"I don't know what a daeva is, but I'm a sphinx and he's a peryton and we can shapeshift for convenience and opposable thumbs."

"Peryton?"

"I'm a magic flying deer. Hi! Opposable thumbs are the best."

"The two Adarins who left are retrieving their sisters who have the ability to send or summon people. So it will still work out all right," assures Rain. He is entirely aware of the results of accidentally flippant alts.

"Okay. I need to apologize to her for not being paranoid enough and for not thinking straight..."

"... If she's one of us, it's likely that she's not going to be upset with you in the slightest."

"I could have saved her, and even after I'd screwed up doing that I could have maybe gotten ahold of her dad or Zane and told them to summon her, and I screwed that up too."

"It happens," says Rain, gently. He looks very sad, when he says that.

"Well, no offense, but I'm going to apologize to her and not to - extra-extraplanar white-haired people in Renaissance Faire garb who think they might be alternate versions of her."

"No offense taken."

"He's awkwardly flailing at you socially! We're really good at that. In that we are all hilariously bad at it."

"Anyway, so you're a boy, and a - daeva?"

"I am a boy and a daeva. A demon, specifically. I think Adana's an angel - magic deer, was her circle the first you tried? If I'm wrong and she's a fairy, or even if we've managed to miss her here, it wouldn't have worked as written."

"Didn't think so, but I'd've kicked myself if we'd been held up because I was wrong about what species she is."

"Yeah, fair."

"Found my sister," calls Cypress. "She was here." Pause. "With yours, Max."

"Aaaaaah bad thoughts bad thoughts!"

"Well I was having fun."

"Awww, little mini Adarin, it's okay. We're in clothes and everything!"

"Anyway, Zevros had Prime looking for more Zevs who match him instead of you and we found the Genderbent Universe. Far as we can tell, that's a Bell," point, "and that's a Zev," point, "and the Zev has a sister who is dating the Bell."

"Hey," says Zeviana, brightly, waving. "Cool, Turtle found a fuckbuddy. And also a female Ada! That sounds fun."

Zane snorts, amused. "If this is for realsies and I'm not having a strange dream - this is the best day."

"Turtle? I understand the need for nicknames, but why Turtle?"

"His spirit animal is a turtle. And he lost the fight so now he has to be called it."