Swamped

"Have you ever considered adoption?"

You rather obviously aren't going to adopt anyone while you're stuck in the past, but you also don't feel you could handle it. The idea of even having an apprentice on top of your regular work feels like too much responsibility, and apprentices are at least adults.

But your feelings on the matter aren't as important as wondering why someone is even asking that here, of all places.

"Never given it much thought until you raised the subject. Can't say it seems like I'd be cut out for it, either. Why on earth are you asking that in a bar?"

"Because bars are good places to find lonely people," she replies matter-of-factly. "The sorts of people who feel a lack of purpose, which raising a child might provide for them. Of course, there are plenty of irresponsible drunkards in bars, too, but it's not as if we sign any of the actual paperwork here. We just try to gauge interest."

Well, now that she's put it that way you can understand the idea, but it still seems more than a little odd. Still, it's an angle of conversation, maybe you can get somewhere with it.

"And who exactly are 'we' in this case?"

"Nobody in particular. We aren't really a formal organization, just a group of volunteers working on behalf of all the city's orphanages. We've adopted children ourselves and are looking to help other people see the benefits of parenthood, while giving those poor orphans better homes where they can be focused on, rather being one child among dozens."

"Are there that many orphans here?" you ask. You were aware there were two or three separate orphanages, but you'd never had any reason to look into the details.

"About fifty altogether. There were eighty-five before we started our work, and only ten of those were adoptions by members of our group. So we're definitely making a difference."

Hmm. You're not sure this is telling you anything. What you really want to know is why this woman looks so much like two others you've seen tonight - and like a woman you'll meet years in the future. But how are you going to lead the conversation in that direction?