Shell Bell is currently explaining to her Director of Media that, yes, if she is gone, he is supposed to take orders from the duck, just like the Imperial Consort said. Neptune is nestling in Shell Bell's arms comfortably. The Director of Media is also now supposed to meet Jane and coordinate with his opposite numbers in Origin and Aurum about setting up an interworld generally-accessible internet with the use of ansibles.

Author: she_sells_seashells	Shell Bell is currently explaining to her Director of Media that, yes, if she is gone, he is supposed to take orders from the duck, just like the Imperial Consort said. Neptune is nestling in Shell Bell's arms comfortably. The Director of Media is also now supposed to meet Jane and coordinate with his opposite numbers in Origin and Aurum about setting up an interworld generally-accessible internet with the use of ansibles.
Author: pythbox	Harley appears in the palace.
Author: she_sells_seashells	The Director of Media is startled! So is Shell Bell, but less so. "Hi, Harley. How are you doing?"
Author: pythbox	He shrugs. "Better," he says. "Ish."
Author: she_sells_seashells	"It looks like you can get around on your own now. Assuming you meant to wind up here." She shoos the Director of Media. "Go. Talk to Jane, she'll tell you what's going on." The Director of Media skedaddles.
Author: pythbox	"Yeah," says Harley. "I'm going everywhere. Just to see."
Author: she_sells_seashells	Shell Bell pets Neptune. "It's nice to be able to go wherever you want to be - I like my aura power, it sounds like freecasting might be even better. Is your wolf awake yet?"
Author: pythbox	Harley shakes his head. "I'm still not sure," he says. "You know? It hasn't been that long. I'm getting better, but - not that confident yet."
Author: she_sells_seashells	"Yeah. I trust my aura, basically, but I don't like being away from my Sherlock so I just leave Tune home when I go and she doesn't."
Author: pythbox	He tilts his head thoughtfully.
Author: she_sells_seashells	"You could do the same thing. Separating's not fun, though. If you don't have a trick to do it all at once like Cam or Aianon - or maybe even if you do - you should leave someone you love holding your daemon for you, it helps."
Author: pythbox	"Thanks," he says, and thinks about it a little more.
Author: she_sells_seashells	Shell Bell pets Neptune some more. "It time-syncs too."
Author: pythbox	He smiles a little. And he freecasts back to Elsie.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"Hello again. You seem to have the hang of this."
Author: pythbox	"Everybody keeps saying that," says Harley, with a wry smile. "I want a daemon."
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"All right. That just involves going to Alethia; you can go yourself or Jane could take you. If you want me to come along I need to spend a star; do you?"
Author: pythbox	"Shell Bell says when you separate it's good to have someone you love to snuggle your daemon. I think I'm gonna do it fast, like Sue. Don't know if I'll have to do it from there or not."
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"I don't know either. I'll come along if you'd rather it be me than Zeus."
Author: pythbox	"If he was going to do it he should be awake," says Harley. "But I don't want him awake until I've done it."
Author: her_imperial_radiance	Elspeth nods. She pulls out a star. "Right now?"
Author: pythbox	Harley nods too.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"Jane, please let Amariah know."
Author: mind_game	[She says you can pop in if you want.]
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"All right." Elspeth spends the star. She taps her Janegem.
Author: mind_game	Here is Amariah's basement.
Author: pythbox	Harley follows a moment later. And beside him, there is a naked male half-vampire who looks almost exactly like him. Harley grins and hugs his shiny new daemon. "Hi, Andrea."
Author: her_imperial_radiance	Andrea. Heh. "Hi," says Elspeth.
Author: pythbox	"Hi!" says Andrea, and hugs her.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	Hugs. After a moment's pause in case there's a misjudgment and he needs to flinch away, but he doesn't. It's an interesting sort of feeling.
Author: pythbox	"I love you," says Andrea, snuggling up. "Gonna try now," says Harley. He gives them both a hug, and - flickers out. Andrea clings to Elspeth for a moment, then relaxes with a shudder. When Harley reappears, Andrea pounces on him with a bone-cracking hug.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	Elspeth loves him. Them both. She sends so.
Author: pythbox	"I love you too," says Harley, whose bones decline to stay cracked for long. Andrea shifts female-human. Snugglepile!
Author: her_imperial_radiance	The snugglepile engulfs Elspeth. She lets it. Her star will keep her free of sun conure infestation for days at least.
Author: pythbox	"We should go back now," Andrea says at last, after considerable snuggling. "Yeah. And wake up Zeus," says Harley.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"All right. Jane, if you wouldn't mind?" Since Elspeth cannot freecast. Pop. Port.
Author: floofcoaster	Here is Zeus, asleep in Harley's bed, strangle-hugging Harley's pillow.
Author: pythbox	Harley snuggles up to him. Andrea turns into a leopard and sits next to the bed, curling her tail around her feet.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	"Ready?"
Author: pythbox	Herley nods.
Author: floofcoaster	Zeus's eyes open, and he draws a shuddering breath, and he abandons the pillow and seizes Harley in a superhumanly tight hug. "Harley."
Author: pythbox	Harley hugs him back. "I fixed it," he says. "I got a daemon." "Hi," says Andrea. "And now she can stay with you all the time," says Harley, "and I'll always know where to come back to."
Author: floofcoaster	Zeus has never encountered a daemon before. He looks quizzically at Andrea.
Author: pythbox	"I'm his soul," Andrea says helpfully. "You should pet me."
Author: floofcoaster	"Okay." Zeus pets her.
Author: pythbox	Andrea purrs and rubs her head against his hand. Petting her is like - well - touching Harley's soul.
Author: floofcoaster	Zeus decides that he likes this confusing new development. He goes on petting Andrea.
Author: her_imperial_radiance	(Elspeth quietly teleports away.)
Author: pythbox	"I love you," Harley sighs, snuggling Zeus. Andrea climbs up onto the bed and flops down between them. She is fuzzy and warm. "We called me Andrea, by the way," she adds. "And I can shapeshift, all Joker daemons can, look!" Suddenly she is, while still warm, rather less fuzzy. And more human-shaped.
Author: floofcoaster	She's still pettable. Zeus goes on petting her. "I love you," he says.
Author: pythbox	"We love you too," says Andrea. Snuggles! "And we don't have to do anything but sit here and cuddle," says Harley. "There's gonna be a Bellparty but that's not for ages. Oh, Jane's back, by the way, we're all hooked up again. And I met all the Jokers - well, almost all, Kas and Aianon were busy..."
Author: floofcoaster	"When is it?" wonders Zeus. "I dunno how long I was out this time, the princess knocked me out before you'd been gone more than a second."
Author: pythbox	"2060," says Harley. "Not that I even remember what year it was when I came back the first time."
Author: floofcoaster	"I'm not sure either," confesses Zeus, nuzzling Andrea and then Harley and then Andrea again and then Harley again. "I hope my parents aren't too broken up about things."
Author: pythbox	"I hope so too," sighs Harley. Andrea hugs Zeus.
Author: floofcoaster	Hugs hugs hugs. "You're not gonna vanish again, right?"
Author: pythbox	"I figured out the vanishing thing," he says. "It's something Jokers can do, we go places, I just started out not knowing how to control it, and now I can and if I go anywhere I know how to come back."
Author: floofcoaster	Hug hug hug. "Good."
Author: pythbox	Hug hug hug. "And last time when I vanished it was 'cause I was dreaming, but this time we know for sure I'm not."
Author: floofcoaster	"I do not understand the dreaming thing."
Author: pythbox	"It's another Joker thing," Harley explains. "If we're trapped somewhere, we can go to Milliways in our dreams. Last time I got here, it was through Milliways and I was dreaming and didn't know. But this time, Elsie and some people came and rescued me."
Author: floofcoaster	"It is going to be so much easier for people who are born in like thirty years to exist in this multiverse when children's book publishers have caught up with this sorta thing." Nuzzle nuzzle huggle snuggle.
Author: pythbox	Harley and Andrea both giggle. "I love you so much," says Harley, snuggling him.
Author: floofcoaster	"I love youuuuuu," sighs Zeus, "I am so glad you're home."
Author: pythbox	"Me too," says Harley, hugging him tight. "I missed you."
Author: floofcoaster	"I had very little time to do it in but I missed you anyway."
Author: pythbox	"I know." Snuggle.
Author: floofcoaster	All the snuggle.
Author: pythbox	So much snuggle! Every snuggle.
Author: floofcoaster	One hundred and four percent snuggle.