many people move here to start families

[cross_and_bow]

Bella is hanging out in a Jarvis - the familiar one - handwriting a nonaggression proposal-slash-bribe. Has to be handwritten. Damn fussy demons. At least it's okay for her to conjure rather than personally harvesting the weird ink she's supposed to use.

Comments

[eversomuchfun]

"And who, in this scheme, do you imagine got their hands on an evil and decided to donate you an extra sister in case you were running short? The sun hasn't exploded recently, so they would've had to know how to use it, to boot."

[cross_and_bow]

"I don't know! Who would have decided I ought to forget I had one, if I did?"

[eversomuchfun]

"I don't know. Shall we find out?"

[cross_and_bow]

Bella clenches her teeth and nods. "What'd you have in mind? I like my crystal ball, but it's not simple to interpret."

[eversomuchfun]

"Try it anyway," he says. "We can all three give it a go."

[cross_and_bow]

Bella chews her lip, but then blinks away and back, bearing her crystal ball - apparently she still doesn't want Soph in a Jarvis. She holds it in her hands.

[pythbox]

It shows her a pretty blonde woman taking a bath.

[cross_and_bow]

"Today is Voyeurism Day, apparently." Bella hands Sherlock the ball.

[eversomuchfun]

Sherlock sees a handsome man taking a shower.

"Apparently so," he says, and passes the ball to Soph.

[cross_and_bow]

Bella's not happy about Soph handling her birthday present, either, but she compromises this far.

[keyed_up]

The ball turns bright, bright green in Soph's hands.

"Huh," she murmurs. "I don't know what it means..."

[eversomuchfun]

"The fellow in the shower worked at the Sunnydale hospital," says Sherlock. "Perhaps we should find him and apply questions. Or better yet, spy on him from afar."

[keyed_up]

"You recognized him, or was there, like, a clue in the crystal ball?" Soph asks, offering Bella the crystal ball casually till she remembers what's going on and flinches.

[cross_and_bow]

Bella snatches it away and frowns at Soph.

[eversomuchfun]

"I recognized the shower. I suppose you could call that a clue."

[keyed_up]

Soph applauds.

[cross_and_bow]

Bella is deeply unsettled.

[eversomuchfun]

Sherlock sighs.

[cross_and_bow]

"If you were -" Bella is checking her coin-sorting wish. "...I'm missing coins. I'm missing coins, I know how many I had."

[eversomuchfun]

"If who were what?"

[cross_and_bow]

"If she were my sister she would have coins on her, I would have given her some, and I have fewer than I should, but I never gave anybody coins, but if she's immune to hexes and up she can't have a sorting wish and she'd have a bandolier, and I wouldn't have made it invisible to me."

[keyed_up]

"I don't carry a lot of them," says Soph slowly, and she reaches for the small chain that she wears under her shirt. "Just a few for emergencies. I can't leave the world, you're always around in case I get in trouble..." She shows Bella the coins.

[eversomuchfun]

"If Juliet's memories do prove correct, I don't think this can possibly be the work of a coin," says Sherlock. "Coins are powerful but they're piss-poor at narrative, as far as I can tell; I would be noticing contradictions already. I'd believe enchantment first, and local magic before either. But I shudder to think how much power a local witch would have to put in to get this kind of far-reaching effect. And then there is the question of motive."

[keyed_up]

"But - but if Bella remembers right - I exist, look, look at me existing, Sherlock," says Soph, "how could she be remembering right?"

[eversomuchfun]

"You clearly do exist," says Sherlock. "My judgment is suspended on the question of whether or not you existed half an hour ago."