"Well, I guess that's... another way the worlds differ. I'm not sure whether to expect that to happen if you die here."

"The same thing? I dunno why it would change just because we moved planes. Some people died in New Kystle and they left some ghosts, I would know, I got haunted. Bastard tried locking me in a bathroom."

"Well, you acquired a daemon when you changed planes, so it could be the same thing."

Zeviana looks bewildered. "Uh. Well. You didn't lose your daemon when you went to New Kystle. I don't see why I wouldn't be a ghost for a while after I die? It's a thing that happens with mages, I don't think it's plane based."

"I certainly don't plan to experiment with it, so perhaps it will continue to be a mystery."

She snorts. "Yeah, thanks. I don't want to test my potential ghosty-ness for the sake of science. I'd like to live a long and happy life with harems of gorgeous women. And diner food."

"Entire harems of them? Did you mention that to Luzia?"

"It hasn't come up? I mean I wouldn't screw anyone without letting her know and making sure it's cool, but like - my fantasies for the rest of my long and happy life are mine. Just because in my perfect world I would have harems of gorgeous women doesn't mean I'm gonna in the actual one."

"I actually don't know Luzia's feelings on open relationships, but yes, the done thing is to discuss them before having them."

"Yeah, that's kinda - relationship basics, really. Anything else is cheating, general assholism, or like - being disconnected from the world?"

"Hear, hear."

Zeviana smiles. "But if I do ever get a harem of gorgeous and totally consenting women that are all into being part of a harem - I will consider my life complete and go into permanent retirement because there's no way in hell I can top that."

"Retirement from what?"

"I dunno. But if I figure it out I will retire from it."

Ranata laughs.

"It would be the best day ever," says Zeviana loftily. "Adarin would turn bright red at the slightest mention of it and it'd be hilarious."

"Would he really? If it was merely alluded to that you had a harem."

"If he knew I actually had one? Yes. If I was just joking around he'd roll his eyes and go back to whatever he was doing."

Ranata chuckles. "I don't see why."

"Because he's a prude. He does strange things because of it. When he caught me with an ex of mine he avoided me for like a week."

"That seems extreme."

"Well. I think it had more to do with what he caught us doing."

"It seems extreme regardless unless what he caught you doing was vivisecting small animals."

"Pretty much. But then I got snippy about if it was because I was with a girl and he just looked at me like I had grown a second head and said something along the lines of, 'What the hell does that have to do with anything?' So I forgive him."

"So it's all right for him to be a sex-negative prude but not a homophobe, understood."