"Yeah, I know, but. Magic snake, what the fuck."

"Yep. If it's some yet another kind of alien I really wish they'd introduce themselves."

"But it saved up so long for its abducting-people-to-another-world credit."

"Then it should let us know how we can make its abduction experience satisfying! And not inspire a repeat! ...if it wanted to grab reds that'd be fine, I guess -"

"I dunno if it quite achieves 'fine'."

"I think most of them would, if informed, prefer it. Things at home weren't looking good."

"If they went the same places as their loved ones, maybe."

Nod. Sigh.

"Maybe one day I will dream about Aly secretly inventing a dimensional portal or something."

"Maybe. - Aly?"

"Aly. Alymbel Mahri."

"I talked to her teacher in Lapis. When I was asking everyone about the best student they ever had -"

"Aw, that's flattering. She learned Harthanic to impress him."

"Died of the pox at 24, such a waste of potential. - she was married."

"Uh."

"Aydanci Evaret, the person I send money for medical golem projects - "she died of the pox, her poor husband" is actually what her teacher said to me -"

"...okay, I remember nothing about him, maybe that makes more sense if you know him, but, uh, poor Aly? It really fucking hurt!"

" - that is actually what I said to him! "Uh, poor her!' but it's been nearly twenty years, I guess he's still salient and she's -"

"I guess. Uh, do you know anything about him besides the medical golems stuff?"

"- no. I'm sorry. Uh, I saved the form letters he sent answering my questions, but they were very distinctly form letters -" He goes and gets them.

"Yep those look like form letters.

This is weird."

"You don't say." Squeeze. "She must've gotten married not long before - if you don't remember -"

"I have some bits and pieces from - I mean, I'm assuming she didn't get married while bedridden with pox, right, so I have some bits and pieces during which she must have been married but I suppose not thinking about it right then."

...nod. "Should we be thinking about this as - you are Aly, reincarnated, or as you got her memories but she's dead, or..."

"I guess as more fills in it'll feel more - continuous. It wouldn't seem that weird to say 'I', except for how I can be missing facts as significant as 'married'."