we are invariably pleased to welcome tourism

[cross_and_bow]

Sherlock is usually very puncutal. He's only one minute late, but that's still not quite as punctual as usual. Bella peers out the window, not yet allowing herself outright concern.

Comments

[dark_light]

"I was going to add that he comes highly recommended," says Amariah, painting the stem, "but otherwise I said everything I was going to."

[eversomuchfun]

"And I heard all of it from when you mentioned that we slept together," he says, "in case anyone was harbouring illusions on that front."

[cross_and_bow]

"Thank you," says Juliet.

[dark_light]

"All painted. Hold still while I recite the poem; it's not exactly going to tickle," says Amariah.

The bayleaf poem ensues.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet hisses when the ink sinks in, but she does hold still.

[eversomuchfun]

Sherlock watches over his kettle.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet endures four more tattoos, lined up rather attractively from shoulderblade to shoulderblade and well under the neckline of all her shirts. Finally they're all done; she sits up.

[eversomuchfun]

"Congratulations on your increased likelihood of living past twenty," says Sherlock.

[cross_and_bow]

"Thanks."

[dark_light]

"I can put a few spells on your house, too, if you want them," says Amariah. "Probably a good idea to wait until Charlie's at work, though. Walking down the street in a weird outfit is one thing, drizzling substances on the carpet and killing pigeons is another."

[eversomuchfun]

"And he would be likely to find you confusing. Although at least he probably won't shoot you."

[dark_light]

"...Did he shoot you? Why, what were you doing?"

[eversomuchfun]

"He was outnumbered by a mob of demons. I killed most of them and scared off the rest."

[dark_light]

"Yes, I imagine he would find that alarming."

[cross_and_bow]

"I calmed him down after and there has been no further gunplay," says Juliet.

[eversomuchfun]

Sherlock snorts.

[cross_and_bow]

"You mentioned dagger training. Are you good enough to give me a run for my money so I can get in some practice against two people who don't actually want to kill me at the same time? I'm worried I'm going to fixate on combat patterns that only work for a single opponent and not for a single opponent and their friends and cousins and neighbors too."

[dark_light]

"I don't know about an actual run for your money, but I can brandish it threateningly at you if that would help somehow," says Amariah.

[eversomuchfun]

"Now that sounds like fun."

[dark_light]

"And since I'm not actually good with it, just capable of not cutting off my own fingers, I guess I won't have to worry about getting past you and hurting you, but are you going to be at risk of hurting me? If you're still learning, do you know how to pull your punches? I can do healing spells on myself if it comes to that, but only if I'm conscious and I have an intact trachea to recite verse and so on..."

[cross_and_bow]

"That is a risk," admits Juliet. "I don't really have to pull my punches with Sherlock; he's more durable than that. And I don't want to, like, embed a habit of punch-pulling. Sherlock, do you think it would be long-term disadvantageous to have a habit of engaging a primary opponent one at a time and only dodge the next person until the first one is down? Because if that's something reasonable to aim at, Amariah can weave around and be stabby and I can take you down while trying not to get stabbed?"

[eversomuchfun]

"It might do you good to have an option of pulling your punches, if you can separate that from the rest of the programming. It's not inconceivable that you may someday have to fight a human who is intent on harming you, yet prefer to leave them alive. As for the dodging... it is not the only good way to engage a group, but it is one such way." He quirks a smile. "Really, what you need is four of me. Perhaps I should advertise in the dimensional hub."

[dark_light]

Amariah raises her hand. "I'd like to point out that there are also nonhumans worth leaving alive."

[cross_and_bow]

"I can already sort of feed the programming goals, including don't hit that person too hard - I'm just not sure any of the progamming knows how strong I am or how much an unenhanced person can take. D'you think other yous would want to participate even if you could find several of them all at once? Especially if they're not vampires, especially if they come from worlds similar enough to have literally been scared of turning into you? Do worlds even cluster that close together?" Juliet asks, directing the last question at Amariah.

[dark_light]

"I'm not sure," says Amariah. "I mean... Golden and Stella have the same history up until they were seventeen, but they found completely different stuff when they moved to Forks, vampires versus wishcoins. Then there's me and Angela who weren't even human to start out. And Shell Bell's from Earth where Angela might not be, but even Shell Bell's from way in the future, and so are Shell Bell's Sherlock and Tony. The other Sherlock and Tony seem to have been from nearer by you. They had vampires, which seem at least more like the local kind than like Golden's or some other sort. That Tony described it as, what was it -"

"We were talking about souls," Path says, "and he said that on his world if you get turned into a vampire you become a people-eating asshole version of you."