Some kind of magic, it turns out. About five minutes after Chris's niece hung up the phone, a fairly magical person supplied with a number of wishcoins appears in the hallway outside the apartment.

He gets up and goes to answer the door without quite noticing that she hasn't bothered to knock.

Ehail puts the book down, debates whether she should stand up, and winds up remaining seated but looking very attentive.

"Hi, Lazarus," she says, coming in. "Hello, most of a dragon. My name's Libby."

"My name is Ehail," says Ehail.

"He said he was going to get in touch with people who have wishing magic."

"But he didn't say anything about how the wishing magic works, specifically? How wishes are made?"

"I don't actually know," says Lazarus. "I know they come in coins and I know the coins come from people who make coins but I don't know how you produce them."

"Coins are made out of pain," says Libby. "Which is why it might be relevant how much it hurts to be most of a dragon. Normally, coins being made out of pain is a significant limiting factor, because there aren't many people willing to make them who I'm willing to trust with the ability, and the ones who fit both those criteria aren't willing to make very many. But from what you've said, if I gave you the ability to make coins, you'd have a much easier time of it coming up with enough of them to complete a lot of dragons."

"Oh. Yes. I mean, as long as it's not something about the pain that we don't have any more, like - paying attention to it or caring. Then it wouldn't work."

"I don't expect it to turn out that way. But maybe Lazarus has better information."

"I still haven't seen anyone make a coin," Lazarus points out. "But I'd guess the same way you'd guess. For however much that's worth."

"It's worth something. So - Ehail. Do you want to try making coins?"

"I will if it will help," says Ehail.

"I will be a lot happier about trying to solve your problem if I'm spending coins you create without much trouble instead of taking them out of my limited and limitedly renewable supply. But once I give you the ability to make coins, I can't take it away again," she says. "So if I do, I'd like you to think very carefully about how else you use it. Wishes can do a lot of things, and it's important to use them responsibly. Does that seem reasonable?"

"Yes, I suppose so. I'm a wizard," Ehail adds. "I'm not a very good wizard, but when I'm at home I can cast spells that can also do a lot of things. Except not this thing. I haven't gotten anywhere trying."

"That makes sense," says Ehail.

Libby smiles slightly. "I like to think so. All right. I think the most sensible order of operations here would be to design a wish, see if small change" (she gestures to the row of coins on the table) "will do the trick, and if not, I'll make you a mint - someone who can create wishcoins - and see if you can produce them easily enough to be happier about forking over a seven than my next best source."

"I don't - think I'll be able to tell, if it works, without trying to fly," says Ehail. "If you even want to test it on me instead of someone else. I guess we would have to wait for the door to that place to come back to get anyone else though."

"I will be able to tell," says Lazarus. "It will be extremely obvious."

"Oh. All right then," says Ehail.