"Yeah that sounds about right."

"She seemed very on top of things."

"Yeah, that's Vira. She's... if I'm the person you go to with bizarre emergencies, she's the person you go to with ordinary urgencies."

"It's good to have those."

"Yeah. She's really good at it, too. As you observed."

"I did! I am impressed with the handling of my bizarre emergency so far."

"When there is an interdimensional oversight agency for the handling of bizarre emergencies, be sure to leave a good review. Unless I end up running it which case I suppose you can still do that but it'd lose a little impact."

Giggle.

Giggle.

(Ravkesial smiles, not quite in their direction but definitely about them.)

"Who's the next spirit?"

"Camalirea. Air," says Ravkesial.

"Cama was a shapeshifter once, but lost that along with their voice."

"That's two things, no fair."

"I should tell Cama you said that, they'll be so charmed."

"Go for it."

"I now realize that I know the names but not the genders of all these spirits," says Riale.

"Telarin is a man and I don't mind being rounded off to a woman and Camalirea is whatever they feel like but doesn't mind being rounded off either direction and Laisanni is a woman and Finnehalva is a man and Neriantelle and Ilifalyr are women and Estirie isn't much of anything and Avasendai is a man," says Ravkesial.

...Cor pulls out a piece of paper halfway through this list. "Can I get that slower and also the elements."

"Yes."

And:

"Telarin, male, Fire;
Ravkesial, female if you have to pick one, Light;
Camalirea, either or both, doesn't mind whichever way you address them, Air;
Laisanni, female, Wood;
Finnehalva, male, Twilight;
Neriantelle, female, Water;
Ilifalyr, female, Ice;
Estirie, neither, Shadow;
Avasendai, male, Earth."

"I am not necessarily up on all the things people are doing with gender if the things they are doing don't involve going to a mage and saying 'are there terrible side effects if you destroy certain troubling body parts'."

"Well, Cama did shapeshifting and now no longer does that. And I don't mind anything about my shape but I find that some of the attendant concepts fit oddly; there are people for whom gender is a part of their self and I don't seem to be one of them. And Estirie is exactly the shape they prefer to be and - won't fuss about being rounded off, but may be a little more shy than usual. Does that address your question?"

"Eh, no, but it wasn't an important question."

"It's a long flight and we're unlikely to fill the whole thing with crucial world-saving conversation. You could try asking again."

"Maybe later."