"Fake it 'til you make it," Cameron offers. He knows it sounds glib, but it's honestly the best advice he can offer on the subject of confidence. "That... does sound hard." By now he knew, of course, about Iliya's family and where he came from, but he'd never thought about quite it like that. He didn't have much immediate family, and his extended family barely stretched further than the southeastern United States.

"Look, look," he says, gesturing with his sparkler, following the path of a rocket that shoots up and up. It explodes into gold sparkles with a deep and rumbling boom, then turns plum as the shape of a bear takes form. The bird, fish, and fox will follow, but this one's obviously his favorite.

"Hey, of course we will," he replies, turning back to Iliya as the second rocket bursts into dazzling white sparkles that light the yard with daylight brilliance. "All y'all couldn't get rid of me if you tried. Besides, don't you think you're selling me short with just 'America'? I'll sleep on your couch when I'm out your way." Overhead, white dissolves into blue that makes everything look like it's underwater.