The World in Flower

44. Tsirmai

"Why do we have to walk?" Kendra demanded.

"Because exercise is good for you and gasoline is a limited resource," Tim answered.

"Can't Sami make more?"

"She can, but we're not turning her into a human refinery. That's not fair to her." Tim looked up the stairs. "DeJames, Kamal, you ready?"

Kamal appeared, rushing down the stairs. "Sorry, I almost forgot my prayer mat. Yo, Bunbun, you coming?"

DeJames came out of his room, holding one shoe. "I tore a hole in it putting it on."

"Don't you have a spare pair?" Tim asked.

DeJames shook his head. "All the shoes at the dollar store looked cheap, and I never went through the stuff they were clearing from houses."

"Fuck's sake," Tim muttered. "You're going to have to go with a ripped shoe then. We'll get you a new pair after school."

"I was going to help Sean after school."

"You're going to have to be late to Sean's."

"Yeah, I guess." He sat down on the steps and put his shoe on, quickly tying it.

Adam emerged from the dining room and gave Tim a quick kiss. "I'll see you in a little bit. Music theory starts today."

"Today?"

"Yup. Right after algebra."

"Is that just for the big kids?" Kendra inquired as Tim shooed her out the door.

"All the kids." Adam leaned out and waved. "See you soon! Ahahah. You can't go out," he stopped Ooda, scooping her up. "You about done?" he asked, walking back into the dining room.

"I oops," Harper told him, pointing at the spilled juice on her shirt.

"Good thing I hadn't gotten you dressed for the day. Come on, kiddo."

***

"Hey, hon," Tim greeted Adam, following the students into the music room. He gave his partner a quick kiss, then picked up Harper. "Hey, kiddo. You want to go play on the playground for a little bit?"

"Mhm," the toddler answered.

"Okay! We'll see you at home for lunch."

"Yup. See you." Adam's phone went off. "Shit! That might be Danari or Sinha. Can you answer it?" He offered Tim his phone and notebook.

Tim took them, and walked out into the hallway, trying to flip through pages. "Hello?"

***

"Hey, Nalah, come on," Asa said.

Adam looked up to see Asa's fiancé carefully studying the board where Adam had written the notes to "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" or "Baa Baa Black Sheep" or "The Alphabet Song", which had been the point of the exercise. "Something wrong?"

"I... I still do not understand how a Song can have different words."

Adam could hear the capital letter. "Well, this isn't a Song of Power, it's just a plainsong."

"But could a Song of Power have different words?"

Adam thought about how he'd modified the various Songs as he'd experimented. "Yes. You can change it to modify what it does, including changing the words."

Nalah frowned. "I was taught it was important to repeat the words exactly, as changing Songs can be dangerous."

"It can be. But it also makes them more useful."