No. When they notice they'll be like 'why didn't you tell us' and we'll say 'oh, we were about to' and that'll slide because they're millions of years old and taking a year to get around to telling them seems reasonable.

Ha. All right. Who else will want to be there?

The Queen, probably my aunt, possibly my mother - given your world's gender roles will it be odd if we have no men in positions of authority, I can tell people to bring their husbands -

That'll be completely overlooked next to your role illegibility.

Not much we can do about that. I mean, I could tell everyone to put their hair up, but that'd be - very superficial -

Yeah. I wouldn't worry about it, you're aliens, be aliens.

They shall have an alien welcoming committee.

And she assembles one.

And they are at the portal site just barely in time. (Isabella can break into a run and not break her neck it's so nice.)

And then through tumbles a mousy sub with loose hair halfway down his back and a collar around his neck. He picks himself up off the ground, dips his head politely to Isabella, looks apprehensively at the assembled Elves.

"Hi. Tell me the good news," Isabella tells him.

"...Uh, this one filters for people who've had certain magery done," says the sub. "Exploratory neurological. It took a year-precog to find it. I was just - nearby."

"Oh. Well, that explains that. What's the way back?"

"It's the same as the others, it's only it opens into the air, they say we'll need to build stairs."

"Aha. Anyway, these are the local aliens, they're called Elves, they're very friendly."

"...Hi," says the sub to the Elves.

"Hello! For aliens we have discovered we have a great deal in common with humans, and we are excited to make contact with your civilization. I am Nelyafinwë Maitimë, princess of the Noldor; I'll have our end build stairs too, but should something more temporary be put into place so you can return to your world?"

"I, uh, yes please," says the sub.

"She speaks English because they're very good at languages and I've been here a while," says Isabella.

"Oh."

"We're also telepathic, all of us, but you can keep us out with practice, would you like to be taught how to do that? No one's reading your mind, we understand that humans won't be expecting that."

"I'm not a - diplomat or anything - I was just handy to come tell Ms. Isabella how to get back," says the sub.

"And we're glad you were! What's your name?"

"M-matthew."

"It's a delight to meet you, Matthew." People arrive with a ladder.

"How high up is the portal?" Isabella asks Matthew.

"Eight feet."

"Did they say what the plan is after I come back?"

"They didn't tell me."

Can't see it?

I could've but it would've taken about as long as asking and I figured he'd know.

They've got a precog with a range of a year, so they're probably all prepared for alien contact too.

I doubt they hired a precog with a range of a year for very long.

Those pretty rare?

Extremely. The pleasanter safer method of control training has only been around so long and it takes a long time to range-boost so this is somebody older who decided to starve in the wilderness for a couple years to be able to safely use magic. There might be, like, three of those who also pushed precognition that hard.

I approve of your society's commitment to getting you back.

The ladder is set up and secured into place.

Well, that and figuring out the portals.

"Am I being recalled permanently or just long enough to confirm I can go both ways?" Isabella asks Matthew, who's already halfway up the ladder.

"They didn't tell me but they'd probably let you come back? I don't even really work for them they just wanted to find somebody who could go through, I was in this clinical trial one time..."

I hope we can see you again.