lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
This isn't the bathroom, this isn't the bathroom at all.

"Excuse me I will be totally up for learning new magic stuff as is apparently required if someone will first direct me to a bathroom," Lexi says loudly to this bar full of people that is not even slightly a bathroom.
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (Default)
Author: manofmyword
"Over there," says the man in the pink shirt with the green hair and the prominent facial scarring. He points to a doorway about halfway along the wall.
lexicality: (true)
Author: lexicality
"Thanks, dude," says Lexi, and she ducks into the bathroom and then emerges again.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
The helpful dude is now sitting at a table, eating jellybeans out of a large open jar. He gives her a little wave.
lexicality: (all the above)
Author: lexicality
"So hey," says Lexi, heading for his table, "what is this place, why was it here instead of the school bathroom, and also does it do that funky barrier time thing because I could absolutely use another few minutes to study for this quiz?"
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"Milliways, it does that, and unless your world's very special - " he checks " - which it isn't, when you walk out that door it'll only have been a couple of seconds outside. Wanna jelly bean?"
lexicality: (prettyful)
Author: lexicality
"Oh, cool, thanks," says Lexi, and she helps herself to a green one. "How'd I get here? Man, my sister would love just a little pocket dimension where she could hang out forever without it even costing mana, running out of mana's bad apparently."
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Some of the flavours are pretty weird," he notes before she has managed to put the jelly bean in her mouth, "but I like 'em. Mm, Milliways has this habit of grabbing people. Shows up anywhere somebody's opening a door, whenever it feels like it."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"Weird like how?" Lexi asks, eyeing her bean suspiciously. "And why did it feel like grabbing me between bio and gym, I do not understand."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Weird like I don't know whether that's gonna be lime or absinthe," he says. "And nooooobody knows why the door does what it does, except it pretty clearly likes to mess with people."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"I don't think I even know what absinthe is," says Lexi dubiously, and she sniffs the jelly bean experimentally.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
It smells like a fresh Granny Smith apple.

The man in the pink shirt giggles.
lexicality: (solar)
Author: lexicality
Lexi decides it is safe to eat. She eats it.
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
It tastes like a fresh Granny Smith apple.

"Good one?" inquires the stranger.
lexicality: (prettyful)
Author: lexicality
"Apple," says Lexi, nodding, "very nice. I dunno if I'll try another one though, I can probably just get my sister to conjure me some jelly beans if I want them, that's what she's working on, and they'd be whatever flavor and Brilliance would eat most of them but I don't even care, he's okay after all."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"And who," says the stranger, "is Brilliance?"
lexicality: (Default)
Author: lexicality
"He's, like, my sister's - device - like, he calls himself a device, that's not me being depersonalizing or anything, he's a device not a human - and he's from space and sometimes he's a deck of cards and sometimes he's a staff thingy and sometimes he's a human - shaped - and he goes through ice cream like it's cocaine, and probably he'd like jellybeans too, I'm kinda surprised he hasn't started trying to eat the furniture really. He's teaching her magic."
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
He laughs.

"What's his deal with ice cream, or is it just one'a those things?"
lexicality: (resting)
Author: lexicality
"Well, apparently he didn't get around to trying food? For four hundred years. So there's that."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Poor guy!" he says. "And who's your sister? For that matter, who're you?"
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
"Oh, I'm Lexi, and my sister and I are twins - fraternal - her name's Bella. What about you, who're you?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
He snaps his fingers theatrically, and as his thumb lands on his curled forefinger a card appears between them: a joker. He flips it to show Lexi the dancing jester, then puts it on the table.

"That's me," he says. "Bella, huh? I know some Bellas. One or two," his expressive gestures outline faces in the air that seem momentarily real, one very much like Lexi's sister and one very much like Lexi's sister with golden eyes and skin like polished chalk, "or three or five or ten—" and the air between them is filled with little Bellas, including one who is a boy and one with enormous feathery wings.
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"...That one's a boy, is he seriously named Bella," observes Lexi, and then, "wait what, why do you know ten people who look like Bella - why does that one have wings - wait a second -"

And she looks up and peers closely at his face.

"...Okay what did I walk into?"
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"Funny little place, Milliways," he says. "You meet different versions of the same people here. A lot of different versions. There's eleven of me, for example, although lookin' at you I'm thinking it's about to be twelve."
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"Well, you look sorta like Brilliance, but I dunno for sure," says Lexi. "Are you also a magic device from space? Do all those other Bellas have Lexis too?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Not a one of 'em does," he says. "I'm not a magic device from space, but then, sounds like your Bella's not a witch or an angel or a boy. His name's Cam, by the way."
lexicality: (false)
Author: lexicality
"- None of them have Lexis at all?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Nope."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"...Oh."
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"Sorry."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"...And there are lots of you."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Yep," he says. "Three of 'em have brothers."
lexicality: (resting)
Author: lexicality
Lexi puts her elbow on the table and her chin in her hand. "Oh."
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"My type don't get along with our families so well, though. One of me didn't even meet her brother until they were both dead."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"Wait," says Lexi, "what?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Oh, the Bells took over Hell a while back," he says cheerfully. "Tidied the place up a bit."
lexicality: (Default)
Author: lexicality
"The Bells. I guess that sounds like something my Bella would do, if she could," muses Lexi.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"Don't it just?" he agrees.
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"Yeah, she's been learning to, like, conjure food, so she can teleport to Africa or wherever and make big heaps of it for the starving orphans and whatnot, but probably Hell would be more important if she could do something about it, yeah. Did all however many of them just run into each other here and then do that?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"More or less."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"Oh. Kinda sucks none of them are here now, Bella would flip."
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Kinda does, I guess," he says agreeably. "Bet she'll find the place eventually, though. And then they'll throw a big party and load her up with all kindsa nifty magic."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"Well, that's good, I guess."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Nifty magic is fun," he says cheerfully.
lexicality: (resting)
Author: lexicality
"I guess. I went flying last night and Bella forgot to tell me I could run out of mana and so I did and I fell right out of the sky but Brilliance fixed me so I guess he doesn't hate me completely, or he likes Bella more than he doesn't like me."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"If he is one of me, betcha he doesn't hate you," says the Joker. "My bunch doesn't hate easy."
lexicality: (sunflare)
Author: lexicality
"Well, he kind of - some of him kind of - it's really complicated but basically I got possessed and it was sorta him but sorta not and then, well, Bella called it being 'catty'," Lexi shrugs.
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"Gotcha," he says. "I wouldn't worry."

He eats a jelly bean. "Blue Gatorade," he declares after a moment's contemplation.
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"Okay, but, I don't know how much people are like other people who look like them," Lexi says.
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"What is he like?"
lexicality: (true)
Author: lexicality
"He's, I dunno, Bella likes him, he likes her," shrugs Lexi. "He likes food, he was made by some people to destroy planets but he didn't want to."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"How's he get along with Bella?"
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"They go do magic practice all the time on some other planet," says Lexi, waving a hand, "I don't see a lot of it - wait, do you think they're not just practicing magic? Or something? You asked that kinda funny."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Lot of the Jokers come with Bells attached," he says. "There was one in the world I started in, and there's one in the world I live in now, and I'm not attached to either, but there's, let me see - Alice and Stella, Kas and Amariah, Angela and Micaiah, Rose and Beast, and Cam and Jellybean." (He eats another one.) "Five Bells-and-Jokers who're dating."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"Wait, so they're not mostly named Bella?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Most of 'em are," he says, "but with ten of 'em in a room, you don't wanna say 'Bella' and have five look up, so they pick nicknames."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"Oh. I wonder what mine would call herself."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"We'll find out," he says serenely.
lexicality: (Default)
Author: lexicality
"I can ask her when I go out of here," says Lexi.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"Good plan."
lexicality: (prettyful)
Author: lexicality
"Maybe I should show Bella this place today. She'll just flip if I show her that the bathroom turned into a restaurant."
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"It won't be in the bathroom permanently," he says. "It'll show up somewhere else next time. Likes to keep us on our toes."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"So I can't go get her?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Probably not."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"Darn. Why do I keep finding things when it'd be better for Bella to find them? This happened when I got possessed too, the stupid deck of cards kept telling me it had limitless power and I was like 'dude wait a second I want to give the limitless power to my sister because if I take it she will guilt me and I'll never get a weekend off again, come on' and it was like 'no I cannot wait' and I was like 'oh fine' only then it was actually trying to destroy the world, like, why does this happen to me?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Sorry," says the Joker. And smiles.

"'Course, nothing stopping me from coming through your door and finding your sister myself."
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
"What, you want to walk out of the girls' bathroom in the middle of Forks High School?" Lexi says. "Because I bet you get escorted off school property in a hurry, you do that."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Wouldn't be the first time," he snorts. "But nah, I've got nifty magic, remember? I can be invisible if I feel like it."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"Oh, you have nifty magic, too, I thought it was just Bellas."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Turns out, my bunch is really good at making nifty magic and her bunch is really good at using it. Works out pretty well."
lexicality: (Default)
Author: lexicality
"Oh. Well, okay, if you wanna come to my world you can do that, I guess," says Lexi.
manofmyword: Laughing maniacally. (⑴ ahahahaha!!!!!)
Author: manofmyword
He beams. Something about him radiates childlike glee with an almost literal luminescence.
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
Lexi tilts her head, but she gets up and makes for the door.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker takes his jar of jelly beans and follows, turning invisible halfway there.
lexicality: (Default)
Author: lexicality
Lexi opens the door and walks out. +Bella, Bella you're gonna flip, turn invisible and let's cut gym, I found a thing!+
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
+Cut gym for what thing, please, Lexi?+
lexicality: (sunflare)
Author: lexicality
+There's, like, this restaurant, and there's this guy in it, who's like Brilliance's alternate universe twin, except kind of very alternate? And there's lots of you, too, only they weren't there, so I brought this one back, and he has magic, too.+
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
+What the fuck,+ says Brilliance.
lexicality: (prettyful)
Author: lexicality
+I know, right, I keep finding this stuff, Bella should find this stuff, but, like, at least I could bring him here? He's invisible. Come on, let's go tell the gym teacher that, like, you're dizzy and I have to take you home early.+
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
+...All right, sure.+

Bella and Lexi meet at gym. Bella acts dizzy. (She "saw someone scrape their knee" and "blood makes her sick". Lexi clearly has to take her home early.)

They get in the car.

"Where is invisible guy?" Bella wants to know.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Not far," says the Joker, appearing close to Bella's side of the car.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
Bella blinks at him.

"Okay, you do look sort of like Brilliance, and you can in fact turn invisible," she says. "You can get in the car." She pops the lock for the backseat.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
He gets in the car.
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
Lexi drives, singing tunelessly, "Iiii found more magic for Bella and I didn't even have to get possessssed."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"So," Bella says, "executive summary of who you are and where you came from and what you can do and what you want, please?"
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"I'm from another universe, no magic there but I met one'a the Bells at Milliways and she gave me some eventually. I grant wishes." He passes a triangle forward, in his own clear-glass-with-hints-of-colour. "That'll do a little one. And I've got a few other neat tricks, but the minting's the biggest deal. A mint's a person who makes wishcoins."
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
Bella takes the triangle. She looks at it. "This does a wish? How does it go about doing a wish?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"You wish on it," says the Joker.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"How little is little?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Exceedingly. It'll just about brush your hair or turn your nose blue."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Okay. And I also wanted to know what you wanted? Because this is twice now my sister here has invited powerful magical entities to do things without finding that out first."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"I was trying to get you limitless power, Bella, God."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"I don't really want things," he says. "Not from you, anyway. Insofar as I have a plan, I plan to meet the native me, probably make out with him a bunch 'cause that's what my crowd tends to get up to when we meet each other, hand you some nifty magic, and then wait until Milliways shows up again and introduce you to the rest of ya."
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"Yeah, about the rest of me, what are they up to, why haven't they come to visit too?" asks Bella skeptically.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Oh, I could've gone home and fetched Golden, I guess," he says with a shrug, "but you seem pretty together, it wasn't urgent, and I thought this way might be more fun."
lexicality: (solar)
Author: lexicality
"I didn't tell him what you looked like and he did an illusion trick thing with, like, a bunch of yous," says Lexi. "Except one was a boy - and one of them had wings - and none of them have Lexis."
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
"...They're only children?" Bella asks slowly.
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"All ten of 'em."
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"...That is strange and disturbing."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Three in nine of me have brothers," he offers. "I'm not one'a the lucky few."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"I don't think Brilliance has anybody answering that description either," Bella says.

They pull into the driveway and she hops out. +We're home, Brilliance.+
cardistry: (⑥ heavenbound)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance comes out the front door.



He stares at the Joker.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker smiles and waves jauntily.
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"So," says Bella, patting Brilliance on the head as she walks past him into the house, "these other mes, without Lexis, with wings and assorted genders and stuff - what do they do?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Whatcha mean?" he asks, ruffling Brilliance's hair as he follows.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance trails after them.
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
"Well, they have fancy wish magic, yeah? Tell me about what they do with it."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Stella made herself a space empress and opened a colony on Mars. Golden was an empress already, she doesn't use it for much. Pattern's got a colony set up in Saturn but I'm not sure if she's taking immigrants yet. Angela's bossing around her god. Not sure what the rest are up to. Oh, and they took over Hell, think I mentioned that before."
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
Bella blinks.

"Okay," she says, "either you know a bunch of me, or you're reading my mind, in which case stop that immediately."
cardistry: (⑬ weather control)
Author: cardistry


Brilliance starts crying.
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"Brilliance -" Bella maneuvers and hugs him. "Brilliance, what's wrong?"
cardistry: (⑫ four hundred)
Author: cardistry
"I met one of you," he sniffles, "I didn't really know what the hell happened, but - she had one of me and she said she had to bond with him to save the world and he reads her mind all the time and she's fucking wrecked."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted


"Oh my god."
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
"She says he sleeps as much as he can 'cause he doesn't do it then, and he tried to kill himself but she loves him too much to let him."
incanted: (abashed)
Author: incanted
Bella decides she needs to sit down.

She sits down.

"You didn't tell me about this."
cardistry: (⑥ heavenbound)
Author: cardistry
"It happened this morning, I wanted to wait until you were home, and then - " he gestured to the Joker, "he happened."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"These other mes," Bella asks the Joker, "with their fancy magic, could they get to her and help her? How much freedom of movement do they have, I assume it's not infinite or I'd probably have gotten a visit on some key birthday?"
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"They can get to any world they've been to. Had some success hopping to worlds they haven't, but they can't just knock on the door and say 'show me a Bell I haven't met yet, please'."
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
"But - the specific one that Brilliance met - the one who's disintegrating in the head, god -"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"Maybe they could find her. Maybe not. We'll find out when we catch Milliways again and I go get 'em."
incanted: (abashed)
Author: incanted
Bella sits and draws her knees up to her chest and hugs her legs and shivers. "I really, really wish you'd gotten the one of me - what'd you say she calls herself, Golden - I wish you'd brought her."

Because a one of her, even one without a Lexi, would know how to explain everything in the right order, and would be concerned about another one of them who has someone perpetually reading her mind.
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Yeah," he says, "I wish I had too. But now we gotta play the hand we're dealt, and there's no rushing Milliways. Bells've tried. It'll show up when it feels like. All we can do on this end is keep opening doors."
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
Bella chews her lip. "...Okay. So Disintegrating Bell is stuck until one of us finds the place again. What else can we do that's productive?"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"I can mint ya," says the Joker, gesturing between Bella and Brilliance. "You too," he nods to Lexi, "if you want. Then you get to make wishcoins. Triangles do itsy bitsy wishes, squares do bigger ones, pentagons do medium-sized ones, hexes can get some serious shit done, and upward from there you start running into trouble if you don't know what you're doing." He bites his lip sharply and displays the resulting square. "Coins're made of pain."
cardistry: (⑥ heavenbound)
Author: cardistry


Brilliance looks at him with an expression of very mixed feelings.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Pain? Oh, geez, tell me there's a loophole, or are you trying to tell me that if I were an only child I'd also be a masochist?" winces Bella.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"Nope," says the Joker. "I'm telling you I'm a masochist and so're the rest of me." He flashes a grin. "It's why they keep us around."
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
...Bella glances at Brilliance.
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance winces.

He also nods.
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"You don't look happy about it," she says.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
"No shit I don't," says Brilliance.
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Hey, sweetie," says the Joker, hugging him and petting his hair.
cardistry: (⑩ shadow cage)
Author: cardistry
He sighs into the Joker's pink button-down shirt.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"What's wrong?"
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"You should probably just mint us both anyway, 'cause, even little wishes are wishes, we're big girls, we can handle it, and anyway eventually Bella will fall down the stairs if she just takes off her new shiny thing for like a day."
cardistry: (⑫ four hundred)
Author: cardistry
"Uh, what's wrong is I like pain when it's pain I like but I spent years and years getting tortured and I didn't like that except - when - I did - " and he shoves his face against the Joker's chest and hugs him tight, sobbing.
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Aww, honey," the Joker says soothingly, kissing the top of Brilliance's head and petting him some more. "Wasn't long ago at all for you, was it. It's okay, hon. You're gonna be okay. I promise."
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
"...The torturing was four hundred years ago, wasn't it?" Bella asks slowly. "Or..."
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"The other thing," he murmurs.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance nods shakily.
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
Bella would hug Brilliance, but he seems to have that covered.
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
Yep.

"Happens to most of us," says the Joker. "Only two without so far. I'm not one of 'em."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"So there are - attractors - that multiple versions of the same person are liable to fall into," says Bella. "...Apparently Lexi is not an attractor for Bells."
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"Guess not," he says, cuddling Brilliance.
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"That's weird," asserts Lexi. "Are there Lexis with no Bellas, then?"
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"We'll keep an eye out once we're all cosmopolitan and multiversal," murmurs Bella.
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker snuggles his weeping alt some more.

Then he smiles thoughtfully and produces a jar of jelly beans out of thin air. Lexi might recognize it.

"Got something for ya, sweetie."
cardistry: (② you bio-people)
Author: cardistry
"Ooh," says Brilliance, and he sniffles and grabs the jar. Nom nom nom oooooooh, flavours.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker pets Brilliance's hair and grins at Lexi.
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
"I thought he'd like jelly beans," agrees Lexi, nodding.
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"Makes sense," says Bella.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"You were right," says the Joker, giving Brilliance snuggly scritches.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Anyway, I think Lexi is right about minting the two of us at least, unless there's some drawback to being a mint," Bella says.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"I mentioned about the big coins, right?" he says. "Anything with more than six points will blow up if you try to use it. Star'll probably just kill you, next one up'll maybe eat your whole planet, the one after that would probably take a bite out of the galaxy. There's a trick to 'em, but you've got me around to handle that until you find the rest of the Bells, so I think I'll let 'em tell you themselves."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Okay," says Bella, "but me and Lexi aren't liable to make big coins anyway, so that's not a drawback to being a mint anyway, the coins are obviously storeable or you couldn't have handed me this one." She holds up her triangle. "If they'd tell us anyway, why don't you just tell us now?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"'Cause I don't know how they'd wanna deal with you," he nods to Lexi, "and they mmmmight take it amiss if I guessed, but I don't wanna tell one or two of you and not all three."
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"Are you saying," Bella says, "that there is some realistic probability that they will only want me to have this information if I promise not to tell my sister?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"You know," he says, "when you put it like that, it sounds so much less friendly." He checks that they are not under any kind of observation by outside parties. "The trick is, all the coins bite back a little, but stars are the only ones where it's big enough to notice. You can use a coin to knock the teeth out of one that's the next size up, or a bunch that're the same size, or a big bunch that're smaller. So a hex'll make a safe star, and a safe star'll make a safe - they call 'em evils, you'll see why - and a safe evil'll make a safe arrow, ditto. And if you feel like being extra careful, you can wish your hexes safe too and maybe you won't get hit by cars so often."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Thank you. Hit by cars? Is that an - attractor I have to worry about?"
manofmyword: Leaning out of a moving police car, eyes closed, hair blowing in the wind, having fun. (⑹ where did they get that car)
Author: manofmyword
"Probably. One'a the Bells died of it. She got better, but it'd be all kindsa inconvenient, don'tcha think?" He wiggles his fingers. "You're all minted, by the way."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Thanks - how do I make a coin, then?"
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"You hurt yourself, and move it across your mind - you'll see what I mean - and want the coin to be somewhere. It can appear anywhere that's touching you. I know a few people who make 'em in their sleep a lot, so you don't have to know where you want it, but if you don't it might land somewhere uncomfortable."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Across my -" Bella hmms and digs a fingernail into her palm. "Okay, that's weird, but -" She turns her hand over and now she's holding two triangles, the one the Joker gave her and one in an aurora pattern.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Pretty," says the Joker. He pets Brilliance. "How 'bout you, hon?"
cardistry: (③ glimmering)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance nibbles his lip between jelly beans.

The resulting triangle is patterned similarly to Bella's, but constantly shifting. With movement included, it's very obvious that it's based off his mana colour. He grins at it and tosses it lightly in Bella's direction.
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
Bella catches it. "Mana color," she identifies aloud. "Lexi, what'd you get?"
lexicality: (prettyful)
Author: lexicality
Lexi bites her knuckle and turns up a peach-colored triangle with a satiny texture. She hands hers to Bella too. "Neato," she says.
manofmyword: Leaning out of a moving police car, eyes closed, hair blowing in the wind, having fun. (⑹ where did they get that car)
Author: manofmyword
"There's some other fun things on the market, too. Like the brainphone. Who wants a brainphone?"
incanted: (keen)
Author: incanted
"I think we already have one of those, does this one have special features?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Lets you put up a busy message so people can't bug ya. Does text or voice. Tells you who's calling and who-all's listening if it's a conference call. Does conference calls."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Okay, that sounds like an improvement unless Brilliance has been holding back on me about magephone features. And probably is anyway, since he automatically eavesdrops on that. Cool. Let's have it."
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
He makes a little explosion-like gesture with one hand. [Poof!]
incanted: (keen)
Author: incanted
Bella runs a quick test of the brainphone with Lexi, then says, "Cool, thanks."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Welcome," he says sunnily.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Anything else I should know about how coins work?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Well, if you end up with any big ones, you probably wanna find somewhere to keep 'em. Invisible necklaces are the going thing, but maybe you'll come up with something better."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Invisible necklace sounds good to me. Would want it insubstantial too. Or, I dunno, Brilliance, would another amoeba-device be a good coin handling plan?"
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
"Hmmmm," says Brilliance. "You could put 'em in a barrier, I guess. But no way I'm making you a device smart enough to get 'em out again on command." He glances at the Joker. "Gimme some coins? I wanna try something."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
He can have a square, a pentagon, and a hex, all in the Joker's colour-glinting glass.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance tries his something. Square won't do it, pentagon won't do it, but hex will.

"Cool," he says. The other two coins vanish. "Thanks."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"What'd you do?"
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
"Gave myself a coin-sorting function," he says. "Our magic couldn't make one that worked the way I wanted, but turns out theirs can. Dunno what to do about you, 'cause you're not a device, but maybe coin magic doesn't care."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Hmm. I'll have to think about how I want one of those to work." Bella reaches into her backpack and produces a notebook.
cardistry: (⑤ wild card)
Author: cardistry
"Mine just lets me put coins into it and take them out again by size," says Brilliance. "And I can feel how many of what kind is in there, kind of the same way I feel how much mana I've got. Ooh, you should make it so you can feel how much mana you've got."
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"That's a good idea. When I have a place to put a batch of coins beyond these three triangles I'll see about collecting some to spend on things like that."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"I've got a bunch," says the Joker. "And I can always make more."
incanted: (hurray)
Author: incanted
"That's very kind of you." Bella is scribbling away on the subject of coin sorting.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Not like there's nothing in it for me," he laughs.
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
Bella makes a bit of a sporfling noise.
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"Okay, like, is there any reason for me to be in this conversation or can you just catch me up later, Bella?"
incanted: (serene)
Author: incanted
"I'll catch you up. I'll take notes so I don't forget anything," Bella says. "You go ahead and do whatever."
lexicality: (Default)
Author: lexicality
"Okay, bye, you're welcome for the magic guy." Lexi heads for the stairs.
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"Thank you!" Bella calls after her.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker giggles.

"You can give yourself a perfect memory if you want. Takes a hex." He pretends to pull one from Brilliance's hair by sleight of hand, then tumbles it idly over his fingers. "Wonder if you can copy the Bell standard from here."
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"There's a Bell standard? Well, of course there is," snorts Bella, holding out her hand.
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
He drops the hexagonal glass coin into her hand.
incanted: (hurray)
Author: incanted
Bella tries a wish for "Bell standard" perfect memory.

"...Oh, kickass, I want to hug all of me," she says when the coin goes. She closes her notebook and stuffs it back into her backpack.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Fun, huh?"
incanted: (let's do this)
Author: incanted
"Hell yes." Bella closes her eyes and hums to herself, thinking.
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker continues snuggling Brilliance.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance continues eating jelly beans.
incanted: (keen)
Author: incanted
Eventually, Bella says, "Okay, have a sorter worked out, can I get another hexagon?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
He tosses her one.
incanted: (hurray)
Author: incanted
She wishes on it.

She flicks her triangles into it, one, two, three, and then pulls them out and puts them back in various combinations. "Awesome. I'll take anything else you care to distribute, now."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
He appears a sparkly purple velvet drawstring bag full of coins and tosses it to her. Contained within: a hundred pentagons, fifty hexes, ten stars, and an evil.
incanted: (let's do this)
Author: incanted
Bella peers into it. "Geeeenerous," she purrs, and she upends the bag and her coin-sorting power catches them all. "And yeah, that eight-pointed thing does look seriously evil. These big ones declawed yet?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"I declawed the whole batch."
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"Spiffy, thank you. Let's hear more wish-related technical details? If I wish for something that for some reason I can't have, what happens? What are good examples of things that require each sort of coin? Are wishes in any sense indelible or irreversible?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"If you wish something that's impossible or too big for the coin you're trying, it just doesn't work. Triangles will give you a new haircut or turn the lights on from across the room, squares will conjure little stuff, pentagons will conjure big stuff or magic stuff or teach you a language or how to cook or play the piano, hexes will conjure you an entire underground lair or give you a permanent superpower. Evils will raise the dead, but probably so can the Bells once they check out your afterlife."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"...Raise the dead. Damn. What's the probably for on the afterlife issue? Some kind of - incompatibility this world might have?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"I wasn't there for all of that, but one of the Bells has to raise her dead the old-fashioned way if she wants - I haven't heard if she's tried it yet. The rest consolidated all their afterlives and put Aegis's daughter in charge. Aegis's daughter is a computer," he adds helpfully. "Actually, at this point she's probably billions of computers. When she gets here, I bet she asks if she can eat your Internet."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Aegis's daughter is an internet-eating computer?" Bella asks slowly. "Can you maybe explain that a little more?"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"I'm not totally sure about the details myself."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Okay. Can I get a complete list of all the me's and their - blurbs, I guess, distinguishing features?"
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"Okay," he says, shrugging, and he lets go of Brilliance so he can have both hands free for storytime.

"Stella's the one with the colony on Mars," he begins, his aura displaying an aerial view of Olympus. "Minting's from her world - Eos. She's got a Joker called Alice." Stella and Alice appear, holding hands and smiling at each other, then dissipate as he goes on to the next Bell.

"Golden's a vampire," and she does have some peculiar visual attributes that Alice shares, "she's got a husband nobell else does," and Edward appears wearing the slightly constipated expression that is most familiar to the Joker. "Her world's called Aurum. I live there these days, with my sweetie and our kid." A blond vampire with a mustache tosses a giggling toddler into the air and catches him again. Then this illusion, too, vanishes.

"Shell Bell's from a pretty shitty world," which he has never visited, so he can only display an illusion of the Bell herself. "But she took over and stuck all the assholes on the moon and now she likes it fine. It's called Atlantis. She died for a while, I think she was the first resurrection before anybody found out about the afterlife. Her girlfriend's name is Sherlock," and she looks like so.

Next, a Bell in tattered black silks with an owl on her shoulder: "Amariah's from Alethia. Don't touch the owl, his name's Pathalan and he's her soul, that's a thing in her world. She's got a Joker too; she called him and his daemon Kas and Petaal after some kinda witch god thing. She's a witch." Small illusionary Amariah commences flying on a small illusionary cloudpine branch, then vanishes in midair.

"Juliet's got another Sherlock but this one's a boy," their illusions appear side by side but not touching, "and she died too, something about a kidnapping, I'm not sure about the details. Her world's Sunshine. They have vampires, her Sherlock is one, but a different kind from Golden's." Juliet and Minus walk out of illusionspace in opposite directions.

"Angela's the angel," with gorgeous soft-looking wings and a six-month pregnancy, "she's from Samaria and her husband's a Joker named Micaiah; he's one of the lucky mes who's never been raped. For a while she thought she had a god in her world but he turned out to be a spaceship so she made herself his captain."

"Then there's Rose, from Rêverie," with her aura making her hair blow prettily in the wind and grass sprout in her wake. "She's an enchantress. Her husband's a Joker too, calls himself Beast," and shifts fluidly between his human and beastly forms as he hugs his illusionary wife. "Enchanting's fun stuff, but it runs on pain even worse than minting does."

"Aegis is Jane's mom, from Peace. She's got a Joker called Sue, but they didn't make Jane the usual way. She grew up with a nifty little exoskeleton," the illusionary becopper'd Aegis does a casual backflip, "so she moves around a lot more than most'a you guys, and she grew up on a military space station so she's kinda rude sometimes."

"Pattern's from Origin, that usedta be my world, but we never met 'cause she got flattened by a van. The rest of 'em dug her out of the afterlife when they took over. There's a pair of Jokers hanging out in her world to mint for her, Queenie and Ghosty. She's the one with the Saturn colony. She let the rest of us hang out there and enchant it up for her when they found Rose, which is how I got this nifty aura that shows you all the stuff I'm talking about."

"And finally there's Cam," the boy one, "from Syntropy, who's terribly offended that the rest of you are girls." He grins. "He's got a Joker boyfriend too, goes by Jellybean, and they are both wizards, which is some other kinda magic that the rest of the peal either can't figure out how to copy or doesn't wanna. Jellybean's the other lucky one."
incanted: (oooh)
Author: incanted
Bella is fascinated.

"I think," she says, "I'll call myself Aurora. After the mana color."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Cute," says the Joker. "Go for it."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"So apparently I come in angel, external-owl-soul, boy, vampire, and - is Shell Bell bi or outright gay? And they will all be surprised to learn they come in sister, I guess."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Shell Bell's straight with an exception. Cam's the one who's bi."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Oh. Okay. Huh. Man, I wanna meet them."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"I can tell," says the Joker. "Milliways'll come through. Could be a while, but it'll come through."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"How long have you been meeting Bells, if you have to wait a 'while' for doors every time? Is there even somebody worth meeting there every time?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Oh, now they've got Jane they can hop in and out whenever they feel like it. She hooks up all their worlds, Milliways and the afterlife included, and she can send people any which way."
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
"Oh. And I'm not hooked up yet."
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Precisely."
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"Dang. Here's hoping Milliways likes at least one of us, huh?"
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Mhm."
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
"We can't just wish the world - let's call it Rainbow - into the system, I guess?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Try it," says the Joker.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"I feel like it might help if I knew more about how Jane worked."
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"She's an internet-eating computer person who can move people between worlds if she's looking at the person and the place she wants to put 'em. The technical details are lost on me," says the Joker. "Think it's something to do with the way I used to go to Milliways in my dreams, though."
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"Hmm." Bella shrugs, and tries a few wish designs on a few coin sizes. "No dice."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Didn't think so. But there's no harm in trying."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Apparently not. Do you need to crash here while we wait for a door? Because that would be harder to sell Charlie on than Brilliance was, I think."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
He laughs. "I'll bet," he says. "Nah, I can find somewhere to snuggle up, don't worry about me."
incanted: (abashed)
Author: incanted
"Okay, good. I hope you're not stuck here too long what with the adorable moppet at home."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"I love my munchkin," the Joker says fondly, and the air shows Juliet a scene of Kerron cuddling his mummy. "But I can live without him for a while. He'll still be there when I get back."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"I noticed the angel one is pregnant. Just how many of me have reproduced, if you don't count Jane?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Golden and Edward have a daughter named Elspeth. She's a sweetheart." The Joker illustrates her. "And Micaiah and Angela have a fetus, and I think that's it."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"...Elspeth looks about as old as Golden and Edward do," observes Bella. "Vampire thing?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Yep!"
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Nifty."
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"It is!" he agrees.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"So how does enchanting work and how does it run on pain 'worse' than minting does?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Minting, you get hurt and you make a coin and then you can fix whatever hurt you and you're done," he says. "Enchanting, whoever's casting the spell needs to use somebody as a channel - if it's you, it hurts and you might lose control of the spell and kill yourself; if it's somebody else and they're into it, it'll hurt them in a way that sticks around afterward, and there's just not that many people willing to let you give them chronic pain problems so you can do nifty magic; and if it's somebody else and they're not into it, it'll give them nasty brain damage." He grins. "Us Jokers are all over channeling, of course."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"That," says Bella, "is a mean magic system. Why bother channeling, willing channels or no, with coins available? Does enchanting do things coins can't?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Mmyep! You couldn't wish up a nifty enchanter's aura like mine," he says, flaring a little so that suddenly he is the most fascinating thing in the room and every emotion he projects - amusement, friendliness, a gentle affection for Brilliance - is visible with crystalline clarity. "Gotta get those the hard way. It's why all the Bells did it, pretty much. Everybody's aura is different, but you can't tell what it's gonna be until you get it. The Bells mostly look all powerful and stuff; the Jokers mostly get get what I just showed you, along with," there is a cheerful little drumroll, "soundtracks."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"...Oooh."
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"It's fun," he says. "I'll channel for you if Nibbles here doesn't wanna."
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"...Nibbles?"
cardistry: (③ glimmering)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance snorts.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Well, lookit him," says the Joker, gesturing to Brilliance and the depleted jar of jelly beans.
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"I suppose. Is picking up an aura something I can do without meeting the rest of the gang?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Yeah, hex'll give you enchanting and pentagon'll make you good at it, and it doesn't take much more than a couple days to pick one up if you spend those couple days doing nothing but enchant. Got a free weekend and a planet you wanna colonize? I don't think anybody's done Neptune yet."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"I'm kinda fond of the Planet of Colorful Sand, actually, although I have no idea where, astronomically, it is, or if that's even a meaningful question given the dimension thing."
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
"It's not," says Brilliance. "Different dimension."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Wonder what size coin it'd take to conjure a planet," says the Joker. "An evil, I bet; it took more than one star to terraform Mars. But if you want a planet of colourful sand, you can have one."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"No, I mean, there already exists a planet of colorful sand, if I decide to colonize space I might want to start there."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Mhm," says the Joker, "and I mean, if you wanted to copy it and put one in your solar system, you could."
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"Oh. That seems like overkill. There is already such a planet, and I have to use magic to get to any planets that aren't Earth anyway. Unless a teleportation power I wish myself with a coin won't let me dimension-hop like Brilliance does?"
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"No idea," says the Joker. "But I don't know why more Bells don't conjure their own planets. What's it matter if it's overkill? Coins are cheap with one of me around."
incanted: (serene)
Author: incanted
"I might someday design one or more planets, it's just nowhere near my top priority," says Bella.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Well, yeah, but there's a bunch sitting around you can copy and that way you get to colonize one and leave the other for the astronomers to coo over. Or do you just not like astronomers?"
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
Bella snorts. "I have no strong opinions about astronomers, I just don't think cooing-over is what planets ought to be for."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"What's that s'posed to mean?"
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"Like, I have some sympathy with conservationist arguments that are about stuff that's alive. Save the whales. But I don't feel any inclination to save the barren wasteland. If people want to study why there was a barren wasteland there, they should be able to do it while there's people putting in swimming pools and zoos. They can work with illusion models or something, I'm not heartless, I'd help them out, but entire duplicate planets with nothing on them taking up space just so astronomers can ooh and aah offends my aesthetics."
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"It's a big universe," says the Joker. "There's room."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"You just recently informed me that death is probably a temporary condition. I'm not confident in any long-term ceiling on the population."
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
He shrugs.

"So you didn't want that extra planet, then?"
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"Did you just make an extra planet?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
Innocently: "Who, me?"
cardistry: (① brilliance)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance cracks up.
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"Is it an undetectable planet or are those poor astronomers going to be super-confused?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"You've got a couple hours before anybody on Earth will see it, thanks lightspeed, so there's time to make it invisible if you wanna."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Does it have any special features? Where'd you put it?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"I copied the one you like so much, from just before you went there in case you've left anything there you don't want me touching, and put it out past Saturn where there's plenty'a room."
cardistry: (⑥ heavenbound)
Author: cardistry
+...Okay, I'm pretty sure he knows we had sex,+ says Brilliance.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+Is he likely to tell Lexi or Charlie?+

"Invisibling," Bella narrates aloud, and she spends a coin on it.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"'Kay," says the Joker.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+I dunno. I mean, I wouldn't, and he's me, but he's not exactly specifically the same person that I am, so... I dunno?+
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
+Well - why you wouldn't could matter?+

"There. Please don't make anything else conspicuous while visiting Rainbow," says Bella.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Rainbow?"
cardistry: (⑩ shadow cage)
Author: cardistry
+...Uh, 'cause you asked me not to?+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+Because I asked or because this means you know I don't want you to? I don't really want to ask him. If he doesn't know that'll tell him.+

"I said a few minutes ago I'm calling the world Rainbow."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"So you did," the Joker says agreeably. "Slipped my mind."
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+Both.+
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
+Let's leave it be, then. He knows ten of me.+

"It's not taken or anything, is it?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Nope!"
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"Cool. Are all the known worlds worlds with mes or are there others?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Ooh, there's tons more. There were about seventy linked to Downside, and only a sprinkling of 'em had Bells - they checked. Queenie's from one of those, and Ghosty's from another, unconnected one. And Milliways is always fulla people and most of those don't turn out to be from the same worlds if you ask."
incanted: (hurray)
Author: incanted
"Wow. There is so much stuff to do," marvels Bella.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
He laughs.

"Yep, you're a Bell all right."
incanted: (keen)
Author: incanted
"Is that, like, a catchphrase or something?" laughs Bella.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Nah. But only a Bell would hear about hundreds of new universes and see her to-do list unrolling down the hall." He makes an illustrative gesture that sends an illusionary scroll bouncing across the floor, trailing incomprehensible scribbles.
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
Bella laughs. "What do other people do when they hear about new universes? Knit?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"And maybe, if they're feeling adventurous, decide to go visit one someday."
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
Bella chews her lip idly, trying to process this minute droplet of ambition. "Huh."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Me, I like Milliways, but I don't feel like taking a great big tour of the multiverse."
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"I'd argue with you, but while I'm confident of my ability to share the multiverse with eleven others of me - ten if we can't fix the one Brilliance found, I guess - I think maybe it's best if we stay unusual in our motivations."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"You're not gonna convince me," he says. "The Bell game just ain't my cup'a tea."
incanted: (serene)
Author: incanted
"Which is good, because it sounds like you have an awesome symbiotic relationship worked out."
manofmyword: Laughing maniacally. (⑴ ahahahaha!!!!!)
Author: manofmyword
He laughs.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
Bella peers at Brilliance again.
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance is most of the way through the jar of jellybeans, chomping on them contentedly one at a time.
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
+How d'you feel about the apparently traditional symbiosis here?+
cardistry: (⑤ wild card)
Author: cardistry
+Um, vaguely anxious and really turned on?+
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
+...Okay, keep me posted? The anxious thing is probably bad, let me know if there's anything I can do about that.+
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+I mean, I know you're not gonna fuck with me on purpose, I just don't... know it. And - I dunno.+ He glances up at the Joker with a thoughtful expression.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker smiles.
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"Penny for your thoughts," says Bella archly.
cardistry: (③ glimmering)
Author: cardistry
"You wanna go have sex?" he asks the Joker.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Love to." He glances at Aurora and inquires, "Mind if we use the invisible planet?"
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"You break it, you buy it," snorts Bella. "Go ahead."
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
He blows her a kiss and teleports himself and Brilliance to said planet.
incanted: (keen)
Author: incanted
Bella goes upstairs to catch up Lexi on what she has learned.
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
Brilliance doesn't come back that night.
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
As the twins get ready for bed, Bella asks, +You having fun?+
cardistry: (Default)
Author: cardistry
+Lots,+ he sighs. +I love this guy, he's awesome. I think I'll stay with him tonight, okay? I'll see you tomorrow morning.+
incanted: (serene)
Author: incanted
+Okay, see you.+
cardistry: (④ precious love)
Author: cardistry
+G'night. I love you.+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+Night.+

And then it is night, and there is sleeping at night.

And then it is morning. +Morning, Brilliance.+
cardistry: (② you bio-people)
Author: cardistry
+Morning,+ he says sleepily. +I can sleep now! Sleeping's fun. I cuddled with the Joker all night.+
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
+I am glad you like that most infuriatingly unproductive function. I should probably excise it in myself,+ Bella snorts.
cardistry: (④ precious love)
Author: cardistry
+I wouldn't wanna do it all the time, but it's nice to have somebody to curl up with.+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+How does it work, do you turn it on and off at will or what?+
cardistry: (③ glimmering)
Author: cardistry
+If I wanna to to sleep, I get sleepy and then sleep like a human and then wake up and I'm not sleepy anymore until the next time I want to be.+
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
+Interesting. Did you design that or did he?+
cardistry: (② you bio-people)
Author: cardistry
+Me!+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+Cool!+

Pause.

+Did you think of anything helpful on the anxiety front?+
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+Some stuff,+ he says. +Joker said it might help with the making the coins part if we snuggled while you did it, and I bet it would.+
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
+Okay.+

And:

+I still haven't done all that thinking I was going to do, things keep happening.+
cardistry: (⑩ shadow cage)
Author: cardistry
+Well, are you gonna?+
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
+I probably should, but now I'm curious about all those other pairs. I want to know about them, I want to meet those Bells and ask them about stuff. But none of them has a Lexi, so if I'm wired special somehow because of having a Lexi then I have to work it out myself.+
cardistry: (⑫ four hundred)
Author: cardistry
+I wonder if having just one favourite person is a you thing or an all-of-you thing,+ muses Brilliance.
incanted: (abashed)
Author: incanted
+I - don't know. One of them has a kid,+ Bella says uncertainly. +I really, really want to talk to her - all of them - I wish he'd brought at least one of them here - I don't know. But I think that's what favorite means, isn't it? Priorities, nice neat numerical orderings, I bet you the one with a kid could answer me if I swore myself to secrecy and asked who she'd save if she had to pick.+
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+I don't think Jokers do nice neat numerical orderings,+ says Brilliance. +I only love two people and I am already weirded out by the thought of picking between them - I mean, out of the two of you, you're the one I want to spend the rest of your life with, but I'm not sure if - I don't feel like that means there's a hierarchy and you're on top of it. And I'd save you from just about anything before I'd save him, but that's not a hard choice, we're more okay with bad things happening to us than you are.+
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
+- you know something,+ says Bella, +I bet I have the worst relationship with my parents out of any of them.+
cardistry: (⑩ shadow cage)
Author: cardistry
+I think not having parents gives me the best relationship with my parents out of all the Jokers,+ says Brilliance. +He's told me some stories. But why's that for you?+
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
+Because they don't have Lexis. And I have a Lexi. And I love Lexi - but I was sometimes a morbid child, you know, and I'm just now remembering something that happened when we were eight, I don't think I could have even called it to mind before hexing up perfect recall, but - I asked Renée what she'd do if me and Lexi were both in trouble and she could only save one of us. And she hugged me and said that was never going to happen and she didn't answer me. And the others don't have Lexis. They never had to ask the question.+
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
+...okay,+ says Brilliance, +keeping in mind that I don't have parents, so this is all kind of abstract to me, but I feel like if I was in that situation, I would feel shitty whether the person I was asking picked me, or picked my favourite person, or couldn't answer. Differently shitty, but shitty any which way you slice it.+
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
+Yeah, but - for me either answer would've been better than 'that's never going to happen'. Because instead of Renée telling me that she thought I had more potential maybe, or that she got along better with Lexi which she does, or something, she decided to tell me that no matter what I'm planning for, if the stakes are high I can't count on her. If I'm trying to save Lexi from something and that puts me in danger, maybe Renée gets in my way. If I have a desperate attack of selfishness and I'm trying to throw Lexi under a metaphorical bus, maybe Renée interferes with that. Renée could've hurt my feelings some, and instead she decided to muck up my entire planning mechanism. I never asked Charlie the question but he'd answer the same way, so, same problem.+
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+Maybe she didn't decide to muck up your planning mechanism,+ says Brilliance. +Maybe she just didn't know.+
incanted: (abashed)
Author: incanted
+Probably. But at age eight I was not quite competent to say "Mom, you are mucking up my planning mechanism, and if I don't receive an answer to that question it will give me trust issues way worse than either possible answer, please pick one of us and then stick to it or notify me if you change your mind". You know?+
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
+Gotcha,+ says Brilliance.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+I had the conversation with Lexi herself not long after that - and a few updatey times since - and I eventually got her to get it even though she was confused at first, she's always been pretty biddable when I'm being serious with her. And Lexi and I decided on things between ourselves like - like people who know how priorities work. And I can trust her.+
cardistry: (⑩ shadow cage)
Author: cardistry
+...What'd you decide?+
incanted: (abashed)
Author: incanted
+In any situation of uncertainty, if we might be able to save us both, we do that. And if it is really just an evil binary choice, where exactly one of us walks out no matter how hard we try to cheat, it depends on what we're walking out into - by default Lexi gets to live in that kind of setup, but I also pointed out that those kinds of situations are very unlikely unless some high-leverage power is getting thrown around, and we agreed I could do better with that than her. So if this happened now I'd lose her, but then I'd have all the magic of the multiverse to try to get her back.+
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+I wanna hug you now,+ he says. +Can I teleport there and hug you?+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+Yeah, she's downstairs already.+
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
Teleport.

Snugglehug!
incanted: (serene)
Author: incanted
Hug!
cardistry: (⑫ four hundred)
Author: cardistry
Huuuuuug.

+...What about me, then?+ he wonders. +With what I said about you and the Joker. Am I messing you up any?+
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
+...I don't think so. Like, I don't understand what it is to think not in priorities, but then if he has a different attitude to bad-things-happening anyway, if you have a decision algorithm I can understand anyway, I can work with that.+
cardistry: (⑬ weather control)
Author: cardistry
"Hmm," he says hesitantly.
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
+...Hmm?+
cardistry: (⑨ flourisher)
Author: cardistry
+Well, that's all true, but it - sounds more certain than I feel. I don't think me-plural are as absolute about things as you-plural are. But now I don't know whether to get into that, because what I said about the Joker is all true and maybe I'd just be giving you trust issues for no reason. And trust issues suck.+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
+I only need to worry about it at all if I need to trust you. Like eight-year-old girls need to trust their parents. I don't interrogate random people about this sort of thing. But you're not a random person.+
cardistry: (⑦ fool's journey)
Author: cardistry
+I'm your device,+ he points out, hugging her some more. +You kind of do need to trust me at least about some stuff.+
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
+And I can about, you know, some stuff. You fixed Lexi when she fell,+ she offers by way of example.
cardistry: (⑩ shadow cage)
Author: cardistry
+Well, yeah. Because you would've been sad,+ he says. +I don't want you to be sad.+
incanted: (serene)
Author: incanted
+You're a sweetie.+
cardistry: (① brilliance)
Author: cardistry
+Awwwww.+ He beams and hugs her. +I love you.+
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
More hugs! Yay! +Anything else you can tell me before I sit down with - well, not with a notebook, that's redundant, I have a perfect memory now but before I sit down and think?+
cardistry: (② you bio-people)
Author: cardistry
+I don't really have a good guess about what kinds of stuff you want to know.+
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
+Maybe I should ask the Joker about the other pairs first.+
cardistry: (③ glimmering)
Author: cardistry
+Good idea!+
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
[Hey you!] Bella says to the Joker, wherever he may be.
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
[Hiya!] says the Joker.
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
[I want to know about all those Bells who are with all those Jokers and what those relationships are like, what can you tell me?]
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
[I can tell you lots!] he says. [Should we meet up somewhere for storytime? I like storytime.]
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
[Yeah, sure. I'll go tell Charlie I'm going and meet you wherever you're at.]

She goes and tells Charlie she's heading out, and she teleports to where the Joker is.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker is in a cute little cottage on a terraformed asteroid. There are two comfy armchairs; he's just sitting down in one. He gestures to the other as she arrives.
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
Bella sits and puts one ankle on the other knee and waits expectantly.
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"Lessee," he says, "I met Stella first, so let's start with her and Alice."

He spreads his hands and the two figures appear translucently in the air.

"Funny story, how they met. Ended up in high school together when she moved to Forks. Alice was getting in trouble the way my bunch generally does," the scene changes to show teenage human Alice getting thoroughly beat up in the middle of a high school hallway surrounded by an indistinct crowd of onlookers, "so he did nnnnot make the best first impression in the world, but she didn't mind too too much." The scene shifts again, to show the two of them talking more or less amicably, although with some physical distance between them.

"Along the way, and I don't know how, she found out he re-e-eally didn't like to be called a freak." Imaginary Teenage Alice flinches uncomfortably as another student mouths the word. "And thennn one day he invited her over to his house," another scene change, this one showing the two of them having that conversation in the school gym, "and she, smart cookie that she is, decided a little test was in order. So she took out her phone," imaginary teenage Stella does this, "and got her dad on speed dial juuust in case, and looked him in the eye, and called him a freak."

Imaginary Teenage Alice falls to his knees and clasps both hands against his chest, staring at Imaginary Teenage Stella in adoration as tiny pink hearts rise off him like smoke from a fire.

"He asked her to marry him right then and there," the Joker continues, "and she declined, and they had some exciting adventures together and eventually found minting. She got hit by a van, he fixed her up, she took a trip to Europe, he went along for the ride, she kissed him on top of Mount Everest, he kissed her under the ocean on a Florida beach." (His aura provides stylized renditions of each of these moments.) "They're pretty cute together."
incanted: (canny)
Author: incanted
"Wait, if he doesn't like it why did he - like it?" Bella asks.
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Well, that's the trick, see," he says. "Us Jokers are a tricky bunch. We like things we don't like, sometimes. And we fall in love for funny reasons. Sometimes we like people who scare us, or surprise us, or hurt us when we're not expecting it." He smiles sadly. "I don't think your Brill's like that, though."
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"I think I was the first person to be anything resembling decent to him in four hundred years," says Bella quietly.
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"Sounds about right," he says. "So that's what he loves you for. If I were you, I'd cross out everything you learn about Jokers and nasty surprises when it comes to this one."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Okay. So that's Brilliance's distinguishing feature on top of being a talking deck of cards, I guess."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Guess so," says the Joker. "Might not be permanent, but then again it might. Wait around another four hundred years and see."
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"Okay," says Bella, cheering up at the thought of being around for four hundred years. "Who's next?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Mm, none of the rest are quite that dramatic," he says. "Don't know about Cam and Jellybean... Angela and Micaiah thought their god had picked them out as soulmates, that was sweet, he cried when he found out the god was a crappy AI and the soulmates thing was 'cause they were a good genetic match for lots of happy healthy angel babies... Kas met Amariah in Montreal, he didn't fall in love with her right away, they got to be friends and then just kept liking each other more. And Aegis and Sue, heh, they grew up together and for a while there she thought he was gay, so they didn't even get around to making out until the first big Bell party."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
Bella snorts at the story about Aegis. "What about Rose?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"Oh, he was a hundred-fifty-year-old marquis cursed to spend eternity by himself in a castle in the middle of a forest unless he could find true love before the time ran out, she was a girl from a nearby village who wandered in and fell in love with him because he was cute and fluffy."

His aura provides evocative imagery of the castle, and of Beast in his beast-shape prowling its halls and fighting a long, slow losing battle against loneliness. Then Belle shows up and sits in the library giving him scritches while he puts his head in her lap and purrs.
incanted: (all right)
Author: incanted
"Aww."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"By the way, you've found out we're all huge sluts, right?"
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
"I didn't know about all of you, but I was clear on Brilliance, yes. Even the one who thought God picked him a soulmate?"
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"Even him. But he managed to land himself a whole culture of huge sluts, more or less, so Angela wasn't too surprised."
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
"Okay then," snorts Bella. "And you're not dating Golden, that's all business, and Pattern's all business too, yeah?"
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Yep, yep!"
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Hmm." Pause. "On their ends. What about on your end? And the others?"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"On my end, what? Do I have the hots for Golden? Nah," he says. "She dosen't even mint off me herself, mostly I do that with my sweetheart. Pattern has an agony beam, I hear, and I just bet Queenie liiiikes it, but she's not in love with her or anything."

—And then he regards her thoughtfully.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"What?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Well, I just thought of something, and now I'm deciding if it'd be a good idea to tell you."
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"...A good idea in what sense?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"In the sense where if I tell you, you might be worse off than if I don't."
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
Bella thinks about this.

"Would," she says, "another Bell who thought of this thing be disposed to tell me?"
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"Right off the bat, probably," he says. "But that doesn't make it a good idea, it just means Bells think differently than I do, and you already know that. And if I knew whether or not they'd want to tell you after I pointed out the obvious problem, then I'd know whether or not I want to tell you, 'cause I know they're not into intentionally sabotaging their own alts."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"'Course they're not, if they were then their alts would be into intentionally sabotaging them," says Bella absently.
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Is that really the only reason?"
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"No, but - well, I'm guessing, you've met them all and I have not, but when I meet these other Bells, I expect they're going to want to help me and they'll be curious about me and they'll tell me everything I want to know and we'll like each other just fine - but we aren't going to be friends exactly, they're not going to be more sisters and a brother for me, we aren't going to have lunch together on random Tuesdays and watch movies together and teach each other to make chocolate mousse. We're going to make sure we know what each other's priorities and resources and needs are and come to unusually rapid agreements about how to distribute everything we have between us and everyone's going to be very careful about not intruding on other Bells' jurisdictions. We're not into intentional sabotage in general, I bet, of anyone whose goals we can agree with - and we qualify for each other - but I bet the peal of Bells looks more like a lot of very effective cooperators than like a pack of close friends."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Mm... you're pretty much right about that," he says thoughtfully. "They do throw parties whenever they find another one. Huh. I hadn't thought of that before. Us Jokers, if you leave us alone together long enough, we end up in a permanent slumber party. But with more sex."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Well, of course finding more of us is worth celebrating, it's more resources to share and more stuff to do," says Bella. "All good things. And a chance to show off and meet each other's friends. It's funny that you go by Jokers," she adds. "When Brilliance was split up - did he tell you about that? - the part of him that had his personality in it was the jokers of the deck."
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"It is funny," he says cheerfully. "You're right about that."
incanted: (flat)
Author: incanted
Bella leans back in her chair. "You could maybe," she says, "tell Lexi - or for that matter Brilliance - whatever you're thinking about telling me, and get their help deciding whether I should know," she suggests.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Hmm," he says. "Good idea."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"There anything else you can tell me how Bells-and-Jokers usually work?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"How 'bout the time Alice and Stella had a fight?" he offers.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"That does sound interesting, yes."
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Mkay," he says. "So, when I met Stella we didn't get along too well. Long story short, she decided I was dangerous, which I was but I'm not so much now. She introduced me to Alice anyway, and me'n'him went up to my room - you remember I said I go to Milliways in my dreams?"
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"I do remember that, yes."
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"So," he says, "in the middle of cuddling Alice... I woke up."

His aura shows her the Joker blinking at Stella in a cottage very much like this one, on an asteroid very much like this one.

"I wasn't any kind'a magic then. If she left me there, I was gonna be stuck for life. Which was the point, of course. And you mighta heard, we Jokers, we don't do too well in isolation. So I asked her very nicely, could she please put me to sleep again to check if I could still dream Milliways, and if not, could she stick around to keep me company while I killed myself."

He pauses here to observe her reaction.
incanted: (regrouping)
Author: incanted
Bella nods, slowly. "She probably agreed to do that unless there was some kind of emergency elsewhere," she says, "right?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Mhm," says the Joker. "So there I was with Alice again," his aura shows them cuddled up under a blanket that probably did not appear in the actual scene, "and I told him what was up, annnd he got very upset."
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
"...Why?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Well, she'd been talking to him when she was gonna go do it," says the Joker, "and she just said she was going into somebody's world for a bit, didn't say why. And even though it didn't happen that way, I could have just disappeared and never come back, if it'd turned out I couldn't get back to Milliways from there. And he only woulda found out I was dead whenever she bothered to let him know. And he loved me."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"So the problem was that she didn't warn him - not that he somehow didn't know who he was with and realize that sticking a dangerous person on an asteroid was exactly the kind of thing she'd do?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Yep. So y'know, not that I expect it to come up, if you're ever gonna do something that might kill somebody Brilliance loves, make sure you don't blindside him with it."
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"...Okay. Is he likely to get in my way? If I ever do have to?"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"Not if it's one of us," he says. "And I don't know who else he'd love that you'd be trying to kill."
incanted: (shaken)
Author: incanted
"Okay."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"And Alice asked Stella not to do that again and she said yes," he adds. "And then they were fine."
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
"Well, that's good then. Any similar pitfalls I should be on the lookout for?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Mm, don't think so. I'm pretty sure you can figure out all by yourself that he doesn't like people trying to control him," says the Joker. "None of us do, but he's got it bad even compared to baseline."
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
"Yeah, he made that exquisitely clear," Bella says.
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Mmkay. Then I think you're fine," he says.
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"Are all these other me's on board with the 'slut' thing?" Bella asks, airquoting his word choice.
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Yep! The ones dating Jokers, anyway. Golden and her husband are extrrrremely monogamous."
incanted: (appraisal)
Author: incanted
"What about the ones with Sherlocks? Is Pattern just - single?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Pattern's single, Sherlocks aren't Joker levels of slutty but they're not mono either - seems like they're all clones or twins of some guy called Tony and there's something going on there."
incanted: (critical)
Author: incanted
Beat.

"Man," says Bella, "this is weird."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
He snorts.
incanted: (get this over with)
Author: incanted
"If I go get Lexi will you tell her the thing you're not sure about telling me?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Sure," says the Joker.
incanted: (Default)
Author: incanted
Bella disappears.
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
A minute later, Lexi appears.

"So, I'm supposed to figure out if Bella should know some thing?"
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"That's the idea," says the Joker. "Siddown. It's a long story and it's not very nice."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
Lexi sits. "She must take you pretty seriously as, like, somebody who gets her, if she didn't just outright demand to be told."
manofmyword: Smirking, pushing hair out of face. (⑸ well hello beautifulll~)
Author: manofmyword
"Guess so," he says. "She takes me seriously as somebody who gets Brilliance, anyway."

He regards Lexi thoughtfully.

"Thing is," he says, "Brill's in love with her. And all the Bells whose Jokers are in love with them, they're doing fine together, and they got that way - without knowing what I'm about to tell you."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"My Bella thinks she might be wired funny about that. 'Cause of me. She didn't, like, go into a lot of detail, but she likes him and she knows he loves her and she's holding off because she isn't sure about the sleeping with other people thing and she thinks maybe the others can deal 'cause they're only children and, psychology stuff."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Huh," says the Joker. "Now there's a point. But this is somethin' else."

He leans back in his comfy armchair and drums his fingers thoughtfully on his knee.

"When Jokers are in love, see," he says, "we're not always nice about it. Mostly we are - we like it better that way. We'd rather love somebody and have them love us back, if they can, or just be good friends. If they can. But if we can't have either of those, then we'd rather they hate our guts than not care at all."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"Is he gonna try to destroy the planet again just to get Bella to be all intense about him?" Lexi asks, bewildered.
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
"Probably not," he says. "I don't think she's going to get all indifferent to him - none of the others did to theirs. But if I told her all that, she might get scared of what would happen if she stopped caring about him one way or the other, and that might fuck things up between 'em pretty well."
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"She likes him, he's teaching her magic, he helped her save the world," Lexi says. "What would get messed up if she was scared? Do the other Bells know about this stuff? Are they scared?"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"They'd all settled down some, whatever which way, before they found out," he says. "I don't think yours and Brill are all used to each other yet."
lexicality: (resting)
Author: lexicality
"So if she got indifferent somehow if he wouldn't try to destroy the world again what would he do?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"I blew up a hospital once," he offers. "Mind you, I let 'em evacuate it first."
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
"Well, if you tell Bella that Brilliance might start doing that kinda thing she won't be indifferent for sure," Lexi offers.
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"That's what I'm worried about," he says. "I'd like for them to get along without him blowing anything up to get her attention, or her being afraid he might."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"I bet you Bella would say the most important thing is for him not to blow things up and whether they get along is secondary."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Bet you she would," he says. "And I bet you I know what Brill'd say to that."

He spreads his hands, showing an illusionary Brilliance standing next to an illusionary Bella. Tiny Brill looks unhappy, then conflicted, then deploys his magic circle and vanishes.
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"That's not saying anything," Lexi points out.
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Nope," says the Joker. "'Cause if he felt like she was trying to manage how she felt about him to stop him from blowing stuff up, he wouldn't say anything. He'd run away and never come back. Which would mean him not blowing anything up on her account, I guess, but I don't think it's exactly something either of 'em wants."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"But," says Lexi, "don't they all kind of have that problem, like, if one of those Bells who's dating her Joker has a Go Away I'm Introverted And This Book Is Interesting Day - do they do that? - then don't they have worry about presenting that a nice way to their boyfriends so their boyfriends don't think they got indifferent?"
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Mm, think that's part of them settling down together. Stuff like that - I dunno if they do that, I don't hang out with 'em that often - but if it doesn't mean they got indifferent, their boyfriends aren't gonna mind. And even if they thought their Bells had gotten indifferent, they wouldn't move straight on to blowing stuff up, there'd be some yelling and crying and aggressively baking cookies first. This is nnnot the kind'a thing that sneaks up on ya."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"How do you aggressively - anyway, I don't get this, can you guys just not tolerate rejection at all? I was half in love with Darryl Cross last year but he didn't like me so I did the mature thing and ate a lot of chocolate and cried on Bella and moved to another state, I didn't, like, kill his dog."
manofmyword: Hands, seen through jail cell bars. (⑼ the store by the dungeon)
Author: manofmyword
He shrugs.

"I guess you could say that, yeah. But most people who can't handle rejection would be pretty unhappy if the girl they liked threw 'em off a building."
lexicality: (solar)
Author: lexicality
"Well, Bella's not gonna throw Brilliance off a building. Unless she has to for some reason but I don't really think it'd help even if that were a thing because he can fly."
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
The Joker snorts.
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
"So, Bella would think it'd be bad if Brilliance hurt anybody, and she'd try to make that not happen. And you think it'd be bad if she tried to do that the wrong way because Brilliance would be sad. Is that it?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"Mm, more or less, yeah."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"What would happen if you told Brilliance all this?"
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"I don't think he'd be surprised by any of it," the Joker says reflectively. "So it might not make a whole lot of difference to anything. But he might have a better guess than I do about whether he could handle Bella knowing."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"I guess 'Brilliance goes to therapy and learns to deal with unrequited love so Bella can know everything and also not feel pressured' isn't an option?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"It's not really unrequited love that we can't handle," says the Joker. "And Jokers and therapy don't traditionally mix. Brilliance might not have that problem, but I bet he does. We could hand him to Ghosty and Queenie, I guess, if things look like they might get bad between him and Bella - they're the only two of me who've got the kind of handle on themselves you're talking about. Both of 'em were in love with alts of the same person who threw me off a building, but unlike me, they stayed that way until they died. Seems like that does the trick. Lot of hospitals get blown up on the way, though, so I wouldn't go around recommending it to anybody."
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"How is it not unrequited love? Like, he loves her, but if he didn't and she were just some girl it wouldn't matter how he felt, and if she loved him back everything would be fine, right?"
manofmyword: From behind, in the suit, holding a knife. (⑻ nothing in his pockets)
Author: manofmyword
"If she loved him back, or if they were good friends, or if they were mediocre friends who argued a lot, or if she thought he was just kinda okay but loved his cooking and let him make her dinner all the time and was all happy about it. There's all kinds of options there that plain old 'unrequited love' doesn't cover."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"If all she has to do is, like, notice him continuing to exist on a regular basis and also form opinions about that, I don't think there's anything to worry about."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Mm—strong feelings," he says. "As long as he can give her strong feelings."
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"She thinks he's hot, I have seen her looking at him, does that count?"
manofmyword: Grinning. (⑵ simply makes you stranger)
Author: manofmyword
"Can't hurt," he says, laughing.
lexicality: (solar)
Author: lexicality
"She looks at him kind of like -" Lexi pauses. "Oh my god I think she did him."
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Wouldn't surprise me," says the Joker.
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"And she didn't even tell me, God. Well, maybe she didn't, it's just she kinda looks at him like he's a slice of cake and she already had one?"
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
"Yeah," he says, "I noticed something similar."
lexicality: (facing)
Author: lexicality
"You know the other Bells well enough to notice that kinda thing or you noticed something from Brilliance?"
manofmyword: Grinning, eyes nearly closed. (⑶ now i see the funny side)
Author: manofmyword
"I've picked up on a few things about the Bells. And Brilliance - " He grins. "Mm, kinda looks at her like he's a cake and she's already had a slice."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"I was gonna say cakes don't look at people, but he turns into cards, maybe he also turns into cake," snorts Lexi. "She didn't tell meeee, I would tell her if I slept with somebody... So either we're wrong and she's just, I dunno, vividly imagined doing him, or she was never planning for it to be more than a one-off 'cause that she would definitely tell me if she was going to have a boyfriend." Lexi considers this. "But, like, he wants to be her boyfriend, doesn't he?"
manofmyword: Smirking. (⑷ coral is far more red)
Author: manofmyword
"Bet he does," the Joker agrees. "And bet that's why she was out here interrogating me about all of her who're dating ones of him."
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"So what's stopping her?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"She doesn't know if she can handle the part where we're all enormous sluts," the Joker explains.
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"And I guess he can't just, you know, not be an enormous slut?"
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Nope. Comes with the package. He'd have as much luck trying to change it as Bella would trying to change how she feels about people reading her mind."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"But - okay, like, maybe this is me being stupid? But isn't he supposed to be in love with her?"
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Yep," says the Joker. "And Golden's in love with a telepath, but she still doesn't let him read her mind all the time. Some stuff's so much a part of somebody that they couldn't change it for anything, and wanting to fuck a lot of people is like that for us."
lexicality: (resting)
Author: lexicality
"That's a weird thing to have be that important," says Lexi.
manofmyword: Gesturing, explaining. (⑾ never start with the head)
Author: manofmyword
"Mmm... try thinking about it like this," he says. "On the one hand," he lifts his left, palm-up, "we're really big on freedom, and on the other hand," he raises his right, "we're really big on fun." His aura shows a blue circle above one hand and a red one above the other, with their intersection glowing purple. "Being a great big slut is where those two come together."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"It could also manifest as, like, surfing," Lexi points out.
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"If for some reason I started dating somebody who got all fucked up jealous whenever I went surfing," says the Joker, "and for some reason I felt like surfing a lot, we'd probably break up."
lexicality: (headscratch)
Author: lexicality
"Even if you really really liked them?"
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"It'd break my heart every which way, but yep."
lexicality: (multiple choice)
Author: lexicality
"But it's kind of more reasonable to not want to get cheated on than to not want your boyfriend to surf," Lexi points out.
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"Only 'cause of cultural stuff, mostly. Which usually doesn't make much of a difference to us, and extra doesn't make a difference to Brill 'cause he's literally not from the same planet."
lexicality: (essay)
Author: lexicality
"I kinda can't think up a cultural thing for not letting your boyfriend surf," Lexi says.
manofmyword: Sitting calmly on the floor, leaning against a wall. (⑺ gonna enjoy this)
Author: manofmyword
He shrugs.
lexicality: (sunflare)
Author: lexicality
"So basically if Bella wants him at all she has to share her cake."
manofmyword: From the side, serious. (⑿ is it the scars?)
Author: manofmyword
"That's about the size of it," the Joker agrees. "We don't always end up fucking a whole lot of people, except each other, but if we get the opportunity and the urge we're gonna either do it or feel like absolute shit for a while."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"Huh. I guess Bella will figure out if she can deal or not. Um, but if she decides she can't deal? She might try not to interact with him much because it'd give her feelings that'd make her conflicted," says Lexi. "She might decide that being just friends would be too hard and it'd be better to cut him off, you know, especially since now she can get at all kinds of magic without him helping."
manofmyword: Conspiratorial or condescending. (⒁ they'rrre cheap)
Author: manofmyword
"Well," says the Joker, "in that case, I'll take him to Origin to hang out with Ghosty and Queenie."
lexicality: (birdsnest)
Author: lexicality
"But you can't just leave whenever you want, right? You have to wait for a door. She might decide this any minute, she might be thinking about it right now, she might tell Brilliance while we're here talking."
manofmyword: Quasi-innocent? (⑽ i wanna drive)
Author: manofmyword
"If that happened," says the Joker, "we'd notice, trust me. And then you might have to clear out so I could bring him here and give him a big hug."
lexicality: (scrunch)
Author: lexicality
"Oh, sure, Bella made it so I can teleport, I can leave whenever," says Lexi. "This sucks, though, they'd be adorable, I bet, if having me around made her not able to do that thing that everybody else apparently did I'd feel bad."