Isabella has one of the central not-a-portal bits of the hub - the ones that are occupied by a shifting collection of the airport-standard restaurants and gift shops and newsstands - turned into a small apartment-cum-office for Seraphina. The office is unlabeled for the time being - just "Authorized Personnel Only" in ominous letters - but Isabella tells her what the fire and security alarms sound like and suggests that she be a responder to these if they go off. "Mutter your mnemonics under your breath while you do anything magic in public, and people will figure you're a witch," she says. "I'm still thinking about any less irregular jobs I could have you doing, but unless you come out with a more generic set of healing spells than it sounds like you currently have I don't think I can explain installing you as magical first aid." Seraphina gets a modest stipend on top of her room and voucher for the hub restaurants, and a brief tour of Chicago shopping (because there's dozens of cities to choose from but Chicago's the one she's seen before) so she knows how to avoid major cultural pitfalls trying to get a new pair of shoes.

Xiara, when her mana recovers, is directed to teleport to a tucked-away part of a temperate national preserve, told to lie low, given a list of endangered species she is not to eat or disturb, and left to her own devices with a mirror in case she wants to talk about something or needs help with a park ranger or something. Isabella could use an architect, but mostly on the colony, which is not to be known to any mages yet.