Nobody's around.

He is pretty sure he remembers the way back, because he usually has a pretty good sense of direction and he can sort of work out a mental map of how far he's moved in each direction.

He's not going to run it. He's going to jog at an even pace so he's able to sprint away if necessary.

The grove where Promise left him is deserted.

The gate is closed.

He looks for a place to temporarily hide nearby – preferably under some rocks, if there are some available – and then checks the time again.

He can wait 'til three.

And here's Promise at ten of, sackful of food over her shoulder.

He gets out from under the rocks and goes over to her. "Yellow was around here," he says. "About– thataway," he says, pointing in the direction of where he was caught by Yellow.

Is it clear that he's a bit messed up over this? Because it should be.

"...well fuck," says Promise, and she promptly starts bleeding from the ears. "Gate's open. How'd you get away, lumen it?"

So he puts up a bit of text that says: Weird magic, not sure.

He doesn't go through the gate, but he makes sure he's near it.

"More weird magic. What did it do?"

Teleport? he writes. Then after a moment: Another personality.

"You can teleport? What do you mean another personality?" She turns invisible.

I'm not Purple? Different person. Not sure about teleport.

After another moment: If I drop, rescind orders?

"What is going on."

Memories are fuzzy. Same body, different person? It was me when you covered your ears. Me earlier today. Him most other times.

Pause. Yellow stopped me, asked where you were. I teleported? Wasn't stopped. Ran and hid, waited, came back.

He doesn't really know what else to add.

...well, there's a simple test.

...name doesn't snap.

"Okay. I will now be able to tell you apart. - You named yourself, didn't you."

Yeah. Better than being nameable.

"That was smart. But I wish you'd told me."

I started about a minute before? Was weird.

"If you were brand new how did you know what was going on?"

Shared memories, mostly. Patchy today.

"I wonder if the food claim extends to you."

Could test?

"I'm not letting my ears work while Yellow's potentially around. And since you share Purple's body a harm test wouldn't be reliable. Try tracing a lumen order with your hand as you light it - you may tell me to pat my head."

Pat your head, he writes, tracing it as he does so and meaning to enforce it.

"Doesn't extend," she says. "All right, so Purple and I are mutuals but you and I have no vassal relationship at all."