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

[she_sells_seashells]

"I haven't read the new stuff yet," says Shell Bell, "I'm still adding an entry about how I went to Angela's world for a bit and -"

She pauses.

"Oh, oh damn, I gave Angela all my bigger coins, I don't have anything left for you - my Sherlock's not here, she went home, I can poke my head out and check for her but I think she'll be asleep -"

[eversomuchfun]

"Alas," says Sherlock.

[she_sells_seashells]

"I'll check. She might not have fallen asleep right away, but that's where Tony was when I tried to ask him if he wanted to come along to Angela's and she left before I did specifically to go see him and she can sometimes fall asleep really fast - and I only have triangles and squares and they're in the District house and the door's in the palace - and if she's asleep I can't get her without losing the door and Tony can only summon it sometimes and there's no guarantee I'll catch you on a second trip," says Shell Bell apologetically. "I'll be right back!" She teleports to the door.

She opens the door.

[Sherlock?]

[sicaria]

[Sleeping,] says Sherlock's busy message.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell tries the square. It doesn't have that range. Argh. She shuts the door and teleports back up. "I'm so sorry," she says to Juliet and Sherlock. "...I can give you a supply of squares and triangles. I can make those just fine. But without a pentagon I can't even give you a particularly safe way to keep them so you'll have to be careful."

[eversomuchfun]

Sherlock glances at Juliet to assess her opinion.

[cross_and_bow]

"That sucks," says Juliet, "but if you can't do pentagons, you can't do pentagons, I'm not going to insist on torturing you for magic powers. I will take all the squares and triangles you can offer me."

[she_sells_seashells]

"I'm really sorry. I want to help you. You said you met Amariah? Was she able to help you make any progress on your projects?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Loaded us up with blessings," says Juliet. "They help."

[she_sells_seashells]

"She assassinated Panem's president for me," says Shell Bell brightly. "Then I burnt down the building where they were going to hold the emergency election. Then I found Stella and then I took over the world."

[eversomuchfun]

"Congratulations," Sherlock says cheerfully.

[cross_and_bow]

"Yes, well done," agrees Juliet, laughing and sitting in one of the Belltower chairs. "Er... Amariah said something about special circumstances leading to you and your Sherlock...?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"Do you have Valentine's Day on your world?" Shell Bell asks.

[cross_and_bow]

"Yeah."

[she_sells_seashells]

"If you ever come in here and Milliways is decorated for it," says Shell Bell, "run." She shrugs. "But it worked out in the end, I love her, I'm glad I can love her, I just - wish it would've happened without the non-consensual mind-altering holiday drugs."

[eversomuchfun]

"That does sound unpleasant," says Sherlock.

[cross_and_bow]

"Eegh. I don't know if they'd work on me - I have the opacity thing, at least some form of it - but running. Yeah. Will do," says Juliet.

[she_sells_seashells]

"I cried," says Shell Bell frankly. "We managed to sleep through most of it, though."

[eversomuchfun]

[she_sells_seashells]

"I really wish they were awake. Then we could make more coins - and you could meet my Tony - and - maybe I should - I don't know, Stella made at least a few pentagons before she could mint Alice, pentagons don't have to be that bad - maybe I should find some way to -"

[cross_and_bow]

"Relax," sighs Juliet. "If you happen to break your arm in some unrelated way and make a pentagon to wake them up with, I'm hardly going to turn you down, and I do want to stick around after you leave for a bit in case you manage to get ahold of another door, but you don't have to hurt yourself more than you can comfortably - so to speak - do."

[eversomuchfun]

"Yes," says Sherlock. "Your magic would be awfully convenient, but we've lived without it for this long."

[she_sells_seashells]

"Well, there's three of us who have it now, and my Sherlock and Angela's Micaiah and Stella's Alice, and if you run into any one of them, or me again, you'll be all set. I'm going to write a note reminding us never to get caught in here without any hexes or our help," says Shell Bell, taking up her pen again and resuming writing. (She writes blurrily fast.)

[cross_and_bow]

"Good plan," says Juliet. When Shell Bell's done with the book, she takes it and starts reading.

[eversomuchfun]

"'Help'," Sherlock muses. "Yes, that's one way to put it."