He nods thoughtfully. "If you're sure?"

"Mm - trying to say - not sure? On purpose? We have a plan but only a little one. If something else happens that's good too. You won't wreck anything. - finding you is something else that happened, and that was good."

He hums a little uncertainly, but then nods. "I- that sounds- complicated, and I'm not...sure I understand, I think I sort of get it?"

"Might be a halfling thing. It's - you never know what's over the next hill? So - good to have an idea of what to do, not just wander around, but also good to be able to change it. See what's happening now and do what makes sense for that. Not make big plans that need everything just right."

One pauses for a second. "...Have a target not a path? Kind of?"

She nods. "And change that too, if there's a reason."

One preens a little at her nod. "Nothing set in stone?"

"Mmhmm. So if you want things - might say no, depends on the thing, if it's hard to do or we want something else. But it's not - other than that, not gonna wreck anything. Don't have things like that to wreck. On purpose, because we want new things all the time."

One considers that, nodding seriously, and leaving the window to climb along the wall towards Deka. "Will you- explain? If no?"

"Yeah. And you can go do it by yourself, if you want, I don't get to say you can't do things. Just that I won't do things. Unless it's like - hurt somebody, or something." She reaches over to pet him as he comes close.

He hesitates briefly, and then pushes up into her hand, making a low purring sound. "Hurting people isn't nice."

"Yeah. Don't think you will, just - don't want to promise I'd never stop you. Never other than that."

He nods rapidly, earnestly. "Understand if that. Would want you to if I was doing that."

She nods back, still petting him. "Want you to have good things."

He shifts a little closer, almost looking like he might want to climb into her lap, but isn't sure if he's allowed to?

She shifts to make it easier for him if he decides to. "Glad we found you."

He's a little hesitant to do it, but he does delicately climb into her lap, and curl up. "M'glad too. This is...new. And scary. But it's- It's not scary-scary like being back there was?"

"Yeah. It'll get better, too, when you've seen more things. Too new is always a little scary."

"...Gets easier to be less scared?"

"Yeah." She gives him a little squeeze. "Right now it's - everything new, all at once, right? Nothing you're used to. Later it'll be - half, more than half, almost all... not... things you've always had, maybe, but not new, things you know. Will have - traveled before, shopped before, made decisions before. And can - stay with that, add one new thing when you want, plan first, decide to stop if you want. Lots easier." Another squeeze. "Not fair that you can't stop now, but - better than staying, promise."

He snuggles back into her when she squeezes him. "I- I think I'm starting- to see that?"

"Good."

He drops his head a little more, and cuddles contently in her lap.

She finishes her soup and asks Figment to bring her her knitting things - she's making socks, at the moment, out of cashmere wool she sheared and spun and dyed herself, to sell, eventually, to help pay for her education; she'll tell him all about it if he wants to know.

One would love to know! He likes the way she explains things to him!