[Good. I'm all right with the intermittent stalking but I don't want it getting any less intermittent.]

[The real danger if he turned and came out all over Fated, Eternal at you would not be that he'd stalk you more, it would be that he'd bite you and you'd be all symmetrical.]

[That would be hell. I don't ever, ever want to be Fated Eternal with anybody, least of all Rayne.]

[Yeah, it does not universally appeal. Golden likes it, but nobell else signed up.]

[I love you and all, I don't plan to stop, but losing the option would be terrifying.]

[You could torch it off like Alice did, but yeah. And there's no guarantee you'd settle on me anyway, you can't conjure up illusions for it like you can with coin colors and daemons and it could just as easily be anyone else, we'd have to ask a precog.]

[Which we're not doing, because I don't want to no matter who I'd get.]

[I understand.]

He sighs.

[You okay?]

[Yeah. Well, no. Well, mostly.]

[...Can I do anything about that?]

[I can think of things, but they'd probably all make me late checking into the next hotel.]

[I eschew outright time travel, but time dilation isn't a big deal.]

[So we can go have a cuddle and I can come back and it'll only be a few seconds? Deal.]

[Sure.] Wish. [C'mere.]

Snuggle, snuggle.

Mmm, lemon drops. Bella replies with maple sugar.

Bella is the nummiest empress!

She is!

Ripper is so pleased with her numminess.

She is pleased with what he does when he is pleased.

Well, everyone is pleased, then, aren't they!