Aianon has made a plant in the open airless space above the surface of Thilanushinyel. It is a very, very large plant - some dragons will be attending the party, after all, even if Ansharil in particular is going to be assorted small things and stay on Sarion's person the bulk of the time.
The locals will be Sarion, her beloveds, their other beloved, the five conjured dragons (and their Bondmates, where applicable: Virgivere and Lissa), and Liselen - Magania has, as usual, declined, and so far no Bell party has featured Bell parents.
Amariah is bringing her boyfriend and spontaneous daughter and two of the spontaneous daughter's friends, as well as an Alethian instance of the Rupert template.
Shell Bell is bringing Pearl and Screwdriver.
Golden is bringing her usual large contingent, as usual not including her husband but including her daughter and daughter's grown fosterling (the other remaining at home) and his wolf, both mothers-in-law and one father-in-law, adopted siblings, staff members including the Joker and Nathan, and the children of the aforementioned.
Glass is bringing both wives, all three daughters, Kanim, and her cat. She invited Icarin and Valeria, but their parents are not willing to let them gallivant into other worlds unsupervised and had a scheduling conflict.
Stella's bringing a smattering of people including Alice, Anna, Sandy, Libby, Bridget, her college roommate Janine, and Lazarus.
Tab is bringing Aelise (but not Kers) and Luhan.
Etty is bringing only Nona.
Aether, likewise, brings no one but Celo.
Pattern comes with Ripper, Slipstick, Queenie, and Ghosty.
Aegis is accompanied by her four-bodied boyfriend, Merryweather, Whitlock, and Howlett.
Aurora comes with Brilliance, Lexi with her Device Persica, Agent Honey with her Device Adularia, and Beth.
Rose brings her husband and three children and her former apprentice, Luc.
Angela brings her husband, her four children, several of her friends, and some of those friends' children and grandchildren with and without wings. Keziah also brings a friend.
Juliet shows up with Soph, Minus, Red, Giles, James, Virginia, Minnie, Ike, and Val.
Cam brings Jellybean and Tilly and stops there.
And from unBelled worlds hail additional Sherlocks and Tonies, Darcy, Matilda, Pepper, and Eights.
Generated:
Post last updated:
the Griffins are a-prowling
Isibel ✧ "Sarion"
small_magics
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
The Griffins are a-prowling the space plant, looking to see if anyone else requires their services!
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
There is someone over there who might qualify! She is sitting by herself in a roomlet high on the wall of the main room, perched on a stool next to the railing and watching the people milling around on the floor below.
Keziah
inherpiety
"You have gook on you," announces Keziah. "We can fix it, though, we just found out!"
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"What kind of gook, exactly?"
Keziah
inherpiety
"I don't know. It's not in a place like the gook on that man's arm was."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"Yes, it's on your self, not your body."
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"Can you tell me anything else about the gook?"
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"We can get rid of it?" offers Céleste. "We've tried it now. But we aren't magic-seers like Lazarus."
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"I'd rather not get rid of something about me without knowing what it is," says (according to her nametag) a Libby whom you can call Aelise. "I might turn out to need it later."
Keziah
inherpiety
"Well, we could get Lazarus."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"But it's gooky, why would you want it on you?"
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"I don't feel especially gooky, and I don't know what kinds of things you think of as gook," says Aelise.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"Bad gooky kinds of things," says Céleste.
Keziah
inherpiety
"I'm gonna call Lazarus."
[Lazarus, we found more gook, but this lady won't let us take it off without telling her what it is, help?]
[Lazarus, we found more gook, but this lady won't let us take it off without telling her what it is, help?]
Rook
nonbird
Lazarus teleports to them.
"...You must be from Gift," he says to Aelise, blinking. "Goodness."
"...You must be from Gift," he says to Aelise, blinking. "Goodness."
Keziah
inherpiety
"I do not remember any bedtime stories about Gift. Is it gooky?"
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"Debatably," says Aelise.
Rook
nonbird
"...Oh," says Lazarus.
Keziah
inherpiety
"What?"
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"Tell us what it is so she'll let us take it off," says Céleste. Unlike the last instance, this kind of gook is more her specialty than Keziah's.
Rook
nonbird
"It's... I think it's the effect of the Chelsea alt local to Gift," he says.
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
Aelise sighs. "That, unfortunately, will have to stay."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"But it's gooky!"
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"I need it for now. Talk to me about it again in approximately a hundred years," she says.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"That's a long time!"
Aelise Hirse
salus-populi
"Yes," she says. "If you'd like, I could point you at some people who I'm sure would love to have any lingering effects of Chelsa removed - two Jokers, Harley and Corona."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"Okay. Maybe Papa knows where they are." [Papa?]
Beast
deslandes
[Yes?]
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
[Me and Keziah have this ingot power and we can get gooky magic off people and there's this lady who won't let us take it off her, but she says Harley and Corona are other Jokers who might, do you know where they are and if they want us to ungook them?]
Beast
deslandes
[What kind of gook do you suppose Harley and Corona—? Never mind, I think I know,] he says. [I will find them and ask them.]
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
[Okay, thanks!]
Beast
deslandes
A very short while later, he says, [They are sitting outside together and would be happy to see what you can do about their gook.]
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
[Thanks, Papa!]
"Can you teleport?" Céleste asks her alt, and when Keziah shakes her head, she does it herself, and there they are.
"We are here to ungook you. There isn't nearly as much of it on you, though."
"Can you teleport?" Céleste asks her alt, and when Keziah shakes her head, she does it herself, and there they are.
"We are here to ungook you. There isn't nearly as much of it on you, though."
Harley and Corona are sitting side by side on the platform that rings the space plant, tucked up against the outer wall of the main room. Corona has his arm around Harley's shoulders and Harley is leaning into him comfortably.
"Yeah," says Harley, "probably 'cause Elsie got most of it."
"Yeah," says Harley, "probably 'cause Elsie got most of it."
Keziah
inherpiety
"Well, she didn't get it all. It's - it's like -"
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"It's like if someone burned down a forest and salted the earth and then put a bunch of fake trees, and then someone took away the fake trees," says Céleste. "I think we can get the salt, too."
"...yeah," says Harley, "that would be awesome, do that."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"Okay," says Céleste, and she and Keziah put their hands on Harley's head, and unsalt him.
He shivers;
he beams;
he vanishes.
Corona laughs. "I bet he's off to hug his wolf," he says. "Chelsa doused him from everybody. He's got most of it back - it's easy to get Jokers to like people, hard to get them to stop - but I guess not all."
he beams;
he vanishes.
Corona laughs. "I bet he's off to hug his wolf," he says. "Chelsa doused him from everybody. He's got most of it back - it's easy to get Jokers to like people, hard to get them to stop - but I guess not all."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"We can do you too."
"...Yeah," says Corona, folding his hands in his lap and looking down at them, "that'd probably be... good."
Keziah
inherpiety
"Are you okay? Do you want another of Dad here when we do it?"
Corona shrugs. "I'll be fine," he says. "I'll go find the rest of us after, it's not like there's a shortage."
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"It's true. There are quite a lot."
She reaches for his head.
They do their magic.
She reaches for his head.
They do their magic.
For a moment there is no visible effect; he breathes out calmly, looking a little distant.
And then he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them and drops his head into the space thereby created and cries.
And then he pulls his knees up to his chest and wraps his arms around them and drops his head into the space thereby created and cries.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"A-are you okay?"
"I'm—fine," he sniffles, shivering. "Just—there were so many..."
Keziah
inherpiety
"So many what?"
Too much crying. Cannot answer.
Keziah
inherpiety
Keziah hugs him, fluffing one wing around his back.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
Céleste tucks in too.
Corona sniffles and leans into Keziah a little when she hugs him.
"Thanks," he says haltingly.
"Thanks," he says haltingly.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"You're welcome. Are you gonna be okay?"
Still shivering, he manages, "Yeah."
Keziah
inherpiety
"What were there so many of?"
"People," he says. "Chelsa... could make you - like somebody, or stop. I was with her a long time. She did a lot of - stopping. When somebody left, or died. So we wouldn't be..." He trails off, shuddering.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
"That's what the gook was?" shudders Céleste.
Corona nods unhappily, with his head still mostly tucked into his arms.
Céleste Simone Cygne
segreant
The Griffins go on snuggling him.
That is good. They are good snugglers.
Eventually he uncurls enough to hug them back.
"Thanks," he says.
Eventually he uncurls enough to hug them back.
"Thanks," he says.
Keziah
inherpiety
"You're welcome," says Keziah.
He takes a deep breath and lets it out again.
"I'm gonna go hug some Jokers," he says. "See you."
And he's gone.
"I'm gonna go hug some Jokers," he says. "See you."
And he's gone.