"No. Vestiges can, or else they're in a long enough loop that it's hard to distinguish."

"Okay. So Vestiges are probably people."

"At most it means some are. At the other extreme a vestige might be even less than a ghost, no more than a moving picture."

"I'm not sure how a moving picture that acts exactly like a person would in any situation is different than that person."

"In a single situation. A painting that can remember and ask riddles and respond to correct answers, but not anything else, or even a celebrity's book cover showing a few seconds' worth of charming smile."

"I thought Vestiges could react to all situations presented to them?"

"A sufficiently complex one can. I don't know of any practitioners who would want to make such a book cover, but if they did then creating a vestige would be one way to accomplish it."

She nods. "Okay, that's... better, then, I guess."

"Why the sudden interest?"

"I brought a bunch of books with me from the forties that I hadn't read yet, and I read about them." Both things are, independently, exactly true. "The books I got didn't have enough for me to really—figure out whether I should be worried—so I got worried anyway."

"There would probably be little to do about it regardless. Vestiges are rare and ghosts almost always naturally occurring."

She nods. "Yeah that's more reassuring." She rubs the back of her neck. "This whole system needs an intelligent designer revamping it."

"Anything that managed to put itself in that position might not make things better."

"That's part of what needs to be changed!"

"Oh, you meant an intelligent and also well-intentioned designer." Rose smiles. "In that case I agree it would benefit."

"Yes I do. Well, I actually mean me. But it doesn't necessarily have to be me."

"You or most other humans would be an improvement. I could say I hope you succeed, but there's really nothing to attempt and try to succeed at."

"Yet."

"Or probably ever, but there's no harm in keeping your eyes open."

"Yeah." She sighs. "Well. I should go catch a bus, then. Thank you very much for everything."

"You're welcome. I wish you success in Toronto, for whatever that's worth."

"Thank you."

And off she goes.

While she's on her way, someone finds her. He's wearing a teenager's face, an angular one with dark hair and a half-smile that anyone can tell at a glance looks permanently fixed. He has the same inhumanly good-looking theme as the faerie from the council.

"Running away, are you?"

"You will notice I am in fact walking."

"Figure of speech. But the luggage is a giveaway. Want a hand?"