What story she wants to tell with her life together with Zoe...

Before she can think about it too much, she's scribbling frantically into the notebook.

If we were to tell a story together I think it would be one of mutual passion and scientific (or, I suppose, magical) advancement. Zoe is quite driven and passionate about her research, and I can't imagine that would change if she were granted magical powers. She has a hard time being happy, or even, as much as I hate to admit it, being nice. But she's so intelligent and so passionate. Ugh, I already said that. I know these powers are all about being beautiful and special and if either of us is already special it's definitely her. I want

And she abruptly stops writing. After a few minutes of silence it becomes clear that she is not going to continue.

Are you still there? Do you need more time to think about something?

Um.

 

I just realized I don't know what I want, I guess.

 

From what I wrote can you... help? Is that enough information? Do you know what would be best to pick?

She is not panicking. The enormity of what's happening is just catching up to her. That's all.

How can she know what Zoe might want? How can she plan their whole life together?

It's okay to not know what you want, lots of people find it hard to figure that out. It's also okay if all you want is to cheer from the side and support someone else in achieving their dreams. You need to be really sure about the other person though. If you're dedicating yourself to someone else and they don't actually want you to that's a good way to get hurt.

From what you said about Zoe, it sounds like she might like Dragon Fairy Elf Witch, that's the easiest way to get lots of magical powers and unusual abilities that might be interesting to research. Anything You Can Do is also good for keeping up with someone you love if you're afraid of being left behind. I Can Fix Them could also help you with teaching Zoe how to be nice to people.

Cheering from the side... supporting someone else... is that what she's signing up for for the rest of her life?

Zoe deserves it. Zoe deserves all the magic and joy and fantastic things Adelaide can bring into Zoe's life. And if Adelaide can be by Zoe's side while she's doing it, how could she ask for anything better?

Thank you. I think you are most likely correct. And I am as sure as I can be about this.

She checks off Dragon Fairy Elf Witch and makes sure to leave Anything You Can Do checked. (With that she can follow Zoe down all the magical pathways she's certainly going to go down! Like the Notebook said. She won't be left behind. It will be all right.) She hesitates over I Can Fix Them.

Is I Can Fix Them applicable both ways with Sacred Trust? Hypothetically speaking, could Zoe use it to fix me if I wasn't measuring up?

I'm not sure what you're saying I'm correct about. Could you please explain what you mean?

The way I Can Fix Them works is that it helps both of you become the best versions of yourselves as judged by each other.

The best version as judged by each other. What would the best version of Adelaide in Zoe's eyes be? Driven, probably, and intelligent, and a good collaborator. That sounds good. She checks off I Can Fix Them.

Thank you for the explanation.

You are most likely correct that Zoe would enjoy Dragon Fairy Elf Witch. I had not made that connection on my own so I appreciate your suggestion.

I should say -- well, I don't see it as cheering her on from the side. She just happens to be the one of us who is more sure about what she wants. I'm okay with that. Does that make sense?

You're welcome, I'm always happy to help people understand the powers I offer.

I think that makes sense, it's fine to not know what you want and just go with the flow some of the time. I do think it's important that you find your own way to be special though. If you want to be special as Zoe's number one fan or loyal helper that's totally fine, just be sure that's what you want.

But with Anything You Can Do we can both be that special.

If having a lot of knowledge and skill is how you want to be special then Anything You Can Do is a great way to achieve that yes.

I would like that, yes!

Knowledge and skill is the priority. The being-pretty and being-loved and being-popular is incidental, things she's chosen to advance her other goals. That's all.

5 points left... hmm. Maybe she should start thinking about the very first question that she's left conspicuously blank this whole time.

Do you have any advice on what Zoe might like if I pick Somewhere In Mind for the first question?

I don't know very much about what other worlds exist. If you're not sure what to pick I recommend choosing Isekai Roulette and letting The Spirit choose for you. It's much better at this than I ever could be.

Hmm, yes, I suppose it does say it will pick something that's good for me, and that will apply to Zoe as well.

(Of course she's not going to pick Stay Put. Who would do that?)

She checks off Isekai Roulette decisively.

The remaining 5 points should probably go towards making sure she and Zoe are safe in their new world, whatever that is. Making Ends Meet seems wise, as do Battle Angel and Battle Demon. She checks them all.

With only two points left, she's starting to get a bit nervous.

If I pick Well-Endowed does that require me to have big, um... you know?

She's not blushing she's not blushing.

Your figure needs to be generous in some way if you're taking well endowed, that could mean your breasts but it could also mean your hips or some other part of you. Some people have applied it to a penis.

But if I also take Hollow Leg I am no longer bound by that restriction?

Yep, exactly.

She checks Well-Endowed and Hollow Leg, bringing her point total down to zero.

Did I... do it right? Is there anything else I need to do? Um, and would I be instantaneously transported to the new universe or is there time to, you know, wrap things up?

She thinks for a minute.

Do I need to show you to Zoe?

You can spend as much time as you want thinking about things before leaving. When you're ready you need to tell me that you're finalizing your choices or something like that.

You don't have to show me to Zoe if you want it to be a surprise. I know some people don't like big surprises but I don't know enough about Zoe to know if that applies to her.

Let's go with a surprise.

Zoe will be surprised. Zoe will be thrilled. She'll have everything she never knew she wanted.

(And Adelaide. She'll have Adelaide.)

Now to wrap things up, as it were. She's going to leave her entire life behind. No more 8AM calculus. No more crappy dining hall food. No more arguments with Mom. No more being less than her full potential.

No more laughing with Elizabeth from her math study group in the dorm kitchen at 2 AM. No more buying pretty notebooks from Target. No more... no more hugging Mom, either, or asking for her help on the umpteen things Adelaide hasn't figured out how to handle on her own yet.

Is this... is this right? To leave everything behind, forever, and be special and perfect and wonderful somewhere else?

Ugh.

I'm going to take an hour or so to think, if that's all right with you.

Of course, you can take as long as you need. I'm a very patient notebook.

Adelaide thinks. She thinks over all the things that are good about this life. She thinks about all the ways that life could be better here with more awesome powers. She'd still have Zoe...

But Zoe would have to deal with the constraints of the real world. She wouldn't get to be the Dragon Fairy Elf Witch, not really. She'd have to deal with all the ways that the real world is messed up, and all the complicated little factors that weren't designed by a metanarrative intelligence. She wouldn't be able to live up to her full potential. Of course Zoe would prefer Isekai Roulette.

Adelaide texts Mom I love you. Then she writes:

I'm ready. I'm finalizing my choices.

Alright, off you go then.

For a brief moment Adelaide and everything she's wearing and carrying except for the notebook is replaced by a cloud of glitter.

Off in a biology lab space the same happens to Zoe.

The Notebook floats with no visible support for a long moment and then it and all the glitter disappears.