"I can do magic. I think I have to stay physical all the time."

"Oh, that's inconvenient. People who are physical have to eat and sleep."

"I think I don't have to. But I like eating. Maybe I like sleeping." Seaweed nom.

"It's convenient if you don't have to. Spirits don't die of it, I don't think, but it gets really unpleasant if we don't. Sleep can be fun, it's just annoying to have to. You're pretty different from spirits and humans both."

"Okay."

"It's annoying. I have to stay physical for I think another three months."

"Why?"

She gestures at her stomach. "I'm pregnant. If I stop being physical the baby dies."

"Oh! But later you won't be pregnant?"

"Yeah, pregnancy lasts nine months."

Nod, nod. "Why are you pregnant?"

"...Because the kind of human who can do magic are often not very nice."

"And one of them made you be pregnant?"

"Yeah. I got away now, so I could stop, but--I don't want to kill the baby."

Nod.

"Magicians kidnap spirits to use our magic. Sometimes they do other stuff to us too."

"Oh." Water frowns. "What do they want magic for?"

"They can use it to do things they want to do. My baby is going to be a magician but I'm going to raise her better than to kidnap people."

"It's a girl baby?"

"Yeah." She pokes her stomach. "There's water in there, between me and her, and I'm a water spirit, so I can--feel the shape--she displaces in it."

Water squints, then nods.

She beams. "Humans and spirits both start as babies. I guess elementals don't, if you just started and you aren't."

"I'm not!" agrees Water. "And I did just start."

"I'm sure you would have been a very cute baby if you were," she assures her.

Water giggles.