"Cool! I like the idea of hanging out while actually able to have a conversation."

"It does have some advantages," says Brenda.

They start off for the restaurant. "So what did you end up getting books on? I saw the covers while I was checking them out but I didn't read the jackets."

"Sequel to some stuff I like and didn't realize it had a sequel out, one on jewelrymaking, one on French history, one on golf - I've seen golf on TV but I'm curious what someone trying to fill a whole book about it has to say."

"Yeah, I know everything is interesting if you get deep enough into the details, but I'm not sure how anyone brings themselves to look that deeply at golf when there are so many other things. History is cool, though."

"Well, if there's anything neat in the golf book I'll tell you."

"Thanks. Is the history book on any particular subset of French history?"

"One of the revolutions. The Pimpernel one not the Les Mis one."

"That one was a mess. Such good intentions, and it ended up as awful as any other war."

"Yeah. ...I mostly know about it from the Scarlet Pimpernel."

"We had it in World History but only for a couple days, and I haven't taken European history yet. Did your history classes cover the Extinction War at all? I've seen references to it in library books but of course I never learned about it in school."

"Uh, I think it was mentioned but wasn't even a whole history class, it's not like we know a whole lot about it from the historical record, and the participants are, y'know, extinct. I did read what the library had on it one time. Sometimes people mutter about it if something looks like it might turn into a whole feud thing?"

"I wonder why the historical record is so terrible. Most wars have way better records, and not *everyone* involved died."

"Most wars aren't between, like, people whose existence is secret."

"Yeah. As far as we know, anyway, there could be aliens living on Earth having secret wars and we could be as ignorant of them as humans are of us. Once you know there's one global conspiracy it starts seeming less implausible that there are two."

"...huh, I never thought of that, but I actually think that would be really cool? There could be aliens, and fairies, and time travelers, and sliders, and wizards. Non-runecaster wizards, I mean. All not knowing about each other. Except there's a lot of critters who seem human and don't find out till later - so if any of the others ever met a human someone would know two things -"

"Somebody knowing two things doesn't mean they'd tell them about each other, though. Like . . . maybe the other group is really tiny and they're worried telling critters about them would be just as bad as telling humans. Or the other group is sketchy and there's a risk they'd tell humans about critters or something. And then there'd be a person stuck with multiple layers of secrets."

"Oh, huh. I guess. This is starting to sound like a book premise. The problem is most people who can write don't write about how critters really are, 'cause, you know, can't publish very far, but maybe somebody'd do it as a writing exercise?"

"I don't know anything about fiction writing, but it does sound like a fun idea. Especially if you go full 'everything but the kitchen sink' with it--aliens, fairies, surviving colonies of dragons and sphinxes hiding from each other, wizards, psychics, all at the same time."

"Ooh, psychics."

"The psychics and the wizards would probably have the easiest time noticing any of the others. The fairies would have either the hardest time hiding or the easiest depending on whether they had a fairyland to hide in."

"I was assuming either that or they're just really really small."

"Yeah, they could be like bug sized and anybody who caught a glimpse of one would think they saw a butterfly. And then the aliens could be any of a dozen different ways, they could shapeshift or turn invisible or be hanging out in orbit and occasionally abducting people but not actually have a way to hide on the surface."

"Yeah, like that. Lots of options."

"Yeah. I have too much else going on to try writing a story, but maybe at some point. Or you could write it." They arrive at the restaurant and get seated, Margaret orders the peanut noodles.