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

[nowait_letme]

"Question. Who the fuck are Sandy and Anna?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

"And does anybody else want pancakes?" adds Eights.

[cross_and_bow]

"I'll take some pancakes," laughs Juliet.

[self_composed]

"Sandy and Anna are people from my world who look like you and Eights, respectively, and they're on my payroll. They help me with magic stuff. Sandy lives on a Jovian moon, designs buildings with spare magic, there's a giant chess set, he's got four surprisingly realistic imaginary friends, gets along famously with my boyfriend who is an alt of someone you met not long ago, does any of that sound about right to you?"

[lookingforwardtoit]

Eights serves up a plateful of pancakes for Juliet. They are tasty and warm.

[nowait_letme]

"I meet a lot of people," Chainsaw says dryly. "I guess I don't get along with most of 'em. What's his relationship with power tools?"

[self_composed]

"I don't involve myself in the details," Stella says archly. "My guess is that it would be a friendly-like relationship."

[cross_and_bow]

Mmm, pancakes. "Thanks!"

[nowait_letme]

"Then I bet you've got the right guy," he says. "So what are you gonna do about it?"

[self_composed]

"Nothing in particular. It does mean that if we successfully take over and you have something to say to one of us you've got a better-than-average chance of queue-jumping," shrugs Stella. "Since someone of your template's in with someone of ours."

[cross_and_bow]

"Amariah and Aegis are covering the catacombs, but maybe we should scope out the wakeful population for alts," muses Juliet. "If nothing else we should tap the Sherlock that Shell Bell found."

[ending_of]

All of a sudden, Stella and Juliet are no longer present.

Yoink.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan's as surprised as everyone else.

"Well," he says.

[nowait_letme]

Chainsaw blinks.

[temporal_affairs]

"They're talking to the admin," Nathan reports a moment later. "We'll see how far they get with that, I guess."

[lookingforwardtoit]

"Not far, I bet," sighs Eights.

[temporal_affairs]

"Well, I don't know, the ones who started out alive are still alive," he shrugs.

[lookingforwardtoit]

"I guess that's a start."

[temporal_affairs]

"I'd ask for a pancake, but I no longer eat solid food," Nathan says after a bit of an awkward silence.

[lookingforwardtoit]

"What do you eat?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Conjured synthetics. Occasionally human blood, since I've got a source who won't die of the loss. I am, you see, a vampire again."

[lookingforwardtoit]

...Eights looks speculative.

[temporal_affairs]

"I'll be happy to show you sometime," Nathan adds.

[lookingforwardtoit]

She beams.

[nowait_letme]

"Can I watch?"