"It isn't a sickness in the ordinary sense," Sonder continued.
Aronia kept writing. "I assume it doesn't make you cough or give you a fever."
"No. You drift. Days, months, and years become difficult to separate. You have to make a conscious effort to keep track of time. But it is difficult when falling into a routine."
"That sounds inconvenient. Suddenly you wake up and realize that a hundred years have passed. Or the place you lived in suddenly turns out to have been abandoned generations ago. And you've suffered from these issues?"
"Sometimes."
"Purely by looks, you still seem young. Definitely not a little kid, but not as old as me."
"I am, even in human terms."
"Hm, that helps."
She wrote: Age: Unknown. Subject claims to be young. Then she underlined claims.
"I've never actually met an immortal before. Not a natural one, at least."
She tapped the pencil thoughtfully against the notebook.
"The Archives contain artifacts capable of extending life. Some stop aging. Some restore youth. Sometimes they refuse to let you die, which is unpleasant if the only thing left of you is barely a puddle of flesh. Deeply unpleasant. But I don't think those count. They're manufactured."
"So." She read from the page. "An immortal undead sorceress. A banshee. With the title of Blackbird. Searching the world for more of these shards."
Aronia looked up from her notebook.
One corner of her mouth twitched.
"One final question."
Sonder waited.
"Is 'Blackbird' one word or two?"
Aroni gave a short chuckle.
"One," Sonder answered, failing to find the humor.
Aronia nodded seriously and corrected the spacing in her notes.
"Was that an important question?" Sonder asked.
"No."
She closed the notebook with a soft snap.
"But I dislike inconsistent recordkeeping."
Aronia looked up from her notebook again.
"While we're discussing unusual physical characteristics, let's talk about the sword."
She pointed at the weapon protruding from Sonder's chest.
"The one in your chest, not the one at your side. Was that the original cause of death?"
Sonder glanced down at it.
"Yes."
"Obvious, isn't it? Just wanted to make sure."
Aronia made another note.
Cause of death: Sword.
She paused.
"I've written stranger things."
Aronia tapped the end of the pencil against the page.
"It does raise another question. Why keep it there?"
Sonder didn't answer.
"Can you remove it? Or are you attached to it in more than just a physical way?"
Sonder rested a hand lightly against the hilt.
"You've had time to remove it, yes? As someone who had time and will have a lot, seeing you're so 'long-lived.'"
Aronia waited, but as it became clear that Sonder wouldn't answer, she dropped that line of questioning.
She wrote for a few seconds before reading the note back to herself.
Subject voluntarily retains fatal weapon. Psychological attachment uncertain. Magical attachment possible. Requires investigation.
"If there is a sensible explanation, I expect to hear it eventually, you know. And if there isn't, I'd still like to write one down. Now, let's ask you a few other things."