"Can scrying tell you if the magic's the same, or - not?"

He shakes his head. "I might find a portal or two, if I spent ages looking, but uh - I'm not sure how worth the trouble that is? It might not even prove that it's the same type of magic."

"Fair enough. You'll just have to compare notes when we visit."

"I will!" Snuggle, snuggle. "... If it's the same system I am extremely excited, he's probably made all sorts of breakthroughs!"

"Yeah, he's had loads of time, maybe he can make really efficient portals or ones that go farther or something."

"That would be so convenient. Bet he keeps lots of books of cheat sheets on all magic ever, that's what I would do."

"And he sure seems to be a you. Just an old one. I can immortalize him - maybe on a second trip, I'm going to be short on space, but eventually - and then he will not be so old-looking."

Adarin nods. "We'll see how excited he is about that, certainly. I think in exchange for immortality for lots of people he might help us out with his magic."

"For lots of people we have to set up imports and, like, the informal interplanar equivalent of work visas, but it's sure not impossible."

"Yeah. Now I'm being all hopeful, for all I know he might be worse than Edarial," snorts Adarin.

"I'm hoping he and Iobel will work it out. Eventually."

"Me too. I don't see how they couldn't but I am also biased."

"I don't think she has infinite patience. I'm not sure if I boosted or reduced her level of patience, actually - I gave her a positive example but I also gave her an appealing bailout option."

Nod. "Mm. Hopefully they'll be all right. For their own happiness, and also it can stop being awkward around them when we are obviously married."

"I somehow feel like 'married' is the wrong descriptor to use to differentiate ourselves from them."

He snorts. "... Happily married, then. Though I don't consider whatever they had a marriage. That was two people forced into a bond neither wanted, not actually... Deciding to be with someone for the rest of forever."

"We should! We have to be sure the planes don't fall apart if we are away for a relatively short period of time." Nuzzle.

"Path can fly into my hub office now and then if mirror delegation alone isn't cutting it, at least."

"True. So we're not going to have to worry about that as much. Just getting to the other me and preparation for the trip."

"Yes. And I guess we'll need to stop somewhere on the way, where should we go?"

"Not sure, we'll have to figure that part out, I suppose. Should we pick a place with civilization, to see if we can spread the plague of utopias?"

"Sure. Since we'll probably want to visit Lone Possibly Depressing Adarin more than once even if he is depressing it'd be good if it was someplace it was nice to have a portal to in its own right."

"Agreed. We'll be careful, then - shall I start scrying?"