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"What's fun worth to you?"

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"Highly variable."

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"Can I get a range of examples, maybe?"

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"Well, let me put it this way," she says. "If I want to give you whatever has the most value to you at the least cost to me, I need to know more about the kinds of things you take in trade."

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"In the past, when it's not just straight-up money? Magic wand," says Bell. "Audio recording device and instructions on how to use it. I took water purification tablets once but I wouldn't find more of those specifically useful. A nifty little bag that I'm not sure if it's magical or just high-tech. I've been optimizing for objects that are small, because I've needed to hide them, but that will be less important going forward."

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"And let's see... what would constitute a suitably qualified ally?"

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"The last person I asked bills herself as 'a hero' and carries a magic space hammer," Bell volunteers. "You'd need to have something exceptional for humans to make up for unfamiliarity with our world, I think, or just be a fantastically quick study."

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"I wasn't intending to be the ally in question. But I could probably find you one or two," she says.

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"That would be worthy of a finder's fee in the form of my undoubtedly entertaining advice," Bell says.

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"I think that sounds like a fair deal."

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"Lovely. Suitable allies are anyone who's willing to come to Panem for a while and help us and who stands a chance of actually doing so. We're currently in planning stages, which might not last longer than the time I spend here but that could be months Milliways time. We'll build a plan around what we find here."

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"I have someone in mind already. As a bonus, it's going to piss off my fiancé tremendously if he ever finds out."

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"...Pissing off your fiancé is a bonus?" Bell asks.

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"Sometimes, yes. In fact it was a crucial component of getting engaged to him in the first place."

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Bell is curious about that but doesn't want to ruin anything by prying more than she has. She settles for looking puzzled.

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"Yes?"

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"I don't think I follow, but it's a peripheral matter, so I wasn't going to inquire."

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"Inquire away. He's actually part of the criminal network story, albeit peripherally."

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"I don't plan to even think about causing the existence of my love life until after I have taken over the world, because Panem as-is is no place to get too attached to people. But I'm led to understand that engagements don't usually involve the kind of antagonism you're describing."

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"My fiancé thrives on antagonism. He's the predatory type; you have to give him something to hunt down and kill or he loses interest. Metaphorically speaking."

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"And you're planning to annoy him by inviting your staff to assist another world's revolution and thereby encourage him to hunt down and kill... whom, exactly?"

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"Me, of course. And not my staff; his former boss's kids."

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"What do his former boss's kids do that's liable to be helpful?" Bell inquires.

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"One of them builds missiles. The other one solves mysteries and kills vampires."

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Bell blinks slowly. This wouldn't have registered as special a few hours ago, but now she glances at Sherlock, and then says, "What are their names?"

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