He nods. "Would you be up to teaching me, then…?"

"I'd want to close this gate and make one closer to my new tree but I don't mind. Though I didn't try to carry my entire library out of my old tree and it'll take me a while to accumulate more books."

He nods. "So– are you okay taking me to your tree, or do you just mean you're okay bringing me a bit closer…?"

"Probably not right by my tree. Just an easier flight."

"Should we get going, then?"

"...You don't have to go anywhere, when you go back to the mortal world through this gate I can close it and then I go find a good place to put a new one and make it to the approximate same destination. Unless you have a better one in mind."

"Oh right, that should be fine, yeah."

"Was there anything else you wanted to talk about today?"

"I don't think so," he says, "but I still don't remember the end of our last conversation, so." He frowns. "… And bits of this, uh, have I acted at all weirdly?"

"...no? You've seemed pretty normal throughout."

"Well that's… sllllightly worrying," he says. "Weird memory loss continues, so far only around you I think? It was– a while back, I think."

"Well, I'm not doing it!"

"… Would you be opposed to doing a mutual order not to tamper with each other's memories? Because this is… kinda worrying."

"If you wish to enforce 'do not perform mental sorcery on me' or 'do not tamper with my memories' you may."

"May I enforce both?"

"Yeah."

"Do not perform mental sorcery on me, do not tamper with my memories," he says, enforcing them. "If you wish to order the same, you may."

So she does.

"Sorry about that," he says. "Um. I think that's everything."

"Okay. In a week there should be another gate settled, near enough the same place you can pretend it's exact."

He nods. "Thanks," he says, walking towards the gate. "See you then."

"See you."

And when he's through she shuts the gate and flies away.

A week later, he returns to the same spot.

It now leads to a nice little grove. Promise is having a picnic in it. "Hi."

"Hey," he says. "I've got food again, not that I needed it last time."