"No, thank you."

"Suit yourself. I'm Padraic, by the way. Usually Patrick when I look like this."

"I know. And you know who I am."

"I do. I'd like to make a request, one I don't think you'd mind accepting. Seeing as you're running away, may I have your permission to match your face and act in your name? It'd help throw off any pursuers you might have, make them think you're still here."

She laughs. "After I left a note to my father telling him I was leaving? Not to mention the part where you're faerie and decided to ask me something like that? I don't mean to be rude but I don't think so."

He's unfazed by having his face laughed in. "You didn't tell him where you were leaving to, I hope. And it might be worth noting that I can look like you regardless; asking simply seemed polite." His face becomes a mirror of hers, briefly.

"But if you're asking that means you gain something. The obvious thing you gain is of course that I cannot claim to not have endorsed anything you did while pretending to be me, whereas if I don't give you permission that's trivial. And I can, of course, preemptively tell people here about it so they'll know what to expect—the Behaims in particular already know I'm going. And you clearly know more reasons than I do why this would be a terrible idea."

He shrugs. "I would be happy to amend it to your permission to answer to your name, which I emphatically do not need. And yes, you can tell who you like, though it would be somewhat self-defeating if that included your father."

"Why, exactly, do you want this?"

"I want to impersonate you because operating multiple identities is interesting. So many different characters to play. I don't know how much you've heard about the fae, but boredom is a life-threatening condition for us and I'm exiled to here."

"Is that your only motive?"

At that he looks deeply offended. "What kind of amateur only has a single motive for anything? But it's my overriding motive, yes."

"Uh huh. Why me in particular?"

"The circumstances make it more likely you wouldn't object if you found out later. Also it's been a while since I've played a character that didn't have a consistent gender attached; it'd be novel. Humans are so flat about it that they even stuck one on Padraic. But I probably don't need to complain about that to you."

"Well, but several people here already do in fact know I'm going to Toronto."

"One family you mentioned. Do you want to tell me who else or should I be watching for reactions?"

"You will recall I have not yet given you any permissions. You're not being very convincing, have you even done any research?"

"I'm going to decline to answer that, except to say that you might not have been as secretive as you think. Do you really want me to say who you've been associating with in public?"

"That's not what I mean. I don't strenuously object to any of my associations being found by any other persons, but I just mean that you could have tailored your pitch better. Like, say, if you wanted to use my face to bring about world peace or something."

"That is beyond my ambitions at present. If disguising how far away you ran isn't enough, since I did say only amateurs have singular motives, it'll also serve to remind the locals and the spirits of your perspective on various matters. Most obviously gender. And it should go without saying that I'll cooperate with your code of conduct whenever I'm pretending to be you."

"Oh? What is my code of conduct?"

"You think innocents are people just as much as the oldest families! It's adorable, is what it is, but definitely unique. I'd go about extending that to what practitioners call Others; that seems in character for you.

I would get in fewer fights than the real you. Not compromising on that one, I'm afraid."

"Oh I'm all for getting in fewer fights, mine have all been directly or indirectly caused by other people trying to get in fights with me. But I still have very little reason to believe I wouldn't regret giving you such permission. You're way older than me, way more used to this game than me, and I'm having a hard time imagining there's anything you could tell me that would convince me my best option isn't just not playing."

"I've given you several minor reasons to be in favor, and at face value the value of permission to use your face is fairly negligible. You're suspecting I have a plot that you'd regret?"

"Of course. Or that you'll come up with one on the fly if it seems interesting."