"I wouldn't dream of forbidding you to lie to people in full generality even if I thought - perhaps especially if I thought it would work, but it will have a normal amount and kind of consequences for your rapport with Mrindeh if she discovers it."

"I'm not usually allowed to lie because it's bad for developing my conversational gracefulness.  If this is more important than developing my conversational gracefulness then I could lie about it, but if Ms. Miranda is upset about it later then I will tell her you told me it was that important."

"Mrindeh," he corrects. "How about you just don't bring it up and say that sounds like an awfully personal question if for some reason she wants to know about your origins."

"That would still be lying."

"You don't think it would sound like a personal question?"

"Not awfully so."  She scuffs at the ground with her shoe a little, daintily.  "It came up very quickly with you."

"You could say you'd prefer not to say, perhaps."

"Oh."  She considers that.  ". . . It's Ms. 'Mer-inday'?"

"Mrihn-deh. I'd propose you ask her for a nickname to call her by but perhaps this would be anathema; unfortunately she is a one-named person so there's no other to fall back on."

"I'll learn the right way."  She tries twice more and gets pretty close.  "What's an athema?"

"The word 'anathema' means something that is forbidden or at least deeply objectionable."

"Okay.  Thank you for your time, I'm sorry if I wasted it or annoyed you."

"You're fine."

He exchanges the previously mobile Felicity unit for one who has tended to various mortal biological needs more recently and has wings, then ascends back to Britannia, this time not landing his shuttle.

The other wingy one spends the ride trampolining with the bird kids.  It turns out they take to flying much more easily than she does, though she can't yet tell whether that's better physical design or just wind tunnel experience.  "Time to find out whether muscle memory lives in the mind or in the brain?"

"Even if you can't really fly you should be able to glide in for a landing, and I can make you an air mattress or something if you're coming in too hot."

"Oh good.  Petoffuru?"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, it's something people say when they're about to jump off of something very high, or are currently?  I don't really know why."

"Ah, I guess it's the equivalent of 'geronimo'. I'll go first so I can watch you come down without having to manage my own course, and then yeah."

"Alright!"

Down he spirals.

And once he's on the ground Felicity follows.  She glides with basic competence, occasionally regaining height, and lands nongracefully but noninjuriously.

She's kind of giggly about it, once she's stably on two feet.

Cam applauds lightly. "Congrats!"

She bows and splays her wings.  "I think muscle memory does live in the mind.  Though of course actual muscles live in the body."

"Yeah, it's mostly a misnomer."