"Yes," Istredd agrees gently. He is an idiot. This is what he does when he's in love, he gives it all, he throws his devotion and certainty in their face. They both know the end of this Lucifer is the end of them both, and he's accepted that. If Lucifer's climb to apathy is inevitable, he is still a rebel. Istredd will hold onto his hope that he can be both archangel and this.

This will be good for Lucifer in particular, cutting these lines into place, because it was his mind that was damaged. Istredd only felt it on the outskirts, but the bleeding is very bad for him. He's been weakened by his mental exhaustion. Istredd feels the bee stings and he flicks them off.

The quiet gets better for them both and with a firm slam of mental walls between them, the flowing mental leak between them is staunched and cut off. Their thoughts are their own again, only back to intentional sharing. Istredd leans forward to kiss him softly, as they do have those lines again, but only from before the mountain as Lucifer requested. A little peck of affection.

"I don't think I missed any weak spots." Because that much mental sharing is not put into one point. "How do you feel?"