"Well, if you want to be even more dismal than me about things, I guess that's not completely wrong. I was busy."

“I guess I’m glad you were busy. I don’t mind you having a history but that just sounds awfully lonely, for something that’s supposed to be about love and commitment.”

"Most people think it's a lot more lonely to be alone."

“Is it?”

"Well, the only thing I have to compare it to is this. It's lonelier than this. Or - it would be, if Verita were here, if there were anyone else on the planet to talk to. But I guess being alone is less - scary."

“I’m- I would like to know how to not be scary.”

"No, sorry, I just meant - if you're sure you don't have anything then you're sure you can't lose it."

“Oh. I guess not. 

You know I won’t leave, right - if you think all this through and it’s too much then you’ll go but I’m not going to go -“

"Well, you won't leave, not soon, you have Verita to think about, and the crazy interdimensional council. But - I don't even know what this is yet, right. It's not just losing things you definitely have that's painful, it's - possibilities. And I haven't worked out yet what the possibilities are."

- nod. 

"Sorry. Not very good at not being dismal."

“I like the way you think through things when they’re important.”

"I was not really considering that one of my strengths. Just - don't want to needlessly disappoint myself. I guess."

“I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

"It's not fun, disappointment. Of course the most effective way to avoid it is not to hope for things."

“Or, instead, you could hope for things and get them and live happily for a hundred years. I like that one better.”

"Sounds harder to consistently pull off."

“Eh, we have lots of ridiculous magic.”

Snuggle. "I guess you can try that.

"If we ever get back to a place that has plays you should take me to one. It would be kind of sad to die having had one boyfriend in my life and for him to have never taken me on a date that wasn't actually us trying to hide from a totalitarian theocracy."

“I thought - when we were talking about Osirion rules a long time ago you said that you didn’t care for them on account of not having any virtue to protect anyway -“

" - what?"

“Did I misremember that?”

"I mean, I dunno, I just - have no idea how it connects to what I just said - "

“Well, I assumed that you had ever had a - boyfriend. Since you said that.”

"Oh. Uh. Nope, I thought I covered that. I guess hypothetically I could have had other boyfriends who also never took me on dates? But I didn't. - and I possibly shouldn't be assuming that this is an appropriate word to use for whatever you are right now, sorry, it just - seemed like the obvious one, I guess. 'Friend' is also still available, if that's - better."