we are not truly immortal

[dark_light]

After Glass's party is over with, Amariah and Kas go home.

Amariah fetches down their alethiometers.

"It's about time I took care of Alethia's afterlife, whatever it may be," she says quietly. "What can the alethiometer tell you about what I'll find?"

Comments

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell pets her smew once, kisses Sherlock twice, and steps into the boat.

[lifes_sake]

Cam has a whispered exchange with Grace, runs his hand over her feathers, and leaves her on the dock by herself and follows Shell Bell.

[dark_light]

Amariah has already given her Path over to Petaal. She lands in the boat neatly, and hands Cam her alethiometer in case they split up.

[small_magics]

Up by Amariah's house, Sarion settles in comfortably with Ansharil to wait for daemonic traits to appear.

[truthwright]

Into the boat goes Kas, after giving his daemon a hug and a kiss.

[endragoned]

Aianon follows.

[yourheartstrings]

The boat is getting a little crowded; Ghosty turns up her aura to let them know she's there, but she doesn't wrap herself in a body again.

[alicornucopia]

The boatman begins to row away from the dock.

[dark_light]

Amariah preemptively wraps her arms around Shell Bell's shoulders.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell - and the smew, calmly nestled in Sherlock's arms - are fine. At first.

And then Shell Bell starts shaking, and tears run down her face, but she doesn't sob aloud, and the smew presses himself as close to Sherlock as he can get but makes no sound either.

[sicaria]

Pearl cuddles the smew.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell peers into her girlfriend's thoughts; focusing on her instead of on the growing distance between self and soul is definitely an improvement at this time.

[sicaria]

Pearl is thinking about love.

[endragoned]

Aianon shivers abruptly, flaring his wings and lashing his tail, then settles again.

Ansharil, back at Amariah's house, keeps still. It might be some trouble to their beloved if he did not.

Speaking of their beloved.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell leans into the thoughts, drowns in them, opens them up and sinks as deep as she can. The drawing-away is a nightmare; with attention on and from Sherlock it is a lucid nightmare, it doesn't win.

[small_magics]

Sarion wishes to know if all is well. She runs her thumb along Ansharil's foreleg.

[endragoned]

He rumbles happily and sends her what it feels like. Love, pure love, the best thing in the world.

[small_magics]

That is lovely, lovely, lovely. She settles in for a good long snuggle.

She wonders if he can change shape now like the other Joker daemons can.

[she_sells_seashells]

The boat travels.

Shell Bell cries harder, the smew shakes, and then at once they relax.

[dark_light]

Amariah lets her alt go. "Okay?" she murmurs.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Mmhm," murmurs Shell Bell.

On the dock, the smew sighs.

"We love you so much," he tells Sherlock dreamily.

[sicaria]

"I love you too," she says, petting him. "You're beautiful. What's your name going to be?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"I don't know. Do you want to name me?"

[sicaria]

"I would, but I can't think what."

[she_sells_seashells]

"We'll think of something," says the smew.