"That sounds fun."

It turns out that a few words and phrases -roughly- translate. To Hungarian, to Latvian, to Greek. But overall the language she calls Ostmark doesn't match up to anything spoken here. It seems like a mish-mash of at least a dozen other languages left to stew for a few generations.

"Seems like it's Eastern European but not actually… any single language that we have." She shrugs. "I don't think we have Ostmark either. I'm not sure if there was an empire there in the past and it's just changed or what."

"The duchess I flew things for a week ago said that Ostmark only exists because of magic, but I don't know why she thought that."

She nods. "I'm not sure either."

"...I want to go back. Maybe my special magic is teleporting and that's how I got here. Mom says not to say the same thing again and again because it's annoying so I'm sorry. If they're going to put me with a family here can you tell me what it will be like?"

"It's fine," she says. "It's understandable that you want to go back." Shrug. "I'm not sure what the family will be like, I'm afraid, but you'll go to school and the family will have been checked and stuff."

"Checked for what? Also do you know when Sunday is?"

"It's Thursday today, so three days away. And… checked to make sure they're suitable to look after a kid."

"I have to find a church by then. You mean like not being mean and having enough money?"

"Yeah, that sort of thing," she says. "And– uh, there are churches around but people are, I think, less religious than they used to be?"

Frown. "You have to go to church on Sunday. People from the south or Orussia sometimes don't but in Ostmark you have to. I guess I'm in a different country now."

"We're in America – I don't know if I showed you on the map." She brings up the map again and centers in on the particular area, showing her where it is. "There are other religions too, not just – I assume you're Christian? – not just Christianity, and also some people who just don't believe in it."

"Yeah I think that's what it's called. That makes sense. Oh, this is the continent of Albion! Or I would have called it that."

"...Thanks for visiting me and actually listening and saying you'll believe me if I fly tomorrow instead of saying how I'm so confused and does my head hurt."

She shrugs and smiles. "I don't think it's too harmful to play pretend if you are, anyway."

She gives a little huff and extends her finger again, focusing. The light is a little brighter this time, noticeable even with the lights on. She drops it after a moment. "You are coming back tomorrow right?"

"Yeah," she says, looking at Grenadine's finger again. "And I'm not totally sure you're lying, because I'm not really sure how I'd go about doing that, but still."

She's annoyed now, at the reminder that nobody believes her. In an effort to put Ev out of her mind, "I'm gonna read. They gave me some books."

"So – you do know how to read? Just not very well?"

"I know letters have sounds I had the nurse write a few things and do it that way."

She nods. "Do you want me to leave you to do that, then?"

"Yeah."

"I'll see you tomorrow," she says, going to the door. "Bye."

"Bye."

She reads things two or three times, not really understanding much but determined to try, guessing when she's reading something wrong and when something is spelled strangely for some reason. She answers the doctors' questions and nods happily at the news that her burn should be gone in a week.

The next day, Evelyn is back at the hospital! Approximately midday, because it's currently summer vacation – woo.

"Hey there," she says as she enters the room.

"Hi!" Grin, grin, grin.