SPG, I like your riffing on ways to solve D's bat problem. One of the pieces to be aware of when writing literature is popping someone out of the story because a detail doesn't fit. It's Coleridge's willing suspension of disbelief. There may be just a half dozen readers who would know she's gotten it wrong. So, to keep them with her, its time to edit them out.
I keep spinning answers for what I will do: I have 1438 podcasts I haven't had time to listen to, 501 short stories & novels yet to read; and 235 long form stories to catch up on.
Speaking of novels, reading Maugham's The Razor's Edge. It's reminding me so much of the Jane Austen adaptation movies I watched for my film seminar. The tedious rituals of fretting out among the succeeding class what profession to pursue, what education to get, what connections to nurture. I love the main character's answer to what he intended to do: "Loaf."
Maybe that's been the single answer I've been seeking. When I retire I plan to loaf.