"Well, you'll learn to talk to them while meditating."

"That'll be interesting. Any better way to get good at meditating other than doing it a lot?"

Shrug.

"Hm, okay."

It's around lunchtime, but he had a brunch. He tries to find new categories or combinations of properties to Change. He thinks about Changing into a girl, like Sadde did, but... While he's sort of curious Terence Miller is definitely not a girl. He does think he looks cool with purple irises, though.

And then he gets a head start on the rest of his homework. Aren't advanced placement classes fun?

When using Change, Terence will notice he can't really do anything as... complex as changing into a girl, even if he tries. Most of Change's changes are small-scale, so far.

But purple irises work.

He burns out on homework very soon. It can't hold his attention like magic, seriously, why even try.

He'll definitely make an analysis of what exactly he can change, and try to figure out if it's expanding over time too.

The tips of his fingernails to steel? Part of the air to perfume? A pencil to solid stone? His eraser to aerogel? A dust bunny to a carefully-specified-as-live flower bud?

Yes, no, yes, yes, no.

He'll happily bounce between experimenting with Change, poking at homework, and meditating until dinnertime (with a break for snacks) if not interrupted.

Knock knock! Or ding dong, or something.

Knock knock! A rather short woman answers before Terry can get to the door. "Oh, your friend is here. Sah-de, right?" Without waiting for a response, "Is he in the calculus study group, Terence?"

"Um. No, we just happened to run into each other. I was gonna show off my research." Not a lie. Experiments with Change are research. And he can always actually show off his old science fair projects.

"Sadde," he corrects smoothly. "And it's a pleasure to meet you." He beams at Terry.

"Well, welcome. Dinner's at six so you'll want to be gone by then unless you like leftovers, Sadde. And if you have a cell phone I'd prefer if you don't use it in our house."

Terence fidgets. Sadde beaming at him while his mom's right there is a bit embarrassing.

"Duly noted," he says, still beaming. "I don't actually have a cell phone, so you don't need to worry, and I'll make myself scarce before six."

She seems to be taking it as 'natural cheerfulness'. "Alright, have fun! I'll be watching TV if you want a snack or something." And she walks off into the living room.

Terry waits until she's gone before saying, "Hi again! I have a bunch more notes to go over, spent half the afternoon experimenting with Change and Float. Not so much Windy, she's way too strong to do anything indoors."

"Cool! Show me!"

Glance at living room. "In my room though. I'll show you last year's science fair project too," He leans forward to half-whisper. "Just so I won't have lied to Mom."

"Fair enough," he says, and follows Terry where he leads.

Here are his neatly written in surprisingly small handwriting, well-organized, and rather thorough given how he's only had Change for half a day, notes!

Sadde reads it all!

"It's strange that there are these complexity limitations," he muses.

"There are many factors that affect them, like personal affinity with the card, magical potential, or magic type."

"I bet you're better at Change. You have the personality for it."

"Demonstrably I can use it to turn into a girl." Pause. "More thoroughly than I can on my own."

"Oh yeah, you said you already knew some magic. Huh."

"That implies more... conscious knowledge than I have. I don't, like, know any spells or whatever it is that sorcerers use..."

"I don't get the impression that even 'proper' sorcerers are super formal about it. Magic doesn't feel at all like engineering. Maybe I get to invent thaumaturgy."