[ It's funny, hearing a kid talk about childhood. By whatever definition Cal had for it -- innocence, being cared for, being shielded from the horrors of the world -- it wasn't necessarily one that Jake agreed with. Maybe that was a mark of age, or simply a mark of philosophical differences.

Regardless, Jake wouldn't push the kid to adopt his worldview over the one he came by through his own life. That wasn't his place, nor was it something Jake thought he was even capable of.

Instead, he meets Cal where he lives, shrugging honestly with a laugh. ]

It makes you you, kid. That's all anybody can ask you to be. There'll be a lot of yous before you're done growing. [ What had that old duke said once? Jake sprouts an extra arm, mussing Cal's hair with a quick noogie. ] And you never really stop growing, either.