self_composed: (Default)
Author: self_composed
The guest list winds up being pretty huge.

To start with, there are now eight Bells. Pattern isn't bringing anyone besides herself, and Aegis no one besides herself and her Whistle, but everyone else -

Between Alice, the Joker, the rescued Queenie, Kas, Micaiah, and Sue, plus Ghosty who Amariah picked up on her way home, that's seven Whistles. (Stella thinks ahead: there is a soundproofed orgy chamber away from the main party awning. With a few nodes off of it in case more than one orgy forms; she can think of at least two other likely ones.)

There's an equally absurd number of Sherlocks and Tonies if you count them together. They have Juliet's matched set, Shell Bell's matched set, two other matched sets from Bell-less worlds (one with souled vampire, one both human), a stray Tony, and a stray Sherlock from Downside.

Amariah grabbed a random Libby on top of the random extra Whistle, but at least she's not incorporating anyone from home.

Golden's bringing much of her family and many of her friends - although Edward is staying home, that still leaves Elspeth and Jacob, Alice and Jasper with little Brandon, Rosalie and Emmett and little Henry, Nathan accompanying his mate and their child Kerron, Esme and Carlisle and their Lily, Addy, and Elena who'll get to see her brother. Golden claims that this is a conservative list and she could easily have produced another twenty enthusiastic guests. Stella doesn't doubt it. She puts up a few signs reading Please Conduct Adult Conversation Only Via Brainphone. Little Half-Vampires Have Good Ears And Perfect Memories. As a last-minute surprise, Golden has taken Elspeth's suggestion to bring Edward's deceased mother Elizabeth, too.

Juliet has, on top of her boyfriend and his - progenitor? - her tiny Libby, James, a tagalong thereto called Virginia, and a ghost called Minnie, plus Giles.

Angela's list is more modest: her, her husband, and their friends Alleluia and Caleb.

Shell Bell is responsible for half the Sherlocks-and-Tonies all by herself, a tagalong called Pepper, and also someone called Darcy and also Matilda. (Shell Bell is also the reason Angela is not inviting her brother-in-law.)

Stella herself is responsible for inviting Libby, Orfeo, Chris, Mary, Anna, Sandy, Eights, Chainsaw, Lazarus, Kolya (who is informed that it would be awfully inconvenient for a majority of Bells to all have to coordinate on pretending he doesn't exist when only one of them has even met him to be able to identify him in the first place, so he can simply stay home if he's planning to be hidey), and Bridget.

Stella sets up a name tag system. Everyone will have a tag stuck to them. Solo persons - a minority - will just have their names. People with template names and nicknames will have both stamped on automatically. ("Hi! I'm a Bell, and you can call me Stella!"; "Hi! I'm a Whistle, and you can call me Alice!" "Hi! I'm a Sherlock, and I don't have a distinguishing nickname yet but as soon as I pick one it will appear here!")

She conjures up a nice buffet of food and beverages which will stay its correct temperature until consumed, and assorted synthetics for the vampires (labeled not for human consumption), and dishes and flatware (all glass; even some of the food-eating guests might dissolve anything else) and fusses with the awning opacity until it lets in just the right amount of sun, and, what the hell, she throws in a stage in case Angela wants to sing or she decides to play the flute or someone decides to pentagon some other performative skill to entertain the crowd. She makes sure there are enough bathrooms for all the people who still need bathrooms.

She puts out a few tables here and there with little bowls of squares and triangles - a mix of her glowing red and Alice's shifty black - in them for everyone's convenience. She accumulates coins in those sizes faster than she generally uses them and has a great many, so there are plenty for anyone to dip and wish if something comes up. She double-checks to make sure the Martian ground rules prohibit any misuses available for those size coins.

Jane gets one of those high-tech holographic projectors, on wheels, which she promptly manifests in, drives around the floor, and makes faces through.
her_imperial_radiance: (sporfle)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
[Libby, James, Elizabeth, you should all come meet my grandma!] Elspeth says, when her wave of the Aurum delegation arrives.
neverbeatme: Grinning; vastly entertained. (ℂ not unlike a smile)
Author: neverbeatme
[Why should I come meet your grandma?]
prima_sequentem: (ℂ say the sweetest things)
Author: prima_sequentem
[You really should,] says Libby. [I'm on my way, Elsie.]
dont_look_back: (this is fun!)
Author: dont_look_back
Orfeo happily follows his imprint.
her_imperial_radiance: (happy)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
[You should meet my grandma because she's a you!] Elspeth says, incapable of awaiting dramatic reveal.
neverbeatme: Smirking. (ℂ a quiet contentment)
Author: neverbeatme
James is the first to arrive.

"Hi, Elspeth's grandma!"
prima_sequentem: (ℕ what's in a name)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Hello to you too," says Elspeth's grandma.

Libby shows up next. "You know," she muses, "this probably means I'm never going to be your favourite grandma, doesn't it. Too much competition."

"Were you ever going to be?" wonders the next Libby, whose nametag declares that she has not yet picked a distinguishing nickname.
her_imperial_radiance: (no comment)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Esme is currently still winning," apologizes Elspeth, also constitutionally incapable of many forms of tact.
dont_look_back: (this is fun!)
Author: dont_look_back
"Aww, but this one is clearly the best," says Orfeo, indicating the Eosian Libby, knowing perfectly well that no one will take him seriously on the subject.
prima_sequentem: (ℚ all kinds of innocent)
Author: prima_sequentem
The Eosian Libby ruffles his hair. "You know," she says to the non-distinguished Libby from an unnamed world, "you should really pick a nickname."

"Fine," she sighs. "How about Slipstick."

"And I can be Granny," says Elspeth's grandma, "since I'm apparently never going to be known for anything else."
her_imperial_radiance: (Default)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
The nametags update themselves accordingly. "I'm sure you could be known for something else, Grandma, you've only been undead for a very short while now," soothes Elspeth.

"You holding up okay, Orfeo?" Jacob asks his former packmate.
dont_look_back: (Default)
Author: dont_look_back
"All's well. Libby's aunt wolfed so I'm not a mess when there aren't any Aurum visitors, the tech drop took some getting used to but I'm all right."
prima_sequentem: (ℕ what's in a name)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Maybe I'll get a job offer from my imperial daughter-in-law," Granny muses.

"Employment by Bells seems to be the going thing," says Slipstick. "Maybe I should look into it, since my last big plan didn't pan out."
her_imperial_radiance: (Default)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"What was your last plan?" Elspeth asks Slipstick. "And Grandma, I'm sure Mama'll offer you a job and just didn't want to overwhelm you."
prima_sequentem: (ℚ but seriously)
Author: prima_sequentem
"I married an unpleasant person. He died," says Slipstick.

Granny snorts.
her_imperial_radiance: (no comment)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"That's a plan?" asks Elspeth quizzically.
prima_sequentem: (ℂ say the sweetest things)
Author: prima_sequentem
"It was going to be," says Slipstick. "But, again: he died."
her_imperial_radiance: (staring)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"But couldn't you get him back, now that Mama and her alts have taken over the afterlife?"
prima_sequentem: (ℚ all kinds of innocent)
Author: prima_sequentem
"From what I know," says Slipstick, "I don't think they'd let him out."
her_imperial_radiance: (no comment)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Oh. So very unpleasant, then."
dont_look_back: (I am unsure about you)
Author: dont_look_back
"I wonder if I should be vaguely dismayed," says Orfeo.
prima_sequentem: (ℚ in the details)
Author: prima_sequentem
"He was nothing I couldn't handle," says Slipstick.
her_imperial_radiance: (princess)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Well, there are eight Bells and only three have Libbies employed or about to be so, so you'll have choices," says Elspeth to Slipstick, "if that looks like next for you."
prima_sequentem: (ℕ works for me)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Can you tell me anything about the rest?" inquires Slipstick. "My information isn't exactly complete."
her_imperial_radiance: (princess)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Sure. Besides Mama and Stella and Juliet, there's Shell Bell, who's already taken over Atlantis and was the one to discover Downside by getting assassinated. There's Amariah, who's a witch and lives in Alethia which is the only world we know about that isn't attached to Downside now and everybody there has an external usually-animal-shaped soul and it's contagious if you go there so that's something to consider, and she has an artifact that dispenses objective truth but only within Alethia, and she hasn't taken over yet. Angela hasn't taken over either, because she lives in a theocracy and even though it turns out the god is a spaceship and not a real god she's waiting for the last Archangel to finish out his term - that's her, up on stage, with the other angel, I think they're going to sing! And there's Aegis who's from the future, maybe not as far as Angela but we're not quite sure about Angela's history, and she's younger than all the others and she's an admiral and she got a hostile alien species to surrender and last I heard she was going to see about getting democratically elected to be something called Hegemon. And there's Pattern who is called that because she has no distinguishing features yet."
prima_sequentem: (ℂ say the sweetest things)
Author: prima_sequentem
Slipstick nods along to this explanation.

"Pattern's the dead one, right?"
her_imperial_radiance: (uhh)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Shell Bell and Juliet are also dead," says Elspeth. "Or that would be Pattern's distinguishing feature."
prima_sequentem: (ℕ what's in a name)
Author: prima_sequentem
"The one who was dead when the rest of them found her," she amends.
her_imperial_radiance: (Default)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"The one who was dead and just plain stayed that way without caveat until earlier today," says Elspeth, "yeah, that's her. I think she's looking for a mint-helper."
prima_sequentem: (ℂ say the sweetest things)
Author: prima_sequentem
"That, I cannot help her with," says Slipstick.
her_imperial_radiance: (excuse me)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Not personally, maybe, but Libby, I think I heard that you helped Stella interview for her extras when Alice went missing?"
prima_sequentem: (ℚ all kinds of innocent)
Author: prima_sequentem
"I did!" says Libby. "Apparently they've got a couple of alts around here somewhere - I saw them chatting before they went to join the Whistles."

"Interesting," says Slipstick. "Sure, I could lend a hand there. If she hasn't already got one by the time she leaves the party."
neverbeatme: Looking sideways, leaning forward. (ℚ await and observe)
Author: neverbeatme
"So," says James, looking between Libby and Elspeth and Orfeo and Jacob, "what's with the escorts?"
her_imperial_radiance: (happy)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Jake is my wolf and Orfeo is Libby's," says Elspeth. "I didn't bring my pamphlets with me but - ooh." She dips into one of the bowls of squares and conjures up a few complete stacks, and hands James one on wolves.
neverbeatme: Grinning; vastly entertained. (ℂ not unlike a smile)
Author: neverbeatme
"Ooh," she says dryly. "A pamphlet."

But she does read it.
dont_look_back: (got some eyebrows)
Author: dont_look_back
"Her Highness does good pamphlets," laughs Orfeo. "Short version is I took one look at Libby and I was all magically gone over her, likewise Jake and the Princess."
neverbeatme: Smug; triumphant. (ℕ attend my victory)
Author: neverbeatme
"Yeah," says James, "there's a lot of that in your world, isn't there."
her_imperial_radiance: (sigh)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Well, two kinds of it," says Elspeth. "Stella's precog Mary has been helping with the wolves, and now that Aunt Alice has cleared up her blind spots she can do it herself - and she was already keeping a lookout for problematic instances of the vampire version."
neverbeatme: Smirking. (ℂ a quiet contentment)
Author: neverbeatme
"That sounds convenient."
her_imperial_radiance: (excuse me)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"It's much better than having it happen at random. I'm happy to have Jake, but it was alarming at the time."
dont_look_back: (keeping an eye out)
Author: dont_look_back
"Libby handled it like a champ," says Orfeo loyally.
her_imperial_radiance: (Default)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Elspeth was five and wasn't sure if her mother was alive at the time, and -" Jacob begins. "But - man, you know well as I do that Whose Imprint Is Best fights never get anywhere."
prima_sequentem: (ℕ works for me)
Author: prima_sequentem
Libby smiles fondly at Orfeo.

Slipstick looks between them and grins. After a moment, so does Granny.
her_imperial_radiance: (right then)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth pats her wolf on the arm. "So he's my bodyguard, although the title is less essential now that we've got wishcoins going spare," she says. "Mama barely uses hers anymore except when she's at formal meetings with human governments and wants to be shadowed by an entourage."
prima_sequentem: (ℂ say the sweetest things)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Happily, bodyguards are not something my template generally needs," says Libby.
her_imperial_radiance: (serious)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"In my case he's also handy for safety reasons that don't directly involve taking bullets for me or anything," Elspeth says, "because he's a very good target for my truth power on subjects that have to do with whether I'm safe."
prima_sequentem: (ℕ what's in a name)
Author: prima_sequentem
"I'd like to register general envy for everyone here with a magic aunt," sighs Granny.

"Are you going to drag yours out of storage?" inquires Slipstick.

Granny nods. "Soon. And your mothers?" she asks, looking between the rest of her template.

"It's on the to-do list," says Libby.
her_imperial_radiance: (uhh)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Your aunt might be magic, Grandma, witches happen in Aurum," says Elspeth, "mightn't she?"
prima_sequentem: (ℚ but seriously)
Author: prima_sequentem
"If she has any, it didn't show up in time to prevent either of us from dying. I stand by my declaration of envy."
her_imperial_radiance: (Default)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"I bet she'd get the power if she turned, anyway," says Elspeth.
prima_sequentem: (ℚ all kinds of innocent)
Author: prima_sequentem
"I guess we'll see when we dig her up," says Granny.
her_imperial_radiance: (princess)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Yep!"
prima_sequentem: (ℚ in the details)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Bells sure do make life interesting," says Slipstick. The other Libbies laugh.
her_imperial_radiance: (sigh)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Yeah, no kidding," snorts Jacob.

"Jake," sighs Elspeth.

"I've got no objection to how things shook out once she managed to get rid of the Volturi, Elsie, but before that..."

"Yeah," sighs Elspeth. "I know. It's tidier when it's mints, though."
neverbeatme: Watching you thoughtfully. (ℕ I prefer James)
Author: neverbeatme
"Okay, I'll bite," says James. "What'd Golden do?"
her_imperial_radiance: (serious)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Do you want a verbal summary or a magic summary?" Elspeth asks.
neverbeatme: Raising eyebrows; reclining; perhaps giving orders. (ℝ more than patient)
Author: neverbeatme
"Let's try verbal."
her_imperial_radiance: (memories)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Mama had a harder time of taking over our world than the other Bells have had with theirs, because she didn't have coins, just individual people some of whom had witchcraft, and because someone was already ruling the vampires when she got there. One of her plans backfired and she and Dad wound up each thinking the other was dead for five years, and mated vampires can't really do a lot without their mates safe. Mama managed to bring me up while pretending to be dead to everybody else she knew, which is more than most anyone would have been able to do. But then we got split up and I found Jake's pack of wolves and the Volturi found the pack and I found Dad being kept prisoner in Volterra where the Volturi ruled from, and a lot of very complicated things happened but eventually the Volturi were defeated and Mama became Empress."
neverbeatme: Standing by herself in a wide open space. (ℚ but never lonely)
Author: neverbeatme
"Gotcha," says James. "That does sound... untidy."
her_imperial_radiance: (excuse me)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Yes."
dont_look_back: (didn't see you there)
Author: dont_look_back
"It feels weird to have it all summarized like that. I learned about this stuff in class when I was a puppy," snorts Orfeo. "It's like hearing someone summarize World War Two."
prima_sequentem: (ℂ say the sweetest things)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Yes," says Libby, "especially the part where 'a lot of very complicated things happened'."
dont_look_back: (got some eyebrows)
Author: dont_look_back
"A lot of complicated things did happen. We did an entire unit on the Golden Revolution. I made a little diorama," says Orfeo.
her_imperial_radiance: (sporfle)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth giggles.
prima_sequentem: (ℂ enjoy your company)
Author: prima_sequentem
"Cute," Libby says fondly.
dont_look_back: (this is fun!)
Author: dont_look_back
"It was adorable. I did my presentation on the kept wolves and I made Rachel out of cottonballs and Becky out of black pompoms."
her_imperial_radiance: (snerk)
Author: her_imperial_radiance
"Did I write all your textbooks, or was this after Grandma Renée started helping with those?" asks Elspeth.
dont_look_back: (driver's license photo)
Author: dont_look_back
"I don't remember who wrote my textbooks when I was in puppy school, Princess," snorts Orfeo.
neverbeatme: Laughing, friendly and cheerful. (ℂ the capacity for humour)
Author: neverbeatme
James giggles.