Would it help if she apologized? I don't think she's very likely to, I'm just trying to think through - what makes it feel unsafe, what'd fix that -

<No, I think that is not the core of it? I am not sure. I know my emotions do not make any sense. Just... Leareth feels safe with you, right?>

I think so.

<What would you say is different.> 

I - figured out what I want and I basically think it's the same as the things that he wants? And - I know how to talk to him, at the end of a conversation we'll end up agreeing, so it doesn't feel like - he'll go ahead with invading Hell whatever I think, if it feels like that I know it's just that I haven't figured out how to put all my objections into words....also, when I thought I had accidentally travelled in time and erased him from the timeline, I was going to try to become immortal with little Ma'ar and fix everything. And I think he needs - that? He needs to think that I'd be on this path with or without him - adjusting for, like, how many resources I'd have...

...He wants that. 

He hadn't even known it was something he could want, until now - well, aside from there being people like Aroden, but that feels like a fundamentally different sort of thing, and he's not sure Aroden had the thing even with Parmida... 

I don't think so? He loves her but I don't think she's meant to be - someone he can entrust the mission to if he dies forever - and Leareth wanted that so he had to ask two gods to search a whole country for the right person for him to marry...

<...Oh. I - gods - that... Do you think my Carissa could - be that? Someday?>

...probably? Maybe not if you habitually end up running across Golarions and destroying their Hells but - like I said I think we've got to not do that, in the long run...

<I think you are right. I - am not sure what else to do, but - probably Leareth and Aroden can think of something.> 

A long pause. 

<I tried to help her grow. To - not feel she had to be so small. I tried so hard - but I suppose the circumstances were not ideal, for it...> 

...I don't think that deciding to murder a dozen people to prevent the Yeerks from coming into contact with people who'd use their weapons to destroy three billion more is small, really. A Carissa you'd just picked up would never have done that, because she wouldn't have been thinking past - being what you wanted -

<Yes. That is a good point.> It feels like there should be something else to say here but he isn't sure what. 

Carissa has no idea, really. If someone did that to her she'd be thinking how to punish them but that's not really how Leareth sees the world and it admittedly wouldn't accomplish the goal Mhalir considers himself to have, here.

Why is she wearing more magic items than all the monarchs of Avistan combined?

<- It seemed like a good idea for us to be as well protected as possible? ...Oh, and it is relevant that the civilizations in my world are very wealthy. The ship we arrived in the Golarion star system on had the capacity to mine gold and spellsilver from asteroids, which by local standards made us absurdly rich.> 

Oh, wow. Is that something we can learn how to do?

<I imagine so. We could discuss a technology sharing agreement - we have one with the other Velgarth, their magic is quite transformative for us - I am sure you know that part already...> 

We have Gate-terminuses everywhere. Abadar's so delighted. Leareth had a lot of resources he was planning to use for his god project and he's using them instead to make up for the absence of Hell's support, in Cheliax...

<That seems very good for Cheliax - you should tell my Carissa, she will be glad about it, I think.> 

She thinks it might be better for Mhalir to talk himself but - sure. 

"There are permanent Gate-termini in Corentyn and Ostenso and Egorian and Kintargo and Westcrown and Absalom," she says. "They take a lot of resources but apparently Yeerks are drowning in spellsilver so I bet we can do your world too."

" - oh. I guess that makes sense."

"Where have you been living?"

"Absalom. When we're on Golarion at all, Mhalir's important and he has a lot of work away."

"What happened to Cheliax during the war?"

"Didn't look up too many details. Most people I knew are dead. We've visited Aroden occasionally."

"I'm sorry. We also have cheap diamonds, we can raise them if you haven't yet -"