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It has been - a few days. There are long silent snuggles with Kas. There are tentative chats with Helen, which go encouragingly. There are difficult and uncomfortably revelatory conversations with her parents. There are heaps and heaps and heaps of things to catch up on, read, check, look into, so she can regroup, reappear, resume work.
She hasn't slept with Kas since coming home. She loves him, and she'll be feeling like it eventually, but not right away.
She's sort of restless after a few days of not having sex, though. Let's see. There's a couple new Jokers she hasn't tried, although one is not shaped in an Amariah-amenable way. And maybe that's a little too close to what she's waiting on, anyway.
Pattern's boyfriend isn't a Joker and is amenable to being loaned out, she has heard.
[Hey, Jane...]
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Amariah tilts her head, confers briefly with Pattern through Jane, and says, "I'll join you, if you don't mind, unless he's the going-to-tabloids sort? I don't mind minor rumor about the Second Coming of the Shade Dreamer, but firsthand reports to media outlets should wait."
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"He won't go to the tabloids unless there's something in it for him, and I don't think there wil be."
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"Okay then. Is this an uninvited teleportation situation or a brainphoning first situation or what? I will follow your lead."
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"Uninvited teleportation," he says. "Spying on him first to make sure I'm not interrupting anything important."
He does that. Rayne is at home, alone - even the flat is familiar, although not completely.
Poof.
He does that. Rayne is at home, alone - even the flat is familiar, although not completely.
Poof.
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Amariah follows. Aura billows out around her - the witchiness blurs her age; she could be twenty, ninety, eight hundred. And she's definitely magical enough to make a custom afterlife. If anyone who sees her in full aura has previously been taken in by an impostor, this will put a stop to that.
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When she arrives, Rayne is in the middle of jumping to his feet in shock. His daemon - a skinny, leggy ginger cat with bright golden eyes - leaps into his arms, hissing.
He looks at Amariah very intently, for a moment, but his eyes are drawn irresistibly back to Ripper.
"Hi," says Ripper, smirking.
"What in Christ happened to you?" says Rayne. "And who's the witch?"
"Be nice," says Ripper, "she's a friend."
Rayne shakes his head slowly. His daemon climbs up to his shoulder and directs a look of deep suspicion at Amariah, then jumps lightly down to curl up in his armchair while he nods politely to the apparent mythic figure.
"Right," says Ripper. "Isabella Amariah, Ethan Rayne. And me - let's say I'm not the Ripper you know."
"I can tell," Rayne murmurs.
He looks at Amariah very intently, for a moment, but his eyes are drawn irresistibly back to Ripper.
"Hi," says Ripper, smirking.
"What in Christ happened to you?" says Rayne. "And who's the witch?"
"Be nice," says Ripper, "she's a friend."
Rayne shakes his head slowly. His daemon climbs up to his shoulder and directs a look of deep suspicion at Amariah, then jumps lightly down to curl up in his armchair while he nods politely to the apparent mythic figure.
"Right," says Ripper. "Isabella Amariah, Ethan Rayne. And me - let's say I'm not the Ripper you know."
"I can tell," Rayne murmurs.
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Amariah chuckles softly. Path turns his head around and around, taking in the room.
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The room is small and messy and extremely lived-in.
"Where'd you come from?" says Rayne.
"Another universe," Ripper says cheerfully.
Rayne snorts. "Figures. And what are you doing here?"
"Visiting," says Ripper. "By the way, friendly word - if you're ever thinking of faking your own death, don't do it."
Rayne gives him a thoughtful look. Ripper shrugs.
"You are different," says Rayne. "And I'm, what, supposed to introduce you to the local?"
"That was the idea," Ripper agrees.
"Fine. He'll be back soon. Cup of tea in the meantime?"
"I'd love one," says Ripper. He sits down in one of the two chairs not currently occupied by a daemon.
"Where'd you come from?" says Rayne.
"Another universe," Ripper says cheerfully.
Rayne snorts. "Figures. And what are you doing here?"
"Visiting," says Ripper. "By the way, friendly word - if you're ever thinking of faking your own death, don't do it."
Rayne gives him a thoughtful look. Ripper shrugs.
"You are different," says Rayne. "And I'm, what, supposed to introduce you to the local?"
"That was the idea," Ripper agrees.
"Fine. He'll be back soon. Cup of tea in the meantime?"
"I'd love one," says Ripper. He sits down in one of the two chairs not currently occupied by a daemon.
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[Faking his death would have kind of different fallout here compared to Origin,] Amariah points out to Ripper, helping herself to the other chair.
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[Yeah. I just figured he should know why I'm not as close with him in my world.]
Rayne goes to put the kettle on. Rayne's daemon climbs onto the arm of Rayne's chair and perches there, tail flicking, peering at Amariah and Path.
Rayne goes to put the kettle on. Rayne's daemon climbs onto the arm of Rayne's chair and perches there, tail flicking, peering at Amariah and Path.
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Path looks impassively at her. His do-not-touch aura doesn't apply to the cat, but the fact that he's on Amariah's shoulder is probably sufficient deterrent.
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The cat regards him steadily for a few more seconds, then turns and jumps to the arm of Ripper's chair and butts her head against his hand. He makes a startled sound, then pets her tentatively; she curls up in his lap and purrs.
Rayne is just coming out of the kitchen. He sits down in the chair his daemon just vacated and watches Path right back.
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[So to what extent do you understand what just happened?] Amariah asks Ripper.
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[His soul walked up to you and solicited petting. There are special cases - Jokers in particular are special cases - but the overwhelming majority of daemons literally never do that, and the ones that do save it for their very, very favorite people in the world. And he didn't ask and he did it in front of me, which suggests he's not just checking to see if it's okay - which it could have not been.]
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[Yeah, I know all about Jokers being special cases. But... well, he's Rayne. It's not all that surprising when I think about it. Same reason I knew he wouldn't freak out too hard that I don't have a daemon. I'm not the me he knows, but I'm still me. Rayne lives a very me-focused life.]
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Path stares right back. Amariah, though, closes her eyes, and prompts Jane to deliver reading material by brainphone while they wait for the local Ripper.
The kettle clicks.
"Tea's up," says Rayne. He goes and pours two cups, and brings Ripper his, and then he sits down with his own and says, "So how'd you two meet?"
"Tea's up," says Rayne. He goes and pours two cups, and brings Ripper his, and then he sits down with his own and says, "So how'd you two meet?"
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Rayne glances at Ripper. Ripper smiles. Rayne raises his eyebrows. Ripper laughs. After a moment, so does Rayne.