black bats flying round and round

[colorshapes]

They're not really colors or really shapes, but Addy's tastes aren't really tastes, so Kerron thinks it's okay to call them like that anyway. Addy does too and they talk about colorshapes every week. He likes Addy. She has simple colorshapes that are easy to understand and he can help with lots of them. Other people have more complicated colorshapes but he's getting better at reading them while they fly through the air.

He's on his way back to the quarters he and Mummy and Daddy share, and he's just pushed open the door that usually leads to the right building in the Forks compound.

It doesn't.

Kerron has only opened this door twice before in this direction, but he sure remembers where it used to go. Probably Mummy or Her Majesty did a magic here. He wants to see what kind. He goes in and lets the door swing shut behind him.

Comments

[pythbox]

"The first drink's free," says the bat lady.

[colorshapes]

"Oooh," says Kerron, and he runs up to the bar much more quickly than a human with such short legs would be able to, and he asks "Can I have a thing that's like golden bubbly and like blue but not either one that's nice and good for me to have?"

[pythbox]

The bar wants to give him something exactly matching that description.

And then she does.

[colorshapes]

It's about the texture of a milkshake, and it's yellow. "It looks like a pina colada! That's my favorite thing that's not a blood synthetic," Kerron says merrily, running back with his drink to where Roberta sits. He sips. "Doesn't taste anything like it, though, but it's good! I guess you wouldn't like it 'cause you're a human."

[pythbox]

"I guess I wouldn't," she says.

[colorshapes]

"What's it like being a human? I don't know too many of those. Just a couple imprints from the wolf village, that's all," says Kerron.

[pythbox]

"I don't know what it's like not being a human," she says, "so I'm not really sure how to compare."

[colorshapes]

"I like it," says Kerron brightly. "...I guess Mummy's technically a human. But she's so magic I don't really count her." He waves a hand.

[pythbox]

"I'm getting that impression," the bat lady agrees dryly.

[colorshapes]

"Well, like, if you and me raced I'd win, but if me and Mummy raced she'd win if she wanted. And she wouldn't if she didn't and she prob'ly wouldn't but she could."

[pythbox]

...That seems to say a lot about the Joker, actually. If only she understood it all.

[colorshapes]

"I wouldn't race with anybody who wasn't a hybrid or a wolf or magic anyway, it'd be boring, we'd know who was gonna win without running at all," shrugs Kerron.

[pythbox]

"If only more people thought that way," says the bat lady.

[colorshapes]

"Yeah! But if you don't know who's gonna win, then it's fun, you can run and run your hardest and then you know! I'm gonna be in the Ultra Olympics when I'm old enough," Kerron adds. "I have to be three and a half, but then I'm allowed. I might do something besides running though."

[pythbox]

"Something such as what?"

[colorshapes]

"Like I could do gymnastics, or swimming, or tennis, or whatever, you know, Olympics type stuff," says Kerron. "Henry's daddy runs the whole thing every year."

[pythbox]

"And Henry's daddy is...?"

[colorshapes]

"His name's Emmett. Do you know him too?"

[pythbox]

She shakes her head. "No. I've met your parents and your empress and I think that's it."

[colorshapes]

"Ooh, when'd you meet Her Majesty?"

[pythbox]

"Last month."

[colorshapes]

"Huh. I don't remember anybody talking about visitors to Aurum then. Did she go here? Usually Her Majesty doesn't come here, just Her Highness."

[pythbox]

"Time works strangely at Milliways," she evades.

[colorshapes]

"Is that why you didn't know what date it was?"

[pythbox]

She nods.