"Absolutely!"

"Yaaaay you are the best."

He beams and hugs her.

Hugs!

Hugs.

Okay, one more snuggle, then he lets go. "That sounds good."

"Yeah, it was very - sensory at first, in this squishy weird new way, but now I'm turning it into information better."

"Cool," he says.

"It's still pretty squishy. I wonder if it will always be squishy. Does your thing feel wet?"

"I guess," he says, "yeah. I don't know, it feels - like itself? Water and blood are both wet things, though, so you're not wrong."

"I mean, earth and stone and stuff aren't squishy, but they're not doing anything right now, so it's easy to ignore what's around. The bodies are doing stuff. And being squishy." She squeezes his hand. "Squish!"

He squeezes back and grins at her.

"I keep being tempted to do stuff. More with the rocks than the bodies. Maybe after I say hi to everybody I'll go mess with the contents of your yard if you'll let me."

"Sure, go for it."

"Cool. Your moat is already very nice so you probably don't want me to add to the designs in the floor of it."

"Yeah. It is a great moat. I love my moat."

One of the bodies behind the door - a very hunti-seeming woman who is presumably Sarelle Dochenza - looks up at her, inhales, and says, "Condolences."

"Oh - already?"

"Yeah. I mean, I was expecting it. Maybe not fifteen minutes ago, but there you go. Hi, I'm Patience Frothen, you must be Sarelle Dochenza and Ekador Serlast, the Ardelays I know already. This is my dog Mud."

"Hello."

"Yes. That. Hello," says Ekador.

"Loel says you're from Malinqua and I should maybe ask you what it's like to be so not used to people having elements?"

"I'm not sure I understand what it's like to be used to people having elements well enough to explain the opposite," he says.