He thinks it's a swell idea!

And does Dayo have any suggestions? They are considering a park (good weather guaranteed), a mall or maybe Arthur's house.

How about a park and then Arthur's?

Yes and the weather there is really nice. Not too sunny and with a gentle breeze. How much of this is influenced by the the two skymages sitting over there is hard to guess.

"Did you two do this?"

"Do what? Could you be more specific?"

"He meant the weather."

"Oh, yes. Hi, Arthur. Who is your friend?"

"I'd expect to be more memorable than this," he says lightly.

"You met Dayo."

They blink. "Are you secretly a witch?"

"Only insofar as I have makeup skills that could be called witchcraft."

"Well. I'm impressed."

"Thank you!"

"Anyway, how are you?"

"I'm quite alright! How about yourselves?"

"Good. The exhibition gig landed us some nice connections."

"Nice."

"It did?"

"Yes, we met the event organizer and she recommended her lawyer."

"She was a Witch-Queen. The event organizer, not the lawyer."

"Yeah, I read about her. Goes around doing philanthropic stuff, apparently. Looks way better than most witches I've heard of, if you ask me, wasting their magic."

"Yes, I wonder why others don't follow her example. But I liked her and she might solve some of our problems."

"Well then I'm really glad you got to meet her."

"Likewise," he says without mentioning that he googled the twins' names and discovered the extent of their problems. "Also, belatedly, thank you for the weather."

"You're welcome. Hopefully, the conversation will escape the skymage problem number one: talking about the weather."

"Oh but come on it's super interesting! What's having that magic like?"

"Well, we get a sense of the state of weather in a several miles radius, which also comes with the added benefit of good sense of direction."

"I would say it gives us a sense of scale... it doesn't make us feel small, but skymages as a group often think big."

"And of course, it's fun to play around with the weather." He twirls a finger and a gust of wind passes through them.

"I'm envious. How much can you do?"

"We have the gifts to control wind, heat, cold, humidity and lightning. Which means pretty straightforward control over the weather."

"But like, at what range and scale and intensity?"

"It depends on what we are trying to do and where we are trying to do it. Really strong winds, the type that causes people problems moving, can be done instantaneously in a small scale. We could call a thunderbolt in a few minutes - it takes time gathering the energy correctly - produce temperature changes that are strong enough to knock someone out in a matter of seconds. Or cause a city-wide heatwave in... maybe ten minutes. Same thing for cold. Raining varies too much according to local air humidity and likewise snowing, but actually freezing the snow is pretty fast. Freezing liquid water is rather tricky and indirect... there is a lot of skill to it if what you want is to influence the weather for a long time."

"Sounds broken to be honest. Why don't you as a society use these broken powers to fix thirst? Too many butterfly effects messing with weather at that scale?"

"The butterfly effects," Felix agrees, "we have to take the water from somewhere and that can often edge on political problems. Diverting water the regular way can cause that too."

"Another political problem: having disaster-inducing mageborn can be seen as very threatening and politically destabilizing despite the international treaties that prevent everyone but the Stormlands to use us in warfare."

"And general thaumatophobia?"

"Yeah, it wouldn't be popular in a lot of places. And a lot of the places that need it the most are the ones that already suffer from that cultural problem, on top of various political problems. Which leads to our current situation where Nevada is the state with the most skymages working - and doing so in the private sector - instead of a state in the Tornado Alley."

"And I read somewhere that Dubai wants to build a mountain to increase rainfall."

"...so we should fix that, yes?"

"Well, yes. How do you propose we do that?"

"I don't know yet, haven't thought about it for long enough."

"I can guarantee you that he is going try."

"Well, if he wants some help."

"Well it won't do to try to help fix thaumatophobia without a thaumatopracticer or two!"

"That does sound counterproductive!"

"And I'm nothing if not productive."

"Do you have political ambitions?"

"One or two."

"Ah, nothing like a discrete number of political ambitions."

"I certainly could not have an uncountably infinite number of them."

"Not with that attitude."

He giggles. "Does taking over the universe as a benevolent dictator count as uncountably infinite?"

"Dunno, I sort of consider that a single ambition, but maybe that is influenced by the fact that I have that one since I was maybe nine or something."

He grins. "Well it is an infinitely large universe."

Snort. "But it's only one, that can barely hold all of Fenris' hubris."

"Is that so? I cannot comment, not having met all of Fenris' hubris."

"Apparently, it's hubristic to make a personal promise to solve all the problems that can be solved and then spend the rest of the eternity solving the remaining problems anyway."

He giggles. "It is! It is hubristic to do that! Do you have an angle?"

"Sadly, I think my best angle is a complicated one. It would involve convincing Felix that he should stay in the United States raising our sister. Then go to the Stormlands, join the army, fulfill my twelve years obligatory service and then run a political career that gets me enough diplomatic leverage with the Witchlands to smooth the relationship between the two. So we will hopefully finally have a united magical world."

"And I object to this plan because I want Fenris to be the one to stay behind. Also, I think the Witch-Queen that we met might be interested in that and maybe no one will need to spend twelve years in the army."

"Yeah, twelve years is a lot of time. And very—within the system, isn't it."

"You'd think that the skymages would make things easier for themselves."

"The time can reduced if you get married and have eugenically desirable children. And it's only four if all you want is the right to vote. But yes, it's a long time investment in a structure that I would ultimately want to reform."

"It's a somehow straightforward way to get political power, at least if you're a skymage."

"Yeah, I can see myself going for that if I'd been born a skymage." He wrinkles his nose. "But not if my father was a skymage."

"Why not?"

He squeezes Dayo's shoulder.

"He's an asshole and I'm pretty sure counterfactual me would not want to be part of any institution he was a part of."

"I can relate. I would specifically aim for a place where our grandfather didn't have much influence. But our problem with him was never about the institution he was in."

"Do you want a hug?"

"On general principle yes, but not because of this, I haven't lived with him for years."

"Well, the same could have been said about my mom and uncle."

Felix hugs him. Winged hugs are great.

Yes they are.

"Felix is the world's best hugger."

"Really? I think I need to see statistics to believe that." Pause. "The evidence is strong, though."

"People comment on it!"

Snort. "When you're done I will get one for research purposes."

He holds on for a few more seconds but eventually lets go. "For the science," he says mildly.

And he takes his turn. "Uh, good, good. Firm but gentle. Very warm."

Giggle.

Grin.

"The feathers are softer than I expected."

"They're very snuggly."

"Thank you, I made them myself."

"Was it not your parents?"

"Well, I confess that they started it."

Giggle.

Giggle. Frown.

"Uh, do you mind my asking if you're bi, Arthur?"

"No, and yes."

"Cool, us too."

He raises an eyebrow. "Is there a reason for this query?"

Shrug. "It was worth asking? I was prompted by realizing that, uh, I wasn't sure how your genderfluidity interacts with you two dating."

"Straightforwardly," he shrugs. "We're probably a walking statistical anomaly, here."

"Well, I'm a skymage twin. My life is a statistical anomaly."

"I was including that in my reckoning, yes."

"Well, you met us at a magic-themed exhibition and we are attention-getting specifically because we are rare. Given the information that we are all attracted to men, it's possible that contributed to you coming over to talk to us. Felix, you and I could all be Arthur's type."

"I don't actually know what Arthur's type is," Dayo muses, looking at him. "I don't think I particularly have a type, at least physically."

He blushes.

"You do not?"

"Not really? When it comes to anything physical my standards are 'having a face,' and when it comes to anything emotional—well, Arthur is actually my first."

"Aww."

"You don't care about looks at all?"

"I do not," he confirms.

"Gosh, I will take this an opportunity to get really sloppy about my looks."

"Up to you, love."

Awww. Kiss (shy and quick).

Kiss! "Isn't he adorable."

"Like a seven-foot-tall teddy bear."

He laughs. "Something like that."

"How did you two met?"

"School, Dayo charmed me with his wiles in the first day."

"I was just my normal self and he was head over heels."

"I love people that give the best answer to the question 'what would you do with a lot of money'?"

"Well, might depend on how one acquired the money, but the best answer would be to set up something profitable so you can continuously give money to charity?"

"At least that would be our answer!"

"Do you wanna date them? Now's your chance to dump me."

"Aw, but we wouldn't mind sharing." Wink.

He opens his mouth.

...and fails to come with something to say.

"We haven't had the nonmonogamy conversation yet," Dayo explains.

"That sounds like an important conversation to have."

"Felix and I are polyamorous. Since we were kids we come up with that we would want the same people and would rather share instead of... divvy up."

"Sounds like a very healthy mentality all around," he agrees, nodding. "Also makes you even more of a statistical anomaly."

Smile. "Well, the way I see it it's just an extension of trying to be very reasonable people."

He grins.

Words: still beyond his capabilities.

"Did we break him?"

He blushes.

"I have no idea, like I said I haven't had the conversation with him."

"Have you ever had the conversation with anyone? We've never put the polyamory part of the thing in practice."

"Not as such. I've never really dated before. Slept around, sure; dated, not so much."

"Pretty much same situation. Felix went through four allegedly-serious relationships in six months and then decided to be more casual about things, but nothing worth having that conversation."

"Yeah part of this is that we've only been dating less than a month."

They nod.

"Did you have plans to bring it up?"

"Well, yeah, eventually. I'm not, like, married to the idea of being polyamorous—pun intended—but it is my preferred mode."

He sporfles.

"Reasonable. I can't say it's a requirement either, but mostly because then our dating pool would shrink and select in a bad way."

"Oh good you can make sounds again."

"Yes. Uh, yes."

"Tremendous. Do you have sounds to add to the conversation?"

"I'm... uh, the entire thing sounded really nice?"

"Come on, be more specific."

"Don't think I... uh, understand exactly what it is going on?"

"I'm not sure where you got lost, you suddenly stopped talking when the idea of polyamory was suggested so I don't know how much of that you caught."

He waves his hands. "Most of it?"

"So what don't you understand?"

"I dunno..." He thinks. "What are you proposing? What does it look like?"

"I'm not proposing absolutely anything, as we have not had the monogamy conversation yet," he explains. "The conversation starts with 'how do you feel about nonmonogamy?' and goes from there. Positively, by the way, is my answer."

"You mean that we are supposed to accumulate partners as much as we like? Or just an open sexual relationship? How much are we supposed to tell each other?"

"I'm physically incapable of feeling jealousy," he explains. "I don't mind being monogamous, per se, but my preferred mode is polyamorous. What that cashes out to in practice is dependent on my partner or partners, I think, and should probably be decided in more detail depending on what they're comfortable with."

"Is this the sort of thing that can be... experimented with?"

"With the understanding that if we actually start dating other people and figure out it doesn't work that will in fact involve a lot of heartbreak, yeah."

Nod nod. "Reasonable."

"Well, do you have candidates for a poly relationship?" Felix says, exaggeratedly batting his eyelashes.

He looks at Felix, feigning obliviousness. "Hm? No, not really, this was purely hypothetical."

"Really? That is so bad. If we ever find candidates are we supposed to send them your way?"

"That would be nice of you."

"You're welcome!" Fenris says brightly.

He giggles and looks at Arthur.

Arthur giggles nervously. "That sounds like a terrific idea!"

Grin.

The twins grin twinly.

Now how about some ice cream?

Everyone would be delighted!

Ice cream! He gets strawberry.

So does Arthur.

White chocolate.

Mint chocolate.

Can he ask for a bit of their ice creams too?

Of course, which probably is not going to lead anywhere.

Just wholesome ice cream sharing.

Naturally. Where could it possibly lead? Dayo is a committed boy.

So is he!

But gosh there is more than one way to taste ice cream.

Ehhh. Maybe but you know he doesn't want to push Arthur so much this soon.

The twins can't feel too disappointed, given that they have ice cream.

And was it their plan to go to Arthur's place after the park?

Of course, it's not that much of a walk.

It's not a walk at all for some of them.

"Show-offs."

"Aw, don't be jealous!"

"Well I can't help it, I can't fly."

"Well, I have a flight harness if you want to be a passenger."

"...what, you have a harness with you, right now? Do you just—walk around with those?"

"Not typically but it sounded like the sort of request one might make."

"You two could take turns."

"I don't think I would be very aerodynamic."

"I'm sure they've taken that in consideration, they seem like very smart young men."

"Yes we are, yet I don't know why aerodynamics would a concern," Fenris says slowly rotating in the air to fly backwards.

"That, too."

"I'm curious, if you carry me, am I going to become weightless too or am I just attached to you?"

"The latter, but I'm not actually weightless."

"You're not? What are you then?"

"Telekinetically floating in the air."

"He is just hangin."

"But I mean, if you're constantly applying a force that counteracts gravity how is that different from being weightless?"

"I'm still affectted by gravity." He points at his own hair which is being weighted down. "It's closer to being supported by an invisible force than being in zero gravity."

"Wait, but how does that work, then? Is it like you're on a surface?" He looks under Fenris' body to see whether there are any flat parts. "Which parts of your body are having a force applied to them?"

No flat parts. "The effect is applied all over but stronger the deeper it gets."

"But not the hair? Or the clothes?"

"Hair is too thin, you can't get deep with hair. And clothes are not part of me."

"Uh, how thick does it need to be? How about your fingers? Or your nails?"

"Uh, I don't have a strong enough perception to know about the nails, but the fingers are thick enough to be affected, just not very much."

"That's a very specific way for this power to manifest. Can you not use it on not-you stuff?"

"Not at all. When I move other things it's... well, just moving other things."

"What a terribly specific magic."

Giggle. "Isn't it just? I will have to be content with only mentally moving things with wind." Whoosh.

"Show-off."

"Oh, if you had magical powers you wouldn't be able to contain yourself." Arthur accuses.

They eventually arrive at a house that is too big for just two residents, but is obviously not well lived in yet. They can see a couple of stacked cardboard boxes through the windows.

"Nice place," Dayo comments, electing to not react to Arthur's jab.

"Sorry for all the boxes."

He lets them in. There is a moderate amount of them. "My uncle insists on doing all the organizing himself."

"The place is lovely, don't worry."

"So, how about a tour?"

Arthur snorts. "Sure. There isn't much to see? I was hoping my uncle had set up the pool table downstairs and you'd like to play."

"Then downstairs can be the end of the tour!"

He shows them around the place. It's a fairly big house but also very empty. Some rooms are completely barren of furniture. One is entirely devoted to cardboard boxes filled with random things. No desk and no chair in the "office", the books are already shelved and apparently organized but the laptop is on a shelf at eye-level for a standing person.

By contrast his room looks completely moved in. Everything is organized and the bed is neatly made, but things are out of their boxes and in their proper places of usage. There is even a toy spaceship hanging from the ceiling.

"—this has got to be the cutest thing ever," Dayo says of the spaceship.

"Is this from a tv show? The design looks familiar..."

"I don't think it's based on anything," he says a bit uncomfortably. "I mean, it reminded me of a movie, that is why I brought it. Also, space is cool."

"Spaceships are cool, space is awesome."

"Obviously."

Moving on?

Moving on!

When they go downstairs they see a large man staring suspiciously through the curtains. The man jumps when Arthur says. "Uncle Bernard?" Then he jumps again when he sees the group (looking particularly at the twins).

"Ah, hi."

"Those are my friends. I told you I was going to see them."

"Ah, was that today? Well, hello. I'm Arthur's uncle, Bernard."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Dayo."

"I'm Fenris Dalkaila."

"Felix Dalkaila! You might notice we are related."

"Likewise," the uncle says to Dayo, looking furtively out of the window. "Could you reschedule, Arthur? I will have some friends over it was... sudden."

"Ah... I guess we could go somewhere else?" He asks the other three.

"Sounds good to me," he shrugs.

"Fine by me."

"Good," Bernard says distractedly looking out of the window again, visibly relaxing. "It was nice meeting you, but I have to fix things up for company." Bernard gives them a polite smile before leaving to the kitchen.

"Sorry about that," he says.

He shrugs again. "It's fine, emergencies happen."

Kiss and he grabs his things and walks out. He blinks at an old lady walking her dog in front of the house.

"Does she often cause trouble or something? I noticed that your uncle was looking at her with apprehension."

"Ah..."

He thinks for a long moment.

"My uncle has a phobia of white-haired people."

"—white-haired people?"

Flinch. "White-haired people." They walk past the old lady. "It's... uh, weird."

"Okay, well, it sounds personal."

"Yeah. It's just an odd—well, it doesn't matter."

A very sketchy-looking van parks at the Jameson's driveway. The occupants give the twins suspicious looks and walk in.

"...interesting van," he comments to Arthur.

"Is your uncle part of a gang with magephobic tendencies or something? They all looked like Felix and I were going to bite them."

"...harsh."

"Very. At least could've said something else besides gang."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

"Aaanyway let's go somewhere else."

Elsewhere they go, he tentatively puts an arm around Dayo.

D'awwwww!

The meeting between friends that is not a date at all no sir continues and eventually comes to an end, as all good things do.

As it happens.

And the day after that Arthur and Dayo will have time to talk.

"So."

"So?"

"What did you think of the twins yesterday?"

"Ah, they're pretty great."

"They kinda are, aren't they," she says, raising an eyebrow. "I'd love to get to know them better."

"Me too. Ideally without my uncle around to make me feel embarrassed."

She giggles. "It wasn't your fault. At any rate I think there was one conversation we should be having..."

He nods solemnly. "Yes, true."

"How comfortable are you with nonmonogamy?" she cuts to the chase.

He makes a mock-horrified face. "Oh, my gosh! Is that what you wanted to talk about? I assumed we were going to have a long conversation about how we can better keep ourselves pure of sinful influences."

He giggles. "Are you telling me that you had something else in mind?" He bats his eyelashes at her.

He gives her an exaggeratedly flirtatious gaze.

"That's not an answer," she points out.

He giggles. "Alright, alright. Aaaand I'm totally comfortable with nonmonogamy."

"Totally? That's underspecified."

"Well, I've never tried before, but I'm willing to try?"

She beams, but then turns serious. "We should figure out what we're comfortable with, though. I pretty much am incapable of feeling romantic jealousy—I will get sad if you meet someone else and leave me for them but... I would rather you be with someone who makes you happy and if that's not me I don't want artificial external ties like monogamy forcing it."

"Aw... I hope I'm that good. But I don't know. When I think about it, I don't feel jealousy about you being with the twins... except if you three decided to break up with me, I guess."

She grins again. "Then let's hope that doesn't happen."

He grins right back. "Hope springs eternal. And... well, how do we proceed from this point on? I think they're interested in you."

"In me?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.

Blink. "Yes, of course."

"Did you not see the way they were looking at you?" she wonders.

He blushes. "Maybe?"

"Okay good I would be very cross to be dating someone who never told me he was blind. It sounds like an important thing to tell."

"I'm not! I can even hear, smell, taste and sense touch too!"

"It is good when my expectations are calibrated," she says, nodding thoughtfully.

"Well, maybe we should test some of those senses. See if your expectations are calibrated and all."

"What's your suggestion?"

Does kissing count as a suggestion?

It so does!

A couple of days later they arrange for the twins to meet them after school.

A cheerful girl walks up to them. "Hi! Are you two the flying twins?" she asks of the twins with wings.

"We are a set of flying twins. We might not be common but there are still thousands of those around the world. Even the almost-identical ones."

"Around seventy one hundred. But we are very likely to be the flying twins. Hi."

"Wow, the population of skymages must be way higher than I'd thought. Or maybe you guys have lots of twins. Hi, I'm Jessica!"

"Yes, she is indeed Jessica," says Dayo, appearing behind her.

"Oh hi you. You didn't tell me they were both this pretty, but I guess knowing you they would be wouldn't they."

"Why? Is she in the habit of finding good-looking mageborn?"

"I'll let you figure that one out yourself."

Snort.

And look who is here. "Hi, guys. Did Jessica zero in on you already?"

"Have you met me?"

"I was surprised by your expediency, that's all."

"I'm very efficient," she says, nodding solemnly.

"Of course, you knew you had to meet Dayo's new friends and took the earliest opportunity to cross that off your list."

"Friends. Sure."

"Alas, just friends."

He tries to hide the fact that he is turning bright pink.

"Something the matter, Arthur?"

"Jessica, be nice," Dayo says, grinning a bit.

"I'm the nicest."

Fenris eyes Arthur curiously. "So, have you two known each other for long?" He asks Jessica and Dayo.

"Since we were, what, ten?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Oh, since ten... this means you must know the most embarrassing stories!"

"You'd think but I'm not sure Dayo is physically capable of being embarrassed."

"I can attest."

"Jessica, on the other hand..."

"Oh my god shut up!"

"Yeah, save the fun stories for later."

"Save them for never, how about."

Giggle. "No promises."

"Well, anyway. Did you two have plans for us today?" he asks Dayo and Arthur.

"I'll leave you four to your date. Oh I'm sorry I mean I'll leave you four to your 'friends get-together'," she says, using her fingers for air quotes and finishing with an exaggerated wink before spinning on her heels and skipping off chirpily somewhere.

Dayo rolls her eyes but doesn't correct Jessica.

And he turns a brighter shade of pink.

"You have a charming friend."

"I'm really fond of her."

"I can see." He stretches his wings. "Should we get going?"

"Perhaps we should!"

They start walking (and floating) along the sidewalk. Some of the classmates wave at them.

"So, how have you two been?"

"Oh, pretty good. We even had conversations and spent time together!"

"It's like you're dating or something."

"Nothing new happened on our end, before you ask. Pity us and our boring lives."

She eyes their wings then raises an eyebrow.

"Flight is amazing, but we still have jobs and school."

"I suppose you must," she says, smiling.

"I'm just saying we are normal boring people who happen to have extra limbs and weather powers. We need to eat, work and sleep as much as you do."

"I need sleep too!" He says suddenly and then... fails to turn a brighter shade of red because he is at pick red already. He does look like he is mentally kicking himself.

She eyes him and raises an eyebrow. "I'd expect you would, yeah."

"...Did you not get any sleep last night or something? You're acting kiiiinda too nervous today."

"You could say that."

She giggles. "Something on your mind last night?"

"Maybe." Squeeze.

"Wanna share it with the classroom?"

"What? Right now?"

"Sure."

"Okay... so," he is actually not sure if it's okay to refer to them as "the twins"; what can he use instead? "Felix and Fenris, we have been talking about..."

"Yes...?"

"Polyamory sounds fun and it would be cool to date both of you," she cuts to the chase.

Well, in that case they will both blink...

...and their lips will break into a smile.

"Oooh, that sounds like a great idea."

"Thought it would be. So, Jessica was right, this is a date. Surprise!"

"That's a great surprise."

"You think?"

"Of course!" Felix wing-hugs Arthur.

"Aawwwwwww."

Fenris pauses for a moment and then... wing-glomp.

"Aaawwww!" Hug!

"Well, at least you two are enthusiastic about the idea."

"I wouldn't have said it the way I did if I didn't expect them to be."

"So, what's next?"

Next is a lovely date in a cute amusement park nearby ending with a movie.

The kind of movie where they sit on the back and kiss a lot?

Got it in one.