He raises his eyebrows, but gallantly moves out the way. "I suppose Baedal is itself proof that the adage about truth being stranger than fiction isn't entirely without merit."

He wondered, sometimes, if there were so many worlds that it meant everything was true. It didn't much matter, but it was amusing to think of, now and then.

"Though I can't say you struck me as much of browser." Alice seems intent, focused in a way that seems familiar to him, in a general way. She's interesting, which can't really say anything good, given Ivan's interests. "I'd have expected you to have a list."