"Yes - and please do that today rather than waiting!"

:The request you have made of me will indeed be completed at an appropriate time.:

She's not really surprised by the non-answer.

"Thank you!  For everything!  How should I call you when I'm ready to make my contract?"

:I will contact you at the appropriate time.:

And then it is gone.

"...What, I say again, the actual, fucking, fuck."

She is going to support herself against this convenient wall, and try to process what just happened.

Lila looks around the world that's suddenly brighter even though she can't see any of the magic just now.

This really isn't a time to think about math homework, or to pretend the magic didn't happen amid a world that wouldn't believe her.

"Yeah... this's bigger than anything else that's happened to me... and there's still so much I don't know...  I was planning to stop by Emerald Books on the way home, but maybe I should check out old fairy tales instead for advice on wish wordings..."

...She can solve this problem.  "Read science fiction instead; it's got better explorations of how even well-meant ideals can go wrong.  You already know enough about fairy tales to not wish for something directly counterproductive, and - that's basically what we need to worry about in the department of wish planning.  I'm near certain there's still something we'll regret not knowing about all this, but - I can't just leave you to get fucked over by it."

"Of course there's something we'll regret not knowing - but I'd regret staying out a lot more!

"And - I'm glad you're here too, so I can talk to someone about this without having to make my wish first.  And if it does go wrong and you do end up twisted in some enchantment or something, I'll try my best to save you."

Diana nods firmly, in mutual assent.  "Seriously, though, just based on the vibes I expect the rug we get pulled out from under us isn't going to be a witch's curse - it's some sort of - externality."

Lila was half hoping for a similar promise from Diana, but then Diana is saying she's mostly in this for Lila in the first place... and that really is worth a lot in itself.

"You mean something from the magic itself, or from the Masquerade, or something like that?"

"Yeah.  From the magic.  At least the Incubators are plausibly strict utilitarians; I can - hopefully find the right way of feeling about things that whatever they'd gain by attempting to fuck with us is counterbalanced by my 'no, fuck that'.  Or something.  Why did you decide on tomorrow!  That's not enough time!"

"Because I know I don't want to wait any longer with a magical world beckoning me in!  Why would you want to wait?  Just to find out everything about it first?"

"Because it could be dangerous!  To both of us!  And I don't want to stand by and watch as you get yourself killed by rushing in too far too fast!"

"Yes, it could be.  But..."  She sighs.  "I don't think there're any dangers that mean I wouldn't want to make the contract in the end, and I don't think knowing them beforehand will..."

She pauses and taps her chin.

"Actually, that is a point.  Maybe there's something that considers us fair prey once we make the contract.  There was that odd point about weapons - I mean, I'd conjure a sword too just for the looks, but I'd conjure a lot of other things more often.  And maybe we could write some other terms about protection into the contract if we knew.  I still don't want to wait too long, but now I do want to talk to an actual magical girl first."

(Plus, the idea of talking to an Actual! Magical! Girl!)

Kyuubey may actually have to expend effort manipulating the magical girl that hunts here, then.  This is a lower-utility branch of probability-space.  If it experienced emotions, it could be said to be frustrated, but experiencing emotions does not maximize utility.

"I don't think that - whatever it is - is likely to agree to support us even if we're not producing value for it.  It's trying to maximize numbers.  Not be good to people."

Lila nods.

"So what shall we do now until we can talk to her?  I was planning to walk home - I'm over on Mulberry Drive - but I can brainstorm wish wordings just as well somewhere else.  Or read science fiction."  And put off math homework some more.

"...Have we been approximate neighbors this whole time and I never noticed?  I'm over on Crescent."

"Oh, great!  This'll be convenient!"

Lila slings back on her backpack and starts walking, if Diana will follow.

"We might have my house to ourselves, if we're going there - Mom's out at work, but Dad's schedule's unpredictable.  He's an astronomer at the university, and he never knows when something interesting will come up in the data."

"Huh.  You would think astronomy is a pretty - patient - discipline.  Or does he do, like, SETI?"  Diana will indeed follow!

"My mother is a bit...image-obsessed, so I can't invite you over right now myself because of the ongoing renovations."

"No, he works with comets and asteroids.  You'd think it's patient, but time on the big telescopes can be hard to schedule, and when you get it there's a rush to analyze everything as quickly as you can.  I think he'd like to look for aliens - when I was a little girl he liked to tell me he was checking to see if the asteroids were alien ships - but..."

She shrugs.  "Wonder if these magic cats even have a spaceship.  Anyway, my place it is?"

"...what, they have to watch it coming in live or not at all?  ...We should ask; the Incubator might even tell us given it - can't really impact much.  And, yes, your place."

This'll take a bit if they're walking, though!