"It will somewhat resemble online shopping, combined with a bit of computer modeling."

"Sounds fine."

"Grand.  The clothes selection or that and also the premise and your place in it?"

"Well, the premise and my place in it are not naturally thrilling, but they're better than being dead and it would be interesting to meet someone who alternate universe versions of me have married and solebonded with and see if that goes anywhere."

"I'm glad to hear that.  In order to enable that, you might want to consider employing some sort of gimmick to make a more memorable first impression.  That's another thing we're willing to enable with props and the like."

"Is that the kind of thing this person likes?"

"...Probably not inherently, but if you came up with a good one he might.  And there are twenty-eight of you, or people in your role; it's in your interests to distinguish yourself."

"...that's a lot of us. I'm not sure I'm usefully distinguishable by gimmick, though."

"You - are..."  He fidgets with his hair.  "Although not necessarily in a way you can purposefully invoke."

"...oh?"

"So, hm.  You know how when you were dying, your doctor believed you were delirious and therefore didn't take your contribution as - meaningful information that should be acted on?"

"He had several reasons if I recall correctly but yes."

"Sure, right.  It turns out that - I am only going to try and explain this one time, and if it doesn't work you're just going to have to try and puzzle it out yourself in the season proper - in almost every other universe except yours, people are capable of producing information that trustworthy, or less, without being delirious.  Or experiencing other issues.  They can do it at will."

"Is... being a small child an 'other issue'?"

"We are certainly not going to cast any small children."

"I understand, I'm trying to draw comparisons with things I'm familiar with."

"It's I guess about as much of an issue as being delirious is."

"So people can... induce delirium in themselves on purpose whenever they want?"

"No, they can say false things without being delirious.  My hair is purple."

Ned blinks at his hair curiously and does not seem enlightened.

"I can tell that that was just an example that I shouldn't spend a lot of effort on, but I'm not clear on what it was an example of so I guess I'm going to be confused."

"Yep.  You can say something like, 'I'm from an Earth where no one understands that it's possible to lie,' - or that you were told to say that - and then I suppose if you proceed to compliment something about him that's probably a decent gimmick."

"I know nothing about him. Are alternate universe versions of me solebonding with people who like immediate appearance based compliments? - I guess they might be solebonding with people who find the fact that it's happened before elsewhere interesting in itself, though that is not what you suggested."

A notecard manifests itself on Ned's lap.

It's 'soulbonding'.