"It's not my business, but I'm sort of curious about how many stress-related diseases I'd be dying of if it were."
Jellybean snickers.
lifes_sake
"I'm not sure what I'm going to be when I grow up but I'm pretty sure it won't wind up calling for tentacled aliens."
"Hmm," Grace says.
"What?" Cam asks her. "I hope you're not about to contradict me about the tentacled aliens, I'd have to believe it if it came from you."
"No, I think you're right about that. I might be more able to figure out what you're going to be when you grow up than you are, though," Grace offers.
"...Later. Privately," Cam says.
"Hmm," Grace says.
"What?" Cam asks her. "I hope you're not about to contradict me about the tentacled aliens, I'd have to believe it if it came from you."
"No, I think you're right about that. I might be more able to figure out what you're going to be when you grow up than you are, though," Grace offers.
"...Later. Privately," Cam says.
Jellybean grins. "Your loss," he says cheerfully.
lifes_sake
"I'm sure," snorts Cam. "I think I want to cast that snug ward today - Matilda, do you think I know everything I need to to get it right the first time or were there details omitted or possible customizations I should think about? Is it going to knock me out such that I should wait till bedtime?"
"We could cast it with you if you need the boost," Jellybean offers. "The setup's more complicated, but it takes less out of you."
"Otherwise it probably will knock you pretty flat," says Matilda.
"Otherwise it probably will knock you pretty flat," says Matilda.
"Well, we all put our names into the spell," says Matilda, "linked up so it's obvious who's the target and who's just lending a hand, and then we say it together."
lifes_sake
"My name name, or the nine-paragraph monstrosity that the worksheet thing spat out? Is there a way to trim those and have them work? I don't really feel like my favorite ice cream flavor is key to my identity."
"It's kinda chancy," says Jellybean.
"Yeah, says you," Matilda says fondly, ruffling his hair. To Cam, she adds, "It's usually a good idea to go with as complete and accurate a name as you can manage, but accuracy is more important than completeness. Which is why Jellybean's is so short."
"Yeah, says you," Matilda says fondly, ruffling his hair. To Cam, she adds, "It's usually a good idea to go with as complete and accurate a name as you can manage, but accuracy is more important than completeness. Which is why Jellybean's is so short."