"I meant a different thing by 'properly' than that.  I have messages from some of them.  Which I should respond to.  In a bit."

"Yeah, probably, especially if whoever Cricket spoke to might not have told everyone."

"They probably did.  Maybe.  - Do you have a guitar?"

"No, I'm not very musical. So maybe ask your mom to get that too."

"Yeah.  In case I can do things that are mechanically difficult but not - thinky."

"Like how I learn languages, yeah."

"I guess.  I wouldn't have really thought of that as not thinky but it makes sense."

"Oh, I just mean in terms of relationship to backlash, I don't need 'not thinky' I need 'yes socializing' so I've squeezed what I can into that niche."

"Mhm.  I could practice French with you, if you'd like, but I'm probably way worse than you.  I'm passable in text, I have online friends who I speak to in it - or, I do when I'm less busy - but I'm.  A lot worse out loud.  It's really bad.  Sometimes."

"I'm fluent in French now but it actually works fine no matter which party in the conversation is the one learning the language, if you want to brush up."

"D'accord," he switches.  "That was... actually the thing that made me freak completely out.  Externally.  Is that a man... ordered in French.  It was complicated.  I should have been able to handle it.  But... he surprised me.  I wasn't ready.  And he said my name, before that.  It's, I have a.... a name on my chest.  But, I was afraid."

"Like you couldn't put together that he read your nametag, or you could but it didn't make it seem less threatening?"

"The first and then the second.  I think."

"Hard to remember?"

"Hard to.... decant... my memory, into a story.  It was fast and I was afraid."

"My partner started awakening on stage, it was very bad for her. - it's not a secret, it was very public."

"Oh no."  (Does 'Ah, non' actually mean the same thing as 'Oh no'.  Oh well.)

"Yeah. I don't know her very well but what I know about her is pretty cool, she could have put the powers down and gone back to her music career but she's in dungeons as often as she can get guided for them."

"What sort of stage performance does she do?"

"She doesn't, any more. At the time she was a backup singer for... I've forgotten who the main act was."

"And she... the amount of guiding she can have is small?"

"Right. The usual thing is that she turtles up under a blanket with headphones on so she can't hear me and sticks out her feet, and I sit on the other side of the couch and put my feet on her feet. She's saving all her ability to be around people for other people. I mostly interface with her brother, who I think also talks to her agent for her."

"Perhaps you can - fly, without moving - for her.  Later.  For guiding.  And then meet with me."

"Hover. I'll catch up with her when you're done awakening."

"Hover.  And I said later.  In the future, continuing.  Regularly."