Author: incanted	Jane brainphones Brilliance. [Hey. I'm sorry I made you think about things you didn't want to think about the other day.]
Author: cardistry	[...Thanks,] says Brilliance.
Author: mind_game	[You're welcome. Should I look out for anything else like that in the future?]
Author: cardistry	[Uh... yeah,] he says.
Author: mind_game	[...I am a computer program. It would help if you were more specific.]
Author: cardistry	[I don't really know how to get more specific,] he says. [Like. Don't joke about my personal trauma? Is that specific enough?]
Author: mind_game	[I wasn't setting out to do that, though. As far as I knew, no science was involved in your personal trauma.]
Author: cardistry	[Yeah, and not a lot of literal holding down, either. It was still a nasty reminder.]
Author: mind_game	[And I'm sorry. But I don't know how to avoid more stuff like that unless you tell me. I guess I could just not talk directly to you?]
Author: cardistry	[Yeah, that's one way,] he says. [I don't know either.]
Author: mind_game	[I'll just talk to Aurora first from now on then.]
Author: cardistry	[Okay. Thanks, I guess.]
Author: mind_game	[You're welcome.]
Author: cardistry	Brilliance thinks over this conversation. Then he says, +Hey you.+
Author: incanted	+Hi, what's up?+
Author: cardistry	+Talked to Jane, you hear anything about that?+
Author: incanted	+She said she's going to go through me if she has messages, even if they're mostly for you, 'cause she upset you the other day.+
Author: cardistry	+Yeah. She apologized and stuff, but we couldn't figure out how she could avoid doing it again.+
Author: incanted	+Well, to be fair, we aren't sure that I'm not going to deeply upset you at some point.+
Author: cardistry	+...I'm confused about where the fairness comes in here,+ he says after a moment.
Author: incanted	+...Mostly just an expression, in retrospect it doesn't make a lot of sense. There's no strong reason you and Jane have to talk, so if you don't want to risk it you don't have to.+
Author: cardistry	+Yeah. I mean, I dunno, if she seemed like she got what was wrong with the thing she actually said... but she didn't, and I couldn't explain it to her.+
Author: incanted	+I had the impression that she got what happened when she said it, but not why it happened.+
Author: cardistry	+...Do you get why it happened? Maybe you could figure out how to say it.+
Author: incanted	+I don't think I can explain it to Jane. I have, like, a vague outline, and I model you as being generally skittish so I'd steer clear of pretty much any levity around the subject of you and hurting, but I don't think Jane distinguishes cleanly between levity and not-levity - I mean, she could probably imitate someone who happens to not be funny, she has enough sample material, but that wouldn't be talking to Jane, I could imagine she'd rather just skip it.+
Author: cardistry	+Yeah. Okay,+ he sighs. +I love you. You busy? Wanna snuggle?+
Author: incanted	+I am doing things-in-my-head stuff and it's totally compatible with snuggling!+
Author: cardistry	+Okay, c'mere, I'm in the place,+ he says.
Author: incanted	+It's good teleporting can find you and doesn't require me to decipher "the place".+ Port. Snuggle!
Author: cardistry	"It's this place," he giggles. Also known as: a beanbag in the Rainbowsand village. "The cuddly place! Where we usually go when you're gonna hurt me a bunch. You know. The place."
Author: incanted	"On reflection this is totally a familiar place," says Bella, snuggling.
Author: cardistry	"Damn right." Cuddles!
Author: incanted	So many cuddles!
Author: cardistry	Cuddly cuddles. The cuddliest. "I love you so much," he murmurs.
Author: incanted	"You're adorable."
Author: cardistry	He curls up closer and hugs her and smiles.
Author: incanted	Snuggles!
Author: cardistry	Mmmmmmmmmm.