"Oh! Like Glass. She see magic but doing with aura. Or Lazarus but he ingot. Probably am also ingot me and sisters - Keziah already show a doing thing! - except not Dars."

"Ooh. What do you think you'll do with ingoting?"

"I dunno. Lot of kinds ingots, and am only Pen, so, isn't as Mommies who all same magic when a magic. One of Mommy who ingot do that thing, so do witch, so do all ones who kinds of thing that do that."

"Ah. What do Mommies do?"

"When Mommies a kind magic that do thing, thing is not anybody doing mind magic stuff to the one Mommy. Can't! But not all Mommies. Mine not got thing except by wishes, because, no magic for Samaria, until wishes come."

"Go your home," murmurs Pen.

"Aw. We'll find your home again sometime, don't worry. Until then, let's go my home."

"Things to do... hm. You ever played video games before?"

"No, what are?"

"Not movies neither," Pen says, peering at the setup. "Funny machines."

"The funnier machine is because if I were to touch the TV myself, it would probably blow up. There's simpler ways to set that up, but come on, that's hilarious. Anyway, I'm gonna start you with a game called Dragon Age, because it's a cool game and you can probably pick it up quickly and I'm not subjecting you to Oregon Trail or something. Fair warning, there are dragons, but there's only like three of them. Pretty disappointing, but what are you gonna do."

"More dragons than three at space plant party!" giggles Pen. "Flying around space plant!"

"Why you wanting fight dragons?" asks Pen, taking the controller and poking it curiously. She is familiar with the concept of buttons, at least.

"Because dragons are big and it seems like it'd be fun to fight them. Nice-fighting, though. Unless there was an evil dragon or something, fighting an evil dragon would be cool. But it'd be fun to spar with a dragon."

Ari takes out a velcro circle about five feet in diameter and sticks it to the carpet. He pricks his thumb on a convenient tack on the edge of the circle to close it mystically, then sits at the side nearest Pen.

"Oh, nice fighting. Maybe one who a daddy say okay," says Pen. And she begins to attempt to play Dragon Age.

Ari explains the commands. They're reasonably intuitive. Maybe less so for someone who has never touched a game controller in her life, but she has a seasoned veteran by her side!

With his help she muddles along. She makes herself a female elf mage character, since there are dragons in this world and that means there should also be elves.

Sensible enough! After character creation there is a cutscene, and she begins the game in a little area of the Fade. It's all very psychedelic.

Wander wander.

Over in this direction there is a mouse who is a person! He says some things about the Harrowing, and how he was an apprentice who failed his harrowing and was killed by the Templars and he's stuck in the Fade as a mouse now. He asks if he can come along with Pen. Then there are several sentences displayed on the screen! One is "feel free to join me, noble spirit; one is "sure, it seems like you could be useful"; one is "no, get away from me you little creep"; one is "I suppose I can't get rid of you, so why not".

Oh, the poor mouse! Pen picks the first option.