Alice giggles.

Bella starts playing with pentagon-sized illusions, notifying Lazarus each time, and she gives the go-ahead for Alice to rain jellybeans.

[Good to know you're having fun,] he says, amused. [Illusions look really weird.]

Bella cycles through some more illusory senses, including touch, since she's not sure if the agony beam is technically "illusory pain" or just disconnected "real pain". Alice gets "trapped in quicksand" and smells "lavender" and tastes "risotto" and hears "Beethoven's fifth". Bella can detect all these things herself, too, where applicable, but she thinks that's probably only because she's controlling the illusions: they originate inside her brain and are allowed to be there on a probationary basis. [Look weird how? Alice, illusion me something, let me make sure it's only mine I can experience.]

Alice illusions her a rain of cuddly pillows (visual and tactile), or tries to.

[Well, I know what you did 'cause I can read your mind, but I don't see them or feel them,] Bella says, squinting at the ceiling.

[You are definitely buried in illusory pillows,] says Lazarus. [It's remarkably cute.]

Bella shakes herself, chuckling. [Okay, but, what looks weird about illusions to you? Of pillows or otherwise?]

[They don't exist. They are very insistent about that. Absolutely no room for doubt. It's just weird looking at something whose most obvious feature is that it isn't really there.]

Bella laughs. [I wonder if I can wish myself an illusion-detection power? I can imagine blundering into some problems by simply failing to note the presence of illusions when I hadn't been planning to advertise my native power. Then I can look at things that are Obviously Not There with you.]

[I think that's a fine idea,] says Lazarus.

[I think you're adorable,] says Alice.

Bella turns over this notion in her head until she's satisfied with her design, then says, [Watch this, nonbird,] and wishes it.

[Fascinating!]

[Ye-e-es?] Bella prompts.

[I may be anthropomorphizing these things a little too much, but I got the impression your native power went 'oh, all right' and let the wish through.]

Bella cackles. [I do like my power, but I won't hold with it being inconvenient,] she says merrily. [Are you catching any more interesting tidbits about stray magic?]

[Nothing conclusive. I might have to go away and think about it for a while in order to get anywhere. You're right about how convenient perfect recall is, by the way.]

Alice awws. Alice awws so much.

Bella comes to a halt with a flourish and curtseys.

Alice hugs her, because how could you not?

[Yes please,] Bella says, hugging Alice back.