He nods at Cam. 

"Also this isn't really dinner table conversation."

"Why?"

"...I guess that's a good question."

"Does a good question mean one you aren't going to answer? Why is that good?"

"It means a question to which the answer isn't obvious; a question to which the answer is obvious would be less good, but easier to answer."

"They don't want to talk about sex at the dinner table because in most cultures it's a taboo topic, and also I think the pharaoh is worried we're all sizing him up for how badly he treats people, in light of how his entire society works and also how Magic is as a person, so he'd be happier if we talked about something other than his wives."

"Personally I'm finding this fascinating dinner conversation, especially since until recently I'd been expecting to have dinner in the winter palace trading increasingly wild speculation about whether we were all about to die," says Ismat.

Snort.

"Well, as long as we're all having fun."

Elsewhere, mouth rather occupied with being kissed: How are you alive? What's been going on in Arda since I died? I got all the orcs, it was pretty close but I did it.

Mandos got tired of us. I - gave up - a while after you stopped writing - I don't really remember after that in much detail - it was a very long time - tried not to be at all interesting -

- and eventually she spat us back into the world. Me and my sisters and my mother, they didn't give Istarno a chance to come with, I don't think. And - we nearly starved at first, actually, but some people were faster than me at putting themselves back together. I think it was the same world. I guess I don't know for sure. There were supposed to be Elves who'd stayed but we didn't go talk to them, stayed away from the places we'd been told they were. No Dwarves. No orcs. Just humans. The place we'd landed was called Canada -

I have one of those. I haven't been there. Is it the same - I was reborn in the United States and my birth parents died in a car crash and my foster parents moved us to India and they sucked so me and one of the others ran off and joined the Peace Corps -

That all sounds - possible - what year -

2005.

God. We were in the same place. 

I guess it'd have been kind of weird if I found you as a baby anyway. But - I wish I had - 

I didn't remember everything right away.

Did you have - the same parents? Different ones?

I don't know, I didn't get a look at any pictures and it had only been a few days before they died. First names weren't the same but the surname was Svane still.

How were - whoever raised you?

They suck and are now irrelevant as I am legally eighteen.

Oh good. 

- not the part about them sucking. 'm very distraught about that.

Yeah, sometimes the people who collect eleven disadvantaged foster kids aren't tons of fun for some reason. I'm okay.

That's good. I'm - 

- I'm so glad I have you.