"Maybe we should give up on twenty questions. Read any good books lately?"

"Does Wikipedia count?"

"Sure, read any good Wikipedia articles?"

So many! The evolution of the Dewey Decimal System was really amazing and Haru can hear all about it! Lucien barely contributed except for how this, this, and this bit were ideas he had that presumably got implemented.

Oh no, that's so cute.

Eventually they should have dinner, especially since Lucien never got his lunch. Cricket can actually do a lot of the steps for them if they eat microwave dinners in trays that won't spill instantly when manipulated by a cat.

".... I guess I am okay with Cricket seeing me without out my shirt on because he can presumably tell we are doing this? Also... it wouldn't be inappropriate if um. We weren't. You know."

"Sometimes men walk around outside without shirts on, these days. If it's hot."

"This is nothing. When I am in dungeons I can see people's insides. That's far more disgusting than whatever nonsense you are doing here," says Cricket, appearing in response to Haru's text to get them microwave foods.

"Some men did that in my day too - also I apologize for the state of my insides if I'd realized they were going to be visible I would have. I'm not actually sure what I would have done."

"They are not right now. Only in four dimensions."

""If you say so."

"I do." The microwave beeps. Cricket has his own plates, with handles, and he has put the trays on these. He trots one over to Haru and then puts another in the microwave for Lucien.

Does Lucien have to stop having his body all over Haru's body when the latter eats?

No, Haru can eat like this, if somewhat laboriously.

Good!

Lucien is going to try to do the same, but maybe he should wait until Haru is done so Haru can hold him while he is using his hands for utensils?

Works for Haru.

Eventually Lucien gets a turn to eat, which turns out to be sort of humiliating and terrible and everyone is judging him about this!

There, there. Skin to skin contact, okay?

Mrmph.

"... touching you is really nice."

"Guiding is great, yeah. Aaalmost makes up for the backlash existing in the first place."

"I think also things considered I would strongly prefer to be terrible to fewer people than have this feeling."

"...well, nobody's getting hurt now, so you might as well have a relatively pleasant time."

"... I'm not sure that's how it works but I am aware I'm crazy so maybe I'm wrong."

"It's possible to get used to it enough to think around it a little bit, though mostly you're going to want to keep it down to levels lower than this."

"It is very uncomfortable the lack of insight I have in to how much the backlash is effecting my cognition - normally I'd expect myself to be good at noticing when I'm thinking differently for some reason. I had some alcohol in college and it was pretty obvious."