"Thank you," says Path, dryly. "Isabella and Adarin are both out plaguing the multiverse with utopias, but me and Vern are home. Is it about something a couple of birds can help with?"

"Well, now that you mention it I'm kind of curious to have a look at Vern, too, but what we actually need to do is talk to Zeviana, because her alt may do something extremely harmful and stupid if he knows a thing we can't remember if he knows."

"We can get her," declares a pretty white bird who pokes her head into view. "I think we've got a mirror to her somewhere here - hello!"

"Hello awww you're adorable."

Snuggle snuggle preen!

"He's cute but I knew he was an owl and I know what owls look like - I didn't know what kagus look like. So you can call Zeviana and tell her we might need her to visit in a hurry for important reasons?"

Edarial blushes beet red, and covers his eyes with a hand.

"Zeviana, these are Iobel and Edarial and they think your alt is going to do something he shouldn't," says Path. "Iobel and Edarial, this is Zeviana."

"Um, there was an assassination attempt on us last night that didn't get us but did get our guards. Edarial thinks Zevros will want to resurrect them at once if he knows that it's doable but neither of us can remember if he knows that. Can you - try to talk him out of doing anything public enough to cause a massive uncontrollable demand for the service before we're set up to handle it, if it turns out we need that?"

"Because they were killed in front of a whole lot of people, and we don't have full time resurrection witches to deal with it if a riot of people descend on Emavan demanding their grandparents, and even if we did they're inexplicable right now. If people hear we can resurrect the dead they're going to think it's a spellbinder's spell, at most a hex, they'll think we can do it at least once a day apiece and teach an entire third of the population of the planet the same trick. We're not ready to explain the other worlds thing. We also don't know how Isabella's spell interacts with familiars - these guards didn't have them and should come back good as new when the time's right, but a lot of the people who'd be clamored for would - maybe not work right."

"So - ask their families to move here or somewhere else that's not in your country, witches resurrect them, and they get to live but you don't have to worry about all of that - political stuff?"

"Inexplicably telling people to move to foreign countries without saying in advance why is the sort of thing that will make people worry Edarial is turning into his mother. It is very political stuff."

"... Okay, but you will resurrect them eventually, right?"

"If Isabella sends me witches they will be working as long as I can get them to work and those guards will absolutely be high on the list."

"You will get some witches when you think you are ready to explain them assuming Isabella has any who owe her favors at that time," Path promises.

"Eh, okay. Then show me the other me, I want to visit anyway. Is he hot? Bet he's hot."

Edarial facepalms.

"He's fine. You can judge for yourself. We might not need you at all if that particular tidbit didn't come up in conversation, but can you be - poised, near the portal?"

"You can also just visit for reasons of your own, you won't be recognized the way our alts will," she agrees. "But please don't mention to Zevros the resurrection thing if he turns out not to have already known."

"Eh, sure. We'll probably be too busy seeing who'd win in a fight for talking, anyway."