"Well, add another form of telepathy to the list of known kinds, then. It's - faster? More trustworthy? Just a cultural thing?"

"Faster, more trustworthy, almost impossible for there to be a misunderstanding unless one of the ithuetse misunderstands whoever they're speaking for... and it's a cultural thing, yeah. Big-time."

"I can see why it'd be an important attribute in a diplomat."

"I know, eh? Too bad I am otherwise the most terrible diplomat."

"Well, like," says Bella, "I get along with you, you are diplomatic enough for my end - do you think you would have trouble presenting stuff to Sessiakitsi on my behalf in a way that didn't make them want to burn me in effigy?"

"Okay, I could probably manage it," she concedes.

"So when you have a minute, brainphone James, she's my personnel officer, and you can talk to her about ambassadorship."

"Cool," says Val. "Do you still wanna look around and stuff?"

"Sure. It's pretty here, and I don't have any appointments till I go to the tunnels under Antarctica, ritually refuse to accept dinner from the hand of the King of the Nytree eight times, and then leave because I have to do that once a week for a month before they'll recognize me as an independent entity."

Val giggles.

"Where to, tour guides?" asks Bella, clapping her hands.

"It is very nice for Bella," says Bella unapologetically.

"Sure, we can go sightseeing," says Val. She hugs Eiva again. "See you!" she says, and she takes off.

Bella follows her into the air.

Ike zooms after them.

[You know what would be really helpful and not just fun,] Val says conversationally, [is if you gave me and Ike and Mom and Dad your fancy teleporting power that works between dimensions.]

[A fancy teleporting power that doesn't work between dimensions is only as magically expensive as flying. One that does is extra, especially if you all want it separately. If you wind up working for me I will be happy to pay you in magic, but I think I'm at a reasonable limit on frivolous gift-giving for today.]

[Damn,] says Val. [You sure? Because Mom and Dad could really use it.]

[Most of my alts have a much steadier supply of magic than me, and most of what I have on me is excess from them; I try to be a little conservative. I will pay you in magic if you work for me. And if you show up at a Bellparty and ask the right person they'll probably bestow it on you for kicks. Another thing we could do is set up Jane in your house and also here,] it occurs to her, [remember Jane? She can pick people up and put them down anywhere she likes, and I can set up nodes for her with very little magical expenditure.]

[How does Jane work?] wonders Ike.

[Not technically magic! She's from a world called Peace, the local Bell there is Aegis, and they have instantaneous communication devices called ansibles - you build one, you break it in half, and then anything you do on one end is duplicated on the other across any distance - and, it turns out, between worlds. You know how people joke about the internet waking up? Peace's internet woke up. That's Jane, and she works for us. She can scoop people up into her mind and drop them, as long as she can see them on the one end and see where they're meant to end up. I carry a half-ansible around with me all the time.]

[...I don't think we'd go for that,] says Ike. [Although it's completely fascinating.]

[If traveling by Jane is not for you, you will not be able to take standard transportation to Bellparties, although I guess you could go through Milliways instead if that's better.]

[It's different,] Ike says firmly.