Death, with all its permanence and consequence, is not something to be approached lightly. No one can claim it's not efficient in ending a person and what they bring with them, but fate rarely keeps things so neat. With a whole swathe of other mages, of deities and creatures from the dark to be wary of, most of Isidor's family and peers hesitate to risk the delicate peace they live in. So joking it is, and a wider grin for Sariss' concession.

That question comes out of the blue. Not that she hasn't been asked it before. In fact, she's been asked it too many times. So many people eager to get past the business and to the personal. She just hadn't quite expected it from Sariss, who herself seems so forthright and serious.

It takes her a second but in a blink she's back to her pleasant smiling. "By exploring and improving. If no one else is going to challenge me then I'll have to compete against myself."