"Black people are native to Louisiana, we were colonized by France and then by England, they enslaved us for a really long time and then once we were no longer enslaved they still, like, thought we were gross and stupid and wanted to rape innocent white girls."

"Wow, that's not how that would've turned out in my world at all." He reflects on this for a moment. "I guess the way it would've turned out in my world isn't that much better." And another moment. "Let's have lots of illegal sex."

"Yes, absolutely-- but how would it have turned out in your world?"

"The blood thing goes the opposite way, people have kids with slaves and then keep the kids—trying to divide everybody up by how much of which things they are would just be crazy, nobody's pure anything unless they come from a tiny village of a few hundred people where everybody's their own cousin—but I guess if it starts right from when the countries first meet each other you wouldn't have that problem... I actually have no idea what I count as under that kind of law, like, there's people in my world who look like you and I'm probably related to them somehow but you're not gonna prove it either way without a Rainwarden. Uh, without magic for finding things out, I mean."

"It would be more convenient if you claimed to be black! I wouldn't have to teach you how to navigate the streetcars on your own."

He giggles softly.

"And if Ben legalizes gay marriage Louisiana won't be all scandalized about how I've corrupted your innocence with my unconquerable virility."

Snicker. "I think if there's any corrupting of innocence going on here it's the other way around. I saw how you were when I bit you."

"Can't believe I wound up falling for someone who would call me innocent. Me!"

"I love you so much."

"But yeah. Before you, I didn't like it when people hurt me in ways I didn't like, and now I do."

"You're so beautiful when I hurt you. I'm glad you like it. Like not liking it. Whatever. That."

"And you think I'm beautiful, so I like not liking it. It's a self-contained system."

"Mmmmmm." He gazes adoringly at him. "It's great. —Except for the part where I keep getting carried away and doing things more dangerous than I mean to, that part's bad. Really hot, but bad."

"I'm probably the best possible person to get carried away and do dangerous things to. I'll put Adorabelle's number on the fridge and if you kill me even if you can't resurrect me Ben'll cough up for a resurrection."

"I love you so much!!!"

"Although now I'm worried that saying that will make you get carried away from doing dangerous things and then actually murder me. Please don't, it would trade off against the wellbeing of sad adorable orphans."

"I won't murder you on purpose. Probably. I hope. I will try really hard not to murder you on purpose."

"Probably I should be more worried by that than I actually am."

(He's getting hard again.)

"Well now you're just tempting me."

"It's hot to think about!"

"It is."

"Possibly I should stop telling you it's hot to think about so I don't wind up getting choked to death!"

He does not sound particularly convinced.

"Maybe you should put your illegal healer's number on the fridge."

"Maybe you should fuck me and then I should put Adorabelle's number on the fridge."

Gosh. Look at Asher's soft pretty face. Isn't it so soft and pretty and definitely something you want to hurt right now.