Ari's coffee finishes. He pours what looks to be about half the pot into a cup the size of his head. The cup flashes out its excess heat in a plume of flame, and Ari starts drinking.

Pen is startled by the fire. "Why things being fire around you?" she asks.

"Whoops. Sorry, I was just cooling down the coffee. It was really hot, so I turned some of the heat into fire."

"How learning do thing? Having born with magic or getting other way?"

"Born with, sorry. It's not all convenient, wizards make technology explode and if you do the wrong kind of magic your soul gets all icky. But it's nice to have."

"Wish it on?" asks Pen. "Like enchanting! Enchanting wish on. Can have when growing enough up. And wishing fixing explode."

"...Ooh. Wishing fixing explode, I like the sound of that. And I could teach you about magic if you wished it on, magic is fun."

"Can't now, no wishes. Not enough grow yet. There a kind talking wizard who is better for being child but the ones scare of making attention from a bad other worlds god. Enchanting okay for old enough, wishing okay for old enough, maybe other stuff but them are the best stuff. When Mommy finding maybe she do your wizard kind too."

"Bad other worlds god would be bad. We have enough trouble with the ones we've got already."

"This a gods world? They not nice?"

"Some of them are. Some of them... not so much. And there's a bunch of things that are sort of gods that are just as bad. If your mommy has so many kinds of magic maybe there's something she could do to help out with them, that'd be nice."

"Mommies are so helping! Not yet doing of get rid the talking wizard god, but do get rid another one, also taking Downside, and lots lots things."

"Ooh, godbothering experience. I like your mommies, I think."

"Mm-hm. Are nice and so many. Almost twenty. Many also daddies, and others. Three Dars two Keziah two Ariel. Me only Pen anywhere yet though."

"That's a lot of mommy! I only had the one. Well, two, I guess, if you count the lady who had me. Apparently she was nice enough. But I think one was enough for me."

"Our cousinoid Elspeth her daddy only one him also only one Elspeth. Her daddy not at space plant party though."

"Well, that's a pity."

"He not wanting look at all of Mommies who not his one," Pen explains.

"Is okay meeting one Mommy who a boy though."

"Daddies are not having of problem. Neither Sherlocks and Tonies or the - the other one, forget name."

"They sound like very sensible people!"

Pen giggles. "Daddies most silliest people!"

"Well, sensible people can be silly. I, for example, am very sensible about things like potentially meeting my alternate selves, but am extremely silly the rest of the time."