"You know, I know someone who'll be kind of annoyed if you call these specs 'healing', but I know a lot more people who'll want it immediately and not care what you call it. I don't think I'm attached to anything it'd change, want to round up some more witnesses or do you think we've got enough people around already?"

"I can do it an unlimited number of times and will go with your recommendation on how many witnesses to wait for," says Melda.

"I mean, I'd just as soon get as many demonstrations as possible out of you, but presumably you want to start selling it at some point and people spreading the word will help with that."

"Oh, no, I don't take money for it at all. There are people who do but not envoys."

"Well, that's generous. Anyway, I expect to like all the effects you've represented your spell as having and I suppose if it actually does something else that'd be why you picked someone who couldn't realistically fight you or run away."

"It's touch range." She holds out her hand invitingly.

He touches her hand.

And he is healed.

He shivers at the no-longer-familiar sensation of not being in pain. "Back up for a sec?" There's nothing so urgent it can't be put off for a moment while he checks if he remembers how to do a somersault.

Melda gives him space, smiling.

He takes a minute to get used to everything being different.

Once he's done with that there are still aliens to deal with. "You seem like you have surprisingly good guesses about how to talk to total aliens from another world you only just found."

"One interesting thing about the worlds is that some of them are very similar to each other. There are a couple really common types, but this is only the second of its kind we've found. I wasn't totally sure I recognized you before I healed you but I'm sure now."

"I thought it might be something like that. Have you run into weirdly similar people who don't look alike yet?"

"Yes, we have! How do you go about finding them, do you have a magic available that does it?"

"They're weirdly similar, it's noticeable if you meet two. We're not actively looking."

"Ah, we do have magic for it but it's a little annoying to follow up on so most people don't find their alts."

"Seems like you have some interesting kinds of magic."

"We've found a lot of worlds! Luca and Casjan are the only ones of us with magic natively but I've learned some and so has Zua."

"What kinds?"

"The spells I know are called 'sorcery', and I can also sing some magic songs, though those also work recorded and that's the most common form nowadays. Luca's a fairy, they're telekinetic, and Casjan is a spellbinder, they can do lots of different things but not many of them in one day. Zua is a wizard, they can also do lots of things and normally can't do many in a day but they're much easier to refuel than spellbinders."

"I don't have magic yet at all, our kinds are - physically hard to get, unfortunately."

"Physically hard? How do you mean?"

"Well, how do people become able to do your kinds of magic?"

"The songs you just sing them - composing new ones is more complicated but anyone who can sing well enough can use a song spell. Sorcery you have to have an eidetic memory - there's magic for that - and then memorize the spells, which are extremely long and complete nonsense. Spellbinders have to be born that way. Wizards learn it in a classroom setting, normally."

"Those sound easier! Maybe people will be less interested in trying ours, it's kind of an ordeal. I don't follow the logic behind exactly what they do to people to make them magic and I'm not terribly inclined to give you details for free but suffice it to say it's deeply unpleasant and sometimes kills people but if you live through having it done to you you come out with powers. And not necessarily the same powers as anyone else."