“Around here,” Gen repeated with a sympathetic nod, “there’s lots of people who can do the real thing. And I’m pretty jealous. It took me years to perfect my acts, no wand waving needed. Ah, well. Perhaps some day someone can teach me some.”

Gen sobered a little, and shrugged, saying casually, “We had a different kind of apocalypse get to us first. I hope a lot of people in your past survived, at least?”