"And Sherlock turned out all Sherlocky, which is, as the multiversal observational study proves, not strongly related to anything you did - so I guess I should expect Helen to turn out templatey, too, unless that's just a way the templates in question differ. I suppose I could see if Yseult or Damaris wants to talk to me."

"You could do that!" says Tony. "That is something you could do. And if they both want to talk to you at the same time, that might be a better way to get a handle on what's template stuff and what's just so-and-so stuff."

"Oh, good point. Yeah, that probably makes sense now I'm not - about to burst into tears." (Path leans his head on her cheek.)

Tony winces. "Also I could hug you," he says. "If that would help any."

Amariah considers this, and then she gently tucks Path away and stands up from her chair and holds out her arms.

Tony hugs her.

"Anytime," he says. "I mean, hopefully never again? But anytime."

"I understand completely," she laughs. "Jane, can you talk to Yseult and Damaris for me?"

[Hi, Jane!] says Damaris.

[Hello,] says Yseult.

[So,] Jane says to both of them, [Amariah would like to talk to you and your alt about your template. She's in the Belltower. D'you have a while?]

[Yes,] says Yseult.

[Sure!] says Damaris.

[I can yoink you there if you'll head for your Janepoint.]

They both

do that.

Yoink, yoink.

"Hi, guys."

"Hello," says Yseult. "What is it?"

"When I got home," Amariah says, looking away, "it had been sixty-six years. There is a thirteen-year-old you there named Helen. And I don't know what to do."

"...I'm not sure I know what to do either," says Damaris, glancing at Yseult with a nervous flutter of her wings.

"I can't imagine," Yseult murmurs.

"Yeah. I'm calmed down now, but I'm not even old enough to have a thirteen-year-old you, right, and we'd never talked about it."