The experimental method has served us well so far, she sends smugly, toying with a particular bit of hair.

At some point I should look up thing a about Milliways to distract my family from being annoyed about this...

What thing?

Anything Nelyo'll find more interesting than scolding me for breaking his rule...

Good idea.

I bet I can get, like, every textbook from the University.

You have good instincts for how to bribe my family.

Yeah, and also I want them.

Don't we have things to sort out about your world once we find it? I forget what they were...

People dying of old age and young Great-Mages-to-be probably getting murdered with alarming frequency. Also, my parents thinking we're dead.

Well now we know there's time weirdness between universes so it might be possible for you to get back the minute you left.

That would be lovely.

Hey, at some point after I've figured out Sympathy teleportation, would you mind holding the door open a sec so I can fetch Illia? I don't fancy ending up literally twice my twin's age and don't want to bet it won't take decades to get strong enough to grind Morgoth into stardust.

Sure thing. She going to need bribery to come to terms with your choice of lovers?

She's going to laugh at me but that has nothing to do with you.

Why's she going to laugh at you?

Because of the timespan in which I went from 'the profoundly hot elf is not interested in you; pretend you don't have feelings for him and hope they go away' to 'knows the name and gender of our hypothetical firstborn child.'

Was I doing that well at disinterest?

You certainly came off as friendly, but I didn't have half a hope I had a chance until I pulled the hair trick and you blushed.

My brothers were teasing me about it within a week, but I suppose they know my type.

What's your type? You've told me at least some of what you found appealing in me but I doubt you've met many girls who could pave mountain passes with sandstone derived from the detritus that had been blocking it or carve chasms in the earth.

Dark hair, can take me in a fight, can tease me and vice versa, temperamentally inclined to charge into fights however well they contain the tendency...

I am that.

You are very very that. I had no chance.

She sighs happily. I love you.

I love you too.

How much of a problem is it going to be, with your brothers?