Wow. Poor guy. Well, that's what you get.

It's a good thing Kat wasn't with me this time.

Yeah.

Are you gonna turn this place into a bunny field?

I might! I'm not nearly as mad at this guy now that he gets the picture, but... it'd be nice to turn this place into somewhere you would've been safe landing on.

Awwww I love you.

I love you too!

After a while she wonders, "Hey do you have an Iri?"

—?

"Have you ever had a kid?"

"No? What, you have?"

The overlap between parenting techniques he is aware of and things he would be willing to do to his own child is pretty much nonexistent, but maybe it's different for humans. Probably it's different for humans.

"Good, I don't think Iri would like to be this species at all."

"I bet she wouldn't!"

"I'm hardly in urgent need of an heir, anyway, I co-rule with my twin sister."

"...huh. I don't have any siblings."

"Is she that person who caught me?"

"Yes." (He flinches slightly at the reminder. He wishes he hadn't hurt her, wishes it so very much, wishes it even though it's wrong to show mercy.)

Aww.

He glares up at Serik. "Are you going to conquer Shadow Mountain or not."

(The loss of prestige would annoy him, but as long as he and his sister are safe, he doesn't care what happens to anyone or anything else. The Endarkened as a civilization are supposed to be working together to call their dark god back into this world, but Sovarith has never intended to go through with that plan and wouldn't mourn the loss of the possibility for a second. His only real concern is that without a thousand Endarkened at their backs, he and Nesifra would be easy prey for the forces of the Light if they were ever found; and the forces of the Light don't currently know that any Endarkened still exist, and need not ever be informed.)

"I think I might!" he says. "I have no particular longing to see you or your sister hurt, but I'm not thrilled by what you've done with the place and I think you'll be better off in the long run if I wipe it out. Maybe I'll see if I can teach you my magic in case of future conquerors who don't like you as much as I do."

(It's baffling how - merciful Serik is.)

"Are you gonna hook him into your thing?"

"Maybe." He snuggles his Beka.

(If she doesn't want him to, then he can refrain. It is very important to him that she should get to feel safe. But, well, they can both see what Sovarith thinks of the idea of hurting her again; he seems, to put it mildly, very unlikely to try it.)

D'you think it'll stick? What if his sister tries talking him out of it or something?

I think it'll stick. If it was me I know it would - there's no one who could ever convince me to hurt you.