at the door

[she_sells_seashells]

The Bells are assembled, except the ones missing into the unknown world.

Shell Bell opens her aura up as far as it will go. (Back in Atlantis, Neptune glows with the spillover, snuggled up to Tinia.)

She reaches for the door.

She gets Atlantis.

She tries again and gets Downside.

"It doesn't look like I can get it," she says softly. "It looks like they're stuck until -"

The door opens, again.

"Thank fucking everything," Aegis says, "hello. Aether, Celo - these are - everybody and then some."

"Tab," supplies Tab.

Meanwhile, Glass staggers in the direction of the bathroom. [THAT IS NOT A NICE WORLD.]

[We fucking KNOW,] says Aegis, [how broke is Jane?]

[Very broke,] says Juliet, [tried a tenner, didn't go.]

[I might be able to do something now you're here,] Stella says, [with aura.]

Comments

[pythbox]

"Wow there's a lot of you," says Celo. "I mean, I'd heard, but wow."

He steps through with the rest of them; Jellybean follows.

[incanted]

"I don't think nudity's allowed in the bar, do you want some clothes or should we just stash you in the Belltower or what?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"Yeah, something, we have run into too many naked people dooring around today," says Shell Bell.

[pythbox]

"Fuck you, I'm a nymph," Celo says mildly. "'Stash' isn't a word I necessarily like; define 'stash'."

"Can I just - fix this," says Jellybean, and Celo glances back at him and shrugs agreeably, and Jellybean snaps his fingers for effect, and Celo acquires an opt-out censor bar. Any observer can want it to be there or gone for them according to their preference, and Celo can tell who is seeing him censored and who is seeing him uncensored at any given time if he cares to find out.

"Better?" says Jellybean. "Fuck, I love being able to wish for things again."

[thaumobabble]

[Is that door gone? Can I come out?] asks Glass plaintively.

[incanted]

"Nicely done," Aurora tells Jellybean. [Yeah, you're safe, Glass. It's that bad?]

[thaumobabble]

Glass pops back out, pale and trembly. "It's nauseating. You're well rid of it, whatever-your-nickname-is."

[subtly_artistic]

"I might want to evacuate my parents or something later, and it might be that Celo can't stay out forever," says Aether. "...Aether. I'm Aether."

[giftedandtalented]

"You won't have heard of me. I'm Tab, I'm new. I have a timesyncing alternative to Jane but apparently I don't want to get it anywhere near where you're from."

[pythbox]

"Wow, are you okay?" says Celo to Glass. "You look like you need a healer. Or maybe a hug."

[thaumobabble]

"I need to never look directly at that world again, is all. I see - metacausality - and I'm astonished a Bell lived to adulthood in that."

[subtly_artistic]

"I would really like it if people would stop being surprised I wasn't suicidal. It's not like a relatively unambitious life is so awful as to be not worth living."

[dark_light]

"Sorry. Ugh. I want to go home. I want Jane fixed and then I want to go home. How long has it been?"

[self_composed]

"We didn't check your three worlds," says Stella, shaking her head. "Aegis, let's you and me see what we can do." She teleports the entire group out to the Belltower, and lets her aura loose.

[pythbox]

Celo looks around in fascination. Jellybean snuggles him affectionately.

[autokinetic]

Aegis - is present. And contains Jane.

[mind_game]

The Janepoint sloooowly reassembles itself. "Moooooom, what'd you doooo to me," she says plaintively. "And who's plugged in? There's somebody plugged into me."

[autokinetic]

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

[giftedandtalented]

"That's Kers. She's your time-sync backup now," says Tab, distributing the remaining Kersibles to the Bells who don't have them in their own worlds yet. "Hi. I'm Tab, I'm new."

[subtly_artistic]

"My sincerest apologies for my apparently nauseating world."

[incanted]

"I was thinking maybe Jane should have her own body. Maybe not a biological body. Devices are lower-maintenance and might interface better."

[lifes_sake]

"That sounds like a job for you, maybe Brilliance, and Aegis. I want to go home," says Cam, peering at the Kersible Tab gave him. "We can have a party later."

[dark_light]

"Seconded. Narrate the executive summary to Jane and she can send us emails about it," says Amariah, waving a hand, "I'm out."

And she teleports to the bar door.

[giftedandtalented]

"Hi, Jane, bye, Jane," says Tab.

Bells disperse.

[autokinetic]

Except Aegis and Aurora, both of whom want to contact their respective Jokers promptly but don't plan to go home.