"There's no of course about it, that's weird! That might be weirder than cats being people and it's definitely weirder than you lacking a June!"

"What's yours instead?"

"A sphere! Like I said!" He hands her a fist-sized globe, with glass oceans.

"Right, but like, what's it on?"

"It orbits the sun in accordance with the law of gravity." He finds an animation on his computer and holds it up. "Not to scale."

"I have too many questions."  She holds the globe back out for him to take.

He pockets it. "Do you have a moon? Seasons? I guess you have seasons and solstices, somehow... and why is your birthday important?"

"We have a moon, and seasons, and birthdays are important because they - determine who you are as a person?  Why wouldn't we have solstices?"

"Seasons and the moon and solstices all drop out of the orbital mechanics, in my world," he says, gesturing at the solar system. "I don't know how they'd happen with a flat planet. Uh, how do you mean they determine who you are as a person? I too was born in September, if, uh, my September, what does that imply."

"Well, what date.  - I guess your numbers might not line up either, but."

"Thirteenth."

"Okay, so, wunked five, that'd be - a little odd but mostly even, in terms of ambition and impact - that's across all of your geminis, not just you specifically; there's variance depending on situation - for example I am never going to do anything - an odd month means you're vaguely more inclined to flashy displays than diligence; September specifically means you're more inclined to politics and achieving your goals socially than scientifically - but if course it all depends on the gestalt of the specific day, which I don't happen to have memorized for this one."

"So about that question you had regarding my planet being a sphere, I have the same question regarding your opinions on the importance of birthdates."

"I'm . . . a little strange in having depression about it?  But like, not even that strange for my geminis, just most of us either grow out of it or commit suicide."  She looks maybe sixteen.

"Pay attention to meeeeeeee," demands Princess, tragically underpet in the midst of this conversation topic.

Cam pets Princess. "Princess, do you know if what day somebody's born is very important? Apparently that's what Jackie's sad about but I don't understand it."

"I suppose it was pretty tiring when I had mine, and then of course there were kits, so it was a pretty exciting day overall.  Is she having a kit?  Why would she be sad about that?"

"She is not as far as I know having a kit." To Jackie, "Princess does not seem to assign particular importance to birthdays in the astrological sense."

"Huh.  And neither does your whole world?"

"The serious astrology proponents are only a little more mainstream than the ones who are mistaken about the shape of the planet."

"So how many people do you have, then, if it's not done by birthdays?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Like, we have - two hundred fifty-six, because that's how many days there are in a year, but if you're not doing it by birthdays then it could be any number."

"Are you trying to tell me there are two hundred and fifty six human beings in the world, because I think unlike a misplaced September that would have showed up very quickly in my background reading!"

"Ah, no, sorry - not two fifty-six individuals, just like, shapes people can be?  In a soul sense?"