"I don't think so. I haven't been able to think of anything I can do to help you, either, but perhaps I am merely out of practice."

"Out of practice? Why?"

"I haven't tried... affecting the world... in over a hundred years."

"And you are a Kaede alt. Are you okay?"

He laughs. "There's another me, out there, who's affecting the world. My world, I mean. And eventually they'll be different enough I'll be able to just act again and they'll surpass me in power and that's exactly as I planned it. I do so love it when my plans work."

Katur smiles. "I guess you would."

The two-thirds of the triplets return. Fernando comes back with a purple eye that is fading before their eyes.

"Thomas would like to make it known that me staying here by myself was actually an act of absurd selfishness. Which I actually agree with and already knew at the time of decision."

"Funny that that's not the explanation you gave me earlier."

"I stand by the opinion that there isn't any point in them suffering for longer than they have to. But I was aware of their own preferences on the topic and I ignored them anyway, that is what made it selfish and bad."

"There is also no point in you suffering any longer than you have to, and you were unfairly prioritising their feelings over yours, and depriving them of the opportunity to help you as they're meant to. You were doing all the emotional labour by yourself, but doing emotional labour is part and parcel of loving other people, and just like someone would want to mourn a dead loved one, not all suffering is bad."

"None of that information is new. I am fully aware that what I did was wrong, I have been doing it for nearly a year. I had time to think about it."

Katur walks over and kisses Fernando.

He sighs. "I will let Kaede berate you when you reunite, it is not my place."

"I will make sure to nod along and agree with them."

"Alright, now that the tearfest moment is over, can you show us the others?"

"Yes." He half-smiles. "I do wonder if you've ever watched anime..." He stands up, reaches for his back pocket, and grabs a card. From another pocket comes a small golden key. "The key that hides the power of darkness, reveal your true form to me. I, Eriol, command you under our contract. Release!" The key grows into a long, golden staff with a large sun at the upper end, with light effects and wind.

"Genre of Earth-media," Thomas answers Katur's inquisitive look, "I can explain in greater detail later. So you have trading card game magic? Does your hair get spikey with golden lightning bolts?"

"Wrong anime, I'm afraid. You'll figure it out when you look it up later today, as well as all the references. I have better excuses than your version of me, however." He shakes his head and suddenly Milliways becomes blackness. There is a circle of green light under Eriol's feet, and he throws the Card in front of himself. It spins and stops in place, and he says, "Return, undo that which Time has done, show us what has already come! Release!" He touches the card with his staff, causing it to glow brightly and then envelop their surroundings, changing them.

Or not quite: Milliways is still itself, but now there's a girl sitting at the bar, reading napkins, just before the door opens to welcome the tallest man they've met.

Their bodies have become ghostlike—not quite invisible, but perfectly straightforward to see through.

Katur hugs Fernando from behind and watches the scene. He almost forgot that he was the first one to meet her.

They start nerding about magic at each other.

It's cute.

It's adorable.

Yes, it is.

...

After a while of that he holds the door so she can go fetch the triplets.