Ok!

He'll stare into her eyes, then. A little bit awkwardly.

And awkwardness is the only thing that will ensue.

Well, on Theo's part, Sadde's chill.

"I mean, unless this takes a really long while to activate, I don't think it's gonna happen," he says. "Unless– lemme try something."

This time he's going to try to actually make her forget about the past two minutes, intentionally, with his slightly-awkward staring. Somehow. Maybe it's intent-based. Who knows.

Nope.

"Doesn't seem to be happening, then," he says. "Oh well. Would be kinda creepy."

"But would explain a thing or two. Oh well."

"Maybe the turning process is some creepy distance thing, then. Or maybe magic exists and someone did it with a voodoo doll, who knows – I don't think we have enough evidence for any proper suggestions here."

"I wonder why you, and why me, and what the odds are we'd meet—maybe there are magical people everywhere and we just don't know?"

"Possible," he agrees. "Or maybe this town is special for absolutely no reason whatsoever." Pause. "You mentioned it being weirdly nice around here."

"Yeah, in that people are only rude and not physically hostile about my genderfluidity. And much more open to making out with me in spite of it. Some because of it. And anyway I had my magic thing since I was little."

"Yeah, but then you were here when I dropped dead with a case of vampirism, so," he shrugs. "I dunno."

"I wonder if I infected you with magic." Pause. "I wonder if I infected lots of people with magic."

"I wonder if you were infected with magic, and if you did infect people, who you infected and why I was the first to get it so obviously."

"Maybe just 'cause the town's so tiny? Mom and I always lived in big cities."

"Right, but is it just that you have a low random chance of infecting everyone you encounter? Or people have to be weirdly magically receptive or something? Like, why would I get it and Matt not, or Owen not or whatever."

"Yeah, I'm expecting low random chance or something."

Nod. "I'm thinking of seeing if water does anything to the sunlight pain," he says.

"What do you mean?"

"So, the trees and the parasol block the sun some – not all but like, quite a bit – and windows probably do it some too, if it's the UV that's burning me, so I was wondering if water would also block it or make it worse because I think water mmmaybe intensifies the UV? At least, I think people burn faster if they're in, like, pools?"

"Oh. I wouldn't know, you could try?"

"Yup," he says. Then he goes over to the water – ow fuck sun – and crouches down and puts his arm into it.

"Was kinda hoping you'd go swimming," she says, grinning.

And the water does not actually do anything to the hurt.

He pulls his arm out of the water and goes back into the shade! "Nah," he says. "I'd rather not stay out there for very long." Wince.

"Yeah, let's go back to your place—any change with the water?"

"Nope," he says. "Well– it felt cold and like it was burning at the same time, but the burning didn't stop at all, so, no."

Back to his place!