And maybe there were few people among the crowd milling around here she could engage in small talking with, who might have something to say other than they were so sorry Andy was dead and it was a great tragedy and all that.

For example, most of the office was there milling around amongst the academics who were Dr. Burnes ‘friends’, although most of that group and their partners were pretty vicious rivals of his in the academic world. Avoiding them, she decided to get more of a chance to catch up on what is going on that wasn’t on-topic at the office.

She did want to talk more about the trip they all took to the Upper Michigan Peninsula and had only just managed to go through everyone’s reports, as there had been too much other catching up over the past few days and Nora had been kind of guarding her 24/7.

“So how did it work exactly,” she asked Benny, glancing over at her sister. “I mean and I read the report Nora found the girl, which is really impressive. She stepped up, but hasn’t talked to about it much beyond what she wrote in her report.”

“As you promised, she’s definitely developing an affinity,” Benny agreed. “Especially since this one was as much a trap as a trip. I do think Gary deserves a lot of credit too. For a walk-in, he came through, even though we slammed him pretty hard.”

“Mhmm, I’m also surprised how you all managed so well without me and Andy along. I hate missing an interstitial. What was it like in there? I mean, I’ve read the reports, but in comparison to the others we’ve entered. Words don’t capture it, you know.”

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“It was certainly was a tough one for Frank,” Benny pointed out. “Just between you and me, I’m not certain we should take him along for the next one. He’s developing the problem of taking too much with him, Bigfoot and his other conspiracy crutches. I do fear that’s going to lead him to being enraptured sooner rather than later. But Nora handled all the elements of a recover very well now.”

Tasmin took the moment to glance over to where Nora was chatting with a couple of Andy’s fellow academics. Her little sister was growing up fast.

“And from all we can tell, it was a good step for Gary as well. I was surprised Flores let us take him, considering how poorly he did on the test and you know how much she respects her tests. I felt good energy in him though, and suspected when push came to shove he would understand the stakes, and get us in and out.”

Gary had been invited, even though he’d never known Andy, but that was probably a good thing, and sticking with Frank, which was also a good idea. Other than her, intellectually, Frank was one of the few who hadn’t been affected so much by Andy’s charms.

She wondered if you might be worth checking him out a bit more than she had thought to. Yes, it was a bit disturbing having someone in the office who was from an alternate Earth, and all the risks that might entail, but going from 0 to 60 in just a few weeks and the kind of business they were in took something extra.

Of course, he had been a kid when he had crossed, and that did sublimate a lot of what it was to be a stranger to this world, or so she’d been told.

“Children adapt, have room to grow, rationalize,” she told Benny. “Maybe he’s one of the better ones.”

There was one thing that still bothered her, though.

“Are you sure you got the one who went in back?” she wondered.

“Does it matter,” Benny pointed out. “Either way we came back with a Gary who is from our side in one way or another.”