Author: bellfounding	[Hey guys,] Bella says to Aianon and Ansharil one afternoon, [Sarion free for some catching-up? Been a while.]
Author: endragoned	They consult their beloved.
Author: small_magics	Their beloved is not too busy to talk to her alt!
Author: endragoned	[She is,] says Aianon.
Author: bellfounding	[Awesome. You want to be telephone in person, one of you, or brainphone only today?]
Author: endragoned	[I will,] says Aianon.
Author: bellfounding	[You can port in.]
Author: endragoned	Port!
Author: bellfounding	"So me and Ripper went to the renaissance faire and played queens, that was fun," says Bella, closing her eyes almost like Sarion has come over in person for tea. She conjures a cup of that nice elf tea to complete the illusion, sips it. "It was his first public appearance attached to me; there are pictures and speculation everywhere. I haven't had an interview since then but I imagine it'll come up on Thursday's. What are you up to?"
Author: small_magics	Isibel is up to Belling. She can do very, very large enchantments all on her own, and has been painstakingly designing them for large-scale deployment. The city of Armethalieh is currently debating whether to name her a saint. She would like to 'meet' Pattern's boyfriend.
Author: endragoned	Aianon uses magic to relay all this in his beloved's voice, and when he reaches the part about Sarion meeting Ripper, he laughs. "That would be fun," he opines.
Author: bellfounding	"Could be. I'll ask him," chuckles Bella. [Hey, Ripper.]
Author: tearingup	[Yeah?]
Author: bellfounding	[I'm catching up with Sarion. She wants to meet you.]
Author: tearingup	[...All right.]
Author: bellfounding	"I'll go get him, one sec." Pop. Knock.
Author: tearingup	Door open. Hug!
Author: bellfounding	Hug! Pop. "So, you've met Aianon before, obviously, but right now he's being a telephone," says Bella. "Say cheese, he's a video-enabled telephone."
Author: tearingup	He laughs and waves.
Author: endragoned	Aianon relays this visual to his beloved.
Author: small_magics	It is Isibel's opinion that he is very charming and Pattern is lucky to have him.
Author: endragoned	Aianon relays this right back!
Author: tearingup	"Of course I am," Ripper says smugly. He gives Bella a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
Author: small_magics	Awwww!
Author: bellfounding	"So yeah, this is Ripper, I've told you about him and probably your beloveds have filled in some stuff too. He's a rockstar, has this thing about knocking before I show up in his apartment, and unless we get interesting news when we hit the peal again nobody else has one."
Author: tearingup	"I'm unique and beautiful," says Ripper.
Author: bellfounding	"Both of those things." Bella pecks him on the temple.
Author: small_magics	Awwwwww. Unique and beautiful and funny, too.
Author: endragoned	"And tasty," Aianon contributes.
Author: tearingup	"You know it."
Author: small_magics	That is interesting and adorable. (She misses her beloveds. This is just another thing they cannot really try until they are together again.)
Author: endragoned	Her beloveds miss her too.
Author: tearingup	"You've got that look again," says Ripper, and he hugs Aianon.
Author: bellfounding	"I'm sorry. We could find a door any time," Bella sighs. "If you wanted we could try finagling something with the thing where Jokers can dream to Milliways, maybe, but it probably wouldn't even work and Sarion's not getting doors either anyway."
Author: small_magics	Isibel does not think Pattern should be sorry. Her request for help with Saturn was reasonable, her beloveds accepted of their own will, and no one foresaw that Jane would break again with Aegis so well-protected. And she isn't getting doors, and would not be able to meet her beloveds at Milliways, and that could not be trusted as a mechanism anyway, given how long Beast languished trapped before it happened to him.
Author: tearingup	Hugs.
Author: endragoned	Hugs.
Author: small_magics	Isibel would just as soon speak of happier topics. She has heard what Pattern thinks of Ripper; what does Ripper think of Pattern?
Author: tearingup	He giggles, still hugging Aianon, then kisses him and goes back to Bella. "I think she's amazing, of course." Snugglekiss!
Author: small_magics	Isibel was hoping for slightly more detail.
Author: tearingup	"I'm sure nobody wants me to start listing all the things she's amazing at, except maybe you," and he grins at Aianon.
Author: small_magics	That is fair.
Author: bellfounding	Bella blushes and giggles.
Author: tearingup	Ripper kisses the top of Bella's head. "And you're adorable," he tells her. "And funny. And the magical empress part doesn't hurt."
Author: bellfounding	"I am adorable and funny and also a magical empress. Apparently some people have decided Sarion is a saint," she adds.
Author: tearingup	"How's that work?"
Author: small_magics	Isibel is not intimately familiar with the human religion, but they apparently think she is an agent of the Light - deliberately or coincidentally - and the title puts her in company with Idalia, who died to defeat darkness more than two thousand years ago.
Author: endragoned	"Although," says Aianon, "they might change their minds if they knew about me."
Author: small_magics	Isibel has been planning not to make him generally known until she is better known and better trusted. It would frighten people; it would make it harder to do her job.
Author: endragoned	"Of course it would."
Author: bellfounding	"Yeah, I don't put Aianon on the cover of the imperial newsletter either," says Bella. "Helpful though he is."
Author: tearingup	"Aww, he's harmless really," says Ripper. "Big red teddy bear."
Author: endragoned	Aianon grins fangily at him.
Author: tearingup	"Ooh, shivers," he murmurs.
Author: small_magics	It is good that Isibel's beloved is not too lonesome without her.
Author: bellfounding	"Big red teddy bear with fangs and claws and horns a spiky tail and batwings, yes," snorts Bella.
Author: tearingup	"But still cute and cuddly."
Author: endragoned	Aianon laughs.
Author: bellfounding	"I'll grant it," laughs Bella.
Author: small_magics	The cutest, the cuddliest. Her own.
Author: endragoned	All those things.
Author: tearingup	Ripper decides to demonstrate Aianon's cuteness and cuddliness by hugging him some more.
Author: bellfounding	Bella laughs softly and closes her eyes again and catches Sarion up on how her empressing is going, what with the resurrections and colonization and such.
Author: small_magics	Isibel cannot replenish her coin supply, and has to be exceedingly judicious about using anything that she could find herself in dire need of in an emergency. She is doing her empressing by enchantment, still, and triangles and squares, here and there. She has implemented no significant resurrection project, though she willingly distributes torchability to those who'll take it. She catches Pattern up on how that has been going; a great many elves now boast true immortality, and more humans are taking the offer now, too.
Author: tearingup	"You'd think, if elves live ten times longer, humans would be ten times as excited about immortality," says Ripper.
Author: small_magics	And yet it does not seem so. Isibel believes this may be because elves already valued long life - this is why they gave up their magic for it in the first place.
Author: endragoned	"I have only ever met one human from Thilanushinyel," says Aianon, shrugging.
Author: small_magics	And he in particular could certainly be said to value long life.
Author: endragoned	He nods.
Author: tearingup	"...Is there a story here?"
Author: small_magics	There is! It is a somewhat anticlimactic story.
Author: tearingup	"Let's hear it."
Author: small_magics	Isibel "tells" the story from the beginning. How she was on an expedition to the island (now home to a growing colony of elves, many of whom now live in her enchanted village) and found unicorn statues, and a demon, and was confused afraid, but did not flee. And how he was harmless, and how he had a beautiful dragon. And how she did run from the beautiful dragon. And how she later learned that she had to go back. And how she learned meditation, and went to the island again, and fell in love. And learned elfmagery, and how they found the one who was going to bring the Dark, and how he died.
Author: tearingup	"You're right," says Ripper, "that was anticlimactic. But it's almost better that way, isn't it?"
Author: small_magics	It is, yes, although it somewhat highlighted the enormity of Isibel's sacrifice - however temporary it later turned out to be. A prolonged, difficult fight would have been distracting. (She is all right now.)
Author: tearingup	Ripper hugs Aianon.
Author: endragoned	That was probably for Sarion, if she wants it.
Author: small_magics	She appreciates hugs and the sentiment behind them.
Author: tearingup	"Good." Hug! Extremely long-distance hug. Aianon is a hug-enabled telephone.
Author: small_magics	Far, far away, Isibel wraps her arms around herself and closes her eyes and sighs.
Author: endragoned	Oh, my love.
Author: small_magics	It is nice to be able to talk to Pattern, but Isibel would so much prefer to have her beloveds here with her.
Author: endragoned	So would her beloveds. Although they definitely don't regret meeting Ripper.
Author: small_magics	It is good that they have people with them to console them. (She is not planning on it, exactly, but if this separation goes on much longer she might find herself doing something uncharacteristic.)
Author: endragoned	(Her beloveds encourage her to to whatever will make her happy.)
Author: small_magics	(Of course they do.)