our interactions with mortals are often limited

[dark_light]

Isabella is interviewing shades. It's easier to control PR from here - if she doesn't want to send one back to the living, she doesn't have to, and anything they tell their dreaming friends is hearsay twice over with no chance for soundbites or recordkeeping - and they have nearly as much up-to-date information about their worlds, if she picks the right ones. Simultaneously, Jane is feeding her books and news articles and her personal impressions of the things that have gone on recently. (Isabella already planted ansibles in all the other subworlds with Internets for her.)

Comments

[tearingup]

[Sure.]

[dark_light]

Isabella wraps up her conversation.

She appears.

[tearingup]

The Rippers are in Keth's living room, neither wearing much more than underwear, having a cup of tea and a chat.

When Isabella appears, Keth swears and drops his tea. And then swears some more.

[dark_light]

"Sorry about that," says Isabella, fixing the cup of tea for him with a triangle, "thought he would have warned you I said I was going to appear."

[tearingup]

"He said you were going to show up," says Keth, "he didn't mention the part where you appear without warning in the middle of my living room."

"Shit, I didn't even think," says Ripper, "it's been years since Pat did that - when you're visiting a Ripper, come in through the door."

[dark_light]

"Oh. Okay, noted," laughs Amariah. "Well, hi. I'm Isabella, apparently at this point you're more likely to have heard of me under the title 'Shade-Dreamer', and every single one of the movies is drastically wrong."

[tearingup]

"Yeah," says Keth, "so I've heard. So what is the story?"

[dark_light]

"You know those little magic coins you can make now? They come in many sizes. I used some really really pointy ones. After conquering some angels, making sure God wasn't going to be a problem, and getting the harpies to cooperate."

[tearingup]

"Right," says Keth. "Conquering angels. All in a day's work."

[dark_light]

"I had help."

[tearingup]

"Aianon was there," says Ripper.

"I'm still not sure I believe you about him," says Keth.

"He's pretty unbelievable," says Ripper. "You'll meet him at the party."

[dark_light]

"Aianon is totally real," agrees Amariah. "And my boyfriend, and one of my alts - there was another one along but she went home early - and a few other people who weren't with me through the whole business."

[tearingup]

"Your boyfriend's another Joker, right?" says Keth.

[dark_light]

"Yes."

[tearingup]

Keth grins at Ripper. Ripper grins back.

[dark_light]

"He mentioned maybe looking you two up, actually, when I mentioned you to him."

[tearingup]

"Ooh," says Ripper, grinning some more.

[dark_light]

Amariah laughs and addresses Keth. "So you're up to speed, sounds like, and you're invited to the Bellparty, which I'm thinking of offering to host, except in my afterlife palace so not everyone has to burn coins avoiding daemon acquisition."

[tearingup]

Hecate rustles her wings. "'Avoiding daemon acquisition'," says Keth, "there's a phrase you don't expect to hear often. You have an afterlife palace?"

[dark_light]

"Yeah, I just made it the other day. Easiest place to put up a palace, for me. Reality there obeys my whims directly. It'll make party setup super easy."

Path tells Hecate, "People who don't have us think it's almost as weird as we think not having us is."

[tearingup]

"Well aren't you special," says Keth. Ripper giggles.

Hecate says, "Was there going to be sex or was Ripper kidding about that?"

[dark_light]

Amariah grins.

Path flutters away from her shoulder, and gazes owlishly at Hecate.

"Can be," she purrs.

[tearingup]

Hecate is perched in her customary place on top of a somewhat battered clock. She takes wing and heads for the bedroom; Keth puts down his tea and follows.

[dark_light]

Presently the birds are snuggled up in the appropriate manner. This is and has always been a satisfactory workaround for Isabella.

Ayep. Rippers are nice. Pat has good taste.

[tearingup]

Rippers are nice. The one she has already sampled has changed flavours by now - he's dark chocolate, and Keth is caramel.