"Could I take these home? I think my nestmates would like them."

"They disappear after a while if I'm not nearby."

Nemo makes a few disappointed clicking noises, then something seems to occur to her. "Are you a boy a lot of the time?"

"Like half, why?"

She smiles. "If you had babies, do you think they could make stuff appear?"

"...I dunno, there haven't been studies."

"The Island Goddess' babies got her magic!"

"But I'm an alien and my magic is different."

She thinks about this for a moment. "I guess it's worth a try, maybe after #4..."

"...after what?"

"After I make a baby with the fourth guy. If Michael can have a magic girlfriend, I can have a magic sometimes-boyfriend!"

Paul blushes.

"Suprise!" Even he looks somewhat ashamed of himself.

"I am, again, eight. I am not interested in girls. Or boys. I don't know if I'll even be interested in anyone at all! And I don't know if I'll want to be mon—mono—with only one person, or with more. And I don't know what I'll like."

"I told you sh-he would say that!" says Michael. "And you got the others already."

Sadde snorts.

"Have you actually asked Evan and his brothers whether they want to have babies with you?"

"Stan said he would."

"Stan also says he's gonna take over the world with an army of rats."

"What are rats, anyway?"

Sadde makes a toy mouse and offers it up to Nemo.

She inspects it. "Can they live in the sea?"

"No."

"He can't get me, he can't get me!"

"And you want to have a baby with him?"