Kerron has just gone to sleep. It has been a typical evening, more or less.

"If you wanna go to Ireland anytime in the next five years, now's the time to ask," Nathan remarks. "If you don't wanna go in the next five years we can wait until 2037."

Author: temporal_affairs	Kerron has just gone to sleep. It has been a typical evening, more or less. "If you wanna go to Ireland anytime in the next five years, now's the time to ask," Nathan remarks. "If you don't wanna go in the next five years we can wait until 2037."
Author: manofmyword	"I don't wanna wait until 2037," he laughs. "Okay, let's ask. Ask who?"
Author: temporal_affairs	"I'd go through Maggie," Nathan says.
Author: manofmyword	"Mmkay," he says, and conference-calls Maggie and Nathan. [Hi! Got a minute?]
Author: temporal_affairs	[Yep!] replies Maggie. [Does somebody think you're lying to 'em?]
Author: manofmyword	He laughs. [Not as far as I know!]
Author: temporal_affairs	[Social call?] Maggie inquires. [Nope. We're hoping you'll intercede with Siobhan for us about letting us onto the island,] Nathan says. [Hmmm,] says Maggie.
Author: manofmyword	[I wanna see one of my sweetie's favourite cities,] the Joker explains. [And I don't like having places I'm not allowed to go - it's not killing me or anything, but it gives me an itch in my head, I'd feel better if I got to visit. And I'll be a good boy and not mess anything up.]
Author: temporal_affairs	[Well, you've convinced me, but I'll have to run it by Siobhan.] [No problem,] Nathan says. And aloud, "Babe, if she says no I'm sure there's similar Irelands in the other worlds, we could always take a vacation to one of those."
Author: manofmyword	"Mm, yeah," he says, "but they won't be this one." Snuggle snuggle.
Author: temporal_affairs	Kiss. "That's true." Siobhan is added to the call, says the convenient version 2 brainphone add-on. [How long were you planning to be here?] she inquires.
Author: manofmyword	[No idea,] the Joker says cheerfully. [Until it's time to leave, I guess. Few hours, few days, somewhere in that range.]
Author: temporal_affairs	[I'll check for best times to go,] Nathan offers. [All right. You tell me when you show up and you tell me when you're leaving, this is one-time permission not a permanent pass, no wowing the humans or eating the fauna.] [I can do that,] Nathan says.
Author: manofmyword	[Thanks!] he says sunnily.
Author: temporal_affairs	[Tell Maggie you're not going to do magic in front of the humans, please,] says Siobhan.
Author: manofmyword	[Not so's they can tell.]
Author: temporal_affairs	[All right. And I don't need to tell you not to kill any of them or screw with their heads because Bella has that covered worldwide.] Siobhan exits the call. [Congratulations,] offers Maggie.
Author: manofmyword	He giggles.
Author: temporal_affairs	[I'm assuming Siobhan and Liam don't want a personal visit, but what about you and Gianna? Or Molly?] Nathan asks. [Give me and Gianna a day's notice, work it out with Molly yourself, she's a grown vampire,] says Maggie.
Author: manofmyword	[Mkay,] the Joker chirps. He hugs his sweetie.
Author: temporal_affairs	And that's it for the brainphone call. His sweetie hugs him back.
Author: manofmyword	Cuddlesssssssssss. "So when do we go?" he murmurs.
Author: temporal_affairs	"In the morning. A little after when Kerron wakes up." Pause. "Also a good time to find a sitter," he observes.
Author: manofmyword	"Goodie," says the Joker. "And however are we gonna pass the time until thennnn, m'dear?"
Author: temporal_affairs	"I am completely ignorant on this subject," purrs Nathan.
Author: manofmyword	"Liar," he says, and grins, and pounces.
Author: temporal_affairs	"Maggie'd scold me ever so," Nathan laughs. He stops them in plenty of time to be presentable to their munchkin when their munchkin awakens.
Author: manofmyword	"Good morning, munchkin," says the Joker.
Author: colorshapes	"G'morning, Mummy!" Kerron peers at some colorshapes. "You wanna go a place and you wanna leave me behind," he states after some intent observation.
Author: manofmyword	"Yep!" he agrees, ruffling Kerron's hair and then hugging him. "Gonna leave you with a munchkin-sitter, if we can find one. That okay with you?"
Author: colorshapes	"I wanna stay with Lily and her parents," Kerron decides.
Author: temporal_affairs	"We can ask Carlisle and Esme, sure," says Nathan.
Author: manofmyword	"Sounds good to me!"
Author: temporal_affairs	Carlisle and Esme are asked. The munchkin is deposited with them. "Shall we, babe?" Nathan inquires.
Author: manofmyword	"Let's! You wanna give notice, or should I?"
Author: temporal_affairs	"I can." [Incoming, Siobhan.]
Author: manofmyword	The Joker teleports them to an unobserved part of Siobhan's island. He immediately hugs his sweetie.
Author: temporal_affairs	Ooh! Hugs! Irish hugs!
Author: manofmyword	Snuggly hugs. "Go on," he says happily, "show me around!"
Author: temporal_affairs	Nathan looks around and gets his bearings. "Is this Belfast? I think this is Belfast. All right then." And off they go through Belfast!
Author: manofmyword	There is hand-holding and looking at pretty places and kissing in dark corners. Going places with Nathan is the Joker's favourite kind of tourism.
Author: temporal_affairs	After giving Maggie notice and loitering in various portions of Ireland (and having sex in various portions of Ireland), Nathan and the Joker turn up at Maggie and Gianna's house in Wexford. Gianna answers the door. "Maggie's out buying lightbulbs, but she'll be back in a few minutes," she says. "Won't you come in?" And she steps aside.
Author: manofmyword	"Sure!" says the Joker. "Nice to meet ya." In they go.
Author: temporal_affairs	"I'm Gianna," Gianna says, "Maggie's mate." She's also wearing a wedding ring, but among vampires mate is by far the more important distinction. The house is tidy but dusty, like the occupants put everything they use back when they're through with it but rarely actually clean, and it's furnished in a way halfway between Imperial capitols and human homes - designed to accommodate people who care whether they sit or stand and whether the surfaces they're on have any give, but perhaps not a great number of such people. There's embroidered samplers hanging from a few places on the walls and more computers lying around than there are household residents.
Author: manofmyword	The Joker finds a comfy-looking chair and sits in it. "What's with all the computers?"
Author: temporal_affairs	"Oh, our current models were water damaged the last time our nephew visited and we've been using the old ones while waiting to see if they'll dry out and work again," says Gianna.
Author: manofmyword	"Gotcha," he says. "Want me to fix 'em?"
Author: temporal_affairs	Gianna blinks. "...Sure."
Author: manofmyword	He flicks his fingers. "Poof."
Author: temporal_affairs	Gianna flips open one of the computers and turns it on. It behaves. "Thanks!" The door opens, and Gianna flies to the door to greet her mate with a kiss, and then stands aside to reveal Maggie. "Hi, guys," says Maggie, "how's Ireland treating you?" "He's fixed our computers," Gianna volunteers. "Sweet."
Author: manofmyword	The Joker beams. "So how'd you guys meet, anyway?"
Author: temporal_affairs	"Oh, Gianna was staying with the Cullens back when they were just the Cullens and not the Imperial Family, because Bella had rescued her from the Volturi, and I wanted to go for a visit, and Bella was nervous that I'd eat Gianna even though I'd recently taken up an animal diet and she was all 'um, I have a pet human', and I said 'I promise not to eat your pet human!' and visited anwyay, and I took one look at my pretty mate and I turned to Bella and said, 'I'll fight you for her.' The look on Ilario's face was priceless," says Maggie.
Author: manofmyword	"...awwwwwww," says the Joker, "that's adorable. You're adorable."
Author: temporal_affairs	"There was some ensuing awkwardness," says Gianna lightly. "But it all worked out in the end." "What about you guys?" Maggie asks. "Babe, you wanna tell this story or should I?" Nathan asks.
Author: manofmyword	The Joker grins. "I should definitely tell this story," he says, sitting up straighter and opening his aura a little. The air sparkles with cheer. "See," he says, spreading his hands, "once upon a time, one'a the other Bells put me on an asteroid." An image of the asteroid in question appears between his hands, translucent at the edges but impeccably detailed. It's small and cute and comfortable and quietly, achingly lonely, a little bit painful to look at. "I didn't like it much there," he continues, "but lucky for me I could still get to Milliways, so I was all right." The asteroid fades away, replaced by a miniature view of the bar, complete with faint background noise and centred on an empty table. A miniature Joker appears there. "And who should I run into but—" The miniature Joker spots somebody at another table and waves; the view pans over to reveal Elspeth and Jacob. "A certain princess!" Tiny Elsie and Tiny Joker commence having a reasonably amicable conversation. They don't speak in comprehensible words, but the emotional tone is clear. "We got along all right," he murmurs, "and when I told her how lonely I was, she said she'd let me visit her world." The three figures get out of their seats. "So we did." Tiny Elspeth opens the conveniently-nearby Milliways door, and everyone troops through it, and she closes it again, "and funny thing," the Joker says brightly, "somebody was waitin' for me!" The recently-closed door opens again to reveal Tiny Nathan with tiny hearts in his tiny eyes. Tiny Joker is instantly charmed, clasping his hands to his chest and beaming.
Author: temporal_affairs	Nathan awwwws. Maggie claps her hands. "Hurray for magic!"
Author: manofmyword	He giggles. The visual accompaniment fades away. "And Stella let me off the asteroid and I came here to be the local mint and it's been snuggly ever after," he says, getting out of his seat to give Nathan a hug.
Author: temporal_affairs	Hugs! Nathan decides to just outright pick up his mate. Chairs are silly. "Why did she put you on an asteroid?" Gianna asks slowly. "This world's Bella didn't say."
Author: manofmyword	Mm. The Joker snuggles into Nathan's arms. "Oh, she didn't like what I was getting up to at home," he says carelessly.
Author: temporal_affairs	"I suppose it's not that different from how our Bella has Pera put people in the hiding place if they make trouble," Maggie says.
Author: manofmyword	He shrugs. "You could say that, sure."
Author: temporal_affairs	"I overheard someone saying she's going to phase that out," Nathan remarks. "Let Pera and Razi both retire and handle things with magic." "Good, I always thought the hiding place was a little creepy. Best solution available at the time, but not better than something finer-tuned," says Maggie.
Author: manofmyword	"I think it's a little creepy too!" the Joker says agreeably. "And maybe kinda fun. But I wouldn't wanna be there for long."
Author: temporal_affairs	"Babe," says Nathan, "no one with an ounce of sense would try to put you in the hiding place to keep you out of trouble, and Bella has entire pounds of sense."
Author: manofmyword	The Joker cracks up. "That is true," he giggles. "Ooh, so true."