"You're not my problem. I have an empire to run, I'm not an interdimensional vigilante. Besides, several of my goals for that empire would be easier to achieve if I retained routine access to Milliways, and I don't think the bar likes it when her customers try to kill each other - as you've noticed. And, you're asleep. Most people, when they die in their dreams? Don't die in real life. I doubt magical solutions would hold, for the same reason - and I have no way to check, either way."

"Not your problem," he hums. "Oh, sweetie, you disappoint me."

"There are probably dozens of you," Bella says. "And dozens more people who aren't you whose worlds could also benefit from their deaths. That's simply not my career choice, and even if it were, it wouldn't be consistent of me to attack one target of opportunity that I can't check up on, and likely lose any chance to perform equally or more useful assassinations under better conditions. Given that I've chosen to do something else with my life, it would be stupid to attack you and torpedo my ability to use Milliways to do what I originally planned to do, which is start up trade with alternate Empress Bellas and similarly congenial folks to improve quality of life for all our empires."

"Well you sure are a cold customer."

"When called for, I can be."

"I like it," he confides.

"Good for you."

He giggles.

Bella peers over in the corner of the room where Alice is talking to the girl. She's also reading his mind and knows they're still chatting, but the visual perspective is more useful for some purposes than filtering through the mindreading.

Alice and the girl are giggling together about the logistical intricacies of raining jelly beans. She is supporting her point with scribbled equations, while he prefers to wave his hands around and cackle a lot.

She smiles fondly and turns back to her interlocutor. She doesn't have much else to say at the moment.

"I'm playing 'take over the world'," Bella says. "On hard mode, where I don't do unethical things in the process. But with all my cheat codes." She tilts her head. "That's probably not what you meant."

"It's a good answer," he says. "I like that answer. But yeah, wrong question."

"Then you might need to be more specific."

"Well," he says, "there's a lot of games I could play with you, but most of 'em wouldn't be fun for you. And some of 'em wouldn't be fun for me either, at least - heh - not for very long."

"Mm." She peers up to the ceiling. "I'm not coming up with anything. At least nothing that would compare particularly favorably with my default activity, which, I remind you, involves ruling a space empire."

"I'm sure it's a very nice space empire," he says. "Can I come visit?"

"I might just barely be willing to put you on Mars somewhere for a visit. It's got lots of safety features. But all things considered I think not."

"If you put me somewhere with safety features, I'm gonna try'n break 'em," he agrees. "But I'll try'n break 'em nicely, 'cause I like you."

"And yet, funnily enough, I put the safety features in because I wanted them as they are," Bella says mildly. "And so I would not much care for even the nicest of breakage."

"Suit yourself."

"Always."

"I'm getting that impression."

"Aren't you observant."