"Hello, your majesty!" says the only minion in the room when she appears - one of the oldest. He clasps his hands together in front of him, seeming excited and a little nervous.

"Hey, you." They have never admitted to having names; Bella picks out particular ones to address, when necessary, by pointing or referring to what they're wearing. "How are things?"

"Things are, um, good, your majesty," he says. "Yes. And... we have a request, if it's not too soon..." He wrings his hands a little.

"...Too soon? Have you been putting off asking me something?"

"Oh, no, your majesty!" he says earnestly. "This is much sooner than we'd be asking anyone else."

"Okay, what is it that you want?"

"We, um, that is... some of us would like to have some children," he says, peering at her hopefully.

"There's space in the dorm, I'll expand it if you need more," Bella says. "If that isn't the question I'm really confused."

"Well... we're your minions, your majesty," he says. "We need your permission. I mean, the ones who want to have children do, specifically, I'm not one of them—if you, ah, have time, do you mind if I go get them now...?"

"Wait, hang on - they need my permission because they don't want to go around affecting my minion supply without my say-so, or they need my permission, literally, otherwise no baby minions?"

"Um. The second thing, your majesty."

"How," says Bella, "does that work, exactly, what do I need to do to formally supply permission?"

"Oh, it's not difficult or complicated," he assures her hastily. "The minions who want to have children will ask, and hand you a beverage, and you just hand it back. With whatever blessing you feel is appropriate. Your majesty."

"A blessing such as? On the beverage or the minions or the future child or what?"

"It doesn't matter," he says, wringing his hands again. "Glory used to say 'Make me little yucky babies!', or nothing at all."

"Well, that was hardly polite of her. You know, I could probably just magic it so you don't have to go through this rigmarole?"

He cringes slightly.

"Would that be unwelcome?"

"Y-yes, your majesty."

"Okay, I can skip it. Uh. Is this why you guys are minions?"

"Not exactly, your majesty!"

"Not exactly?"

"Well... we want to be minions, your majesty," he says. "And, well... with most people, once you've started minioning, it's not very easy to stop..." He wrings his hands again.

"I'm not most people, if any of you would prefer stop minioning you can. Is there any reason you want to be minions besides that just being the kind of species you are?"

"...I don't know, your majesty," he says helplessly.