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

[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.

[dark_light]

"Oh, I thought the peach was a stable thing, silly of me."

[tearingup]

"Nah," says Ripper.

"More fun this way," Keth says cheerfully.

[dark_light]

Nibble nibble nibble.

[tearingup]

Ooh, nibbles. Would she like some of those back?

[dark_light]

Why yes, she is somewhat undersupplied!

[tearingup]

Lucky for her, she gets a two-for-one deal!

[dark_light]

That is very lucky indeed. Keth may not have his alt's years of experience with operating a Bell, but that does not make him significantly less enjoyable.

[tearingup]

And it's possible that Ripper may be giving him a few helpful pointers.

[dark_light]

Isabella does not object in the slightest.

[tearingup]

Good! That is good. That is a good thing.

[dark_light]

There are so many good things!

And satisfying feathery snuggles over there mean there is none of Amariah's not-all-here-ness from before.

[tearingup]

Ripper notices and appreciates this! Keth doesn't even think of it.

[dark_light]

It is probably most obvious during the afterglowy snuggles.

[tearingup]

They are some good afterglowy snuggles. Rippers are a cuddly bunch.

[dark_light]

Yay!

[tearingup]

Snugglyay.

[dark_light]

It is the snugglyayest.

Eventually Isabella gets up, wishes her silks on, and retrieves her daemon. "That was lovely."