[Hedging out unwanted tampering? Unwanted classes of tampering, unwanted sources?]

[No, not quite. 'Unwanted classes' is closest, but it doesn't really get there. You might say that an anti-tampering power of the kind you thought he had is a 'look, but don't touch' power, and what he has is a 'touch, but don't change'. For our purposes, the agony beam qualifies as, uh, touching.]

Bella would be hypocritical to chide Alice for that, so she doesn't. Instead she says, [So he's immune to mind control, memory alteration, forcible unconsciousness, that sort of thing - but perhaps not to illusions in general, certainly not to any form of communicative power, and not to the agony beam.]

[I'm not sure about illusions,] says Lazarus, choosing not to respond to Alice at all. [Illusions might be a borderline case. But yes, communicative powers and the agony beam will work just fine. Clearly.]

[Well, now we have a productive series of experiments for the use of further coins,] Bella says.

[Joy,] says Lazarus.

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?]