"So," says Aurora to Charlie, "there are a bunch of me in a bunch of different universes, apparently those ones worked out how to get to this one, I want to go talk to them - Lexi, do you want to come or get caught up later? - and Dad, Brilliance had a really, really lousy - I'm not sure if childhood's the right word, but a lousy first while, and he'll be really upset if you threaten him vaguely about keeping me happy or anything, so, like, you can say what you have to say but please let me pass it on instead of saying it to his face?"

"Cross my heart, Dad, he will never be in our room with any combination of me or Lexi with the door closed," says Bella, deeply unimpressed.

"Should we, like, take lunch?"

"Yes. And let's bring some for Brilliance too, just because he can conjure food doesn't mean he won't appreciate it." Bella fills two bowls with macaroni and cheese - Lexi already has hers - and teleports them both to Planet Rainbowsand.

"I See you," Sarion says.

"You must be Brilliance," says Shell Bell.

"Yeah," says Brilliance. "—Wait, are you the elf one? But you're—better," he says.

Isibel tucks her hair behind her ears.

"Are you better, though? You look better," he says. "That's awesome!"

"She's not completely better, but Kas found her and got Amariah and Amariah got the rest of us and we got her adequately detached from her demon-and-dragon and gave her slightly off-standard perfect recall and she should be able to unbreak herself the rest of the way," says Shell Bell.

Brilliance jumps up and hugs Sarion.

Sarion hugs him back.

"We interrupted your Bell in the middle of lunch with her dad and one of her friends," says Shell Bell, "so we're waiting for her now. And the others will be along soon. We always throw a party when we find new Bells and this looks like a good place."

"It's really pretty," Brilliance says cheerfully.

"Yeah, where are we, is your Bell Earth-based?"

"She's Earth-based but she's not stuck there," says Brilliance. "I found this planet for us to practice magic on, and then when the Joker showed up he copied it into the solar system for fun. We're on the copy."

"Oh, so that's where he went, he didn't show up to the heap. Who'll be along in a sec, you'll be pleased to know."

"Hi," says Aurora, appearing with Lexi and bowls of macaroni and cheese, one of which she offers to Brilliance, "you must be the elf one and one of the one who's not easily visually distinguished? I decided to go by Aurora."

"The elf one is going by Sarion and I'm Shell Bell," says Shell Bell. "Do you want to set up here for a party or have it somewhere else? We could just as easily meet everyone back at my palace. Who's your friend?"

"I'm her twin sister," says Lexi. "I hear none of the rest of you have 'em."

"No," says Shell Bell, blinking, "we don't. What's your name?"

"Lexi. Well, Alexandra, but, Lexi."