we are not truly immortal

[dark_light]

After Glass's party is over with, Amariah and Kas go home.

Amariah fetches down their alethiometers.

"It's about time I took care of Alethia's afterlife, whatever it may be," she says quietly. "What can the alethiometer tell you about what I'll find?"

Comments

[dark_light]

Does the alethiometer know why it doesn't know much about this place?

[truthwright]

It just says there are things there that are hidden from it.

[dark_light]

Okay then. I should decide whether to set up the new afterlife before or after addressing that. Does it know if anything is dependent on the continued existence of the Authority or the angels such that if we wind up killing them all stuff will collapse?

[truthwright]

Uh... it says there's angels who don't follow the Authority and you definitely shouldn't kill those, he offers.

[dark_light]

That's good to know, how do we tell them apart? Do we just ask the alethiometer for all of them?

[truthwright]

Well, whether or not they try to kill us should be a clue, right?

[dark_light]

That'll point out the ones who we can try to kill right back, if any of them try to infiltrate and spy or just generally act out of self-preservation it won't help.

[truthwright]

...Don't you have lie detector powers for that?

[dark_light]

Will it work on the angels? It doesn't work on Bells with mental defense wishes, let alone native opacities.

[truthwright]

Lie detection works on angels.

[dark_light]

Cool.

[truthwright]

So where's that leave us?

[dark_light]

Checking the place out before directly revamping this, I think, if they're physical pushovers and lie-detectable but have enough reality revision to make this place to begin with.

[truthwright]

Okay.

[dark_light]

So probably time to bid the harpies a temporary goodbye, unless you don't want to come. Oh - does the alethiometer know about the time dilation situation on the mountain?

[truthwright]

Mountain runs on outside time.

[dark_light]

So I guess if it takes longer than a few seconds to deal with the angels and the Authority, the harpies will be waiting a very long time. Is that okay with them, will it mess up the rapport you have with them?

[pythbox]

I'll stick around and tell them stories, volunteers Ghosty.

[dark_light]

You sure? If it takes us an hour - and that could be too optimistic - you will be here for almost a solid year of subjective time.

[pythbox]

Yeah, and?

[dark_light]

Just checking that this is okay.

[pythbox]

It's fine, she says serenely.

[dark_light]

Okay. Let's all coordinate on teleporting back to the house so we don't rack up more asynchronicity than we need. Sue, if you'll count us down?

[pythbox]

Sure thing! says Sue.

He does.

[dark_light]

Everyone reconvenes at the house, where Sarion is lounging on the larger of her beloveds drowsily.