"You don't like it? I think it's very fetching." But he removes the shine.

It's sort of something, isn't it, being sure - I wasn't quite sure what to do with myself -

It really is. I mean, since you became sure on your honeymoon I assume you figured something out sooner or later. (Boots waves and departs.)

I managed to occupy myself! I was still rather a mess, though, I should offer Findekáno another honeymoon now that I'm more on top of things...

Yeah, we kind of did our recoveries in different orders.

Hooray for both wanting-to-live and thinking-it's-real!

Hooray!

What a smile. Island needs to kiss him.

Ooh, kisses.

Oooh, both of them being okay. He didn't think that was even possible.

But it's awesome. Aydanci's asleep upstairs, if you want to whisk me off I should leave him a note and you should whisk me not in this house.

Conveniently I know this island!

Gosh, an island. (Kib sends Aydanci a quick computer message, sets his computer down, kisses the island's namesake again.)

And look, it's an island. "Stork's ready whenever you are, by the way. I was waiting for the right moment and then - things - got in the way, and now -"

"I guess I picked an opportune time to get fed up with myself."

"It's real, it's all real, we're safe and it's real...this afternoon you can be emperor of Stork but right now you are mine -"

Eeeeee~

They don't actually hand it over that afternoon; they plan a formal event for a week later. It's well-attended; it's lovely. It's broadcast all around the world; the planet's catching up to speed pretty quickly. He holds Findekáno's hand and replays the prophecies in a corner of his head, vivid and horrible and true four hops from here and -

- if his Arda hadn't found Kib it'd now be the Year 1456 of the Trees, he'd asked Maedhros about it, a lovely uneventful year he'd have enjoyed in silent ignorance of the destiny bearing down on them all -

Findekáno squeezes his hand. He smiles delightedly for the television; he's gotten terribly good at that.

A Year of blissful innocent naivetë, a Year spent building allegiances that later horrors had failed to erode - he's doing better than that, right, this is not the same thing, this is completely different -

Findekáno squeezes his hand again. He cheers the long and happy life of Stork's new leader. He is happy; he mostly wants to live.