"I mean, I'm a little jealous of the new guy, but - I like you better this way."

"... All right," she accepts, a little hesitantly. "I mean, granted, I am much less of a manipulative selfish bitch this way, it is so much better to actually care about other people."

"And you're much cuter!"

Snort.

"Ah, yes. The great deciding factor to the question of 'to soul, or not to soul.' Which one makes me cuter."

"I'm much cuter without mine, personally."

"Really?" she wonders, blinking. "What makes you say that?"

He laughs. "Oh, I was an enormous fucking disaster as a human. Don't give me my soul back. You'll regret it, I'll regret it, the world will regret it."

Funny thing, she actually believes him.

"Okay. No ensouling for you, got it. I can maybe get you a sticker 'Should not contain soul' or something."

He giggles again.

"... Soul not included is fine for the Slayer clubhouse, right?" This is directed at Liesel. "Serafin says he'd be a disaster with his soul back, I'm inclined to believe him."

"As long as I can work with him, which it sounds like I can..."

"Serafin can you please play nice with the nice Slayer? She's very reasonable, promise."

"I can do that!"

"Thought you could. Thank you."

"So should I be flying to - presumably not Tibet - to consult on this?"

"Um. Let me ask. You okay with Serafin coming to join us at the Slayer clubhouse now?" she asks, of Liesel.

"Will he be useful to the project?"

She considers. "... His magic is more freeform than mine or your aunt's. It'd be tricky to integrate them I think, but definitely worth the trouble. So. Yes, very useful. Also if my sister caught me in my lie he would be very good at, um. Making the things that would give us trouble explode. Which is not a thing I'm great at, personally."

"Then he's welcome to join the circus," she says wryly.

Miles laughs.

Smile.

"So! We're in Sunnydale, actually. Moving from my house was pretty easy. Liesel, do you want me to give him this address or meet him somewhere and talk to him before you let him into your house, or...?"

"I'll meet him in that park, I think."

"All right." She relays directions.

"And thank you. Really."

"Anytime, chérie. See you soon."

She - smiles a smile she does not entirely mean to.

"Yeah. Fly safe."

And so ends that very confusing, but reassuring conversation.