local insurance rates are surprisingly reasonable

[cross_and_bow]

Having minions comes in handy surprisingly often. They aren't very effective at tasks, but they're very good at acting miniony, and in some contexts it is exactly what she needs for added diplomatic consequence to have three or four of them following her around, addressing her as "Your Majesty", carrying stuff for her. They wanted detailed feedback; they get it. She learns all their names and supplies reports whenever anything out of the ordinary happens and once every other month. They're even doing pretty neat things with the garden. There is now a dense red-flowered shrub that is sort of the same shape as her. Soph has taken it upon herself to teach them board games and hangs out in the palace playing Parcheesi with available minions plus Tony on a routine basis.

Val's interview with James goes well; Bella starts calling her Ambassador, but only when she feels like getting laughed at. Other ambassadors accumulate. There's always work to do, and when it becomes wearying there's always people to love. Bella doesn't sleep. Sleep is boring.

She has a crown now, which pleases the minions to no end, though she doesn't usually wear it when she's not on Mercury. It's simple, just a ring that comes to a peak over her forehead, made of glossy indigo metal that matches her Jane-necklace. It attracts flames when she auras.

Here she is, not-sleeping with two minions, Soph, and Monopoly. When it's not her turn she is reading up on the cultural practices of the Kknrr demons.

Comments

[poeticterms]

[Yggdrasil's Jarvis just lost his connection,] says Jarvis. [Last we heard from him was a report of an incoming missile a few seconds ago.]

[cross_and_bow]

[Shit. I'll be right down to see if I can force the door and go help.]

She tells a minion to roll her turns for her - the minion nods smartly - and pops down.

[poeticterms]

The Jarvis she lands in opens a door to Milliways.

[cross_and_bow]

C'mon, door!

C'mon. Please?

[pythbox]

The door does not open to Yggdrasil.

[cross_and_bow]

Bella sticks her head back into Sunshine. [I can't get a door to Yggdrasil. Opinions on trying for Atlantis to see if Shell Bell can do it between having been there and her aura?]

[poeticterms]

[It can hardly make things worse to try, can it?]

[cross_and_bow]

[Okay. Here goes.]

Door. Atlantis, pretty please?

Atlantis!

[Shell Bell, c'mere, somebody's been shooting at Yggdrasil Jarvis. Hi, Pearl, hi, Screwdriver.]

[she_sells_seashells]

[Wait, what?] Pause. [Is Jane down again?]

[cross_and_bow]

[Worse than last time. It's been months on my end, but I didn't need you a star's worth till now, and now I can't get to Yggdrasil without you.]

[she_sells_seashells]

[What the hell is "error 3: blind mice" supposed to mean?] asks Shell Bell. [Okay, I'm coming - lemme leave Tune with Sherlock.]

Shell Bell is day-to-day functional, past psychological damage aside, but she likes having part of herself that never has to leave Sherlock's side. Constant physical contact would be distracting, but she tends to put him in the room with her if she's going anywhere farther than the other side of a building by herself.

[sicaria]

Tinia untucks to keep Neptune company.

[arenaria]

Feathery snuggles.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell kisses Sherlock goodbye, and then she pops to where Juliet has doored in, and follows her out, and she flares aura - nearby humidity arranges itself rainbowlike - and opens the door again, thinking of Yggdrasil.

[pythbox]

Success!

[cross_and_bow]

"Let me," Juliet says, blocking Shell Bell, "all the Jarvised worlds are sorta infected with some magic you don't want, I'm safe but you don't have opacity." She steps through first, spends the star. "Okay, contagiousness averted. We should hit the others as long as we're together, but first things first." [Iron Man?]

[she_sells_seashells]

"You're gonna have to tell me what kinda magic," says Shell Bell, stepping through too. They're on Asgard, not the Malibu house. She hopes the Malibu house is just devoid of doors and not, like, server racks.

[pythbox]

[Juliet! Hi,] he says. [Wow. Been a while, huh? Where are you?]

[cross_and_bow]

[We came in on Asgard. Sunshine Jarvises said you lost connectivity and something about a missile? Are you guys okay?]

[she_sells_seashells]

[Yeah, I expected the door to get me your house,] says Shell Bell, [are there not currently doors in your house?]

[pythbox]

[There is... not currently my house,] Iron Man admits. [Not that house, anyway. We're fine, though, I'm fine, Jarvis is fine, Pepper is fine, all other people and things are fine. Lucky shot took out the ansible or we would've said something sooner.]

[she_sells_seashells]

[Okay, well, as long as we're here we can get you a new ansible.]

[cross_and_bow]

[And fix the house, if you want.]

[pythbox]

[I would love a new ansible,] says Tony. [You know what else I would love? I would love to be a mint. That would've saved me a lot of trouble a few weeks ago.]

[cross_and_bow]

[Yeah, we can do that too.]