"...Peace?"

"Is a world. One where Jane from!"

"And who is Jane?"

"Jane sort of sisteroid but not really. She a computer person and her daddy a one Daddy and her mommy a one Mommy, but she not a one Dars. Dars is purple and Jane green, Glass says."

"Dars is your sister, then? And you're saying that Jane's mother and father are...some kind of alternate universe duplicates of your parents? I confess, I have no idea what you mean by purple and green."

"Dars one sister, then Keziah then Ariel then me. And yes, and, nobody knows neither not even Glass but she say so anyway and people being all one template also all same color."

"So if you're from another universe, as you seem to be claiming, how did you get here?"

"Broken door! It supposed going here from nice bar but goed here instead. And did not go back bar when opened again after notice, but of course, never do, doors don't like me like they liking Shell Bell or Princess Elspeth."

"I have to admit, this is being more confusing than it's not. I'm a telepath. Is whatever's causing your mind to seem blank under your control at all?"

"Um? Oh. Am safed from things," Pen says. "Can let stuff like Sue. Sue even a mutant, can do like him or only do other kinds telepathing? Am sorry about the grammar but can't help."

"I think what's confusing me is what you're saying more than how you're saying it. You appear to be coming from a completely different cultural context, so of course there are things that would seem obvious to you that get left out of your explanation. And I don't know what exactly Sue can do. If it were under your control, and you could let me--or one of the students with telepahic ability, if that were more comfortable--in, briefly, it would be possible to glean a summary of your cultural background without touching your personal memories."

"Am eight, cannot just 'let in' things, what if some bad thing go with it? Only can let specific stuff. Sue, the one naked one Daddy saying name by magic, illusions, things. Cannot just say 'okay person do whatever' in case picking wrong person. Especially most mind stuff. If letting in bad thing for other wards just torch. If letting in bad thing for mind stuff maybe harder fix."

"Entirely reasonable. I apologize. So there's some kind of...bar? And it has a door that deposits people in different universes?"

"Takes people from wherever," nods Pen, "usually put them back where getting them, but door break."

"I see. So besides this door, is there any way for you to get home?"

"If was any Jane here Jane put me back, pop, right on Jovah. Isn't though, checked. If a one Mommy here she bring a Janegem do same thing, or Shell Bell can doors whenever wanting. Jarvises also can doors if knowing how but a Jarvis finded here maybe not know how. Isn't one, anyway, checked. If a one Daddy find me he do freecast while Sue linking and bring some Jane to put me home. Or maybe there a mutant who can do thing, dunno what all kinds."

"So far, we haven't found anyone who can traverse different universes," he said. "What exactly is a Janegem? Is it something to do with Jane's mutation?"

"...Jane not a mutant. She from Peace but she not a mutant she a computer person," explains Pen. "She not a human. They put her in a Device body when having too many accidents with Jane soul being in Aegis so now she not there any more, but she never a human. But she can in gems and see from them and anything she seeing can put anywhere else seeing. Also she do time so it all go same amount but sometimes she having the accidents and then it not work and time faster some worlds."

"Hm. Well, if we find someone who can put you back, we'll let you know," he said. "In the meantime, do you need a place to stay?"

"Yeah."

"We have empty rooms. And this place was, in part, created to be a safe haven, even if you weren't quite what we imagined."

"Okay."

He touches the first and second fingers of his right hand to his temple for a moment, and says, "you can stay in room 427 for the moment. I need to speak with the rest of the staff about your problem."

"D'you want me to show you the way?"

"Yes please."