"Well, I guess you could skip prom," suggests Bella. "Since he went ahead and told you his plans."

"That would be letting him win."

"You could let me see the prancy deerbird pictures right now and then they will no longer hang over you as a specter of blackmail."

"Nope, nice try, though."

"Aww, rats."

Vernon snickers. "Don't worry, I have more than just the prancy pictures. Lots of ammunition. Been saving it."

"But I am not going to go to prom at all, because that would be a hilariously terrible idea, so when am I going to get to see it?"

"Bide your time, the day of reckoning will come. There will be adorable pictures. Lots of them."

"Noooooo," says Darren, shaking his fist.

"Aww, I'm terrible at patience."

"Oh, well, in that case-"

"Nope. Not allowed."

"Aw."

"Pretty please?"

"No."

"This is totally not fair, you realize, you've been literally physically present for one hundred percent of the time I have spent at all sphinxy."

"Yes, but you still don't get to see embarrassing pictures. Besides, I missed when you first turned, I showed up after you woke up. So ninety-eight percent of the time, instead."

"I suppose I'll have to settle for magic lessons."

"You poor soul."

"Yep. Oh well." Stretch, humanize, materialize exactly one claw with considerable concentration and then get an entire paw, shoo the paw in favor of humanity again. "Magic lessons and whatever else there is to know. I want to know all of it, without exception, as quickly as I can digest it."

"... No wonder you two are friends. I bestow upon this friendship my fatherly blessing. Be friends in peace, and... Stuff."

Darren bursts into laughter.

"But seriously, if there's a 101 I can get besides 'hello, surprise secret sphinx, beware demons, fyi medallions,' I would like that sooner rather than later."

He recovers, and says, "I mean, you should probably visit Seattle's Avalon, and - I dunno, get a list of mythical creatures. But you've got the basics."

"How does one prove one is a creature and thereby enter an Avalon?"