"How'm I gonna do that? It's a long way to swim."

"Yeah, I wouldn't recommend showing up the long way unless you get into hardcore long-distance boating or acquire a small aircraft. If the Princess clears it I could pick you up but apparently she's been warned by the coalition of your alts that you're going to be inconsistently acceptable company for a while?"

...He cracks up. "Inconsistently acceptable?"

"Not her exact words, but it seemed to be the general idea. One day you're somewhere between okay and antisocial, the next day, pyromania."

"Well, I did burn down the house," he admits cheerfully. "It didn't stay down, though."

"Yeah, lots of magic floating around courtesy of Mum."

"Lucky her."

"Par for the course. There's practically a caste system going on for common templates."

"Huh?"

"Elspeth's mom and her alts take over the world, Jokers make coins for 'em, Elspeth's grandma Lizzie and her alts do personnel officer stuff," Kerron shrugs. "There's exceptions and other people floating around but there's also really obvious patterns."

"It's pretty likely, but you're gonna have to be a little patient."

He makes a face. "Patience."

"Oh no! You have to live on a tropical island with a magical princess, building sandcastles and playing computer games and cuddling your glowing pet, before you are awarded masochism-powered unlimited wishes!"

"Nah. I get to live on a beach with my best friend, windsurfing and teaching myself Sanskrit and occasionally entering the Ultra Olympics, and have already collected my award."

"Good for you," he snorts.

"I'm pretty cool with it!"

"I bet!"

"So what's your favorite place on this island?"

Kerron traipses up the rock, looking rather like a mountain goat in so doing, and investigates the view.

"Nice," says Kerron, leaping lightly down. "Good vantage point."