"Then I'd be interested to meet the kid."

"All right."

The kid is interested in the wings, and runs up to touch them. "You're soft," he declares.

"Wings are fine but not the tail, please. How are you doing? Did you wind up getting any of the food?"

"I did. It was better than a feast even though there wasn't as much of it."

"Why's that?"

"I liked the food."

"You don't like regular feast food?"

"I like regular feast food ALSO."

"I see. What do you do when you aren't feasting?"

"I like to do lots of things."

"Like what?"

He is lost in thought for a little while. "I like learning to draw! And singing. And climbing trees."

"Do you think you'll learn to read?"

He looks at his mother. She shrugs. "Maybe when he's bigger."

"Do you remember before you could talk?"

"Before I could talk I was a baby. I was in my mommy's tummy and then I got taken out and I grew and I grew until I was me."

"Yup, do you remember any of that?"

He seems sort of confused by that question. "I was in my mommy's tummy and then I grew and grew."

"Okay. Do you ever get to hang out with other kids from other courts?"

"No-o. That would be bad. We would get tangled."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess."

"Someday I will be big and know how to be smart talking to people and then I can go to other courts."

"Are you looking forward to that?"

"Yeah!"

"What are you gonna do when you can go visiting?"