"He injected himself with an untested serum and I'm really not supposed to go to him for risk assessment."

"I have done some things that are even more reckless than that, so you probably shouldn't use me for risk assessment either."

"Does it hurt if you only teach me and I don't actually do it? I could know how and then when I go home I could ask Papa or show him how if I shouldn't."

"That should be safe. I can send you the mental impression, or you can just read me while I do something..." He sends the napkin fluttering in the air. Folds it into the shape of a bird, makes it dive and soar around.

She beams.

When she's actively reading him, instead of just failing to shut him out adequately, there's a shadow of the presence that accompanied her sending earlier.

"Cool, isn't it?" It's vaguely disconcerting. He definitely shouldn't let her near Maedhros.

"It's really great," she sighs happily.

"It can be used to reverse mortal aging, and mortals who do it enough don't age."

"Good. I don't want anyone to die."

"Not if they don't want to," he agrees.

"If they want to die they should at least try therapy first."

"That seems fair."

"It's bad when people die. There are other things that are more bad and there are people so bad that it doesn't really matter anymore but if you can stop wanting to die you should."

"My kind of people don't stop existing when we die so maybe things seem different to us."

"Even if you have an afterlife your family will still miss you."

"Yeah, trust me, I know."

"I'm sorry about your dad." She hugs him a little tighter.

"My world had been at war for a very long time. Lots of people have died."

"That's bad. There was a war in my world and lots of people died but it's over now."

"We are going to win ours but it might take some time."

"Is your me's mom there?"

"Nope. Could she fight a god? My Odette and her twin came through alone."

"I don't think so. But she could get hurt. But I guess if she's already a mom and she already killed her Shaw without there having been a war it's probably not especially risky."

"You think all of the worlds have the same stories in them, not just the same people?"

"I don't know but if she had to kill a Shaw--or someone else I guess--for killing her parents..."