population

[dark_light]

Adarin is shaken awake one morning by a fiancée who is about five thousand times perkier than she usually is at odd, dark-outside hours.

"Wake up wake up wake up!"

Comments

[prodigal_miser]

"Mmnrhg?" is his eloquent reply.

[dark_light]

"Wake up the alethiometer says I've solved immortality."

[prodigal_miser]

That is a good way to get him awake. Ish. "What?" he says, slurring a little and rubbing his eyes.

[dark_light]

"I have a spell! The alethiometer says it will work! On people with daemons, anyway, I have to come up with another version if I want to cast it on bears or zombies, but the alethiometer says it's a go any which way I ask it. I drew you a diagram, come stand in it and be immortal."

[prodigal_miser]

He laughs. "Th'ght your dad wa' first?"

But he does get up, rubbing his eyes. ".... Wha' time is it?"

[dark_light]

"Iiiiit may or may not be six in the morning but this is important. You can be first, I'll do Dad after you."

[prodigal_miser]

"Mmkay. 'M flattered, love." Where is the diagram? He will go there. He may or may not need to be led.

[dark_light]

Isabella hauls him out to the yard and sits him in a diagram, and directs Vern to another part of the diagram. She sprinkles herbs on them. She has a frightened deer already called over and tied up.

And then she stands at a particular point in the diagram and raises her arms to the sky, Path opposite her on the other side of the design.

She speaks.

"Yambe Akka, do not wake,
These mortals are not yours to take.
I name them now forever whole,
The two are one, body and soul -"

At that lines she points one hand at each of Adarin's - components, then crosses her arms over her chest.

"Yambe Akka, leave them be,
Yield your judgment up to me.
I name them young forevermore,
Their centuries are spoken for."

She rests her arms at her sides.

"Yambe Akka, disappear,
Your presence is not wanted here.
I name them everlasting now,
No fall, no end will I allow."

She stabs the deer at the last syllable and it dies and there is an altogether dramatic clap of thunder. The diagram vanishes. The herbs vanish.

Isabella hops up and down in place, beaming.

[prodigal_miser]

Adarin blinks down at the disappeared herbs, then laughs. "... Really do have 'll the time in the world, now."

Vern cackles. "You can keep us forever!"

[dark_light]

Path swoops down on Vern. "Yes. Forever and ever."

"I mean, with a caveat," says Isabella. "The wording's very dramatic, and it's probably some protection against some kinds of sudden death - the alethiometer thinks you'll be less susceptible to a few specific forms of harm - but it's mostly an anti-aging spell. You are as immortal as a witch now but not more immortal."

[prodigal_miser]

Vern will then snuggle Path with all of the snuggles she can bring to bear. Feathery, feathery snuggles.

"Right," he agrees. "Immortal as a witch sounds good, anyway. I will try very hard to not die."

[dark_light]

"Good." Pause. "Sooo you can go back to sleep if you want. I just couldn't wait."

[prodigal_miser]

He laughs. "I wasn't going to die of old age in my sleep, love."

He's more awake now! Look at him, being almost functional.

[dark_light]

"I know but I was really excited!"

[prodigal_miser]

"Never would have guessed." Adarin opens his arms for a hug. "You did it, my dear! Knew you would!"

[dark_light]

She practically tackles him. "The really hard part was the bit with the arm motions, the alethiometer was very clear that there was a fifth missing or lost or something part to witch magic that I had to incorporate but it could not be specific enough so I had to basically A/B test a million things but I have the spell now and you are immortal."

[prodigal_miser]

Hug, snuggle, snuggle. "And you get to keep me forever," he says, smugly. He would like to be with Isabella forever. Because he loves her.

[dark_light]

"Yes. I get to keep you forever. Yay." Kiss!

[prodigal_miser]

He laughs. Kiss!

Vern is cooing how much they would like to be together with Isabella forever to Path. In summary - lots.

[dark_light]

Path agrees! Lots and lots.

[prodigal_miser]

Vern comes with lovely reasons, too, for why Isabella and Path are great choices to spend the rest of forever with. In summary - lots and lots.

[dark_light]

"We should get maaaaarried," sighs Isabella, trying rather vainly to squish closer to Adarin.

[prodigal_miser]

Adarin laughs. He will help with squishing as close as possible. "We should! Oh look, you have the ring for it and everything, it's almost like we planned this."

[dark_light]

"Ooh. I am a backwards prophet. I should be honored with backwards flower garlands."

[prodigal_miser]

"My dear," says Adarin gravely. "You will have all of the backwards flower garlands your heart desires."