Yep. Maybe I need to just negotiate directly - well, more directly, I'd probably want to do it by email with a puella magi or something.

Just say 'we have emotion magic, we know what you're doing, if you stop it we'll give you the emotion magic'?

Basically. More like "I have an infinite energy hack. Trade you for giving me the wish thing and lessons on how to operate it and for you getting the heck off my planet".

Might work.

Might. I have a pattern for 'hi Dad I'm in a time loop can you keep people who want to know how I'm miraculously healed off my back', which is probably the most comfortable way to run negotiations, but it doesn't factor you in, I'm not sure how to introduce you to him.

I can spend this loop in the forest if that's easier.

Don't wanna leave you unattended, if a fluff finds you and you're out of range of me...

I can be a silly indecisive girl who is obviously not a threat to anyone for a whole month, I did it for a couple hundred years.

Don't want to risk it. They don't have scruples, they just have an M.O., if they decide they need to get me to behave and they think we're linked...

Okay. In that case I don't have any idea what a good story to tell your dad is.

Yeah. I'm thinking, I do the version where I spontaneously appear at home and hide you in my room until he's calmed down about the me in a time loop part.

Okay.

Bella pulls a note out of her shield, leaves it on her pillow, says, Ready?

Yeah. What's that say?

It's a thing saying I'm leaving against medical advice. Slows 'em down.

There's a discontinuity and then they're by the side of a road. Can't steal the car in this version, and my car's at school.

So we walk?

So we walk. Through the woods but following the road.

Bella leads the way.

Walking through the woods is great!

Bella suspected this part would go over well!

And here is her house. She lets them in the back and shows Lúthien up to her room.

"And your dad won't come in?"

"He'll be home in -" She checks a clock and her notes. "Hour and a half, when someone notices I'm missing from the hospital he'll stop in and I'll be sitting in the living room and I'll give him a letter from himself and explain. It'll take him a little bit to calm down and then he'll be like 'okay' and then I'll mention you."

"Okay. I'll just stay here quietly, then."

"We do have an hour and a half to kill - oh you know what I should show you, I should show you Fantasia, I don't think an hour and a half gets you the whole runtime but it'll be close -"

Bella puts Fantasia on.

"Oh, it's beautiful."

"Exactly! Hm, I'm gonna make muffins, I haven't cooked in a while."

Bella goes and starts putting together muffins.