"It is." Wag. Vanish.

So the boys go home.

Liran-alore arrives back in Nuime and updates the other two Taliars on how everything went.

...so Liran-alore can hand out indestructibility now. Huh.

Raika-seren is pretty sure Midnight is going to want it; he isn't sure whether Midnight is going to want him to have it. On the whole, he thinks he would personally prefer to be the sort of thing that can be injured even when he doesn't wholeheartedly want to be. And he's already plenty immortal.

Yes, if it doesn't make you safer I like you all human and fragile.

They're both highly trusted forms of immortality, I don't know that stacking them would achieve anything, and I like me all human and fragile too. I love you.

Does Ashras know the secret to ultimate cosmic power is falling in love with a me?

Probably. On the other hand, I'm honestly not sure it is, for him... maybe in a few years, but if he tried it now... he didn't grow up in Nuime, he isn't built around an understanding of his own soul the way the rest of us are, he can't steer himself the way we can, I'm not sure he could pull off the infinite willpower trick, and yet if anything I suspect he's more competitive... he'd be 'the Taliar who is very obviously the worst at being in love with a Maitimo' and almost no matter how he chose to respond to that it would really fuck him up.

He smiles slightly.

Why, did you want an extra? he jokes.

I want more fantastic cosmic power running around but I don't want to damage an alt of yours.

I love you, he says.

He might do all right with Dawn-shining and Tivarante. I wouldn't dare suggest that he go for a new Maitimo if we found one. I don't think he'd do well with us, we're kind of still working things out in a way that wouldn't be good for him.

He contemplates, slightly wistfully, the idea of having another Taliar in this relationship...

...maybe I should be setting him up with Liran-alore. Now that would be some fantastic cosmic power. If it worked. And wouldn't hurt either of them particularly much if it didn't.

Pfft. It's so odd to be compatible with yourself.

It's kind of odd not to be! I wouldn't want to date a me and no one else, but I bet Ashras and Liran-alore would work out well like that. And I'm pretty sure two Taliar forks couldn't achieve fantastic cosmic power that way, they'd be too similar, but I think maybe Ashras and Liran-alore could.

Let's hope so.

I'm going to suggest it.

Having Spheres to link the worlds for osanwe purposes is so convenient. He says to Liran-alore, Go seduce Ashras and become all-powerful together.

...that's a brilliant idea, why didn't I think of that.

Maybe because we never bothered seducing you. A tragic omission which you should immediately correct. With Ashras.

I'll see what he thinks of it!

Raika-seren giggles delightedly.

He laughs too.

But first - I'm done with Nuime's first round of indestructibility distribution, does Independence want to be next?

Certainly.

So Liran-alore bounces into the world. Who do you want made indestructible? It's an extremely irrevocable thing so I'm trying to keep it to people who definitely want it and for whom it is definitely a good idea.

My family. I'll draw up a longer list but start there -

All right.

Then Midnight and his family can all be indestructible, and Liran-alore bounces away to distribute first rounds for Dawn and Suranse.

He feels much much better.