Bob blinked. "Forty-two."

Harry blinked, rather confused. He didn't have time for reading sci-fi stuff.

Naomi grinned.

"Awesome," she said. "At least that seems to be consistent across worlds."

Or these two, at least, Osanna interjected.

"She's right. It's hard to say what worlds have things like that in common." Bob would have shrugged if he could.

"But it proves that there are at least some parallels," Naomi pointed out. "I mean, clearly there are at least two Douglas Adamses running around, for Hitchhiker's Guide to exist in both places."

Bob snorted. "There is more than one of everything," he said sagely. "The worlds you've been to may have all seemed different, but there are probably parallel universes of them somewhere around, too."

Osanna blinked. Okay, that was too much for her. My brain hurts...

Naomi was actually kind of intrigued.

"So just all these tangents everywhere?" she asked. It wasn't all that abstract a thought, really. "They split off somewhere and just kept going?"

Bob managed to nod. "Pretty much," he agreed. "Wherever there is a different outcome, there would be a corresponding alternate universe. Say, for instance, if the South had won the Civil War, or if the Romans had never conquered the Greeks. They're all just alternate universe."

"Fascinating," Naomi said. She'd never really had a reason to think about paradoxes before, but now that they were world-jumping, it was suddenly kind of relevant. "So I could go and look up my hometown here and maybe find some alternate version of myself, if it exists? That's really kind of creepy, if you think about it, but still kind of neat."

"Hypothetically, yes, you could." Bob chuckled. "It would be interesting to see your world. I imagine there aren't any wizards there."

Osanna shook her head. Narry a one. Lots of demons, though.

Naomi looked at Osanna.

"How weird would it be to find some completely human versions of ourselves?" she asked. "You know, with normal human lives? That would be so bizarre."

Osanna actually grimaced. Too weird, she grumbled. She didn't particularly like the thought, but that was just her.

"Yeah," Naomi replied. "Really weird." The idea fascinated her more than it weirded her out, but that was just her. She thought it was really interesting, all things considered.

Osanna just rolled her eyes, seeing that her friend wasn't really weirded out at all.

I wouldn't want to be human, anyway.

"You're close enough as it is," Naomi pointed out. "No sense in trying to get any closer." She grinned. "I'm slightly further away from the human side of the equation than you are."

Osanna stuck her tongue out at Naomi. Yeah, yeah. Shut up, you.

Naomi just snickered a bit.

"I'm totally allowed," she argued cheerfully.

Osanna just rolled her eyes and shook her head a little.

I'm sure you are. But you're still weird.

"Yeah, well," Naomi replied, shrugging. "I think it's safe to say we're all weird, here." And hey, she didn't hear any outright protests to the contrary, yet.

Osanna just snorted and rolled her eyes.

Bob looked between the two of them. "You two do this a lot, don't you?"

"All the time," Naomi replied with a bit of a shrug. Hey, it was normal. She and Osanna were used to the near-constant banter back and forth by now.

Bob snickered and muttered something unintelligible.

"Either of you hungry?" Harry asked, before Bob could ask any more stupid questions.

"Sure, I guess," Naomi replied, blinking at the sudden question. She glanced at Osanna.

Osanna nodded, looking rather embarrassed. Harry nodded, already thinking of what he could get or make for them.

Considering everything that happened in such a short time while they were in Alternate Chicago, Naomi shouldn't have been surprised at all to wake up somewhere else the next morning. She also shouldn't have been surprised to find that she had no idea where she was.

At least Osanna was still there with her.

Osanna blinked as she sat up, her eyebrows shooting up.

Oh no, not again. She sighed. Well. Let's find out where we are.