our real estate is a great investment

[cross_and_bow]

"Welcome to Sunshine," says Juliet. "And to my front porch and whatever you do don't hit the light, it'll set Sherlock on fire."

Comments

[pythbox]

He adjusts his glasses.

"Likewise," he says. "How many of you are there?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"We know of six and there's no reason not to expect more. Me and this one and Amariah who you met, and Golden and Stella and Angela. I've met all of them now, I think I might be the only one who has - some are close, but Amariah and Angela haven't met Golden and Stella hasn't met this one." She sighs. "Unfortunately, I was caught in the bar without my big magic-coins, so I can give out lots of little ones that I can make myself, but I can't give away my kind of magic to anyone outright, I gave everything big to Angela and my girlfriend who makes most of the coins for me is home asleep."

[pythbox]

"That... does sound unfortunate," he says.

[she_sells_seashells]

"It is. I could explain in more detail but apparently you have librarian sensibilities?" Shell Bell says. "But I can do a few things without coins with stuff I already have set up, like turning invisible and flying and also I can add people to a telepathy network that'll go on existing even if I leave, do you want on that?"

[pythbox]

"...Are there drawbacks?" is the first thing he asks.

[she_sells_seashells]

"To using the coins? None at all, as long as you're good at designing wishes, and we absolutely are. The coins are just - tricky to make."

[pythbox]

"Are there drawbacks to the telepathy network?" he clarifies.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Oh. No, not really, if someone annoys you on it or whatever you can put up a busy message and then on your end it's like it's not even there. It only supports text and talking, not, like, mind-viruses or anything."

[pythbox]

"Then I suppose I might as well. Who else is on it?"

[cross_and_bow]

"Me," says Juliet, "Shell Bell and someone else we brought home from the bar, and a friend of mine you haven't met. So for your purposes, me."

[pythbox]

He shrugs.

[she_sells_seashells]

[Ta-da,] says Shell Bell.

[pythbox]

"Remarkable," he murmurs.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Stella's invention," says Shell Bell cheerily. "So I'm making as many squares as I can while I'm here and I'll be leaving Juliet a long string of them."

[cross_and_bow]

"That's the nickname I went with for multi-Bell purposes," Juliet says.

[pythbox]

He looks at Juliet quizzically.

[cross_and_bow]

"Long story," she says. "You can go on calling me Bella."

[pythbox]

"I am very happy to," Giles says dryly.

[cross_and_bow]

Juliet giggles and gets out her demonology homework.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell does not help her with the notetaking like Amariah did; she scans the bookshelves instead. "Magic from here sounds nasty," she comments. (This is clearly a reference to her previous conversations with Juliet; she's looking at a shelf of YA novels.)

[pythbox]

"Yes it does," he agrees.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Long term protections against any of that would probably require a pentagon or a hex or even a star, but if there's any straightforward, relatively simple things that could stop it from hurting Juliet, we might be able to work out a way to do it with squares. A square would make her hair grow out blue forever if she wanted it; maybe it can trip some other variable on that scale that'll help? Can you tell me how it works?"

[pythbox]

"How... what, precisely, works?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"The magic around here being nasty. If she doesn't run into me again, or Stella or Angela, or someone else who can mint her, then it only makes sense for her to pick up the local stuff. Bells are supposed to have magic, we work best when we've got it. But maybe it could be less nasty to her with something clever I could accomplish with squares."

[pythbox]

"...Nothing springs to mind," he says. "Unless you can make her luckier, or, or less appetizing to demons."