Eventually, he is relaxed enough to take stock and realize that he might have been being kindof silly? (At least, somewhat.) Rosy said he did a good job? Rosy doesn't want him to fret about it? (It's kinda hard not to fret about.) Still, even if he did okay this time (somehow, Rosy explained but it still seems lucky that possibly the sister was close enough in like, personality or something (okay they're sisters it's not really luck) that she also likes him for the same reasons) he still feels like he should do better next time. (Also, does Rosy like it when he's being awkward and silly? He's not sure how he feels about that. He doesn't like being awkward or silly. It's probably okay though? Still, it feels a little weird.) "Sorry," he says, eventually. "I'm glad it worked out ok? She seemed nice, I think." He didn't actually get much impression of her, technically. "I'll do better the next time I see her. Full sentences at all! Probably." Hopefully!!

"Here's hoping for full sentences," Rosy agrees.

...she hesitates.

"The other thing I want to talk about is... you were doing the thing, weren't you. When Kallisto asked you if you wanted to chat or you'd rather be with me."

...Right, she asked about that at the time, and he (mostly) didn't really answer. "I, um, maybe? Kinda. But like, she's not you! I can't really do things like that with people who aren't you. Right?" Though maybe possibly her sister is also weirdly ok with that sort of thing? But if so how was he supposed to know that? 

"...I don't know what to do with the fact that you are treating what I see as the normal way for people to relate to each other as some kind of... bizarre kink??"

"I don't know that I'm treating it as a kink!" He says, mildly offended. (She didn't literally mean it that way though, probably?) "And... it might be normal for for you, but it's not normal for other people. When someone asks if you want to do something, generally, it means they want you to do it. And I can't just... I don't know, say no to other people without offending them the way I seem to be able to with you." 

"That's not... okay, I will grant you that other members of my family are probably somewhat better at dealing with your bizarre alien customs than I am. But it's—that's not how you treat someone you trust and care about? I would kind of be offended, like I'd feel like he wasn't serious about her, if Kallisto brought home a boy who refused to express honest preferences in our house? And it's just inconvenient! If someone wants to find out what you'd actually like, what are they supposed to do? Guess and hope?"

"I mean, the way you treat someone you trust and care about is by not asking them for things they don't want to do, right? And you can usually tell if someone doesn't want or what they care about from like, I don't know, what they say? Or especially how they react when you ask something of them." Maybe it's kindof like guess and hope? But it doesn't really feel like guessing. 

"...no! The way you treat someone you trust and care about is not by deciding you know what they want and only offering them options that conform to your vision of their preferences! When you trust and care about someone you ask them what they want because you can trust them to tell you! If you just go off of hints and reactions with no way to check your work then some of the time you'll be wrong and you'll end up in an elaborate nightmare scenario where one person suggests something because they think the other person will like it and the other person goes along with it because they think the first person wanted it since they suggested it and neither of them ever figures out that they are both suffering through the Hunger Games for no reason!"

He winces at the hunger games bit. Again. (How is this turning into their standard example, this is silly. Fun and amusing and good! But still silly.) "I mean, I guess I see what you're saying," he says, "but like... I don't know, I feel like if I were telling people this stuff all the time they'd be mad at me? They wouldn't want to talk to me if I told them that their stuff was bad or something. Better to like... not do that, right?" (Also, it feels weird to be having this argument with his girlfriend at all, now that he thinks of it. You're supposed to agree with your girlfriend about things! But she... wants him to do this, so he shouldn't just agree with her. He wants to now, though.) 

"See, I think 'assuming they will be mad at you for having preferences' is actually a more offensive way to treat someone than 'disagreeing with them sometimes'!"

He winces again. "I guess that is an offensive way to think about people?" he says. And winces again. "But, um, maybe, um, people do act like that?" he squeaks. "So it's better to do what they expect? Maybe?" (Also now that he's remembered that he really shouldn't be disagreeing with his girlfriend it is a lot harder to disagree with her. It'd be so much easier to say that she's right and go on with things but he doesn't seem to be able to do that. Also she doesn't want him to, which helps with that, at least.) 

"...okay. Well. My family does not act like that. My family will by and large be weirded out if you expect us to act like that."

That's... weird, but does seem to be reflective of the truth. "I can try and do that," he agrees. (See, now he's agreeing with her. Admittedly that's because he actually does agree and so there's no conflict about it, but still.) "I should be able to tell your family when I do or don't want to do something." He should be able to do that, right? Yeah. If that's the right way to do things here, he can manage it. 

"Thank you. I appreciate it." She kisses his cheek.

He grins wanly at her at the kiss. 

"Okay, then... what now?" he asks. "I guess, um, I guess Callisto was serious when she said we could go off and um," he is not able to finish that sentence, is he. He is not. "You're, um, sure about that?' 

"Definitely! Like, would you want to get between your hypothetical sibling and their hypothetical partner at a time like this? Objectively speaking we should get to celebrate my imminent magical enslavement to you in private with makeouts."

"I wouldn't want to call it out in front of my sibling, though!" he half-shouts, and then immediately feels embarrassed. He shouldn't be implying that her sister did anything wrong! "I mean, um, I would feel pretty awkward talking about it that way if I were giving them options for what to do, I guess." Also probably he would feel a lot worse about it if his hypothetical sibling was going to be enslaved by someone else. (What is up with her family? Why are they so okay with this? Possibly they just know Rosy really, really well? He supposes they must.) 

"Sure. It was a little inappropriate for her to harp on it like that. But it was a friendly kind of inappropriate, I think? And—I think she wants to make it common knowledge rather than an unmentionable elephant so that if we get ourselves into a tangle it's hard to get out of, or if I turn out to have misjudged your character, it'll be easier to see that there's some sort of trouble."

(For some reason the mention of the 'elephant' makes him smile. He knows what expression she's referring to, but for some reason he just really enjoys the things she says sometimes.) 

"I guess that makes sense?" He's not fully clear on what she means but he thinks he gets the gist. "I'd much rather she have ways of figuring out if I'm doing something wrong, yeah. I just don't know if um," he blushes, "if I'm going to be able to talk about it with your family myself?" he blushes more and hides his face. 

Pat pat. "That is okay."

"Oh." Is it? "Are you sure?" He wants to be as open with Rosy's family as he's supposed to be. It's just... the thought of it is terrifying. 

"Yes."

"Oh." It's hard to fully believe her, probably because it's not really believable that he doesn't have to do the right things. (He isn't used to that and it feels weird.) But if she keeps telling him he doesn't have to... maybe it's true? "Okay." He breathes a sigh of partial relief. (It's hard to be fully relived, but he is partially. He thinks. Pretty sure.) "Thanks." 

Gentle snug? Gentle snug.

The snug feels good and comforting. She does still love him, even though it still feels like, at the moment, that he can't do anything right. He hugs her back and tries to absorb her love and confidence and care. (It only works a little bit, but he's getting some of it, he's pretty sure!)