"Yeah."

"I really appreciate you listening to me."

"Anytime."

"I think I'm out of things to say. I just need to think, I guess, and - meet Soph."

He nods.

Bella hugs him.

He hugs back.

[Any conclusions?]

[He had the idea of wishing up the Bella who you guys all remember, and pulling a Shell Bell therewith. I'm thinking about it.]

[I've already done something similar, although I didn't instantiate the extra self first.]

[I'd have to, I can't just edit my memories. How's the - pseudomerger - treating you?]

[Better than any of the altrnatives. A little strange. The two continuities correspond remarkably well.]

[So I wasn't that different? I'd expect to have been different. More Aurora-y.]

[Virtually identical,] he says.

[I guess the spell was trying to be conservative about making changes and sacrificed a little realism, if not enough for you to notice it.]

[I invite you to argue with your proposed fork about how realistic she is.]

[Do you not have fabricated memories of hearing me talk about - I mean, I would've compared and contrasted with Aurora, did I counterfactually say anything about that?]

[You did. Apparently your parents picked favourites and that was the key difference.]

[I guess that'd do it. I don't like it, but at least it's not what Aurora got.]

[Which parent now remembers liking me noticeably less than Soph, or didn't I say?]

[Your mother.]

[Okay then.] Bella sighs.