"The stuff inside of things is guts," he says, and he's grinning a little more now that he knows he's not being mocked. "Meat guts, plant guts, so these are probably metal guts."

But they aren't - or maybe they are? Because as they look inside - Nie Mingjue has to peer around the other boy's head, because he got there first - there's just strings, in all kinds of different colors, and a huge roll of tickets. He lets the other get the tickets - he's going to reach in and grab the strings, curious -

and quickly let go with a yelp, as a spark zaps his hand.

"Not strings," he corrects, shaking his hand. "It shocked me!"