It's a while before he's able to think again, but he is still definitely not lonely. He feels completely content.

Love you so much. It's so good when you do that.

Maybe they should find out what happens if you take someone's soul more than one world-hop away from their body - yes, it'll be embarrassing if the answer is 'instant death', but on the other hand if the answer is 'they're fine' then Maitimo won't have to return Raika-seren's soul before visiting other worlds and that can only be a good thing, particularly if soul contact still works. Esarkan will prefer that Maitimo not go around openly carrying someone else's soul in public in Nuime, but he won't otherwise care at all.

I prefer not to run experiments with 'instant death' as a possible result, maybe Liran-alore can bother the peal's precog? I don't know anything about her limitations, though.

Well, fair enough, I can have him go ask. Although he might just decide to leave his soul with Dawn-shining and hop around a bit, on the grounds that it'll be faster that way. The risk of instant death is a pretty casual thing for us.

There are things Elaneth-imire couldn't fix.

I suppose there are in theory. But especially for Liran-alore - he wasn't made for a person, he was made for a purpose, if Elaneth-imire has to make a new fork from the same point and catch him up on everything Liran-alore was up to it won't be the kind of loss it would be if something that irrecoverable happened to me.

It's your life. Just be careful.

I will. Love you.

If Maitimo doesn't want Raika-seren casually risking his life, then he won't. He can leave that to the Taliar who is trivially resurrectable by re-forking.

I have absolutely no idea what time it is, should I be going to sleep or getting back to work?

Do you not get tired? It's mid afternoon.

I'm tired but it's soul-contact tired, makes it hard to tell whether there is actual-tired lined up behind it. I'll pick up my soul and go work on that prototype Internet some more, then.

And he gets up and gets dressed, and by the end of that he's wide awake again. Which he could've done nearly as easily if it had been the middle of the night, and while that is a useful talent to have, it makes it kind of difficult to use his energy level to tell the time. If he only slept when he was tired, he'd be in a constant cycle of staying up for two or three days straight and then collapsing, until he wore himself out and didn't get out of bed for a week.

Good to know.

He collects his soul; he smiles adoringly at Maitimo; he goes off to work with that conjuror in Nuime. He mentions the suggested experiment to Liran-alore.

Liran-alore pops into Dawn and says to Elaneth-imire, I'm about to do something stupid, if I'm not back in five minutes my soul's in your lovely road, then sends all his memories that Elaneth-imire doesn't already have and bounces away.

Five minutes later: So I think it's safe to say soulbearers can survive with their souls in distant universes. I'm sure Sun-dark will be thrilled. You people. And he pops back to Nuime and delivers the news.

You don't get to risk some totally unknown horrible death two seconds after I suggest it and then say 'you people' about the fact that I like it when Midnight holds my soul, he says fondly. Thanks for checking.

And a few more hours working on the Internet and then back home to Independence. The spark at the heart of his soul is bright and steady, a brilliant pale gold.

Oh, good, he says when the results reach him. Anywhere you want to go?

Not right now, no.

All right. How's my internet?

Coming along. I think I'll ask Elaneth-imire to branch something conjuration-ish from his landshaping power tomorrow, and keep tinkering with my prototype in Nuime while I wait for his soul to catch up, and then you will have Internet within a few days.

Lovely! And Nuimë and Dawn too, then.

Yeah, that's about what I was planning.

He's proud of how fast he's getting this sorted out.

You should be, it's very impressive.

Well now he's even prouder.

I'm a very impressive person, he says happily.

He squeezes his soul, just briefly, then releases it. Mmhmm.

Love and joy and pride and a touch of the good kind of fear and—it's over and he's grinning, feeling thrilled and euphoric, basking in the memory.

Love you so much. Do you want anything else from me this evening or should I go have dinner and go to sleep?

Get some sleep.

All right.

He goes and has dinner and goes to sleep and has pleasant dreams.