the self-knower

[lifes_sake]

Vague and grandiose chat about motivated capitalism take up the rest of the wizards' evening. Plans are made for Cam to learn about worldgates the following (skipped from school with Renée's kind accomplicehood) day and, assuming he catches on quickly enough, to go to New York and meet Jenny and talk about her operating as their business proxy.

Presently it's bedtime, and Cam goes to his room and Matilda and Jellybean go to theirs and Cam has the chance to ask Grace what on earth she meant.

"Well," Grace says, whispering, "you've been holding off on labeling because you're only fourteen, but people stabilize at different ages, don't they? And as near as I can tell you've been stable for almost a year now. Not on either, but on whichever. I think you're just as likely to get a crush on Jellybean as Matilda and vice-versa, and I don't think it's because you're still undeclared, I think you're just wired that way."

Cam considers this. "Okay," he says. "I can live with that."

"I should hope so," says Grace, and Cam laughs, and he goes to sleep.

He's still on a sleep cycle appropriate to school, so he may be up before Jellybean and Matilda in the morning.

Comments

[pythbox]

"Okay," she says agreeably.

[lifes_sake]

Ho hum looking for a worldgate.

[pythbox]

Ho hum ho hum there's a worldgate!

Matilda goes through first, into Cam's backyard. Then Jellybean takes over and sets the gate to take them to the Moon, conscientiously including a nice big supply of air.

[lifes_sake]

"Moon," observes Cam, perhaps unnecessarily, turning on the spot to take in the moonscape. The stars are something else, the view of Earth really something else. "Damn." The part they're standing on is pretty much gray dirt as far as the eye can see, but the sky from here...

[pythbox]

"I know," says Jellybean, "awesome, right?" He is grinning hugely. Only some of this is because they are on the Moon.

[lifes_sake]

"Fantastic. D'you hang out on the moon a lot?"

[pythbox]

"Not a lot," he says. "But once in a while, yeah."

He sits down in the dust and leans back on his hands and gazes up at the shining Earth.

[lifes_sake]

Cam laughs and flops onto his back and makes a moon angel.

[pythbox]

Jellybean giggles affectionately at this, and flops right next to him.

[lifes_sake]

"So, um," says Cam. "I have not made out with anybody on any celestial body at all before. Is there an instruction manual?"

[pythbox]

"Nah," he says, snuggling up a little. "But I can give you some tips if you want, I've made out with lots of people."

[lifes_sake]

"Sure," says Cam, "do tell."

[pythbox]

"I was thinking less tell," Jellybean says cheerfully, "more show."

[lifes_sake]

"Oh. Okay."

Cam will be lying here awkwardly in the moondust, waiting to be shown.

[pythbox]

Jellybean kisses him.

Like so!

[lifes_sake]

Like so, is it?

[pythbox]

Yes, yes exactly. Is Cam a quick learner? Because those are fun.

[lifes_sake]

Cam is in fact a very quick learner!

[pythbox]

Awesome.

How does he feel about progressing to more advanced material?

[lifes_sake]

Well, that might depend on how advanced.

[pythbox]

For one thing, Jellybean definitely thinks these moon makeouts would be improved if the number of shirts involved was drastically reduced.

[lifes_sake]

Cam is on board with this subtraction of shirts!

[pythbox]

Perfect! Jellybean is so glad he agrees.

Subtraction of shirts opens up enough new options that it might be quite a while before he raises the subject of pants.

[lifes_sake]

That's good, because there may be only one pair of pants between them but Cam thinks they should stay where they are for now.

[pythbox]

Does he have any opinions about Jellybean's skirt? Because Jellybean is fine with keeping the skirt on, but might be a little disappointed if Cam is scrupulous about avoiding its entire area of coverage.