"You are. You're fantastically entertaining."

"I am so pleased. Anyway, latest word on the horrible Janebreaking world that I heard is that Aether's aura will fix it within a limited area, so she can go home, with a Janegem, but not install a Janepoint."

"What exactly does that world break...?"

"Causality. Science - not tech, science - doesn't behave there. If you look at the world's moving parts too hard, or you annoy something sufficiently epic, or it looks like you're cheating, or the universe feels like it, the reliability of induction bids you an impolite goodbye."

"Well, that sounds irritating."

"It kinda stunted Aether's growth, it's sad."

"Yes, you mentioned a projected career as a therapist. Is that a terrible disappointment to the rest of you?"

"We're frankly impressed she made it to adulthood. And she may stay in school, on the grounds that the peal having access to a therapist could be useful."

"Bloody right it would."

"And since she's a Bell there aren't the problems with operational security - and way fewer problems around Bells being cagey - than there would be with anyone else we could procure. But she'll be a few years; she hasn't actually taken courses in therapy, only in being psychic."

"Oh, perish the thought that anybell should have to complete a standard education in something. Can't she cheat?"

"She did cheat, but apparently being Materia-psychic is only weakly amenable to pentagoning. Certainly she'll go faster than standard now she has her speedup and recall and so on. Besides, Glass and Aegis and Amariah all completed locally standard educations for what they were trying to learn before they got the cheat codes. Rose too depending on what you mean by 'standard'. And I am still slightly enrolled in high school because Charlie doesn't want me to be one of those Sunnydale kids who just stops showing up one day, even if I'm ninety-five percent checked out whenever I show up."

He laughs.

"I'm going to be the proud owner of a high school diploma. Aren't I impressive? Nobell else has one. Well, Aether does, if that's the same kinda thing, I don't know about her native education system."

Kisses! [I love you.]

[I love you too,] he says, snuggling her.

[I would not like to be otherwise, I'd probably get all existential about it, it'd be awful.]

[Yes. You are my favorite.]

Snuggles!

Snuggles, snuggles. [The world we got Tab from is super discomfiting. You remember about how Aurum had that problem with the vampire named Chelsea?]

[Not in detail. Something about mind control?]