i am the oncoming storm

[autokinetic]

There are three Bells in Milliways.

They want a fourth. A fifth. A sixth. A seventh.

And then Downside is going down.

Comments

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan peers at him.

"You going to try to make me regret it if I say 'yes' instead of inviting Eights out of the world for the purpose and then never interacting with you again?" he inquires.

[nowait_letme]

"Now why would I do that?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

Eights rolls her eyes.

[nowait_letme]

He laughs.

"All right, I won't. I promise."

[temporal_affairs]

"Hmm."

Now, when is a good time to take a bite out of Eights, and when is a good time to ask Jane to get him the hell out of here?

[lookingforwardtoit]

Good times to take a bite out of Eights are pretty much concentrated in the near future, on whatever scale; good times to ask Jane to get him the hell out of here vary much more widely, and don't correlate obviously with the bitey moments.

[temporal_affairs]

"All right, then, if you like." Pause. "I have something of a guess about what Stella employs Sandy to do. You just wanna watch?"

[nowait_letme]

"What," he inquires, "does Stella employ Sandy to do?"

[temporal_affairs]

"The Bella contingent has serious magic, with the little wrinkle that it is made out of pain. I think from how Stella was phrasing things that her Anna and Sandy share a job description with the Joker back in my world. Him you met. Actually, you managed to kill him."

[nowait_letme]

"I remember the Joker," says Chainsaw with a fondly reminiscent smile. "And no, I don't wanna do anything but watch."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Although if you guys ever wanna go on a double date," Eights puts in, "I know I'd be game."

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan laughs. "Noted. You wanna say when, Eights, or you want a surprise?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"I like surprises," she says brightly. "Your Joker and I have that in common."

[temporal_affairs]

"That you do."

Do tell, Timer's timer, when is it time to sink in his teeth?

[lookingforwardtoit]

The optimal moment, on a scale of minutes, is...

...now.

[temporal_affairs]

He doesn't have to be any gentler with Eights than he is with the Joker, does he? She's probably gonna break a bone when he grabs her arm.

Nom.

[lookingforwardtoit]

He doesn't have to be any gentler with her, no. And she is just as appreciative when he isn't.

That is to say: very.

[nowait_letme]

"Oooooh," says Chainsaw. "Nice."

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan's not overwhelmingly thirsty and Eights isn't magically delicious. He's a little delicate about it, makes an effort not to stain her shirt, the venom can burn a little before she torches.

[lookingforwardtoit]

It is fun.

And when she does torch, she comes back giggly and leaning on him in a snuggly-affectionate way.

[temporal_affairs]

He ruffles her hair. "Fun times?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Mm-hmmmmm," she says happily, and hugs him. "We should definitely do that double-date sometime.

And she kisses his cheek and goes back to her pancakes.

[temporal_affairs]

"Sure thing."

Pause. "Her Majesty and company are making a deal with the admin."

[lookingforwardtoit]

...She blinks.

"I did not expect that," she says around a mouthful of pancakes.

[temporal_affairs]

"Neither did I, I was somewhat surprised that the end result didn't involve one party curbstomping the other. Apparently the admin is 'surprisingly reasonable for the literal inventor of Hell'."