"Kinda. If people think I can then I can."

"But where do people get their initial expectations of your power?"

"Well I had an idea to test when I was in my world and it worked here. I can just tell them."

Jeanette proceeds to put Sadde through some remarkably dull tests, mainly concerning marbles.

They are very dull! It turns out there isn't a weight or a volume limit to what he can generate, but there is what turns out after considerable exploration to be an attentional limit: if there are enough marbles he can't reasonably keep track of them, they start disappearing in very inconspicuous ways perfectly consistent with what he can perceive of them.

The word he's been groping for is "expectation," it turns out: if his expectations about the world change depending on what does or does not exist, then he can make it exist, modulo other people's—or at least Jeanette's—expectations. If there are any ways to use his power other than that, they are not clear even after these experiments. Her own expectations seem to be only slightly less good at shaping the things Sadde makes (or fails to make) as Sadde's own. Things like range, how specific, complex, or varied he can be, a more precise understanding of how different people's expectations add up, or what the hell is up with the "turn-into-a-girl" part of his power await further experimentation with more resources and involving things other than marbles.

And dull? Sadde is having the time of his life.

Eventually, Jeanette decides she's collected enough data today. 

"I've called Zaneta to pick you up."

"Awww, but we barely tested anything!"

"There will be other days. Possibly a lot of them depending on my findings."

"Okay. It was fun." Pause. "Oh, by the way, why did you keep Michael in a tank when he was small?"

She rubs her temples. "Ah, you've met Michael?"

"Yeah."

"How is he?"

"He's alright, I think. Seems to think having babies is play but all of those kids do."

"Mer are very casual about that subject. And I kept him in the tank because we weren't sure if he would cope well outside of water."

"Oh. And did you tell him that? He thinks you hate him."

"I have, but I still think I could've been a warmer caregiver."

"Do you want me to tell him anything?"

"I don't think he'd take it very well. If it's any comfort, the nurses were always better with him. I think he still sees some of them."

"Okay."

Jeanette leads Sadde back to her office. He may or may not notice the framed picture of a surprised looking grey baby on her desk. 

"Is that Michael?"

"Yes, a couple of weeks after he was found."

"Are you sure you don't want me to tell him anything?"

She hesitates. "Tell him I would dearly like to see him some time." She picks up the picture. "He's a sensitive boy."

He opens his mouth, about to say that Michael doesn't sound all that sensitive, then closes it and thinks. Eventually he nods. "Okay."