"All right. ...wanna take the little one with you?"

"Good idea." Scoop.

"Be good," she tells Ingolfr. He nods seriously.

She heads out of the house and takes a path to make herself big again. 

"Sorry. He'd like to go where he can't hear us. We're trying not to take chances."

"That makes sense. Valentine said your last house was hit by lightning."

"Yes. I think - people did not take the prohibition on lying as seriously as they should have. Many of the mistakes were accidental, of course, but the misfortune gets worse if people tell a lot of lies close together, so - we're trying to be careful. Are you entangled with any other fairies right now, do you know?"

"I don't think so?"

"That's good. - you're the person with mind control powers?"

" - yeah. I haven't used them on anyone without permission, and they're pretty sure I'm not using them accidentally, but - yes."

"Oh, I'm not particularly worried, if you have them under control. Perhaps I should be? But barring very desperate circumstances I don't think our role in a story lends itself to deliberately seizing control of other people."

" - our role in a story?"

"I'm not sure that's the right way to think of us, of course. But - our similarities aren't in blood, they're in what events happen to us and in how we respond to them. What roles we fall into when metaphorically pushed in certain directions. And I don't think, if I or any of the others were given the ability to control people against their will, that we would be very eager to make extensive use of it for personal gain. So I'm not very worried, except perhaps for the sake of anyone who's been very awful to you."

" - huh. Well. I think I'm not going to, so - I guess that should be okay."

"Do you like it here?"

"I - yeah, I think so. I, uh, like that my home universe is paused while I'm here, and I like the people, I guess, and I like - trees, trees are neat. I'm a little stressed because - I, uh, found out that I've been impregnated and I didn't know about it and I would kind of like to find a father for the baby but I'm not sure it'll be possible."

" - oh dear. Did you come with a - was there a man who came here with you?"

"Yes? But, uh, he's already married. - If you mean Starfarer we haven't actually spoken very much. I've mostly been talking to his dad. He's very nice. Kind of intimidating. Really really likes languages, though."

"Ah. I mean the son, yes. Although the father's rather wonderful too. At least in my world."

"No, no, he's great, they're just not - I think they'll help raise the baby if I can't find anyone, but it's really better to have a parent? And - I don't think I have any serious prospective parents waiting around. Which is - I'll manage. Somehow."

Nod.

"I'm sorry. I don't know exactly what happened to you, but - I hope you find someone to marry. Someone good."

"Yeah. That's the hope. Are you and the fairy - ?"

"Hm? Oh, no, he's not my husband. He might be soon. Fairies don't marry, normally, but - we might find a way to do it that works."

She seems to think this is funny, or something, but she doesn't comment.

"I was actually sort of wondering how different groups of people do marriage. Since - I can't do things the way my masters do, they're not Liars, and the way that I understand marriage has a lot to do with being a slave, so - I guess I was wondering whether other free people do marriages in a way that makes sense."

"Ah. - I wasn't actually free, the last time I lived with - well, I'm really not free now, either, I'm Rana's."

"You're - you're his slave?"

"Yes. But - don't look so sad about it, it isn't a bad way to live. I chose this. It's - not everything I wanted but it isn't bad, really, I think I'm much luckier than most people."