"Do we trust the crystal ball? I am inclined to trust the crystal ball."

"In the absence of being able to ask Mary or Alice, or even consult Glass or Lazarus about how my opacity works, I think trusting the crystal ball is the best bet." She looks up at Mercury's sky; during the day it's a pleasant lilac but right now, where she is, it's nighttime. "It'd be a big change, though."

"Yes, I suppose it would."

"I should probably get to know Soph. As just-me. That'll help. Do you know how she's holding up, have you been talking to her?"

He shakes his head.

"...Has anybody been talking to her? She probably needs someone to talk to at least as badly as I did."

"She claimed to have collected an adequate supply of hugs, last I heard."

"Not so much a talking-through-her-feelings person? What's she like?"

"She is like herself. I'm not especially good at describing personalities," says Sherlock.

"I asked Tony and he told me she plays softball," sighs Bella.

"Decently well, too."

Bella snorts.

He laughs.

"D'you want to - introduce me to her?"

"I'm not sure what I could add to the situation," he says, "but if you want me to, yes."

"I don't know what you'd add to the situation either, but it's probably less awkward than me teleporting into her room and being like 'so... hi.'"

"Granted. All right."

But first, hugs.

Yes. Those.

Bella teleports the both of them to Soph.

Soph is indeed in the room with the bunkbeds, eating directly from a pint of ice cream. The ice cream appears to be helping.

"Hello," says Sherlock.

"Hi, guys," says Soph, when she has finished her spoonful. "Uh, how's tricks?"

Bella snorts. "Tricks are about as good as could be expected. Tony had an idea. But I'm not sure yet if I want to implement it. You know how Shell Bell forked and merged?"

"Yeah?"