Milliways Again

[her_imperial_radiance]

It lurks. Oh how it lurks.

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[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."

[self_composed]

"I am sterile, albeit reversibly," Bella says. "It seemed like the sort of thing it would be wise to take care of in advance. Libby? Wolf village or ask 'em to get us a hotel room?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Wolf village," she says, shrugging.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"This way," says Elspeth, and she and Jake show them through some more halls, down some stairs, and through a tunnel, then up a spiral ramp to a pleasant little cluster of houses and small nonhouse buildings, with well-cleared paths between them through the snow.

"If the cold bothers you, don't worry - the houses we use for humans have heating," Elspeth assures them. "And there are coats and changes of clothes in a few sizes you can use if you like."

[prima_sequentem]

"Comfy," says Libby.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"We've had a while to think of stuff," Elspeth says. "Jake, you wanna tell everyone?"

Jake wades into some snow and hangs a right, presumably for modesty purposes; presently he is replaced with a big, brown-furred wolf, who does apparently nothing before changing back, getting dressed, and walking back onto the path again. "The welcoming committee is Elena today, she's on her way," he says.

[prima_sequentem]

"There's a welcoming committee?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Well, no. Just Elena," says Jake.

Elspeth says, "There's usually someone around in wolf form waiting for telepathic notices from whoever, and when something little like this comes up, that wolf tags the next in line to take over and comes and handles it. We know our way around here, but we don't live here - in some capitals we stay in the wolf village but Lisel isn't one of them. So Elena is going to show you around and get you settled in and explain you to everyone."

[prima_sequentem]

"You know, I really appreciate how organized this empire is," says Libby.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Thanks!" says Elspeth.

A lady who looks twenty-five (which just means: activated wolf) and also looks vaguely-not-quite-white in some unspecified way trots up to them, barefoot and wearing just one of those magnetic wraparound uniform things. "Hallo, Jake, Princess, Libby, Alternate Universe Bella," she says smartly, saluting.

[self_composed]

"You have to have dealt with name collisions before," says Bella, amused. "You can just call me Bella. I bet everyone will know who you're talking to from context."

[prima_sequentem]

"Hello, Elena."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Well," says Elspeth, "I'll see you around. I can send this far from anywhere in the main part of the capital and I'll let you know if I find Milliways again. It's most likely to be me; if it's someone else Dwi will tell you - or someone who can tell you in person if he doesn't work on you like Mama. You'll probably get a note within an hour or two about a formal meeting time for tomorrow when there's more flexibility in the schedule, to talk about trade and stuff. Bye!"

She and Jake go back down into the tunnel.

"You want the blue house, the green house, or the white house?" Elena asks.

[prima_sequentem]

"I like blue," says Libby. "Blue's nice."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Blue house it is. Follow me," Elena says. "HEY GUYS!" she shouts as they meander through the village. "We got human visitors! Their names are Libby and Bella! They're from the princess's funky alternate universe bar thing!"

Heads poke out some of the windows. There are waves.

[self_composed]

Bella waves back, finding the whole thing terribly charming.

[prima_sequentem]

Likewise Libby! Elspeth's entire universe is kind of cute, apparently.

[her_imperial_radiance]

A door bursts open. Someone trips throwing himself out of it, then quickly rolls over and stands up and makes it down the porch steps to approach rather near Libby and stop there and stare at her.

"Hi," he says.

"...Orfeo," says Elena. "Orfeo. She's not even from here!"