dark_light: (Default)
Author: dark_light
It has been - a few days. There are long silent snuggles with Kas. There are tentative chats with Helen, which go encouragingly. There are difficult and uncomfortably revelatory conversations with her parents. There are heaps and heaps and heaps of things to catch up on, read, check, look into, so she can regroup, reappear, resume work.

She hasn't slept with Kas since coming home. She loves him, and she'll be feeling like it eventually, but not right away.

She's sort of restless after a few days of not having sex, though. Let's see. There's a couple new Jokers she hasn't tried, although one is not shaped in an Amariah-amenable way. And maybe that's a little too close to what she's waiting on, anyway.

Pattern's boyfriend isn't a Joker and is amenable to being loaned out, she has heard.

[Hey, Jane...]
bellfounding: (lipbite)
Author: bellfounding
[Hey, Ripper,] says Pattern, a while later, [Amariah wants to borrow you.]
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
[For...?]
bellfounding: (talkative)
Author: bellfounding
[Unless you've materialized specialized magical skills of some kind, I'm going to assume she wants to have sex with you, although come to think of it Jane did not actually specify in those words.]
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
[Maybe she wants me to write her an anthem.]
bellfounding: (heh)
Author: bellfounding
[That is also actually possible. Maybe Jane played her the Song of Saturn and now she wants one. But she doesn't have a formal empire yet, so the timing's peculiar for it.]
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
[Well, whatever. She can borrow me if she wants. As long as she returns me in good condition,] he jokes.
bellfounding: (inhale)
Author: bellfounding
[She will certainly do so. Probably makes the most sense to meet her in the Belltower. Save the star. Unless you want a green kingfisher.]
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
[I'm fine without one, thanks. Got time for a kiss on my way out?]
bellfounding: (aww)
Author: bellfounding
[Yes.]
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
Teleport.

Kiss!
bellfounding: (beam)
Author: bellfounding
Kiss! "Have a good time. Don't touch her owl."
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
"Yeah, so I've heard."

Okay, two kisses.

Then, "Right, I'm off. Jane...?"
mind_game: (dreamcatcher)
Author: mind_game
[Putting.] Pop! Here is the Belltower.

And a moment later, Amariah joins him.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
Amariah gives a little wave. Path flutters one wing, then tucks away in a whorl of golden sparkles. "Hi," Amariah says. "You must be Ripper. Nice to meet you."
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
"Nice to meet you too!" says Ripper. "So what are you borrowing me for? Pat says sex, I say you want me to write you an anthem." He grins. "Maybe it's both."
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"I don't have a political entity that needs an anthem, though I'll keep you in mind for when I do, certainly. Or if, I suppose. In my absence my world seems to have slotted me into the role of 'inscrutable messiah' over that of 'incipient queen'."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"How's that going for you?"
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"I have had a number of truly terrible movies made about me, there are several cults, someone tried to kidnap my daughter and kill my boyfriend and that probably wasn't unrelated to my relationship thereto, and I have a really dumb title, which people utter in moments of distress. I can't say I care for the setup, but I'll work with it."
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
"Whoa," says Ripper. "I'm sorry about your family - are they okay?"
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
"They're fine. Kas torched a couple of times and got cursed and my mother had to torch him again to undo it, Helen was freaked out but the kidnappers didn't hurt her, my clan queen got their clan queen to turn them over and now they're cooling their heels in my afterlife."
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"Better than it could've gone, I guess."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Yep. So rumor has it you're the same template as Giles and Merryweather and nobody noticed till Glass had a look at you. The resemblance is pretty subtle."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"I haven't met either of 'em, so I wouldn't know. It can wait until the party."
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
"Fair enough. We don't have a date set; some of us - mostly me - are dealing with lost time at home. I am taking a break, as you probably noticed."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Taking a break, borrowing your alts' boyfriends..." He grins. "Or am I the only one?"
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"I have borrowed other ones in the past. In a not-a-Joker mood today, though."
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
dark_light: (Default)
Author: dark_light
"Hm?"
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
"Sorry, probably none of my business, but - no, actually, I think it is my business, is your boyfriend okay with," he makes a gesture that encompasses the two of them, "this?"
dark_light: (squinting)
Author: dark_light
"I didn't make a point of specifically asking him in this particular case, but he is in full generality okay with me borrowing anybody who makes themselves borrowable. Why?"
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"I heard you guys were having a rough time and I don't want to be a part of making it any worse, that's all."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"We are, but you're not gonna make it worse," says Amariah. "Being borrowed is of course optional if you'd rather not for any reason, though."
tearingup: (⑧ wait by the door)
Author: tearingup
He shrugs. "If you say it won't hurt anything, I believe you."
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
"Cool. 'Cause you look pretty borrowable." She starts untying knots on her person. This is a prerequisite for sex, but she occupies nudity and the transition thereto much more casually than the one of her alts Ripper is accustomed to.
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
"I am very borrowable," he says cheerfully.

It turns out that Ripper also occupies nudity and related states pretty casually! But it's somewhat different in his case. He just really, really likes it when people find him nice to look at.
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
He's quite nice to look at! Amariah looks at him. And proceeds with the borrowing.
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
He also hasn't lost the habit of rotating flavours. Today's is peach.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
[Ooh, you are yummy.]
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
[I am! I do that.]
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
[You do. It is a nice idea. And a delicious one.] Nibble nibble nibble.
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
Ooh. Nibbles. Those are fun. This was a good idea.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
Amariah has those! She is a clever person.
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
Apparently so.

Ripper has a pretty good idea of how one Bell works. He doesn't know how much of that is going to transfer, but he is very willing to experiment.
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
It transfers pretty fucking well. They're all built the same, even if the superficial details differ.
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
Oh. Awesome.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
Amariah doesn't have that kind of advantage with Ripper, but she is prepared to try to compensate!
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
Her efforts are wholeheartedly appreciated.
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
That is good.

Peachy, even.
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup




So, is she a snuggler? Because he is very much a snuggler.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
She snuggles. For some reason she doesn't seem to relax into it as much as Pattern does - even as much as Pattern did early on - but she snuggles.
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
"...Are you uncomfortable or something?" he says after a few seconds of snuggling.
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Hmm? No, not at all, quite cozy, I'm just not - all here. You haven't got anybody for Path to snuggle up to, so he's away."
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"Oh," he says. "Uh, okay."
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"It's not a problem, or I wouldn't have borrowed you, just, Path is literally my soul, and he isn't being at all snuggled right now. The rest of me is doing fine. You've had daemons explained, right?"
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
"Sort of? Apparently I'd be a green kingfisher."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Ooh. Yeah, I can see that," chuckles Amariah. "And if you had a kingfisher she - he? - would be sitting over there with Path and then I'd be one hundred percent snuggled instead of like eighty percent. That's all. If you had the kingfisher I'd insist, actually, I would really not like to be having sex with someone who had a daemon that didn't want to hang out with Path."
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
"I can... sort of see that?" he says. "But it's all abstract to me."
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"Since you don't have one it's incidental. Like - hmm - if you were blind - or even if the lights just weren't working so we couldn't see each other, then it wouldn't mean anything that less seeing was going on. If you had one and she didn't want to sit with Path that would be the approximate equivalent of wanting me to wear a bag on my head, by comparison."
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
He snorts. "Got it."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Cam doesn't have this thing with his Grace, if that was likely to come up. It doesn't make a difference to him. I don't think Shell Bell does either, but she's way less likely to hit on you than Cam is."
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
"Yeah, I've heard."
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"And Minus may hit on you but last I knew of it he actively preferred to have Steph tucked away, and you'd know more about how Aianon and Ansharil have it worked out than I do at this point and my sweeties are probably more like them than not, same with Sue and Ivy."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Aianon and Ansharil have it worked out interestingly," says Ripper.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"Yeah?"
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"Eh. Should I gossip? How much gossip do you want? Pat rolls her eyes whenever I mention tentacles."
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"I am less uptight than - Pat? That's cute - but I do not require R-rated tentacular detail."
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
"Well - Ansharil shapeshifts," he says. "He doesn't get in on things every time, but he likes to bring surprises when he does."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Interesting. Petaal shapeshifts too, but nothing in her standard repertoire is tentacled."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"I guess Ansharil's more creative," he laughs. "Anyway, the tentacles are mostly Aianon's - he gets very creative with his custom plants."
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"That's sort of disturbingly adorable."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Right?" He laughs. "Aianon's great."
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"I bet he and Sarion are having a much less complicated reunion than I did," says Amariah wryly.
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
"I bet they're having a lot of sex," says Ripper. "You all right?"
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
"I'm okay. Helen's actually really neat, which helps a lot, I'd be at my wit's end if it turned out I couldn't stand her. It's just tricky."
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"I'd be in way over my head if I were you." He snuggles her some more.
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
Snuggles. "Hey, several thousand people think I'm a deity, I can't disappoint them by falling apart on account of unexpected offspring. Or, as Juliet was putting it when comparing my kid to her sister, 'spontaneous teenage relative'."
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
"Maybe I should write you a hymn," he jokes.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"Oh dear. It would have to be better than the samples Jane found for me from this one little church's online recording repository."
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
"I am pretty good."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"I have not actually heard the one you wrote for Pat."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"You should, it's awesome."
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"You wanna sing it for me?"
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Sure," he laughs.

And he does.

It's beautifully evocative.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"That is a pretty anthem. Maybe I will look you up for your songwriting services when I have anything to anthem. Unless there's one of you in Alethia, I guess." Pause. "I should, you know, actually check. For other templates too, I should do a full sweep, it's been a while and Kas wasn't really keeping an eye out."
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"I think there's enough of me already," says Ripper. "...Although maybe I'd think differently if we found one who was my age."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
Amariah laughs. "I can have Jane check right now," she suggests.
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
"Sure, why not."
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
[Hey Jane, you want to see if you can find a Rupert in Alethia?]
mind_game: (fractal)
Author: mind_game
[Sure. Checking.]

[Yep, there's one!]
tearingup: (Default)
Author: tearingup
[Really?] says Ripper. [A young one or an old one? Or can't you tell?]
mind_game: (map)
Author: mind_game
[Well, I could ask, but the sweep protocol doesn't give me that kinda detail. Lemme see if he or she's got an Internet footprint I can connect up.]

Checking, checking.
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
Well, Alethia does contain a punk rock band called Wretched, with a singer called Ripper. The cover of the first album is remarkably similar, even.
mind_game: (dreamcatcher)
Author: mind_game
[Yep, here he is, here's his copy of Wretched, he is still going by 'Ripper' in band-related material, found his birth records and his driver's license though and it's a match. Twenty-one, pied kingfisher - would he not want me sharing her legal name either?]
tearingup: (⑮ break everything)
Author: tearingup
Ripper winces. [Look, I know you can see anything anyone has ever put on a computer, but that doesn't mean you should. We ditch our names for a reason.]
mind_game: (map)
Author: mind_game
[It's not that I can, it's that I do, I am those computers. It's significant attention that's optional - or being on them at all, like Syntropy. Don't send me to look at things you don't want me to pay attention to,] huffs Jane. [Okay, secret pied kingfisher legal name. He doesn't have it in his website bio as anything.]
tearingup: (⑫ view with distaste)
Author: tearingup
[Yeah, I didn't know how you'd be checking. Won't be making that mistake again.]
mind_game: (jewel)
Author: mind_game
[The checking for the existence of the template at all is just sending whitespace by text brainphone,] Jane says. [That part's very unintrusive.]
tearingup: (⑭ find no favour)
Author: tearingup
[Great. Thanks.]
mind_game: (dreamcatcher)
Author: mind_game
[No problem. Should I say hi to him?]
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"What do you think?"
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
"Maybe I should say hi to him," says Ripper.
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
"If you want to come to Alethia you need a star, unless you want a kingfisher so your kingfishers can chat. And people from Alethia will have reactions to you ranging from Kas's 'you are a different way to be people' to my initial 'this bar is full of ZOMBIES, AAAAAH', and I don't know where the local Ripper will fall on this continuum. But you are welcome if that's understood and you still want to."
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
"Well. Okay, maybe I shouldn't. But, hm - I feel like dropping in on him myself is the best way to get all the shocks over with as fast as possible without souring him on the whole idea of," he waves a hand vaguely, "things."
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"You can, it's just more complicated with Alethia than it would be if we were talking about someplace more like, I don't know, Eos, Rainbow, whatever. Although - consider the fact that I'm a mythical figure, have been for longer than he's been alive, would that help or hurt if I just went up to him myself?"
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
"...Could work," he says. "Thing is, he's not going to like it if you just teleport in front of him and say hi, and I don't think he'll think much of the brainphone as a surprise either. Actually..."

He pauses, contemplating something.

"Those stars, how long do they last?"
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"A little shy of a week is how long it took in the only case one's been allowed to wear off. Why?"
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"Should be fine, then. I just thought, if he's got the name and he's got the band he's probably got the best friend too," he explains. "And I know Rayne'd be all over introducing two of me. But it might take us a while to get it all sorted out."
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"Well, you are, as I said, quite welcome to visit the world."
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
"Right," he says. "Jane, mind popping me back home for a minute so I can tell Pat what's going on and pick up a star from the Jokers?"
mind_game: (web)
Author: mind_game
[Sure.]

Pop!

Pat's location is one of the places Jane can put him, and she's not doing anything private at the moment, so that is where he goes.
bellfounding: (talkative)
Author: bellfounding
"Hey you. Have a good time?"
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"I really did." He kisses her. "And then Amariah found one of me in her world, so I'm gonna go say hi." [And I'm going to introduce myself to his Rayne first, because I bet that'll go much better, but going much better is probably going to mean having a lot of sex with both of 'em, and I figured you'd want to know.]
bellfounding: (heh)
Author: bellfounding
[Oh boy. Thanks for the warning. You want a star?]
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
[Was gonna get one from the source, but if you're offering, sure.] He kisses her again.
bellfounding: (lipbite)
Author: bellfounding
She passes one into his coinsorter. Kisses! [You make the wish before you go into Alethia,] she warns.
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
[Yeah, figured.]

Kisses kisses.

"I love you," he says, and kisses the end of her nose, and makes a wish. "Guess I should put some clothes on, too." Another wish. "All set. Jane, could you put me in Alethia?"
bellfounding: (beam)
Author: bellfounding
"Love you."
mind_game: (fractal)
Author: mind_game
[You want Amariah's palace in the land of the dead, or her basement in the daemon-having subworld?]
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
[Daemon-having subworld, I guess, that'll be where I'm going anyway.]
mind_game: (dreamcatcher)
Author: mind_game
[Okay.]

Pop.
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
Amariah's there already. "Hi. Am I joining you or are you going on your own?"
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
"...Ooh." He considers this. "You could join me, if you want, but you might not want. Rayne's trouble."
dark_light: (path)
Author: dark_light
"What kind?" asks Path, out on her shoulder again, tilting his head. She's back in silks; he's got his talons around one of the twists of black.
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
"Complicated kinds."
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"...Should I just ask Pat?"
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
"You can. I'm not sure what she'll tell you."
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
Amariah tilts her head, confers briefly with Pattern through Jane, and says, "I'll join you, if you don't mind, unless he's the going-to-tabloids sort? I don't mind minor rumor about the Second Coming of the Shade Dreamer, but firsthand reports to media outlets should wait."
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"He won't go to the tabloids unless there's something in it for him, and I don't think there wil be."
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"Okay then. Is this an uninvited teleportation situation or a brainphoning first situation or what? I will follow your lead."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"Uninvited teleportation," he says. "Spying on him first to make sure I'm not interrupting anything important."

He does that. Rayne is at home, alone - even the flat is familiar, although not completely.

Poof.
dark_light: (Default)
Author: dark_light
Amariah follows. Aura billows out around her - the witchiness blurs her age; she could be twenty, ninety, eight hundred. And she's definitely magical enough to make a custom afterlife. If anyone who sees her in full aura has previously been taken in by an impostor, this will put a stop to that.
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
When she arrives, Rayne is in the middle of jumping to his feet in shock. His daemon - a skinny, leggy ginger cat with bright golden eyes - leaps into his arms, hissing.

He looks at Amariah very intently, for a moment, but his eyes are drawn irresistibly back to Ripper.

"Hi," says Ripper, smirking.

"What in Christ happened to you?" says Rayne. "And who's the witch?"

"Be nice," says Ripper, "she's a friend."

Rayne shakes his head slowly. His daemon climbs up to his shoulder and directs a look of deep suspicion at Amariah, then jumps lightly down to curl up in his armchair while he nods politely to the apparent mythic figure.

"Right," says Ripper. "Isabella Amariah, Ethan Rayne. And me - let's say I'm not the Ripper you know."

"I can tell," Rayne murmurs.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
Amariah chuckles softly. Path turns his head around and around, taking in the room.
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
The room is small and messy and extremely lived-in.

"Where'd you come from?" says Rayne.

"Another universe," Ripper says cheerfully.

Rayne snorts. "Figures. And what are you doing here?"

"Visiting," says Ripper. "By the way, friendly word - if you're ever thinking of faking your own death, don't do it."

Rayne gives him a thoughtful look. Ripper shrugs.

"You are different," says Rayne. "And I'm, what, supposed to introduce you to the local?"

"That was the idea," Ripper agrees.

"Fine. He'll be back soon. Cup of tea in the meantime?"

"I'd love one," says Ripper. He sits down in one of the two chairs not currently occupied by a daemon.
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
[Faking his death would have kind of different fallout here compared to Origin,] Amariah points out to Ripper, helping herself to the other chair.
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
[Yeah. I just figured he should know why I'm not as close with him in my world.]

Rayne goes to put the kettle on. Rayne's daemon climbs onto the arm of Rayne's chair and perches there, tail flicking, peering at Amariah and Path.
dark_light: (path)
Author: dark_light
Path looks impassively at her. His do-not-touch aura doesn't apply to the cat, but the fact that he's on Amariah's shoulder is probably sufficient deterrent.
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
The cat regards him steadily for a few more seconds, then turns and jumps to the arm of Ripper's chair and butts her head against his hand. He makes a startled sound, then pets her tentatively; she curls up in his lap and purrs.
dark_light: (squinting)
Author: dark_light
Amariah watches this. Path watches Rayne himself.
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
Rayne is just coming out of the kitchen. He sits down in the chair his daemon just vacated and watches Path right back.
dark_light: (Default)
Author: dark_light
[So to what extent do you understand what just happened?] Amariah asks Ripper.
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
[Not very well.]
dark_light: (squinting)
Author: dark_light
[His soul walked up to you and solicited petting. There are special cases - Jokers in particular are special cases - but the overwhelming majority of daemons literally never do that, and the ones that do save it for their very, very favorite people in the world. And he didn't ask and he did it in front of me, which suggests he's not just checking to see if it's okay - which it could have not been.]
tearingup: (⑧ wait by the door)
Author: tearingup
[Yeah, I know all about Jokers being special cases. But... well, he's Rayne. It's not all that surprising when I think about it. Same reason I knew he wouldn't freak out too hard that I don't have a daemon. I'm not the me he knows, but I'm still me. Rayne lives a very me-focused life.]
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
[Okay.]
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
So.

Ripper pets the cat.

Rayne stares at Path.
dark_light: (Default)
Author: dark_light
Path stares right back. Amariah, though, closes her eyes, and prompts Jane to deliver reading material by brainphone while they wait for the local Ripper.
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
The kettle clicks.

"Tea's up," says Rayne. He goes and pours two cups, and brings Ripper his, and then he sits down with his own and says, "So how'd you two meet?"
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"He's dating one of my friends," says Amariah.
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
Rayne glances at Ripper. Ripper smiles. Rayne raises his eyebrows. Ripper laughs. After a moment, so does Rayne.
dark_light: (squinting)
Author: dark_light
[What just happened?]
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
[He wanted to know what this friend of yours thinks of the fact that I've slept with you. I told him she's fine with it.]
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
[Reminds me of watching Sherlocks have entire conversations with their posture,] snorts Amariah.
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
[Rayne can read me like a book. Always has.]

"Anything you two want to share with the class?" Rayne says dryly.

[Case in point,] laughs Ripper.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"We're telepathic," smirks Amariah.
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"Ooh," says Rayne. "There's a trick."

"Do I want to know what you're thinking right now?" says Ripper. Rayne just laughs.
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
Amariah snorts. [Do you think your alt would care if I looked in on him to see if he's almost here as reported?]
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
[Yes, definitely, don't.]
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
[All right.] She conjures her own cup of tea and sips it.
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
Rayne studies her thoughtfully.

"Why are you here?"
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
"Along for the ride. I can leave if I'll only be in the way."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
"Really," he says. "It's a bit much for me to believe that you came back from the dead just to watch my best mate fuck himself."
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"Wasn't planning to supervise that part. Also, wasn't dead."
pythbox: A book. (Default)
Author: pythbox
Rayne grins.

"Aren't you, though? I know I am."
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"That's between you and them."
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
"That means, don't start selling tickets," Ripper says helpfully.

"Me? I would never," says Rayne, mock-offended. Ripper laughs and pets his lapful of purring cat.

Someone opens the front door and walks in.



And just sort of stands there, utterly stunned.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"Hello," says Amariah. Her aura's still floating around her, magicmagicwitchwitchmagicmagic.
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
"What," says the Ripper with the kingfisher on his shoulder.

"Ripper, Hec, this is... Ripper," says Rayne. "And Isabella Amariah, who apparently isn't here to watch you two have sex, can't imagine why, wild horses couldn't get me to pass that up."

"He doesn't—" the local Ripper says distantly.

"Kit doesn't mind, so why should you?" shrugs Rayne. "C'mon in, shut the door, say hello, steal his tea."

The local Ripper manages to shut the door.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"People from other worlds don't, usually," says Amariah. Even within the sheaf Alethia is unusual; she's read sensationalist media screaming about it from fifty years ago.
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
The cat in Ripper's lap looks at the local Ripper and sniffs.

He comes forward hesitantly, sits on the floor in front of his alt, and joins him in petting her.

Rayne bites his lip. It's the first time he's shown a visible reaction to Ripper touching his daemon.

"I have no idea what's going on," the local Ripper murmurs. His kingfisher leaves his shoulder and perches on a nearby clock, giving it an extra set of talon-marks on top of the many it already has.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
[Is this my cue to get out of here?]
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
[Yeah,] says the nonlocal Ripper, [unless you want to join in.]
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
[All right. Lemme know if you want me to help with Explaining Things after the stuff I'm not participating in is out of the way.]

And she gives a little wave and vanishes, Path with her.
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
[Will do,] laughs Ripper.
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
Amariah finds Kas. She flops on him. "There's a local alt of Pattern's boyfriend who's a younger and more interesting Rupert," she reports.
truthwright: (⑻ who i really am)
Author: truthwright
"Pattern's boyfriend is a younger and more interesting Rupert? I need to get out more," he says, snuggling her.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"Goes by Ripper, wrote her a pretty imperial anthem, rock star, tastes like peaches," says Amariah. "I borrowed him, then swept Alethia and found one here."
truthwright: (⑽ something inexpressible)
Author: truthwright
"Did you say hi?"
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"Yeah, both Rippers and the local's best friend are presumably having sex now."
truthwright: (⑷ sweet sweet thing)
Author: truthwright
"That's cute. Maybe I'll say hi when they're done."
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"Yeah, do. I'm not interested in the best friend, but the Rippers are cute."
truthwright: (⑸ got no innocence)
Author: truthwright
"I will, then."

He hugs her some more.

"Love you, sweetie."
dark_light: (unimpressed)
Author: dark_light
"I love you too." Snuggle. "Ripper wanted to make sure you wouldn't mind, about the borrowing, I said you wouldn't - right?"
truthwright: (⑷ sweet sweet thing)
Author: truthwright
"Yeah, of course." Hugs.
dark_light: (cool)
Author: dark_light
"Thought so." Hug.
truthwright: (⑹ of all that you could see)
Author: truthwright
Snuggle hug.