delta v over delta t when there is no t

first-and-final

"We can proceed pretty much as normal, except with me accelerating past you at an even more outrageously unfair rate, and then see what clever ideas we think of and what interesting opportunities Milliways throws at us," he says.

ertia

"Sure."

first-and-final

taste_tester

"Any last minute questions before I scamper?"

first-and-final

"Well, is there anything else we'd be better off knowing about vampirism?"

taste_tester

"Eh. Legal obligations that don't apply to you since you're from the wrong world. If you turn people who are less magical they'll be a little fucked in the head for the first while post-turning, want to drink everyone they see. I think that's it."

ertia

"What's the thing about memory clarity?"

taste_tester

"Ah - vampire memories are very sharp. Sort of displace human memories. I suppose you might want to keep a diary beforehand or something."

first-and-final

"Spending the entire turning process talking about my world and my childhood seems to have worked out pretty well for me," says Milan.

taste_tester

"There you go, if she does the painkiller version and dwells on the past for three days she should be fine."

first-and-final

"I'm definitely noticing the loss of comparative clarity. The diary would probably be a worthwhile investment. But I'm not in danger of forgetting about my parents or my favourite skirmish matches or anything."

taste_tester

"You keep everything really important." Shrug. "Will that be all?"

first-and-final

"Yes, thank you, have fun learning about exciting new kinds of magic, remember to warn the next person you turn into a vampire about the mating thing," says Milan.

taste_tester

"I'll do my best."

And she's off.

first-and-final

Milan plays with his intricately dancing streams of water.

ertia

Kithabel stops bringing Milan to Milliways with her every time, although he can come along if he likes and she'll call him over if she finds something cool. Nothing as cool as vampirism comes up.

It is not long at all before Milan can fly.

first-and-final

Milan is very pleased about flight.

He makes himself known to Kithabel's neighbours. He begins aggressively solving problems rather than waiting for Kithabel to take him along on things. Anything he can leave for Kithabel, he does, and anything he can accomplish with her he likewise does, because he is in absolutely no danger of losing momentum and he wants to help her out as much as possible rather than ruthlessly maximize his already staggering advantage.

His ridiculous entourage of variously manipulated objects becomes ever more vast and elaborate. When he starts being able to automate bits of it, that's his cue to start trying to add conjuration-automation-dismissal to the routines.

ertia

Jointly, they make a more-than-marginal sorcerer. They start getting sent farther afield.

Kithabel picks up teleportation and Milan is only days behind, and after that he leaves her in the dust. She tries not to grumble too much about that.

first-and-final

Milan is pretty gleeful about the extent of his cheating, but his attitude toward Kithabel's less outrageous trajectory is very much 'come on, Milliways, when are you going to come up with something that lets her cheat this hard'. It is improper that she does not also get to cheat this hard. A pity that sorcery won't go meta.

ertia

Meanwhile:

Kithabel thinks about Things. Milan can certainly catch her checking him out now and then.

first-and-final

Milan is not sure what to do about her checking him out and so does not do anything except sparkle involuntarily.

ertia

If she catches him noticing her looking she stops, anyway.

first-and-final

Well, then, it behooves him not to notice her looking, doesn't it.

Things continue to get done. Problems continue to be solved. Milan continues to be the fastest-growing sorcerer in history.

ertia

Kithabel continues to nap in Milliways. Nobody from the satrapy ever complains about the weird draw on her credit. She's not sure it's actually being drawn down at all.

first-and-final