"- well, yes, but altering reality could lead to interesting and different specifics?"

"It could, it could," he agrees, reaching into his bag for the handbook. "Also I want to show off what I wrote." He opens the book to the page that talks about school start.

As per expert consensus on best practices, class will start no earlier than 9:30AM, as children and teenagers are understood to need more sleep for proper development.

"...which I guess now that I think of it doesn't sound impressive to you but people did not follow experts back where were before."

"I mean, I'd believe it, they don't listen to them much now either. Just, you know, on a few specific points, like not waking teenagers up at 7 in the morning."

"It also means I can change stuff outside this school. Which, I guess we already knew since the whole orgy thing was apparently a thing everywhere, but, you know."

"Ooh. Yes, you can..."

Edmund pauses.

"I'm still thinking about what you said yesterday, editing the dress code so you could see me naked."

"Are you, now. I suppose it is unfair that I have actually in fact seen you naked but you haven't seen me. I never got around to sending you nudes yesterday."

"Well, I did cut contact first. And I saw... some of you. But."

He wiggles the pencil in his hand.

"I do worry a bit about what kind of society-wide changes a dress code that lets you be naked here would create, though."

"...yeah. But - we wanted to know what kind of changes it'd make by default anyway, right? And - you did change it back once, if it comes out wrong..."

"You are so persuasive."

Dress code section?

No revealing or obscene clothing! No handkerchiefs or bandanas! No face coverings! Absolutely no hats!

"...man these are really dumb. Why is there a dress code anyway."

Edmund looks over his shoulder. "Not sure, honestly. I've heard the handkerchiefs-and-bandanas one is about gangs?"

"Okay, so, how do we edit the dress code to make it okay for you to be naked? Maybe... something about hygiene?"

Edmund starts drafting on a piece of scrap paper.

DRESS CODE

Students are encouraged though not required to wear clothing on formal occasions such as graduation. On ordinary school days, no such dress code is enforced.

"Encouraged, huh? ...we're totally going to both wake up naked aren't we. When the book is through." He hands it to Edmund anyway.

Edmund makes his edits.

Sleepy time?

That does seem to be the way this handbook works! zzz

zzzz

Once again, James wakes to a hand shaking his shoulder. Unlike last time, this involves skin-to-skin contact.

"Hnnngghh 'm up 'm up," he mumbles and—oh right yeah and his prediction was totally right wasn't it he totally is naked.

So's Edmund! He's also hard enough to nearly poke James in the side if he stood a little closer.

"Well, that worked," he says. "Again with the very confusing doubled memories, though."

...well that's hot and now he's quickly getting a stiffy of his own.

Also he's wearing shoes.

"Of course I'd wear shoes, it would just be uncomfortable to walk barefoot," he notices aloud. "Wanna fill me in? I still only have the old timeline's memories."

"Um - things are cleaner? In general? Old timeline seems kind of grimy to me now. Nudity isn't inherently sexual, erections are a natural part of life but if you go around hard all the time people will notice - certain amount of that's inevitable given we're teenagers though - bidets, those are a lot more widespread for some reason? And there's a couple of lines in the Bible about 'not denying the hand of the Lord in thy body's creation' by wearing clothes all the time."

"—oh yeah ew bidets are definitely necessary can you imagine—actually let's not. Is the part where you're poking me with your dick also meant to not be sexual?"

"I am very deliberately not poking you with my dick," Edmund sniffs. "Because that would be rude. And, yes, sexual. You can brush up against someone but, again, do it all the time and people will notice."