"That probably accounts for at least half the population. But a big city with organized crime and thriving businesses and stuff in it has to have a decent-sized middle class who mind their own business mostly. Why are they still there?"

"Denial?" she suggests. "Inertia? I really don't know."

"Fair enough. What's your angle on the seeing it get better thing? I must be too used to having magic; I'm blanking on other strategies right now."

"Money," she says wryly. "Money and time. It's not working out as well as I'd hoped."

"Sure, but doing what with the money? Throwing it at the educational system? Funding the volunteer fire department? Renovating the libraries?"

"Orphanages," she says distantly.

"Not bad," says Bella. "Er, you okay?"

Bella makes a bit of a face at that and then shakes herself off. "It's okay, you - just don't look like you're particularly happy."

"And now neither do you," says Roberta. "Quick, let's start talking about... puppies or something."

"Sorry, I'm just - not comfortable leaving them unmonitored, but I am not that kinky," Bella says, pointing at the ceiling. "Nothing to do with our conversation. Puppies! They're so cute! I have never had one myself. You?"

"Me neither," she admits. "But they are very cute."

"There aren't any on Mars. No one has brought pets up yet, and the ecosystem I designed doesn't include any predators."

"There's bunnies," Bella says. "No shortage of nice fuzzy bunnies. They're modified so they don't, er, breed like rabbits, though, since nothing's eating them. If people develop an interest in hunting in my wilderness I'll fiddle with that."

"People are probably going to want cats and dogs," she says. "But nice fuzzy bunnies are a good start."

"They're allowed to bring pets with them, I don't object to that," Bella says. "Dogs, cats, red-tailed hawks, snakes, whatever. I just haven't got any running - or flying or slithering - wild."

"And I guess you can always trade with Earth if someone wants a pet they didn't bring with them. Do you have trade agreements with Earth?"

"So far I've talked to the President of the United States and told her she's welcome to set up customs around the magic door in case scary Canadians attempt to depart Mars," Bella says. "Everything else is still a work in progress. Magic isn't generally known on my Earth. Me and four other people have the general-purpose kind, and a few score worldwide have specific powers that do one thing and they generally aren't advertising themselves - some don't even know. But I certainly hope there will be trade. Enterprising businesspeople setting up pet shops in Olympus. Olympus is the city I built on Mars to start out," Bella explains.

"You're not going to get enterprising businesspeople like that without a population," she observes. "Does Mars have any natural resources besides bunnies?"

Bella starts ticking off fingers. "Open, scenic space. Pollution of various sorts fixes itself automatically, so it's a great place to put industrial anything. I put in plenty of plants, and freshwater oceans full of fish. I don't suppose people are particularly likely to find diamond mines or whatever, since I didn't install any, but there's Mars rock under the flora and that might stay interesting to astronaut types for a while. Magic free healthcare isn't exactly natural but it's a resource - if I don't get tourists with cancer I'll conjure a hat and eat it, and someone will need to sell those tourists lunch and t-shirts that say 'I Heart Mars'."

"Suddenly I'm tempted to invest," Roberta says dryly.

"I can sell you some Imperial Asters, even from here, but you might find it inconvenient to spend them."

"You named your currency asters? That's cute."

"I considered and rejected 'starbucks'," Bella says.