Milliways Again

[her_imperial_radiance]

It lurks. Oh how it lurks.

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[her_imperial_radiance]

"She can copy witches' powers by touching them. Except me. I don't like her enough to let her through the way I can sometimes with Elspeth and Edward," says the golden one, smiling thin-lipped.

[prima_sequentem]

"I am not an ingot," says Libby. "Lazarus is, though. He... I'll go with 'sees'... he sees magic."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Interesting," hums Addy. "So interesting. And he'd be willing to visit? I would really like that. And... it's worth a try... after all, Elspeth works on you and you're still human... shake hands, Bella?" the Factotum says, approaching with a bright smile.

She gets her handshake. Her face falls.

[prima_sequentem]

"He would be willing to visit," says Libby. "Are you enthusiastic about magic? You could be enthusiastic about magic together."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I am extremely enthusiastic about magic," Addy says.

"Understatement," mutters Elspeth.

[prima_sequentem]

"Definitely bringing Lazarus next time," says Libby.

[self_composed]

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Bella agrees. "Is there any known way to summon Milliways or does it just appear at apparent random?"

[prima_sequentem]

"There are people known to be able to summon Milliways," says Libby. "I'm not one of them."

[self_composed]

"Who can?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Nobody here, that I know of," Elspeth says, "but I met a lady who I think might have been a version of Addy in there once who said she could. And I think if she couldn't she would have just lived there all the time."

[prima_sequentem]

"I've met a few people who can," says Libby. "Or at least, they said so and I had no reason to disbelieve them. Nobody we know, though."

[self_composed]

"I don't suppose any of these people described developing this ability?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"The Addy I met said she spent a while pleading first, but she did this the first time she ever found the bar, so she doesn't know if that had anything to do with it," Elspeth said.

[prima_sequentem]

"One of mine claimed it all started when she stole a salt shaker," Libby recalls. "And that she carries said shaker around as a good luck charm. The other two were less inclined to theorize."

[self_composed]

"How much would the bar be likely to mind if I stole a saltshaker?" Bella asks thoughtfully.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I wouldn't do it," Elspeth says. "But that's less about me having expectations that she'd mind and more about stealing not being nice and the bar being nice."

[prima_sequentem]

"I've never tried. The petty thief in question didn't mention anything either way. At a guess, though, I'd say she wouldn't care much."

[self_composed]

"You are very well brought-up," Bella tells Elspeth, sounding self-congratulatory.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Her counterpart snorts. Elspeth smiles.

[prima_sequentem]

Libby giggles.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Edward looks so uncomfortable.

Golden Bella pats his hand and says, "Since no one present can summon Milliways, I suppose we'll accommodate you here as long as it takes for someone to find it. Do... ingots? No, only Bella is an ingot. What is it that you both are? Do you require any particular amenities that ordinary humans don't?"

[self_composed]

"Mints. We're mints. I don't require all the amenities that ordinary humans do - for instance, it is not necessary that I sleep - but basically if you handle us like humans you won't be far wrong," Bella shrugs.

[prima_sequentem]

"Even more so in my case," says Libby, "because I still have mortal requirements like food and sleep."

[self_composed]

"Oh, I still need to eat, I haven't gotten around that one yet," Bella says. "I like food and it's easy enough to conjure even if I'm without for some reason."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Well," Golden Bella says. "We generally put medium-term human guests in empty rooms in the wolf village, since wolves are in most relevant ways humanlike. Elspeth can show you there."

"You should be aware," Elspeth says, "that since you're girls, unless you're sterile, there is some - not a huge - chance that a wolf will imprint on one of you. Some people wouldn't welcome that."