"I guess they could just refuse resurrections but, like, raw deal if you have nicer things to say about your family than that they're, uh, healthy. I miss my sister and I'm away from her for her extremely direct benefit, not in defense of a country."

"Yeah. I think it probably helps that you - lose them either way? But I can't imagine getting sucked into - everything - when you already had a whole life outside it."

"You know what would be so awkward? If one of these two popped up in there while you were out of touch and - yeegh."

- snort. "Mahdi's got insurance of his own. I guess Fazil would do it. Probably get along fine with my brother." This makes him scowl, for some reason. 

"What, is he insufferable -"

"My brother? No, he's delightful company. Everyone who knows him loves him. I am being ridiculously, hypothetically, jealous."

"Aww."

"It's not like I can't resurrect him myself! - I mean, not personally, but I can afford it."

"Do you have, like, separate adventurer and prince finances?"

"Yeah. I was careless at first - I didn't realize how unusual it was to have as much money as I did - and people got suspicious. Started over under a new identity and was carefuller."

"How many identities have you gone through iterating?"

"The first time I escaped I changed names and disguises every day. After that, just the two. Maghamir and Hagan."

"Anybody likely to be wondering what happened to... seriously? 'Maghamir'?"

"I like - having all the lies be tagged as such so no one can ever go 'I trusted you' -

- and I doubt anyone's wondering about him because he announced he was gonna go try the Starstone."

"Ha. Please continue to wonder about me after I announce that."

"Will do."

"Optionally via prayer."

"If you wanna let me know you made it by giving me healing powers this is fine with me."

"Maybe I will."

Fazil twitches. Hagan goes silent.

"How sure are you they don't speak Elven?"

"They don't, it came up once when we were in Qadira. I will only get a talking-to about not being stupid around girls."

"I'm pretty sure they'd wake up if we attempted to fornicate."

"The, uh, threat model here is that one falls in love and then becomes convinced this replaces all other desirable features of a relationship such as legal protection or common life goals or dispute resolution strategies or a plan to provide for children."

"I suppose that wouldn't wake them up. Still."