Felix snuggles, resting Red's head on his shoulder protectively.

"I can see the benefits, yes. I hope Lilith doesn't get too disappointed if none of us decide to go for vampire."

"Boooooo!" she calls from downstairs.

"We have not been able to get super senses out of magic, for what it's worth."

"Being one sounds great. And I want to turn my loved ones into vampires. But spells sound more versatile and useful while we need to change the world."

He also feels... awkward? Sitting on his own, and wonders if he can insert himself on the other side of Red.

Red—notices, or infers something, and scoots closer to the middle of the sofa while pushing Felix in that direction also and pats the seat that has now been vacated next to him.

"It definitely is better to have both vampires and spellcasters under the same roof."

Fenris takes the place and snuggles up.

Double snuggle for the tragically backstoried clone. And speaking of double: "Now that you have twice as many people on your side, is there anything you think you'd be able to do?" Pause. "I still want to get our family to people, but I don't know how they will react."

"Well, we were moving up the person count slowly out of caution but I don't think in capabilities we grow very much with headcount. Except I guess to whatever extent the universe retroactively edits itself to conform to the wishes of non-NPCs, having more is always better."

"You don't think that magic or science research would go faster without... the universal self-edition thing? I was thinking we could... I don't know, travel and explore or something."

"Create our own secret vampire army in Selvadorada?"

"I think I'd rather avoid creating armies of NPCs if we can help it. And how do you mean, go faster?"

"I was not actually being serious. Just to make it clear."

"I am not a scientist. But I think multiple scientists could pursue different kinds of research in parallel?"

"Oh! Yes, definitely. And magic, too. The main problem with both of those is that they take non-NPCs years to really get... up to speed. NPCs just learn stuff a lot more quickly but then it doesn't really perfectly translate to useful things afterwards."

"I think... I see what you mean, my career as a scientist don't quite match the knowledge I feel I should have. I wasn't even thinking of doing parallel research until Felix mentioned it."

"Okay... I wonder if we could make the universe self-edit into being more collaborative regarding that area? How does that work, anyway?"

"Not entirely sure. It just seems like—if we act in a way that doesn't conform with current expectations of how stuff should be, it'll change to be that way. I started—sorry, Cor started going around naked 'cause of skin sensory issues that he half-assumed were just due to non-NPC body awareness but which both Caleb and Lilith have said are an us thing, and then the world decided that sure okay being naked will no longer be a big deal. So, break the status quo and the status quo will bend to your will, more or less."

"Well, that sure is something. And it... I guess NPC's memories are not reliable enough..."

"Does it change personal notes? Books? Do you get... memory updates of what the world quote 'is' unquote?"

"Books that were not written by us, yes, but personal notes or computer files or our own memories, no. Not after waking up, anyway, Caleb and Lilith's memories from before they woke up are consistent with the modified world in which nudity and sex aren't big deals but Cor never got the memo."

"I guess that implies... a force still powerful and misguided enough that I have problems with it, but slightly less all-powerful."

"Huh... I wonder if we could... I don't know, trick it somehow, like making it believe that Vampires have always been kind nocturnal friendly neighbors with dietary restrictions. Straud probably blocks that example from working, but..."

Felix gasps. "Could we... find a way to eliminate loneliness?"

"Eliminate it how?"