"Apparently people sometimes come in 'evil', too."

"Yeah." Handsqueeze.

"I kind of would like to imagine I'd be more creatively evil. If there's an evil you that is not what she'd do with it."

"I emphatically hope that there is not an evil me, or an evil your dad - I think those are the worst case scenarios."

"Yep. Don't suppose there's any way to check."

"Not an obvious one. They'll have to figure out whether whatever's wrong with Evil Arda affected the alt of your dad there, though..."

"That's the other reason I want a trial, they're going to have to figure out what to do with everyone on that planet, and it sounds like most of them are awful...though, you know, maybe given the wrong conditions most people just are..."

"I'd believe that," she sighs, "most people are normal, if you tip the balance on what's normal most of them still are..."

"My alt does not get to use that excuse."

"Wasn't saying he did."

"I know you weren't. Sorry. I am probably irrationally upset. Finankar is going to laugh at me -"

"I don't see what's funny about any of it."

"It is not funny at all, it is horrible. He will anyway, because it is not very useful for me to be in a mood about it."

"Suppose." Sigh.

"Let's talk about our future delightful daughter who is an Elspeth alt, that's a much nicer topic."

"I wonder what contrivance will compel us to name her something that matches whatever pattern her name is supposed to abide by."

"I find that bit very disturbing. Like, imagine we find a world where Ruafar hasn't had his son yet, I know Ruafar, he's going to be determined to name the child something other than whatever the established naming pattern for him is. Will he be actually unable to do that?"

"I have no idea. It's so weird! Maybe he'd fit the pattern on a technicality like Loki does, or something."

"Or end up tragically switched at birth. I am not sure how interventionist the forces we're messing with are."

"No idea. The name my parents assert they would have given me if I were a boy doesn't have a 'bel' in it..."

"So perhaps that made you inherently a girl?" He pouts briefly at the thought of a boy Iobel again. "My mother confessed that they tried to develop a spell for baby gender after five boys, see if they could get a daughter. Just got twins."

"Maybe their templates don't have gender variation. Or maybe all seven of you would have to be girls at once or something."

"Also congratulations on the vampire shadow government empress, I am genuinely impressed and delighted that your alt pulled that one off."

"I'm so proud of her!"

"Tempted to be a vampire, if it's safe for spellbinders?"