"...you grow up faster in different places?"

"The place I'm from has magic so everything ages slower."

    "Oh."

"Ten times slower," says Sadde.

    "...wait, so you only become an adult when you turn fifty?"

"Yeah."

"And you are twelve now?"

"I left when I was twelve and spent two Earty years growing faster so I'm more like fourteen."

"...well you are a very cute fourteen-year-old."

Scowl. "...I guess it's good I can be a Ward but I wish I looked grown up so everyone's take me seriously."

Sadde nods vigorously. "But when people don't take me seriously I use that."

"Hmmm?"

"Well they don't pay attention to me so I just do whatever and then if they wanna scold me I play up the innocent kid thing. Or I pretend to be dumber than I am to get things I want. I didn't have to do that with mum—" her voice cracks a bit here "—but teachers yeah."

"I asked Legend if I can tutor you. Since school doesn't sound super helpful."

"You mentioned! Can you do it? You're such a better teacher!"

"I don't know but maybe. Legend seemed to think it'd be a good idea."

"Awesome!"

"Legend seems nice."

"Yeah. This is better than I thought it would be."

"What'd you think it'd be?"

"I don't know, more... controlling?"

"If it gets controlling we can just leave and they probably don't want us to do that and they're not like the Valar who can't respond to incentives."

"Valar?"

"These stupid gods from my home world."

"What did they do?"

"They sent Boots back to Materia where she could have died! Because she was inventing wizardry and making everything nice and they didn't like it because of some stupid prophecies that weren't going to come true anymore anyway."

"...I have like a million questions about everything you just said."