If I can do it again I'll try teaching you. Most people barely have the patience and concentration for normal embroidery on that scale.

Is it only embroidery it works with? I'm not sure I'd say I'm patient.

I do embroidery, and weaving, and other needlework. There are many people in Valinor who can teach you some art or another.

I'll look into it. There's so many things I want to do it's starting to feel like not being restricted to a human lifespan any more won't cut it and I need ten of me.

That sounds nice.

...I didn't mean to make it sound comparative.

You didn't do anything wrong, dear. I just make everyone miserable, it's infectious.

I'm really not miserable. I like having something useful to do. If it weren't this it would be something else, but that doesn't mean it isn't this.

If this works everyone'll reward you and be very grateful.

You did laugh, earlier. Which I wasn't even specifically aiming at.

You're strange and good company. It's a little like being newly arrived again.

Bella giggles. I'm glad. I couldn't exactly refer you to a different subtle artist if we didn't manage a rapport.

Are you going to get tired of this? You said you're easily bored.

I was going to do this as my job from when I got out of school to retirement age, Bella points out. I'm fine, this is interesting.

You could check the second affect patch. Draw a little something, maybe.

May I have your pen and paper again?

Of course. She hands them over.

She draws things. Now I'm anxious about feeling the wrong things again.

It's okay if it takes a couple tries to get a clear read on it. You're not going to knock the patch loose by fretting a little.

Knock the patch loose? Can that happen?

I didn't stick it on very hard in case you didn't like it. It might come loose, but probably not unless I take it off or a few days have gone by; you don't need to worry about it, I can put it back if it goes and you want it again.

How exactly is all of this supposed to work? If I were a patient in your world?

I'm working out of a textbook so I'm sure there are things about the procedure I don't know, but normally I'd have an office somewhere and you'd find me in a book of people who do subtle arts and I'd have a specialty and you'd come to appointments - or I'd make house calls, if you couldn't leave your home - and then I'd do, well, sort of what we've been doing, except with less personal chatting because I'd be charging money for my time and you'd have a background expectation about therapists and how they work which didn't involve much of it.

What do you think you'd have specialized in? And we can definitely get you money if you describe what it is...