"I'm glad you like it! Glad you like them both. And I'm glad I get to share this with you."

She idly wonders what it would be like to be a sword herself.

He keeps smiling. "I wanna try walking more - I think it shouldn't be that hard, I was just excited."

"Of course. And I can catch you if you start to fall."

It takes him a bit - he's not actually naturally coordinated, and keeps getting distracted - but soon enough he's running and jumping around, laughing loud enough to echo.

Cute guy is cute, news at eleven. She runs around with him for a bit, but eventually they get tired as humans do and have to stop.

"Do you wanna start heading back?" she says after they've had a minute to catch their breath. "My car's over thataway."

"Sure!" He spins a bit, considers whether he wants to be sword-shaped or human-shaped for the ride. Seeing what landscape looks like through human eyes wins out.

Hike hike.

And here's the car. She shows him how the seatbelt works, and they're off.

She puts on the radio.

Music's great! He doesn't know any of the lyrics but he'll hum along (off key).

He's not the worst singer she's ever heard.

There's not much of a transition, as they get back to town. The occasional buildings get less occasional, and then the buildings are mostly on the right, and then they turn off the highway and they're driving past homes and a playground and a church, and then she turns in to a driveway and parks.

"Welcome home."

He squirms until he gets his seat belt off then bounces out of the car. "Have I been here? I think I've been here, but - senses are really different like this."

"Yeah, for – about two years, I think. Something like that."

She gets out of the car just as the front door is opened from the inside, revealing a woman of around forty in a powder-blue dress with a white sash.

        The woman raises an eyebrow. "Hello, Lennah. I assume you have a good explanation for bringing home a boy I've never met?"

"Hi Mom, I love you too. This is Grandma's sword. He woke up just outside the dunj. He's been a big help to me."

         "And you didn't think to mention this to me before? You didn't call the entire time you were out—"

"—I was gone for six hours, Mom, this is not the first time I've been out of the house—"

        "So you should know by now they invented this thing called a cell phone—"

Lennah hugs her, rather than answer.

        "Oh, I'm only teasing. Your father and I will always love you, you know that, right?"

"Of course, Mom. I love you."

        "I love you too. Now come inside, both of you, tell me all about it." She turns to him as she steps back out of the doorway. "I'm Livia. It's so good to meet you; thank you for taking care of my little girl. Do you have a name?"

"Hi! It's good to meet you too, and she was really awesome! And uh, I don't think so?"

        "Well, there's no hurry about it." She pulls him into a quick hug. "Lennah, could you check on the quiche in the kitchen? There's a few things I think that he and I should talk about."

"I'll have you know he's been a perfect gentleman, and if you want to threaten him you can do it in front of me."

        "Spoil all my fun, why don't you." She turns back to him. "So, do you know what a condom is?"

"...I'll be in the kitchen."

"Uh. No? What's a condom?"

"You'd need to wear it if you were going to have sex with her," she says frankly, "which you're not. But that's beside the point. I can't sit here and tell you everything you need to know. The point is this: there's a lot you don't know, and that you need to know, and you don't know what questions you need to be asking. You're not ready to be dating my daughter, and if you try it anyway, someone is going to end up getting hurt."

"If you want to be her friend, you have my blessing. But if you're thinking of being her boyfriend, you'd better think again."

"Are we clear?"

That is a very bright red sword-person!

"Ah! I don't - even really know - why's a boyfriend different from a friend who's a boy - "

(Is he even a boy? That feels like a weird question, sure he's - a boy - but he's not really sure that's any more permanent than being human shaped or sword shaped, and it's kind of a silly thing to divvy up - )

"A boyfriend would be someone who was dating her. You are not allowed to date my daughter. Is that clear enough for you?"

"I'm really not clear on what dating is!"

Sigh. "If you need to be given The Talk, you'll have to wait for Jack to get home. In the meantime: no kissing, no getting undressed, and nothing that's even a little like sex." Pause. "On second thought, you probably shouldn't be alone with her at all."

She stands up and walks to the kitchen.

"Lennah. Your new friend claims he doesn't know what dating is. I hope you understand why I'd be concerned?"

"I'll be careful."

        "You'd better."

"Yes ma'am."

"Why is this something to be careful about?!?!"

"You wanna let me take this one, Mom?"

        Sigh. "All right."

She turns to him. "Dating is – a type of relationship, that – tends to involve very strong emotions. Even when the people in the relationship don't intend for that to happen. And that means that, if something goes wrong, people can end up getting hurt. Emotionally, and otherwise."

"There are other risks, relating to – certain activities commonly associated with dating, in addition to that. Physical risks, of various kinds. I'd rather not go into detail in front of my mother. But the feelings are the one that's about dating itself, regardless of – specific activities."

"Between the two of us, I'm the one with a lot more information than you about the risks. Not all of them are easy to explain. So – it has to be my job, to make sure that nothing goes wrong."

And I have to think about whether you're just playing dumb to try to get away with something, she doesn't say.

"Why are the emotions stronger than friendship?" He's very clearly really confused by this! "...Uh, I think I know how to read, maybe, if you don't want to explain it?"

"It's not a thing that can be explained in words. One day you'll have a feeling toward someone that is stronger than friendship, and then you'll understand."

"Might help if I hear it from another weapon? Since, uh, 'stronger than friendship' doesn't seem like - a... Concept? To me? Friendship's not a thing at a strength."