He giggles. "Yes, I am joking. Nah, I have no idea why."

"How would you use access to animals to take over the world?"

"That's the joke!"

"Aw, I was hoping to steal your idea."

"Well if I had an idea I wouldn't just tell you- wait, actually I totally would. But nope, no idea."

"Well, at least you'd tell me if you had one."

"There is exactly one person I'd trust to not duck up taking over the world other than myself and that's you." Pause. "No offence," he tells the other two.

She waves a hand dismissively. "I'd probably just hand the world over to you two if I had it."

"I don't need the stress!"

"Stress!" he scoffs. "It's not stress, it's keeping busy."

"Too busy! And everything you did would be really a huge deal!"

"And wouldn't that be grand? Imagine the headlines: World emperor goes to a park. Is amused by squirrel."

"When would you get the time?"

"Well you can't be world emperor if you don't delegate a lot of the tasks, the world is really big! That's also part of why you're supposed to build a network of trusted people, so that you know who'd do what or who'd know someone who could do that and do it well."

"That sounds hard too."

"It is, but that's why I'm starting early!"

"So if you take over the world before I do what are you gonna delegate to me?"

Ponder. "Well I was actually thinking we'd be co-emperors. Co-empresses? Co-empire-people."

"Co-imperials," suggests Miranda.

"See, that's why I chose you to be my co-imperial!"

"It is?"

"Amongst other things." Handwave.

Giggle.

"And we'd probably look really good wearing crowns."

"Oh yeah. The best."