I don't think they've found a universe with a dead Bell in it yet, or a dead us. Maybe the cosmic forces that govern there being multiples of people want certain ones around, and if their attempt doesn't succeed will keep trying.

Didn't you say you become the sort of thing Cam is by dying?

Yeah, true, Cam is technically dead, but it's not very impairing. Space Maitimo died too, my alt just invented resurrection and got him back.

It needed inventing? Congratulations by proxy.

It needed willful denial about its impossibility and then some tricky shenanigans to ensure that various parties didn't find out it was possible. I must have worked at least somewhat with Cam, but -

- there's something weird about the whole situation. I can imagine how a Maitimo spectacularly messes things up with you, because he nearly did; it is less obvious to me how I end up on very-bad-but-patched-over terms with you, particularly not if I invented a method of resurrection which only you could do...

I don't have a good guess, I can read the Bells but not quite like that.

My alt's loss, he says complacently. I will refrain from kissing you in front of versions of me who will be terribly sad about what they missed out on, but that's about it. Not that I think we'd necessarily end up together, but I'd very dearly want you in my life.

You will just have to kiss me in other contexts to make up for being so restrained.

Kissing Kib: so much better now that Kib's back! So much better!

Yay!

At some point he reminds himself that Kib's still not sure this isn't a hallucination and restrains himself from more thorough confirmation that this is Kib, whole and thinking and himself.

Well, Kib seems to be expecting to prove it.

Are you sure you want -

I'm in a dodgy epistemic position, that does not mean I do not have preferences over both what should happen next if this is real and what should be experienced next if it isn't. Also I continue to be physically eighteen and apart from last night have not gotten laid in years. If you don't want to -

Of course I want you. He demonstrates this.

Oh good. I love you.

Love you too. Love you so much.

Kib: is whole and thinking and himself.

And very loved and very wanted and very desperately missed.

I feel very welcomed back.

Good, he says happily.

Love you.

Love you. Can't wait to go catch up on the multiverse with you.

It'll be fun. Especially after my alts stop reading me aloud for whoever cares to eavesdrop.

You could probably tell them to do it in private, at least, seems like a reasonable ask...or we can testify that your mind does not seem to have suffered from the dormancy...