She stretches her hands, a little. If you'd feel better not letting me do anything for a while I won't have hurt feelings, it'd be very reasonable.

It’s - presumably technically against their treaty with the Andalites, but that’s neither here nor there, he knows Carissa kind of thinks the treaty is stupid, and it isn’t the real reason. 

It would be reasonable, but he’s pretty sure it would do the opposite of help. He isn’t even really sure why.

She still feels kind of sick and dizzy whenever she tries to think about things, but -

- it hurt you, being with Alloran, right - it was bad for you -

<...I suppose so.> But he just feels tired, now, and doesn't want to think about it. <Carissa, can we talk about this later. Please.> 

Okay.

And Leareth takes the Gate down and - spends a moment just standing still, eyes closed, arms loose at his side.

He's weirdly tempted to find a place to curl up in a ball and hide, but - not now. 

:Carissa?: he sends, sharply. :I need you: 

Where are you? What happened?

:Gate-room by our suite. Where are you? I - am coming, I will explain in a moment...: 

:In the study, I can come to you...are you all right -:

No. He really isn't. :Complicated. Meet me at our suite, then...?: 

Sure. she can do that.

Leareth steps forward into her arms and holds her tightly, saying nothing for a long moment. 

Hug. :Now I'm very curious.:

Leareth takes a deep breath. :I met another me. An alien, this time. And - another you:

:What? Really? From another Golarion, or - I don't even see how I could have a repeating sort of story -:

:Yes, another Golarion. The me - his name is Mhalir, he is very young - older than Ma'ar but much closer to Ma'ar's age than mine... He found Golarion. Kidnapped her. Then Aroden found them. The aliens have very powerful technology. Ships that travel between stars - weapons that can destroy planets... They -: 

He shudders slightly. :They fought Asmodeus in Hell: 

Shiver. And won?

It feels impossible to answer, but he has to. Leareth grits his teeth. 

:He surrendered. Eventually. After they had - destroyed most of it - murdered over three billion souls...: 

:I guess there's - not really any reason to have expected it'd go any better than that, when it finally came to that - gods - I assume Iomedae and Aroden thought it was worth it but gods.:

:- They were rushed, I think. They - wanted more time to prepare, but - Asmodeus somehow found out who Aroden was. He kidnapped Parmida to Hell. Cheliax invaded Rahadoum - Aroden's army won but it was much much messier than our war: 

:Ah.

Do you think - it'll go better, here -:

Because, of course, she doesn't need him to say it, to know what he's going to do now. 

:...I hope so. We have Cheliax already - Asmodeus has no way of knowing, I do not intend to give Him one, we can take our time planning...: 

He squeezes his eyes shut. 

:The other you - she - when she realized I was Mhalir's alt, she - guessed - she tried to kill all of us. To blow up the aliens' ship, before...: 

:So that you couldn't do it here. Is she - Asmodean? Or just -:

:I cannot tell. Not - fully...? She helped, the first time. Or -: Gods, he hasn't even explained the weirder parts yet. :At least, she - Mhalir is an alien, specifically he is from a species called Yeerks - they are little slugs, nearly helpless on their own, but they can - enter the brains of other sapients and control their bodies. He shares Carissa's body. A little like Tadesse and Ekunde, I suppose. She - let Mhalir use her body during the war: 

He shudders. :And then they were both killed in action, in the second circle of Hell. They spent almost a year in the afterlives before Aroden's people had the resources to resurrect them. Mhalir went to Nirvana. Carissa - went to Heaven. So she cannot be that Asmodean, but...I do not think she was happy there: 

:Okay, I don't know what to make of that at all. If she's Good I suppose she can't get Asmodeus's attention, here - probably that wouldn't even help, it'd make it start sooner but it wouldn't make it not kill three billion people -: