Louis gets to spend time with plucky humans, both of whom are sharper than they appear, but who are still only young mortals. Jeannie wanted to be a politician, but her spirit has been too ground down, and she can barely talk politics at all anymore without feeling on the verge of tears too quickly; easier, to think of horrors in the night. Mark isn't much of a witch, the spark only ever taking with any panache in the women in his family, of which there are few, though he is very educated about it, and does some alright protective rune tattoos.

Neither of them will end up immortal. Most people won't. Just how it is. Better that way.

"Are you agreeable?"

We have fun.

"All my better, older researchers quit when I doubled down on the book. My editor of thirty years dropped me. Jeannie stayed." Daniel shrugs. "They're making their own choices. I hope they don't end up killed for it."

A sentiment that sounds borderline dismissive, but it's a real concern. The thing is—

"Do you really want to talk about how modern youth generations are too rooted in despair to fear gruesome deaths?"