"Not metaphorical at all, I was just framing it like that so as not to freak you out. Sorry if I just gave you an existential crisis?"

He shrugs. "Nah, I guess my life does make a lot more sense if it's part of a book. And the someone up there who likes me isn't the gods, then, it's—you?"

"Yeah. In the plural form, anyway. I like you fine but this is my first time meddling in your life. Though I suppose technically I helped you with your pretty face? So maybe nevermind, I did meddle, but the only meddling I did was to help make you pretty. Horror upon horrors."

"...my face? You made my face?" He grins. "Well, good job on that, I quite like it."

"Technically it was a bit more like I sorted through very tedious face soup to find your face," she says, brightly, grinning back. "But basically yes. Thank you, and also you're welcome."

He continues grinning. "So, if it's not you who wrote my life, who is it?"

"His name is Pedro! He's very nice, we're friends. I suspect he might not appear in a dramatic puff of smoke before you or anything, or if he does, it won't be for very long, because it's much easier to write when you let someone write the other half of the book." She raises her voice and turns her head ceilingward. "But if Pedro would like to come out and say hi, I wouldn't say no or make faces at being upstaged!"

He looks up at the ceiling expectantly.

Aestrix waits for a few seconds.

"That'll be a no, not today. Sorry," she shrugs.

He shrugs. "Well, would've been too much to ask. So, what's this for, then?"

She shrugs again and makes an extended noncommittal sound.

"Seemed like it'd be neat?"

He raises both eyebrows. "Meeting me? Would be neat? Well, I can't say I'm not flattered."

Snort.

"You're welcome? Though it's less that I'm enamored with you, and more that I'm enamored with myself, and the prospect of showing up and confusing you sounded like it'd be fun. Also I guess I can save your world a little, but there's no rush, time's paused in Tyria because Milliways is convenient like that."

"—oh yeah I was gonna ask, the Queen had requested my presence and I wouldn't want to be late, but that one's good. Now when you say 'save your world'..."

"You will not be late. When I say save your world, I mean actually save it, no more dragons, no more shitty gods, no more, uh, what else do you have, eldritch whatsits nibbling at reality? Or something? I forget. Oh, oh, no more Palawa Joko, fuck that guy. I am so pissed that he was let loose and no one thought to put him back until after he had his army together, who would do that??"

"...that would actually be pretty amazing!" he says after a barely perceptible pause, with less than complete enthusiasm.

... Aestrix sporfles, makes an expression that reads as 'oh no honey I'm sorry,' then pats his hand gently.

"And then put you down in a place that is not boring. I am not going to put you in the unenviable position where you get to like, ask the all powerful person to ruin your life for the good of the world, that sounds shitty to do to you? Instead I can just, I don't know, give you immortality and super powers and send you to gleefully cavort about the multiverse, having adventures in places."

—he starts laughing and rubs the back of his head. "Was it that obvious or do you just know me better than you should?"

"Second thing! It's okay, I don't think you're a bad person for enjoying being a hero? Oh no, how dare you get personal fulfillment from saving people. So I'm just going to give you a comfy multiversal home, a way to visit Tyria, probably some kind of comfy immortality solution, and a way to cavort about saving people in an infinite multiverse. Because I don't see why you shouldn't have nice things."

"I might want to marry you."

She cracks up.

"I don't think that's possible, considering, but I'm flattered anyway, thank you. So I'm hearing a yes to all of that?"

"Yes! Yes, definitely! That sounds—incredible!"

"Okay! Come along, then, I'm going to make you a house, because I like making pretty things."

She snaps her laptop closed, then picks it up and tosses it over her shoulder. It bursts into brilliant blue flames and disappears before hitting the ground.

"This is going to be a fun power trip," she says, brightly, with a large smile.

He laughs and gets up, too. "Should I just watch or do you want creative input?"

"I would not mind creative input! I hardly want to make a pretty house that you don't like. Though I have an idea for your multiversal travel method that would be extremely aesthetic, considering." She hums a little tune, then snaps her fingers, and the bar disappears.

Instead, they stand in a large, multileveled library with a warm color scheme and a slightly rustic feel.

"I'm gonna steal from Myst," explains Aestrix, brightly. "Not completely, but the 'books are gateways to other worlds' schtick."