mind_game: (fractal)
Author: mind_game
Time has passed.

Inconsistently.

Jane's network has kept all the Bells' worlds - and every other world with a Janepoint stuck in due to its being attached to Downside - in temporal sync, but when Jane spluttered for just a moment, that was shot to hell.

Peace lost three seconds, because it was where Aegis torched; after that process was complete, Jane was there again. And as soon as a door between Peace and Milliways appeared, she could sync to her ansible hub in the Belltower and, from there, to everywhere else.

Atlantis and Sunshine each stand at about a minute apiece: Shell Bell's aura and Juliet's local copy of Jarvis both enabled them to get to Milliways immediately, pausing their homeworlds as standard for occasions when someone walks into the bar. Shell Bell's the one who connected Peace.

Everyone else was running on luck.

Luckiest is Rainbow, which lost only five hours.

Next is Alethia; in spite of Sherlock's mishap, it's fared reasonably well, spending only six weeks isolated.

Syntropy's just a little worse - seven weeks.

Origin waited two months.

Eos waited three.

Thilanushinyel, ten.

Everyone else is out a decade at least. Samaria's ten years, almost ten and a half.

Aurum is out eleven.

RĂªverie has been separated for sixteen years.

All the Bells - and Elspeth, who was stuck in Downside for a day and a half on her end and whose mother was very upset - are collected in the Belltower, as are two Bell-attached Sherlocks who happened to be along for the ride. They all memorize this list of numbers. Aegis replaces her earpiece. And then they all go home to notify their loved ones and staff that there's a party cooking in the Belltower.

(Shell Bell, who has no particular cause on her own account to be distressed, sends her Sherlock to invite Tony in while she refits the Belltower to suit a party of a peal of Bells and their larger-than-last-encountered families and circles of friends.)
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
Kerron's just going to loiter around here waiting for someone to ask him who he is. Or say his name. Mum won't tell, he's good at playing along like that.
sailorheavymetal: (b. I do not even believe you rn)
Author: sailorheavymetal
A girl whom Kerron might have seen around at a previous Bellparty or two walks right past him, and then spins around and does a full-on double-take, one hand going to the handle of the war hammer hanging from her belt.

"Whoa!"
pina_colada: (Default)
Author: pina_colada
"Hey," says Kerron.
sailorheavymetal: (a. this whole hero thing)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Hi," says Darcy. "You... are probably not Thor."
pina_colada: (wtf)
Author: pina_colada
"...The Norse god of thunder? Me? I have honestly not heard that mistake made before, I gotta say," laughs Kerron.
sailorheavymetal: (6. yes I did.)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"The Norse god of thunder who happens to be my drinking buddy, yeah," says Darcy. "You look almost just like him, except younger and with less hair."
pina_colada: (sedate)
Author: pina_colada
"...Okay," says Kerron, "how likely is that to be an alts thing and how likely is it to just be a crazy resemblance? Because I don't feel very Norse or very thunderous and I'm not gonna get any older-looking and I have no plans to stop buzzcutting once a week."
sailorheavymetal: (5. everything is cool)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"I am, like, 99% sure it's just a crazy resemblance," says Darcy. "I've heard that happens sometimes, although I haven't actually seen it until now. It's kinda weird! If you wanna check for sure, though," she pats the hammer, "I bet Mewtwo can help."
pina_colada: (yeah?)
Author: pina_colada
"How will your hammer help?" Kerron asks.
sailorheavymetal: (7. tell mama darcy all about it)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"It used to be Thor's," she says, unhooking it from her belt and setting it on the floor with the handle pointing up. "If you're one of him, I bet it'll let you pick it up."
pina_colada: (over here)
Author: pina_colada
"Compared to humans I am really, really strong, is this a magic thing or a heaviness thing?" Kerron asks, reaching for the hammer.
sailorheavymetal: (a. this whole hero thing)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Magic thing," says Darcy.

The hammer declines to be lifted.
pina_colada: (enh)
Author: pina_colada
"It's not budging," says Kerron. "That's interesting. This is definitely the smallest object I have ever been unable to move on trying."
sailorheavymetal: (6. yes I did.)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"It's always fun watching people try to pick up my hammer," says Darcy.
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
"I wonder if I can pick you up while you're wearing it."
sailorheavymetal: (3. and you can't have it)
Author: sailorheavymetal
Darcy picks up the hammer and hangs it from her belt again.

"Try me," she invites.
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
Kerron peers amusedly at some colorshapes, then plants a hand on each side of her waist and (gently) attempts to yoink.

She doesn't budge.
sailorheavymetal: (1. girls just wanna have fun)
Author: sailorheavymetal
Darcy grins smugly.

And then a colorshape changes, and she becomes liftable.
pina_colada: (natespawn)
Author: pina_colada
He scoops her up, spins her around, and sets her down again. "So apparently I can do that if you feel like it and not otherwise."
sailorheavymetal: (2. right on!)
Author: sailorheavymetal
She giggles when spun.

"Mewtwo's nice like that," she says. "Do you have magical feel-like-it detection powers, or are you just a good guesser?"
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
"I have magical feel-like-it detection powers, especially about anything having to do with me," says Kerron. "I am the multiverse's first know witch-ingot. And I recognize you, Darcy, but do you know who I am?" He winks.
sailorheavymetal: (b. I do not even believe you rn)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"...no," she says, "have we met? We haven't met, we would've gone through this whole rigamarole if we'd met, unless you're from one of the worlds that got mega cut off and we met when you were like two, and holy shit, you're that cute kid who was running around the first Bellparty, aren't you."
pina_colada: (morning person)
Author: pina_colada
"Yes," says Kerron. "It's been a while in Aurum. And I was way younger than two back then."
sailorheavymetal: (1. girls just wanna have fun)
Author: sailorheavymetal
Darcy laughs.

"I don't think I even got your name," she says.
pina_colada: (aww c'mon)
Author: pina_colada
"I'm Kerron," says Kerron. "Can I help update the mental image that you are so keen on eradicating, there?"
sailorheavymetal: (4. wish to subscribe to your newsletter)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Nice to meet you, Kerron! Do you seriously pick up on everything people want to do with, to, or about you? I can't decide whether that's really convenient or really embarrassing," says Darcy.
pina_colada: (yeah?)
Author: pina_colada
"I try to aim for convenient," says Kerron. "And it's not just stuff about me, I just get more detail on that. I don't automatically interpret what I see. I can quit reading your colorshapes if you want."
sailorheavymetal: (5. everything is cool)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"I'm pretty sure it's too late to save my dignity at this point, but thanks," she says, laughing.
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
Kerron peers at some flying colorshapes. "Well, in case there's any of it left and you wouldn't want it to suffer some awful fate later, I should probably warn you relatively upfront that I'm chronologically twelve, in case that affects any... ice-cream-related interests... I may wish to hear lots more about."
sailorheavymetal: (a. this whole hero thing)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"...But this is some kind of weird magic-and/or-science thing and you're as developmentally twentyish as you look, right? Because you look developmentally twentyish," says Darcy, looking.
pina_colada: (Default)
Author: pina_colada
"Oh yeah," says Kerron, "half-vampires do that." He winks. "I've been legal for five years now."
sailorheavymetal: (1. girls just wanna have fun)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Awesome," says Darcy. "In that case, let's talk about ice cream."
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
"Might melt," he says, speculatively picking up one of her hands in his. "I'm warmish, you see."
sailorheavymetal: (2. right on!)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"You are warmish," she agrees. "But I think I can deal."
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
He takes a step into her personal space, although not so close that he can't regularly have a look at flying colorshapes, and laces their fingers. "You think? Sounds messy."
sailorheavymetal: (6. yes I did.)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Nothing wrong with a little mess, right?"

Darcy sure doesn't think so!
pina_colada: (over here)
Author: pina_colada
"You know, I think I agree with you."
sailorheavymetal: (1. girls just wanna have fun)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"It's so great when that happens," beams Darcy.
pina_colada: (Default)
Author: pina_colada
"It is! Somebell set up a buffet," observes Kerron, "but I don't see any ice cream at it. Might be a do-it-yourself project. I've got squares," he adds, winking. "If you wanna go upstairs."
sailorheavymetal: (4. wish to subscribe to your newsletter)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"I would love to go upstairs," says Darcy. "And eat ice cream."
pina_colada: (morning person)
Author: pina_colada
Kerron's still holding her hand. He pulls her stairward. "Of foods," he says, "ice cream is one of the better ones."
sailorheavymetal: (2. right on!)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Ice cream is my favourite," says Darcy. "Especially when combined with other tasty things. Apple pie, funnel cake, hot guys..."
pina_colada: (over here)
Author: pina_colada
"So, I'm detecting a thing for temperature contrasts here," he purrs, squeezing her hand and pulling her up the first few stairs.
sailorheavymetal: (1. girls just wanna have fun)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"You might be onto something there!" says Darcy. "Good thing you're warmish, huh?"
pina_colada: (Default)
Author: pina_colada
"I am very conveniently warmish!" he agrees. Up they go. Yep, somebody prescient has separated this floor into "airlocked" chambers. This is the Belltower and pastwatching doesn't work at Milliways, so there is no feature inviting people to donate their bodies to pornography, just indications of vacancy or lack thereof.
sailorheavymetal: (6. yes I did.)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"You're very convenient in general," says Darcy.
pina_colada: (yeah?)
Author: pina_colada
"I try. If for some reason you opted to cease to wear your hammer would it fall through the floor and hit somebody on the head?" He peers at colorshapes, and reaches for a door labeled "vacant".
sailorheavymetal: (2. right on!)
Author: sailorheavymetal
"Nope," says Darcy. "When I put it down, it stays put. It's still heavy, I wouldn't drop it on something fragile, but most floors'll stand up to it just fine."

Her colorshapes at the moment mainly revolve around combining Kerron and ice cream in predictable ways.
pina_colada: (jokespawn)
Author: pina_colada
"You know what I bet I go with?" he says, opening the door and ushering her in. "I bet I go with pineapple and coconut."
sailorheavymetal: (9. rooftop r&r)
Author: sailorheavymetal
Darcy puts her hammer down by the door.

"Let's find out!"