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

[autokinetic]

Don't compromise function for it, but it should be something that doesn't look, you know, un-Empressly, or anything.

[mind_game]

Jane eats up some ansible theory from her homeworld's nets and muses on the subject for a split second. If it only has to be half the ansible I bet you could do it with a jewel-looking thing. Corundum.

[toblameforit]

You guys are already pretty well supplied with crowns. How about other jewelry? Rings, bracelets, pins, earrings?

That kind of thing isn't exactly his forte. He thinks about it for a while, and then designs (with Jane's help) something that combines microphone, speaker, camera, and half-ansible into a small jewel that you can wear as any of the above, or like a single earbud. (He does do ergonomics. The earpiece type is as comfortable as you could ask for.)

Now, who wants one? And where should their other halves hook up to? The Downside installation and the Milliways one both have room.

[self_composed]

All the Bells conjure one. Stella's is blue, and her crown's already full of star sapphires; she just swaps it out for one of the ones in her crown.

[autokinetic]

Aegis goes with orange and puts it in her ear.

[luminous_regnant]

Golden puts a clear colorless one on a gold necklace chain.

[jovahs_heiress]

Angela swaps out a gem on one of her Eyrie bracelets.

[dark_light]

Amariah goes with a bracelet, too, though hers is made from scratch and the gem is green.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet picks a necklace, with the gem one of a string of them in her signature indigo.

Pattern does an earpiece in cornflower blue.

[she_sells_seashells]

And Shell Bell's is dark blue and worn as a ring.

[mind_game]

Jane puts the matching halves in the Belltower installation.

[pythbox]

Pretty, comments Sue.

[ending_of]

"While you're here," says the administrator, "would anyone for whom this is not already the case like to be awarded the torching mechanic with all their current magic permanently included?"

[luminous_regnant]

"Yes," says Golden, "please."

Everyone else agrees, except Juliet, who's already covered, and Amariah -

[dark_light]

"If you aren't hooked into my world - do you know how it'll affect my daemon?" She feels safe enough here, for now; Path comes out in a shower of gold, sitting on her hand.

[ending_of]

"If either of you is killed, you will both torch, in the usual way."

She provides a prototype-light so Amariah can examine the effects for herself. Meanwhile, she grants everyone else's request.

[dark_light]

"Okay, me too, then."

Path hops up to sit on her shoulder.

[luminous_regnant]

"And," says Golden, "it would probably be more convenient if we could bestow that, too, so we don't have to get Jane to jump people we like or need past the queue should misfortune befall them."

[ending_of]

She considers this. (The prototype-light reports that it has been implemented, and disappears.)

[dark_light]

"Especially since I can't, apparently, just do that," Amariah says. "If something happens to my parents, my boyfriend, my teacher, my favorite cousin, I'm shit out of luck until we figure out what Alethia has instead of this, right? And we're going to do that but in the meantime I don't want to lose anybody I'm close to."

[cross_and_bow]

"How does this interact with the judgesight stuff?" Juliet asks. "Because that shit is creepy."

[mind_game]

I haven't judgesighted any of you!

[ending_of]

"I've looked at all of you," says the administrator without a discernible trace of apology. "You," this to Golden, "blocked me when I tried, but would not block me now if I tried again."

[luminous_regnant]

"...Is there any realistic chance of you politely refraining from trying again?" asks Golden with a bit of a hiss.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet shudders. "What about Shell Bell?" she thinks to ask. "I guess a judge already looked at her when she died, but what about what happened since?"