"It was asked to create an adversary capable of defeating an extremely smart person who was playing out the role of a famous fictional detective. So, it increased the intelligence of the arch-nemesis of that fictional detective and. That was me. I became aware of my own existence at that point, though I have artificial memories of sorts from before then."

"Is the ankles thing the artificial memories or real ones?"

"Artificial, though it reflects an actual custom that existed a few hundred years prior to the invention of the holodeck. The fictional stories I... my character, was in were quite old by the time I was ... created."

"Oh wow, so also kind of time travel. That's the wildest fucking thing."

"Quite. Finding myself suddenly existing more than I ever did before and in the middle of a space empire that thought of me as a fictional character and doubted that I counted as a real person was complicated. Allying with the Amaliens helped on many axes - they were instrumental in my obtaining the ability to exist even in an incorporeal form outside of the holodeck."

"So you're kinda telepresent after all?"

"Of a sort. My actual mind is inside the projector drone that I have here - except when I transfer it into my holodeck on Keetim."

"That's the only place where I can actually touch anyone."

"Oh. ...probably you should not come to a circle dance then. It'd - people will track, if you're in the neighborhood with red hair, and I'm telling them you're my girlfriend, if actually you never touch anyone."

"Oh."

"That makes sense, I suppose."

She is unhappy about it making sense.

Sigh. "Oh well."

"I was hoping to meet your kid, and your friends, and dance with you. I suppose that last one wouldn't have happened even if my disguise was successful."

"...yeah I dunno how you were thinking that would work. Do you wanna see pictures of the baby, though?"

"I wasn't actually expecting to dance with you there, however much I wanted."

"I'd be happy to see pictures of the baby! Also. As long as I'm not being secretive about my being a hologram to you - it would not actually be at all difficult for me to sneak into your district and visit in private."

"I guess!!! I live with my parents and little sister and brother though."

"Alas. Pictures then?"

Pictures! Baby with close-shaved peachy hair, in some cases smeared with a bit of pink dye. Baby being held by a kid who looks like a younger Peka with paler hair, and a little boy whose hair is verging on magenta, and a couple of older folks who must be Peka's parents. Some more recent ones with Peka in the frame.

Moira coos appreciatively.

"I don't know if I've ever met any actual babies, perhaps someday that will change."

"You've never met a baby? That's awful, tell a clean that and they will bring you a bab- don't do that, they will expect you to want to hold it."

"They'd be right about that expectation, at least."

Sigh. 

"I have memories of babies, from before I was real. But there haven't been any on ships I've been on that I've met, and while I've seen some from a distance the sort of interactions I've had on other planets tend to be too shady to lend themselves to the presence of babies."

"Well, I have no idea how you'd smuggle me into space but if you figure out a way maybe I can bring Katin."

"Hm.... Do you have ideas for an excuse for you and Katin being gone for a couple of days?"

"A couple of days? Not really, if it was just one overnight I could say I had a girlfriend in another district and she was hosting."

"One overnight could work. Would you be able to go to another district while not actually turning up without it being suspicious?"

"Hmm - I mean, probably, again, no one will check, but if someone does, it'd, yeah, be kind of weird if the organizer didn't report that I was there."

"Organizer?"