There are, Bar agrees. Some of them have representatives who come through here fairly regularly. Would you like their business cards?

Sure, Sargeþi agrees, and then flips through the provided cards.

Desnan Cherries Search and Rescue — Removing people from situations they don't want to be in for eons untold

Vanda Nossëo Contact Department — Join an interuniversal federation dedicated to the promotion of sapient flourishing

Doctors Without Dimensional Barriers — Independent, impartial providers of medical assistance across the multiverse

Amethyst — Freelance omni-benevolent magical girl hivemind

These are ... interesting, they sign. No contact information?

The Landlords don't like that kind of thing. Also, there isn't any kind of multidimensional mail that you could really use to get in contact with them, Bar explains. There is a sentient communications tower currently hanging out in the yard who could put you in touch with a similar group. They didn't leave a business card, though.

Huh. Could you let me know if one of the representatives for one of these groups does turn up?

If you remain in the main bar area, yes. I can't manifest notes upstairs or in the courtyard.

Alright. Thank you.

Sargeþi is feeling a bit better — and they know what to do.

They snap some photos of the bar, for proof, and then walk over to the door to call Emergency Services.

And just before they can reach the door, a shockingly pretty woman with spiky purple hair and a form-fitting hand-embroidered dress opens it instead.

She peers intently at Sargeþi for a moment, her deep brown eyes seeming to bore into their soul.

"You're a me," she pronounces. "Do you want to join a hivemind?"

Sorry, what? Sargeþi signs.

That's Amethyst, Bar interjects via strategically-aimed napkin paper airplane.

"Sorry, let me back up. What do you know about the structure of the local multiverse?" she asks.

In the time that Sargeþi was looking at Bar's note, her hair has changed into a long golden ponytail.

Nothing, Sargeþi signs. I just found Milliways today.

Amethyst nods.

"Alright! So, in short, there are a lot of worlds that ... people say 'repeat', but that's not quite right. There are a lot of worlds that rhyme. They have the same basic structure, history, or magic, but things work out differently from world to world. The same thing happens with people — if you were born on my world, you would be me, and if I were born on your world, I would be you," she explains. Her voice is melodic and very easy to listen to. "That's a slight oversimplification, but generally accurate. I assume you have questions?"

I do, Sargeþi agrees.

And they had been in the middle of something. But then again, there's no rush.

Perhaps you would answer them over a drink?

"Sure!" she agrees.

They return to the bar, and Amethyst orders a very fancy milkshake. It has little emeralds and sapphires mixed into the ice cream, which she crunches with evident delight.

"... I'm part dragon," she explains, when she notices Sargeþi staring. "They're tasty."

"Alright — do you want to ask a question, or shall I just sort of generally elaborate?"

There are probably hundreds of more urgent questions, but the one that Sargeþi finds themself asking is:

Why are you a girl? I'm not a girl.

"Well, gender is sort of culturally relative, isn't it?" Amethyst replies, wobbling her hand in a culturally relative sort of way. "Also, I'm not completely a girl. We[ex] are about 98.2% girls, 0.7% boys, and 1.1% something else. It's possible that you're just naturally one of the 1.8%. Or it's possible that your home culture's gender roles don't correspond exactly to our gender roles. Or it's possible that you're about to have a gender awakening."

Why would I be about to have a gender awakening? Sargeþi questions. Amethyst is just sort of a lot, and they keep finding themselves picking one of their many, many questions just to keep the explanation rolling.

"Well, you might not be," Amethyst agrees. "But I happen to have access to perfectly safe and fully reversible shape-shifting. Would you like to try being in a female-typical body, and see if you like that better?"

Sargeþi feels as though they keep trying to have plans today, and they keep not happening. This is vaguely distressing, but they've regained enough equilibrium to roll with it. So sure, why not try having a female body.

Hit me, Sargeþi signs.

"Muto Corpus," Amethyst casts.

And then she conjures a mirror and swaps her alt's clothes out for a nice dress via fixity field.

Sargeþi looks in the mirror.

Their hair is cut short, hanging just below their jaw. Their face is ... different, but it's hard to describe how. A little sharper, maybe. Their dress — blue silk, with clouds printed across it — is not unusual, per se. They have one like it in their closet at home, actually, although in linen. But the way they fill it out is different.

They run a hand down their side, feeling the material, and then again, but this time feeling how the action is ever so slightly propioceptively different.

The figure in the mirror looks good. She looks startled, and a little wondering. But then she starts smiling. She starts smiling, and Sargeþi finds it hard to stop.

"O-Okay," Sargeþi says, and her their her voice sounds different, and suddenly she feels like an idiot, because it probably meant something that when she is having trouble processing things she hates the sound of her own voice. Hated. That the sound of her voice was something that she coped with, like having to cope with the feel of the terrible scratchy blanket that her grandfather made for her until she grew up enough to get over herself and give it away.

"Okay," she says. "I am ... maybe a girl."

"You're really cute," Amethyst replies, because it's true. If you can't complement your own alternate-universe selves, who can you complement?

"And also you took to that really fast. It took us[ex] ... a slightly embarrassing amount of time, in hindsight, to come to the same conclusion."

"I ... think it's probably easier, when someone just presents it to you," Sargeþi speculates.

She finally wrenches her gaze away from the mirror.

"So I'm definitely an alternate universe you?"

Amethyst nods.

"I have magical powers that make it obvious," she explains. "But you can ask Bar, if you would like a second opinion. She can determine alt-ness as well."