" - depends what, I guess. Though I'm worried that giving in to demands like that -"

"Might depend how they found out, if anybody could reasonably determine before putting in the research that there might be something to extort Elves with."

"And if we don't think they'll come back with another ask in a year." Can you ask Michael and Ambela to come here -

Timothy wants you, he informs them. He's in his room.

Ambela shows up.

So does he.

"Hi. Somebody forked my Singularity alt. And let him write home for help, so it probably wasn't maliciously intended, but - seems like a good idea to go and talk to her, figure out how likely she is to mention it in public, hopefully come to a mutually satisfactory agreement and if not -"

"Yikes. Yeah."

"- ah, because I'm unforkable - all right. Can you recommend a fairy for the trip? Where are we going?"

"Langkawi, Malaysia." He can recommend a fairy who wants some replicas shrunken.

And in short enough order they reach the new fork's location.

"Hi. The director of the GCP has been having her demon dig into multiverse stuff. She cannot stand me and I think is seriously contemplating threatening to make this public if we fail to hand over the daeva she wants to punish; the demon is GCP founder Lilie Ho and I think would much prefer it not come to that but has not outright ruled it out. I want to see what's going on so I can tell if they're being truthful, but I'm not at all sure I should accompany you; Ambela, can you bounce me -"

"Yes, of course. Where are they?"

He points them at Ms. Chua's house.

There they go. Ambela keeps her senses borrowable.

Knock knock.

Chua gets the door. "You I know about," she remarks of Michael. "Who are you?"

"My name is Mirelótë Ambela. It seemed prudent to have someone other than Maitimo speak to you."

"Ambela's not princess anything but all of the relevant Elves will listen to her. Nice to meet you."

"Charmed, I'm sure," says Chua. She stands aside. Mirelótë steps in.

"I have no plan to repeat the procedure," says Lilie.

"That's very relieving to hear."

He comes inside as well. 

"Unfortunately it's not just your plans but those of anyone else who might learn what you have that concerns my species."

"I do not believe anyone else is liable to have as much motivation to attempt to discover what is underlying the various universes and their contact," says Lilie. "I do not plan to invite demons to attempt the same myself."

True.

"Thank you. I appreciate that more than I can say," says Mirelótë. "I am sorry that our scrambling around this secret thusly motivated either of you to begin with."

"Hrmph," says Chua.

- does Chua feel the same way -

Likes having leverage, not nearly high-minded enough to commit to not using it until she's confident she's wrung everything she can get out of the Elves.

Ambela may have already noticed this but he points it out anyway.

"- we're aware you have no particular obligations to or affections for Elves. I would rest easier if I left here today knowing that you were convinced that keeping your silence on this matter was the right thing to do anyway," she tells Chua.

"You people let five dangerous daeva off scot-free in an incompetent mockery of a judicial process while you were scrambling to get the black hole demon off our hands before it was allowed to tell us anything," snaps Chua.

"Elves seldom find ourselves in need of haste and are not very practiced in its use. The mechanical realities of the situation as it stands -"

Chua gestures angrily at a Hazel wizardry book.

"Hazel does have mind control magic. It is, wisely, illegal; there are, at least at this time, no exceptions."