Iobel is in the room, waiting for her, fussing with spellcharts. "Hi. I can go get Zevros for you - you won't be recognized but you do look odd, dressed like that. And I suppose I'll see if Edarial is awake."

"I'd offer to go naked instead, but somehow I think that would attract more attention."

There is her brother-in-law, eating breakfast. "Hey. Heard there was a - thing? Something about terrorism?"

"There was, but - oh, food -" She grabs some food. "Your alt is visiting, she just got here. I told her I'd send you up."

"In the room with the portal."

"Riiiight, but - where is that?"

Iobel sighs. "Up two flights of stairs, all the way to the dead end on the left, on your right, knock and say who you are first."

Meanwhile, Iobel goes looking for Edarial.

Edarial seems to be sleeping like the dead, in his room.

"So," muses Zevros. "I do seem to make a hot chick. Good, I would accept nothing less."

His alt snorts with laughter. "What, would you put me back if I wasn't hot enough?"

"Yup. Hope your mom's alive, otherwise we'd have to do some gravedigging."

"Sucks to be you, mine's ash."

"Fuck, you sneaky little bitch!"

"Hey, take that back! I'm not sneaky!"

They both crack up.

"Berathyme?" asks Iobel, in case the snake is awake.

"Yes?" replies the snake, poking her head up.

"Zeviana is here. Zevros has probably gotten to her by now. Is there a good way to get Edarial awake, or should I handle it myself, or what do you think?"

"You can get him awake easily enough, but he takes time to wake up," informs Berathyme.

"Has he had enough sleep, do you think?"

"I believe so," muses the familiar.

So in Iobel goes - convenient that he didn't close the door, he probably just staggered into the room and went flomp - and she jostles his shoulder a little and says, "Edarial. Zeviana's here."

"Zeviana and Zevros are in the portal room. Do you want me to handle it alone or do you want to come meet her and help me explain?"

"Nine-ish, now."

"If you want to sleep more just tell me to go away."

"S'fine, means can't weasel out 'f it," he sighs.

"If you want to change clothes too I can get out of the way."

Iobel sits on the edge of the bed, hands clasped over her knees.

"Good morning."

Iobel waits.

"Zeviana's here. Zevros has been informed of her location and has certainly found her by now."

"And they are probably poking each other with sharp things by now."

"Most likely, yes. Zevros has heard vague uninformative rumors of 'a terrorism thing', and I did not further enlighten him."

"Aha. Okay then, convenient distraction, that's good."

"Yes. When you're awake enough we can go - watch the fun, I suppose, and break the news, because he'll hear about it eventually."

"Mhm. I'm more awake now - and actually functional."

"Okay, good."

"Oh, I'll - go on ahead. Sorry." Up she gets, out she goes, door closed behind her.

To the portal room they go!

There they find Zevros -

- and Zeviana having the most vicious fist fight -

"Yup! That's why we're not using knives!" laughs Zeviana. Then she tackles Zevros and punches his face in.

"... Thank you for your restraint," says Edarial dryly.

Iobel sighs.

The fight continues, with both of them looking worse for wear and both of them breaking out some very dirty tricks.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you, thank you!" says Zeviana, obviously reveling in her victory.

"You cheated!" declares Zevros.

"Did not, you said no magic, no knives, I used no magic and no knives, you're just pissy because I beat you."

"Okay, neither of you need a scarce spell now as opposed to shortly before midnight if there are some to spare?"

"Nah, I'm good. Turtle? You too?"

Zevros snorts, removes his shoe, and then throws it at her. "Right as rain."

"Turtle?"

Zeviana grins. "Fight started when I said his daemon'd be a turtle like his spirit animal."

"We have no way of knowing if that's true and several reasons to suspect it's not."

"Yup, it was a completely ridiculous accusation."

"Is Turtle now his disambiguating nickname in case we find a million slight variants on your names and can't keep you straight?"

"Yup! I won the fight."

"Oh, is that how that works. Do you have a nickname too?"

"Not yet, we'll figure it out, I guess."

"Anyway. Zevros, how much did you hear about the terrorism thing?"

"Heard a building fell on you. I was about to go be unhappy, then I got word you were fine."

"We're fine. Although Edarial might not have been - he was badly hurt and I had to keep him awake and fix his head injury. But all the guards we had with us weren't so lucky."

"Yeah. Heard about that, too." He pauses. "... Already knew about the resurrections, lady-me asked."

Zevi waves. "Totally fine with it, by the way. I explained that it was complicated political reasons."

"If I had a spellbinder spell to do it, I'd have got some of them back already," says Iobel. "And the spell would be published and I'd probably subsidize the damn book with royal funds to get it into more hands. Isabella's way will take more work to set the stage and get something we can handle going, but, yes, of course, one day we will get them back."

"Thank you for not spontaneously deciding to announce that we can and aren't from the rooftops."

"Yup."

"Sorry," says Edarial, quietly.

"You get to tell their families."

"I can go too, if you want."

He eyes her. "Sure, you can go, too."

"I'm not sure what to say, but I can."

"You never know what to say," informs Zevros.

"I'm not sure what one's supposed to say," Iobel amends.

"I can do the talking?" offers Edarial.

"If you can't give me a script. Yeah."

Wince. "I haven't done this before, either."

"Well. I guess we'll figure it out."

"Yeah," sighs Edarial. "I guess we will."

Iobel pats his shoulder.

He smiles at her, a little.

"Awwww. Bonding!"

"About time."

"We've been working on it."

Edarial nods. "We have."

"It's both weird and cute to see you in comparison to my brother and Isabella."

"...Are you saying there is a sense in which we're cute in comparison to them?"

"... Yes?"

"That's unexpected."

"Very."

"It's like - they are comfortable with each other and have been since I met Isabella 'cause I only caught them after they were all couply. But you are just starting the relationship tango and it's like you are two adorable puppies trying to figure out how to play. And it's cute."

"Aaand now I feel sort of patronized."

"Sorry, not my intention, I suck at metaphors."

"That was a simile."

"Whatever. I'm not good at those, either."

Iobel snorts.

"But you get my point, right?"

"I suppose."

"We'll revel in our victory over the married set," says Edarial dryly. "Cuter in one specific way."

"That's the spirit!"

"The married set?"

"Mentally not considering us married until we want to be," answers Edarial. Pause. "... Means that if we want to we can do it again and get it right. With your parents in attendance and everything."

"Yes, I imagine there are worse wedding vows to be had, but - ugh!"

"They were pretty repellent. I was lying through my teeth."

"My part felt so patronizing, like you were a sack of flour instead of a person. 'Yes hello I would like to marry this sack of flour yes I will cherish it and also make pancakes.'"

Edarial giggles a little, too.

"Yes, of course, pancake-maker, marriage it is, and do you want blueberries with that?"

"I will protect the blueberries from getting squashed, and guide them into the rest of the pancake batter," he snorts.

"The pancakes promise to be nutritious."

"But will they heed me, Iobel? That's the important question, what if they don't? Breakfast will be ruined!"

"Heedful pancakes. The most heedful. If you have any tasks a pancake can do for you, look no farther."

"Oh, good. Carry on, then, pancakes."

Iobel makes a little curtsey.