"Okay..."

"If we were really good at being Catholic we would not be having this conversation."

The Catherines have snuck all the way to where this conversation is being had. They take a simultaneous deep breath and then whisper together, "We want to hold the baby she is so small."

"Oh - well - uh are they good at holding babies carefully -"

"Yeah, she practiced with a doll before we let her with her baby brother -"

"Then that sounds lovely." She transfers sleepy baby Catherine into older Catherine's arms. Kat peers over her shoulder.

"Sooooooo smallllllll," they whisper. Kat reaches out to touch a tiny hand. Baby Catherine clasps her finger but sleeps on.

Michael beams at them adoringly.

Baby Catherine's mama leans on her Macalaurë and grins.

He puts an arm around her and watches the children.

Eventually Kat takes a turn - the girls are very elaborately cautious about the transfer.

And eventually after that they give her back to her mama and run off.

"I wonder if everybody will have a Joanna and then a Jeremy when they have more children."

"Can we even -?"

"Half-Elves are a thing, yes."

"Gosh."

"They seem to get most of the nice things about both species."

"Like what?"

"Better senses - not as good as ours, but better - longer lifespan than humans, not that that'll matter, they're all strikingly pretty by Elven standards, they don't have oaths..."

"Oaths are bad news. Except the getting married thing."

Fervent nod.

"But maybe I will get my free will taken off. I will see what my Macalaurë thinks. He needs to visit me more, I can't teleport."

"I'll tell him."

"Thanks!"

"Should we head over to Wish and research local papal dictates?" he asks his Rebecca.

Giggle. "Yeah!"

Pop pop pop pop pop pop pop pop - "sorry about that, Edda's neighbors are way out of our way -"

"It's all right."

"I don't know if the whole planet has internet yet or if we need to find a coffee shop." He pulls out a chiplocked computer. Things move on the screen.