“Now, I understand you have been hired by Mister Carver to deliver an item, is that correct?” Lady Liu opened.

“Yes, ma’am,” I answered. “I rather think he’s expecting it to have arrived by now, though.”

Maps cut in. “We were able to contact him via telephone, actually.” Huh. I didn’t think those would…work in the Lane. Maps continued, “He sends his best wishes after your health and his understanding of our delay.”

“How long was I out, anyway?”

“Oh, not so long as you might think. Lady Liu, do you have the time?”

Liu pulled an old-fashioned pocketwatch out of her vest. Like her table, like her whole house, it had an aura of long use by multiple owners. I supposed if this was the House of Inheritance, it would probably be exactly that. “I have ten past four in the afternoon, Mister Maps.”

“And it’s the day after we made camp at that post. You slept for…oh, sixteen, maybe seventeen hours, Mister Corners. Not even a whole day lost.”

That assumed we were going to get on the trail again before this day let out. Something about the demeanor around the table made me question that. Still, only one day lost. One day late, shame on the Lane. Two days late, shame on us, eh? Oh good, Rookie was back from whatever recess of my mind he had been policing. Probably ineffectively. Mentally, I asked if he knew anything about the House of Inheritance.

Just what you know, right now. It exists. You’re in it. I haven’t exactly had the chance to investigate. Remember, you refused to manifest me? Oh, that reminded me. I owed Rookie a thank you for helping me haul in that Sleep metaphor. Don’t mention it. Rookie responded with a flash of gratitude.

What about the irrealis around here? Can you get a feel for it? It’s much the same as any other region of the Lane. There’s a lot of…duty. Debts owed, debts paid. I’d be careful about any agreements you make with Lady Liu or her household. But also a lot of familial affection. Some generosity. Hmm. Be careful about the agreements, but don’t refuse them out of hand.

I turned my attention away from Rookie, who seemed in my mind to be holding a length of cloth, like a tapestry. He continued his analysis, but noticing my absent attention, was silent for once.

“Lady Liu, I know you’ve already been very generous to allow us to stay here, but if you wouldn’t mind allowing us to stay another night, I think it would be safest to leave in the morning.”

“Of course. I had expected as much,” Lady Liu answered. Steward flagged in another member of the House staff, and whispered something to them behind one of his backwards hands. I made a mental note to ask him what his kin was later on. Rakshasa, Rookie provided idly, still distracted analyzing…I assumed the cloth was the construct stand-in for the fabric of irrealis around here. They’re from India. They’re free-willed, like hobs. Some are nice, some are mean, some are good, and some are evil. They represent the concept of magical beings coexisting with humans.

Well, that answered that question. Lady Liu was answering another one at the same time. To my surprise, I was able to pay attention to both Rookie and Lady Liu simultaneously. Some trick of construction?

“Mister Corners, Misters Maphandler and Bodyguard, it would be my genuine pleasure to welcome you to guest with my House tonight. In return, I hoped I might ask a small favor of Mister Corners?”

“Me?” I was startled. Perhaps, in retrospect, I shouldn’t have been. After all, the circumstances of my arrival were rather exceptional. It made sense for her to assume I matched up to them. Maybe, in a way, I did. That was unsettling.

“Yes, Mister Corners. I had hoped I could impose upon you to build a small thought construct for me.”

“I…I’m not certain. I mean, I haven’t really tried it much. I only made the one by accident.”

“Two, actually,” Maps interrupted. “The Sleep metaphor was the second. According to what you said yesterday before trying to integrate it, I believe you have created a purely internal one as well?”

“Yeah…” I paused. How much had I already revealed about Rookie? “I didn’t know I was doing it at the time, but I made one to keep my mind free of outside influences. Thought police. Genuinely never imagined it would be quite so literal.”

Lady Liu listened, watching each of us in turn with a severe gaze. I wasn’t on the lane, so I felt safe comparing it to that of a hawk. Or perhaps some kind of wading bird. A heron? Why a heron? House Sigil. See? It’s stamped on every plate. I looked down. Indeed a heron-like symbol was stamped in the center of each place setting. It seemed oddly familiar…

“You understand,” I concluded. “Lady Liu. I would be happy to fulfill your request, but I worry that given my lack of practice in the skill, it might not turn out as well as you would hope. Might I delay until I have had some time to practice?”

“Yes, that would be agreeable.”

Steward walked in (when had he left? I could have sworn he was just sitting at the table the whole time). He placed a small clay cup in front of each of us. Lady Liu raised hers. “To your health, Mister Corners.”

I returned the gesture. “To the health of your House.” I answered. Rookie had provided the proper words for the ceremony.

“Well, I shall ask Steward to prepare you a formal invitation so that you might return when you have practiced your rare skill a little bit more.”

“That would be very nice. Um…is there a way to get here directly from realis? Mister Carver had spoken of hiring me longer term, but if that doesn’t manifest, I fear I might not have a way to reach the Lane.”

“White picket,” Lady Liu answered. Of course. Was every house on the Lane accessed through a different kind of fence? Surely not, there were infinite houses but finite fence varieties. It’s complicated. Rookie provided, clarifying nothing whatsoever. “But knock first, if you don’t mind. Little Sister gets startled easily by visitors from realis.”

“I will. Thank you again, Lady Liu.”

“Steward has already asked Smallest Daughter to prepare you each a room. I think now I should go speak with Mother and Aunty about preparing some food. Daniel, if you have time this evening, I should like to speak with you some more.”

“I think I do,” I started. Maps and Boddy were both nodding. “I should enjoy it. I’m still new to the Lane; it would be nice to talk to another human about it for a while.” Lady Liu nodded and excused herself, Steward a half step behind her. “Um…no offense to present company,” I added, belatedly.

“None taken,” responded both of the hobs automatically. Some taken, but what can you do? chimed in Rookie. I looked over at Wanda. She had been completely silent the whole conversation up until now, not even the scratch of her pencil on her journal breaking from her corner of the table. She didn’t seem to have heard my original comment.

“Wanda, I should thank you too. Your knowledge of thought constructs may have saved my…well at least my life as I understand it.” Startled out of some sort of reverie, Wanda looked up to meet my gaze and answered, “oh, don’t mention it.” In a tiny voice that seemed completely out of place.

“Is everything alright?” I asked. “You haven’t tried to ask one question in the whole…” I cast about. A grandfather clock over the table told me it had been about thirty minutes since I awoke. “Half hour I’ve been here.”

“I’m…” she gestured morosely at herself. “Naiads aren’t supposed to wear clothes. At least not…” another gesture at herself.  “It’s…”

It’s interfering with her sense of self-identity. Oh, that’s tragic. Rookie, I swear if you don’t put that violin away…

I took a deep breath. “Well, I know I was a little awkward about nudity, but you don’t have to wear anything on my account, you know.” I would just give myself neck strain, trying desperately not to be a creep. You know, only a creep would even have to.

“It’s not you.” Lady Liu. She seemed one to stand on propriety. “Lady Liu offered me the garment as a gift.” Called it. “I was left with no good option. Refusing would be unthinkable, but this…” She seemed genuinely pained at the thought of it.

“You said at least not…” I gestured vaguely at her whole length. “Is there some sort of garment that would be agreeable?”

Birthday suit? Rookie chuckled at his own joke.

“Traditional…togas. Robes. Umm…tunics? I think is the word you’d use, at least.”

I considered. I didn’t own anything like that. Well, I might have a robe somewhere in a closet back in my apartment in realis, but certainly not on me.

“I’ll be right back.”

---

“A…tunic?” Little Cousin was a cobble, which looked remarkably like a hob. Rookie claimed they were spirits of generosity. Or the conceptual reflection of them.

“Well, among other things. I want to give a gift to each of my friends that brought me here, and a fourth for the house itself. Only, I don’t know how to make a tunic.”

“I can help with that, certainly. But I’ll need fabric. I don’t think Eldest Cousin would much appreciate it if I just…took some to make something new. In this house?”

That did pose a problem. “What about modifying something existing?” I asked. 

Little Cousin shook her head. “That’s more like what I do, but the house doesn’t have anything suitable, and I couldn’t offer it if we did.”

“Little Cousin, do you think you could get an item of my personal effects if I gave you permission?”

Little Cousin brightened. “Yes! That would be perfectly acceptable.”

“Alright. My address is…”

---

Little Cousin worked faster than any tailor I’d ever heard of. By dinnertime, she had somehow converted an old blue flannel bathrobe into an almost gown-like, if still plain, evening robe. I had her bring some other items from my storage unit while she was out. A compass I hadn’t used since my dad died for Maps. A toy plastic boomerang for Boddy. For Lady Liu an old novelty mug from a family trip to Seaworld. I presented them with all the pomp I could muster, which wasn’t a lot. It doesn’t come up a lot in my line of work, believe it or not.

---

You know, that was pretty clever, what you did there. Rookie suggested later. I was readying myself for bed. The gifts. Very symbolic. You understand the nature of this place better than you think.

I didn’t know about that. It had seemed the only way to help Wanda with her predicament that didn’t offend anyone else by exclusion.

Yes, but the fact that you care about offending everyone else. Clever. And choosing gifts as your form of help, it fits you to the House. Clever. Besides, you could easily have just done nothing.

I considered that. I could have, couldn’t I? Presumably Wanda’s gift obligation would end eventually. If nothing else, she could proudly display the dress on a mannequin instead of herself and say she was getting the best use of it that she could. And I had already agreed to a future IOU with Lady Liu. Maps and Boddy didn’t need their gifts if I didn’t pass out the others.

Still, it had seemed…appropriate. Perhaps Rookie was right. Maybe I was reflecting the environment. The only part I was uncertain of, is whether it was me blending in or me losing myself in the background noise. Rookie didn’t answer. I didn’t press him. I was afraid he might know.

As I climbed under the covers, I remembered almost too late what sleep was like for me now. The monster, with its many claw-capped arms, thrashed to the surface of my thoughts and smothered me. I slipped into sleep with a sense of terror and confinement.