"It would be so weird. People have thought it of Idania and Rae before, though. I once had an embarrassingly long conversation in which someone who vaguely knew Idania kept referring to her 'boyfriend' and I couldn't figure out if there was a boyfriend she hadn't told me about, a fling someone had read too much into, or a metaphor for her favorite hat. The poor fellow was very embarrassed when I figured it out and corrected him."

Idania giggles. "That was funny. The sea bitch actually accused Rae of - some very dirty things that involved me and he was just so confused."

"You do seem very close, but I'd hesitate to read into it even if I didn't know."

"Yeah. Best friends, I would say, if I had to put it in normal-people terms. I'm pretty sure we are the strangest acolyte-god pair of all time. It's fun!"

Adarin snickers. "Sounds it."

"My situation's closer to the standard. Worked my way up."

"Well, I'm not really sure what the standard is. New to the world, and all. What's the standard?"

"Work for years for a god to trust you with increasing levels of power and for them to take notice of you specifically. If you're devoted and lucky, after years of work, bam, acolytehood."

"I had to write a book."

"What on?"

"Domestic abuse. At the time one of a small number of unsolved problems in Perinixu's domain."

"It was a good book, I read it. Helpful and altruistic and everything."

"Hurray, altruism!"

"How does that work?"

"Adarin's magic has a limited, renewable-especially-with-sleep fuel to it, so he'll be more useful in getting your bike back if he naps. I assume this world has hotels, even though you guys don't have your mountaintop houses set up yet?"

"Yes... I suppose if we don't stay overnight I can probably get him a room without needing to pay for it in money, too. Overnight would be harder."

"I might be able to nap on the cloudpine. If I don't fall off."

"Could sling you under it in the hammock?"

"... Normally I'd say the wind would prevent that but it's being remarkably helpful, so - let's give it a shot?"

"The wind has been very helpful, I like these blessings we got."

Adarin gives directions, then snuggles into the hammock. He manages to fall asleep, comfy in the hammock and unharmed by the helpful, helpful wind.

"I am really tempted to draw on his face," says Idania in a conspiratorial tone. "If only I had something to draw with."