Introductions and Explanations

Perhaps it would be useful to remind the reader of who Stryke's victims had been. We have in front of us:
a red-haired, female, wood-elf ranger, formerly an Astra but now calling herself Aialia;
a three feet tall, extremely voluptuous, fair-haired nymph, who once was a Fred but with no memory of that, who then became Hannah, and who now wishes to be known as Praxithea;
a rather taller nymph of a different species (a dryad), with dark skin and green hair, once a Fred but now calling herself Tithorea;
a black bear, but with human intelligence, who had formerly been a Fred;
and, strangest of all, another former Fred, now a woman seemingly made out of quicksilver, who had been changing form once every hour but who at the present moment is a unicorn centauress.

Not surprisingly, all of them try to talk at once once their dancing compulsion is removed - apart from the bear, that is, who lacking human vocal cords can only grunt. Once they have all calmed down a little, introductions are made, and explanations are given.

"I don't know whether to feel sorry for Belboz or to be angry at him," Praxithea says with a sigh after we have finished our account. "I'm sure that he really did love me, after his fashion. Perhaps what has happened to him is for the best. Now he can make a fresh start, with no memory of what he did. Please let me know who you get to adopt him. If I can, I'd like to keep an eye on his - I mean her - progress."

"I'm still rather confused," the quicksilver woman says. She hasn't yet told us what name she wants to use now. Perhaps she hasn't made up her mind yet.

She goes on: "There's so much to take in. You're telling us that we'll all live for ever? But first some of us - or was it just Praxithea? - are going to be used as 'Key Components'. What's that going to mean, exactly? And as for myself, am I still going to be transforming every hour, without any control over what I transform into?"

1. Synizn 2 answers her.

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