Page 80 of Myths and Shifts

It was enough that I decided I wasn’t going to debate it anymore either. So I turned back to Wren and focused on the fun part of the conversation. “I heard you were a very cute squirrel. Was it a game or are you a squirrel and a little?”

Wren’s Daddy was just blinking and seemed to be back to the cute or crazy mental debate, but he was watching his boy like Wren was the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen, so I liked him. Wren, on the other hand, shrugged as he bounced again. “Mostly pretend. I like to talk. Squirrels don’t get to talk enough. The men at the diner are debating which is better but squirrels get to wiggle more. But since I’m just a squirrel sometimes when I’m little, I’m counting it as playing pretend. The pups are pups a lot and I’m just having fun.”

“That’s a good way to explain it but I’m sure the diner men are going to have questions.” Oh, the diner. I glanced around between everyone. “Um, I’m pretty sure there are some hospitality spells built into the foundation of the building. I’m not going to be able to figure out the specific ones with everyone in there.”

Too many shenanigans and just talking in general made it difficult for a variety of reasons.

“They’re all too distracting.” The understatement made everyone chuckle, even Wren’s Daddy. “But I’m confident that there are spells that make you want to relax and stay longer. Those types also generally make you want to share and talk more too.”

The rest of the spells being tossed around were ridiculous things from the other patrons, like the teenage boys in the corner who’d been trying to poison each other. Those spells had been mild and at most they’d have spent entirely too much time in the bathroom, but one good glare and mouthing the word red had stopped the nonsense.

Wren sighed and Daddy just rolled his eyes. Wren’s Daddy nodded like it wasn’t a surprise, so he might’ve already noticed at least some of the chaos. “So…yeah…the locals are nosy and slightly insane but the diner isn’t helping the situation.”

“At least it’s making everyone’s opinions on going through the portal clear.” Wren seemed to naturally find the bright side in any situation. “I like not having to guess what they’re thinking. It’s going to make going through the portal a lot less stressful. I don’t like it when I have to worry about what people are thinking.”

Oh.

Daddy’s eyes widened and he seemed to reset like a computer doing the whirly thing. Wren was patient and his Daddy just stood there watching Pierce reset. After a few seconds, Pierce took a deep breath and his computer was up and running again. “Meeting his relatives is important. You don’t want to make a bad impression, though, so I’m going to suggest asking questions about local customs and social norms.”

He was so cute.

Wren’s Daddy frowned, though. “He doesn’t have to change who he is for anyone. I have learnedthathuman social custom very quickly.”

Well, at least he hadn’t picked up any bad habits from us yet?

“I don’t mind learning the rules.” Wren wiggled and bounced up on his toes to kiss his Daddy’s cheek. “It’ll be fine. Like a game or playing pretend. I can be boring if I need to.”

Wren’s Daddy didn’t seem to know what to say but Pierce did. “Games are fun but just make sure to have private time to be yourself. Are…are you going to be able to bring some toys?”

Adorable.

But it was a good question…and Wren wasn’t afraid to answer it either.

“This is what I was thinking.” He looked entirely too serious for a conversation about what toys he was taking to another planet.

I never thought I’d be able to say it, but this was more fun thanStar Trek.

Chapter 23

Pierce

“I get to pick and choose where I’m little and when I want to have people stare at me, Daddy.” Wren was on his third round of that conversation with his Daddy, so I just ignored it. He’d win but it was going to take a while to get there. “If I want to be boring and blend in, that’s my right as a pain in the ass.”

Dragons above.

Merritt was doing his best not to giggle as he sat on my other side at the conference table and Kenzie was just nodding along seriously, but the rest of the room finally decided to stop ignoring what Wren and his Daddy were arguing about.

Unsurprisingly, it was Florida Man who spoke up first. “I have a question.”

That was not a surprise either.

“Yes?” I was doing my best to play stupid, but I knew at least part of what it was going to be about. “Did you have a question about the plan before we started?”

“Yes. Um. Kind of.” Cocking his head, Florida Man, whose real name seemed to be Alabama for some reason, focused on Wren. “I don’t mean to be rude this time, but it seems like you’ve decided you’re going through the portal. So…what do you actually do and why are you taking toys through?”

Well, as far as questions went they were actually fairly good ones and Wren had probably been expecting both because he gave him a beaming smile. His Daddy was smart enough to look worried and I had to respect him more for that. “I’m a little and I’m the only wilderness and survival expert the council was able to find. For some reason, even dragons don’t seem to like roughing it, but we do like toys.”

That actually got chuckles from around the room and Kenzie nodded seriously again. “Even my dragon likes pillows and toys. I think roughing it is a human quality. No offense.”

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