"Okay. ...I want you to be okay. Really okay, not just dealing with it."

"What's the difference?"

"...There's a difference between tolerating an unpleasant stimulus and the absence of the stimulus." He sighs. "Maybe I'm overthinking things. I do that."

"I'm probably still more likely to die in a car accident, and I deal with that, too." She pats his knee.

"...When you first told me, I was just--unambiguously excited. And now there's a sort of pall hanging over it. I sort of miss it. But that much is my problem, not yours."

"Sorry." Pause. "Want to go someplace private and have a look at my fullform? I'm all pretty and serpenty."

"That sounds amazing."

"I could bring you home with me. Ren knows."

"Okay. It's probably best to do most experimental casting in one of our homes from now on--Jaromira's out with Daphne a lot, and Father usually only comes home to sleep, so my place is still safe most of the time even though you don't want me telling her."

"Ren's asked about you anyway, but we can postpone you meeting her if you want?"

"I don't mind meeting her, unless there's some particular hazard I should be warned about."

"No, Ren's fine, you just might have had some other timeline in mind for the milestone."

"Not particularly. It would have seemed awkward to make some kind of presumption on that level without a similar expectation of introducing you to my father, and I have no idea if or when you'd ever want to specifically meet him. I expect it would happen eventually, but--it's not like we have the kind of relationship where I tell him when things happen to me."

"So he doesn't even know I exist?"

"...I haven't spoken to him since before I met you."

"Wow. Okay. I will not plan on encountering him in this calendar year."

"He's about due to pretend he cares what's going on in my life soon; I'll probably mention you then. It's...possible he will want to meet you. To make sure I'm not seeing someone he'd be embarrassed to be tangentially associated with, most likely," he winces. "If so, I apologize for his behavior in advance."

"Is he likely to find me embarrassing or do I pass muster?"

"As long as you don't tell him you're a wyvern you pass muster. Not that I expect you to, but."

"I won't bring it up."

"Oh, good. It would be so inconvenient if he had an apoplexy in a public place."

"Am I likely to encounter him in a public place? A 'bring this May person to dinner at this froofy restaurant' kind of thing?"

"Come to think of it I'm not sure. Well, I suppose it would also be inconvenient if he had an apoplexy in a not-public place; Jaromira and I don't reach our legal majority for most of a year."

May snorts slightly at this flippant picture.

Kanimir puts his books back in his bag. "Do you want to drive us or should I follow you in my car?"