"I might be circumspect on the phone but I don't expect to need a magic something. You said you didn't have anywhere to stay - do you need anywhere?"

"I don't need anywhere, no—I don't sleep and generate my own food and don't have any biological needs best fulfilled by living somewhere."

Nod. "Then do you need anything else from me? And could I have anything innocuous but clearly of magical or non-Amentan origin to save time convincing people I haven't gone crazy?"

"I do not need anything else from you, and absolutely—" Pause. "...I should perhaps introduce you to someone not quite else who's been part of this conversation if only indirectly."

His face is still for a very short time and then he smiles. "I'd be delighted."

And a glasswinged butterfly emerges from where it had been hiding in Sadai's hair and flutters to her palm.

"This is Crystal. She's my soul."

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," says, apparently, Crystal.

"Likewise. Your soul?"

"I visited a world where people's souls lived outside their bodies and that was contagious. They have—rather interesting social customs around this fact, their souls do parallel socialising, and they're never really alone. But it's extremely painful to have someone else touch your soul and Crystal prefers to... mostly just talk to me or advise me."

"I have never had any reason to think I or anyone here has a soul."

"I think it's not exactly a thing that's already in you as much as certain aspects of your psychology given physical form by that world's magic."

"Makes sense. Do you have a way to get back to these worlds -"

"Yes, I have been collecting things that can serve as foci to the portal ritual, but if my hypothesis about metacosmology is correct they will not be very stable and will eventually spontaneously close."

Nod. " - something to save time on demonstrating I met you, then -"

"Part of the reason I introduced you to Crystal was because I predicted you would prefer that..."

"...but another part was that I suggested I could be such demonstration. We do not have any visibly magical objects and the ones that can be created by sorcery and are appropriately obvious need the lifeforce aspects we don't produce. It is in theory possible for us to convert between them but we do not know how."

"I very much appreciate the introduction - if it's vitally important you not be touched I'm not sure how to arrange that -"

"I am as physically enhanced as my person, it will not be a risk. I merely disprefer being... around... when I can't talk to people. Not talking to people is distressing."

"I find it so too. It is safe to tell my boyfriend and if you'd prefer I can leave you at home when I'm not introducing you to demonstrate the existence of aliens."

"I would prefer so, as well. Thank you."

"Of course." Sigh. "Uh - have you been going around touching reds and their things -"

"I stepped into two alleys the day I arrived, but I have since replaced my shoes."

Nod. He empties a tissue box on his desk and offers it to Crystal. "I expect I have something nicer at home."

She flies to the box and lands on it. "Thank you."