dark_light: (Default)
Author: dark_light
Isabella is interviewing shades. It's easier to control PR from here - if she doesn't want to send one back to the living, she doesn't have to, and anything they tell their dreaming friends is hearsay twice over with no chance for soundbites or recordkeeping - and they have nearly as much up-to-date information about their worlds, if she picks the right ones. Simultaneously, Jane is feeding her books and news articles and her personal impressions of the things that have gone on recently. (Isabella already planted ansibles in all the other subworlds with Internets for her.)
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
It has been about a day since Amariah witnessed the introduction of the local and nonlocal Rippers.

Now, the nonlocal brainphones her. [Hey, we're done getting to know each other for now,] he says.
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
[And I'm sure you now know each other very well. Has he been disclosed of things?]
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
[Some of 'em. And Rayne picked him a nickname - you can call him Keth if having two Rippers around is too much for you.]
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
[Sure. Where'd that come from?]
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
[They didn't say. So I'm betting it has something to do with Hecate.]
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
[That's his daemon?]
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
[Yeah. Keth's. Rayne's won't admit to a name.]
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
[Huh. Do you want me to help disclosing any things?]
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
[None that I can think of. Do you want to have sex with me and Keth?]
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
[Sounds like a good time. Rayne out of the picture, yeah? Pat told me to avoid being in any situation where it mattered to me what he did.]
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
[Pat's smart. Yeah, Rayne fucked off a while ago, it's just us now. Oh, I minted Keth and gave him some goodies, by the way.]
dark_light: (cool)
Author: dark_light
[Fine by me but I wish you'd asked. Gimme a minute to wrap up this other conversation and I will appear.]
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
[Sure.]
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
Isabella wraps up her conversation.

She appears.
tearingup: (⑪ make a change)
Author: tearingup
The Rippers are in Keth's living room, neither wearing much more than underwear, having a cup of tea and a chat.

When Isabella appears, Keth swears and drops his tea. And then swears some more.
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Sorry about that," says Isabella, fixing the cup of tea for him with a triangle, "thought he would have warned you I said I was going to appear."
tearingup: (⑦ try it your way)
Author: tearingup
"He said you were going to show up," says Keth, "he didn't mention the part where you appear without warning in the middle of my living room."

"Shit, I didn't even think," says Ripper, "it's been years since Pat did that - when you're visiting a Ripper, come in through the door."
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
"Oh. Okay, noted," laughs Amariah. "Well, hi. I'm Isabella, apparently at this point you're more likely to have heard of me under the title 'Shade-Dreamer', and every single one of the movies is drastically wrong."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"Yeah," says Keth, "so I've heard. So what is the story?"
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"You know those little magic coins you can make now? They come in many sizes. I used some really really pointy ones. After conquering some angels, making sure God wasn't going to be a problem, and getting the harpies to cooperate."
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
"Right," says Keth. "Conquering angels. All in a day's work."
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"I had help."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Aianon was there," says Ripper.

"I'm still not sure I believe you about him," says Keth.

"He's pretty unbelievable," says Ripper. "You'll meet him at the party."
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
"Aianon is totally real," agrees Amariah. "And my boyfriend, and one of my alts - there was another one along but she went home early - and a few other people who weren't with me through the whole business."
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
"Your boyfriend's another Joker, right?" says Keth.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"Yes."
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
Keth grins at Ripper. Ripper grins back.
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"He mentioned maybe looking you two up, actually, when I mentioned you to him."
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"Ooh," says Ripper, grinning some more.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
Amariah laughs and addresses Keth. "So you're up to speed, sounds like, and you're invited to the Bellparty, which I'm thinking of offering to host, except in my afterlife palace so not everyone has to burn coins avoiding daemon acquisition."
tearingup: (⑨ ask again)
Author: tearingup
Hecate rustles her wings. "'Avoiding daemon acquisition'," says Keth, "there's a phrase you don't expect to hear often. You have an afterlife palace?"
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"Yeah, I just made it the other day. Easiest place to put up a palace, for me. Reality there obeys my whims directly. It'll make party setup super easy."

Path tells Hecate, "People who don't have us think it's almost as weird as we think not having us is."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Well aren't you special," says Keth. Ripper giggles.

Hecate says, "Was there going to be sex or was Ripper kidding about that?"
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
Amariah grins.

Path flutters away from her shoulder, and gazes owlishly at Hecate.

"Can be," she purrs.
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
Hecate is perched in her customary place on top of a somewhat battered clock. She takes wing and heads for the bedroom; Keth puts down his tea and follows.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
Presently the birds are snuggled up in the appropriate manner. This is and has always been a satisfactory workaround for Isabella.

Ayep. Rippers are nice. Pat has good taste.
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
Rippers are nice. The one she has already sampled has changed flavours by now - he's dark chocolate, and Keth is caramel.
dark_light: (why yes)
Author: dark_light
"Oh, I thought the peach was a stable thing, silly of me."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Nah," says Ripper.

"More fun this way," Keth says cheerfully.
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
Nibble nibble nibble.
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
Ooh, nibbles. Would she like some of those back?
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
Why yes, she is somewhat undersupplied!
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
Lucky for her, she gets a two-for-one deal!
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
That is very lucky indeed. Keth may not have his alt's years of experience with operating a Bell, but that does not make him significantly less enjoyable.
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
And it's possible that Ripper may be giving him a few helpful pointers.
dark_light: (fascinated)
Author: dark_light
Isabella does not object in the slightest.
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
Good! That is good. That is a good thing.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
There are so many good things!

And satisfying feathery snuggles over there mean there is none of Amariah's not-all-here-ness from before.
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
Ripper notices and appreciates this! Keth doesn't even think of it.
dark_light: (skyward)
Author: dark_light
It is probably most obvious during the afterglowy snuggles.
tearingup: (① laugh it off)
Author: tearingup
They are some good afterglowy snuggles. Rippers are a cuddly bunch.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
Yay!
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
Snugglyay.
dark_light: (la la)
Author: dark_light
It is the snugglyayest.

Eventually Isabella gets up, wishes her silks on, and retrieves her daemon. "That was lovely."
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
"It really was," says Ripper, snuggling up to Keth. "Mmm."
dark_light: (engaged)
Author: dark_light
"I'll see you both at the party if not sooner, yeah?" laughs Isabella.
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Yeah!" says Keth.
dark_light: (collected)
Author: dark_light
"Awesome." She blows them a kiss - Path waves a wing at Hecate - and then she's gone.
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup




Somewhat late the next day, Ripper finally teleports to the Janepoint and asks her to take him home.
bellfounding: (reading)
Author: bellfounding
He lands right in front of Pattern, who is inspecting some of Saturn's bubbles but currently unaccompanied.
tearingup: (⑥ consider caution)
Author: tearingup
"Hi," says Ripper. He kisses her. "I've just had a lot of sex, want to go have some more?"
bellfounding: (talkative)
Author: bellfounding
She laughs. "Is that all you were doing? You were gone a long time, I figured Amariah decided to take you on a tour of half her worldsheaf or something. But regardless, yes, absolutely." Sometime during this utterance they cease to be on Saturn and begin to be in her bed in her tower.
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
"Well, there was Rayne and Keth - that's what we called the local Ripper - and then there was Keth and Amariah, and then there was Keth and Kas."

He kisses her again.
bellfounding: (heh)
Author: bellfounding
Kiss! "Very eventful."
tearingup: (③ sweeten the pot)
Author: tearingup
"Yeah. Like I said. A lot of sex. And a few cups of tea in between."
bellfounding: (lipbite)
Author: bellfounding
"You and your tea."

Now she tastes like tea. With lemon.

Kiss.
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
Ripper currently tastes like cherries! Lucky they don't have to match.

He giggles. "I love you so much."
bellfounding: (beam)
Author: bellfounding
"I love you too."
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
Snugglesnugglekiss.
bellfounding: (aww)
Author: bellfounding
Kisskisssquirm.
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
Ooh a squirm! Bella has the cutest squirms. They must be vigorously snuggled.
bellfounding: (beam)
Author: bellfounding
That is one of several things you can do with a Bella-squirm, certainly.
tearingup: (⑤ deny mercy)
Author: tearingup
That's true. There are more.
bellfounding: (aww)
Author: bellfounding
He should go through all of them in some kind of sensible order!
tearingup: (② chew on things)
Author: tearingup
Yes. He will do that thing.
bellfounding: (aww)
Author: bellfounding
Oh good! She is so pleased. More squirms are generated.
tearingup: (④ welcome consequences)
Author: tearingup
Perfect.