"Yeah, that's how we see it. And they're not that common, either. Anyway, there's all kinds of species of talkers out there who work different ways, it's not going to surprise anyone that people aren't the same as humans at everything.

"Oh, good. It sounds so exciting! I should tell Zoi we might be going to another planet. ...and maybe pick up some more mates sooner than later since I won't be able to meet them in class there."

"Maybe! I expect it to be at least a couple of months, though, for my friends to find the right sort of expert to figure out what happened and for her or him to get to where I was and see if the magic's still there."

"Oh, a couple months should be enough, we'll start a new term and I'll have actual classes with them."

"Sounds good. Do you have a break between terms? Is there anything I ought to make sure to see before I'm busy ferrying people back and forth between the worlds?"

"We have a few days off between. Uh... do you mean like tourist stuff?"

"Mmhmm. Or if there's something that might not be interesting to tourists but I'd want to tell them about back home, but tourist attractions are more interesting, honestly."

So she can tell him about a pretty mountain known for good hiking and views at the top, and the biggest inhabited cavern on the continent which has a mall and pretty lights and carvings in it, and the art museum, and the theater, which is currently playing Misokun's Truth.

"Well, I'm always partial to theater. Are there any of those you'd be especially interested in?"

"Zoi liked Misokun's Truth and I haven't seen it."

"Sounds good. Give me a bit to figure out who'll buy magic spren and it'll be my treat?"

"- oh, you're probably going to have a hard time with money - you don't have a bank account and I don't know if they'll give you one -"

"Hm. I'd expect them to figure it out, they're going to want people to be able to pay me, but maybe paper money makes that more complicated somehow."

"Well, you won't have a problem if people pay you in cash, but males do a lot of the grocery shopping and they don't have cash usually, they have scrip. And to cash scrip you need an account. I guess I can do your accounts if we're going to be hanging out a lot but everyone will think I decided to mate with an alien."

"And that'd be pretty awkward, yes. Well, I guess I'll talk to them at the bank and see what happens."

"I can come along to verify you can do magic, if you want."

"If you're not busy."

"Well, if you want me there you'd have to go after I'm done with school, but you were going to come to school."

"Sure, that sounds like it works out. And then I'll need to figure out who to sell to - I was actually thinking of restaurants, not families, they can take a whole casting at once and I won't have to explain every time about it fading."

"Oh! That should work fine and the restaurants'll have female owners who can pay you cash."

"Mmmhm. I do want to see what happens at the bank, it'll matter for when other talkers want to come over, but I won't worry much personally if they can't help me."

"All right, after school tomorrow before I get a train back home."

That sounds like a plan; they can do that, then. Assuming nothing more interesting happens in the meantime than Raafi getting nibbled on by a giant caterpillar in the middle of the night, anyway.

He does wake up with a giant caterpillar on his leg but it doesn't seem to want to eat him; it has laid a row of eggs down his shin.

Gross, but probably harmless. He scrapes them off and prepares Neutralize Poison and Remove Disease with his other spells for the day, just in case he ends up feeling odd later, and heads back to the burrow.