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It takes them a while - they are quite busy holding each other - but eventually in spite of the perpetual darkness in the sky, they realize they're exhausted. It's been a long day. The helpful mage and her husband offer them a place to sleep, but that place turns out to be inside a tent. With two other people. Two other newly married people.
Isabella and Adarin decide the better option is to go with her hammock. It involves Isabella almost entirely on top of her husband, but neither of them mind. Snuggles are recommended after death and subsequent resurrection, and trauma from same. Adarin's still a bit shivery and occasionally uncoordinated post-magic loss, but he can hold his wife just fine. Snuggles are provided for both parties, and eventually they both fall asleep, suspended in the air by cloud-pine.
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prodigal_miser
prodigal_miser
"No," sighs Adarin. "How on Earth would genocide even grant immortality? That's absurd."
blooded_poet
Lynn isn't quite sure what Earth is, but she ignores the terminology.
"You'd be surprised."
"You'd be surprised."
dark_light
"Well, at any rate, I've never committed murder, let alone genocide."
dark_light
"There was one occasion when it might have been satisfying but Adarin objected."
prodigal_miser
"It would have proved all of her paranoid fears right if you had," he points out. "I think we won more by not."
dark_light
"I've wondered a couple times if a death sentence then, the first time, would have been a deterrent or an incitement."
prodigal_miser
"I couldn't tell you." He scoots and hugs his wife. "If it would have been a deterrent... I'm sorry."
prodigal_miser
"There isn't. But I'd - I probably should have thought that they'd try the same thing again."
blooded_poet
Right then, Lynn is just going to keep standing here and pretending that she is deaf. Whatever the thing they're talking about is, obviously it's bad.
dark_light
"Sweetie, don't blame yourself, it wasn't even the same person. Anyway. Did you have more questions about witches?" Isabella asks Lynn.
blooded_poet
"Would you like me to hang around and be your ghost interpreter who moonlights as a historian? Or depart?"
dark_light
"Oh - I almost forgot with - does the ghost have anything to say - I have no idea how to refer to there being a ghost and a living instance of the same person."
blooded_poet
Lynn takes a minute to listen.
"He is all right, mostly just lonely." Another pause, then a wince. "He has considered dispersing himself, because he can't sleep and there's no one to talk to, but he's afraid that if he does that his - er, and Adarin's, would be lost forever. So he is not."
"He is all right, mostly just lonely." Another pause, then a wince. "He has considered dispersing himself, because he can't sleep and there's no one to talk to, but he's afraid that if he does that his - er, and Adarin's, would be lost forever. So he is not."
dark_light
"If... it's that unbearable, then I can ask the alethiometer what it would do to later spell attempts - but it doesn't seem like a good idea. I'm sorry. I'm not used to ghosts," apologizes Isabella to the empty spot in the air that Lynn seems to be looking at.
blooded_poet
"He's not upset with you in the slightest. Hold on, let me get his reasoning -"
She stands, listening. "It's not just the loneliness, it's that he - knows what happens to ghosts. He knows that even surrounded by mages he'd tend to get ignored and would never really be able to make friends or do anything properly useful again. Then there's - he can't get home on his own, he needs help, so he'd be wandering a place that he's hated and is afraid of for the rest of eternity. And he's -" she motions to the living Adarin, "extraneous. He has nothing to do. He's terribly bored and feels useless and like it would be better for everyone - including himself - if he didn't exist at all. But he's not doing that because he's pretty sure he's the representation of Adarin's magic now, so he can't - die for good."
She stands, listening. "It's not just the loneliness, it's that he - knows what happens to ghosts. He knows that even surrounded by mages he'd tend to get ignored and would never really be able to make friends or do anything properly useful again. Then there's - he can't get home on his own, he needs help, so he'd be wandering a place that he's hated and is afraid of for the rest of eternity. And he's -" she motions to the living Adarin, "extraneous. He has nothing to do. He's terribly bored and feels useless and like it would be better for everyone - including himself - if he didn't exist at all. But he's not doing that because he's pretty sure he's the representation of Adarin's magic now, so he can't - die for good."
dark_light
"It'll just be a few more days and then - if I'm interpreting the alethiometer right - with a - given the right conditions," wince, "I should be able to just glom the two of you back together again."
blooded_poet
"Yeah. So he's holding out until then." Lynn pauses, then snorts. "Sure, why not. Do you have a board game or cards or something? I will play a game with him."
dark_light
"I didn't bring any. I can get Path to drop things into the portal box, though?"
blooded_poet
"Sure, that'll work fine. He's also suggested that I relate more history to him, and says that he thinks you and - the human part of your husband would like to hear that, too."