in a heap of people

[she_sells_seashells]

They go home after a couple of days, without incident. The colors in Bell's hair are fading, albeit incompletely.

A bit later, when there is not the question of whether Sherlock can accompany her unnoticed, Tony finds a door and in they go.

Other Sherlock - whether this is their other Sherlock or some other other Sherlock, Bell cannot be immediately sure - is in the main bar area. Bell waves!

Comments

[sicaria]

"I said I would transmit to you my entire knowledge of the world if I could. I meant it," says Sherlock.

[she_sells_seashells]

"You're sweet," sighs Shell Bell, and she hugs her girlfriend tight. "Okay. Um, how does yours work, Stella? I don't know if I just want the same design that's optimized for Alice."

[self_composed]

"I get everything in a visual channel as a first pass. He can tell when I'm doing it - Sherlock, that feels like so, but it could be anything - and it's in words and images and symbols for various sensory experiences, mostly, most of the time, with a little blob that changes shape and color and so on to reflect his emotional state. When he doesn't think in words, I get the words I'd be thinking if I had that thought, and if I wouldn't be able to translate it either, then the magic itself makes an attempt - these three possibilities appear in different colors. Otherwise I get a black box, the symbol for something I didn't manage to include - I've updated it a couple times to cut down on those, I get very few anymore. Things are tagged with whether they're current experiences, a memory he's thinking about, an intent, or whatever. Everything has a border in grayscale to indicate affect towards the bordered thing - more white is better. I can 'open' any of these things to get a more detailed look at it, which is not just a visual channel and can be very... heady. Oh, and I can sort through his memories the same way, which feels slightly different on his end, like so."

[sicaria]

"I see no immediate flaws," says Sherlock. "Except that this visual channel of yours is likely to be very busy."

[self_composed]

"Very," says Stella. "I have some... boosts. Actually, when Alice turned into a vampire I needed those boosts to not just utterly drown every time I opened up the emotion-blob; vampires have serious mental horsepower. If I'd tried to do without it's entirely possible my ingot power would have decided that mindreading was dangerous and I shouldn't be allowed to do it. Something similar happened to our vampire alt with her daughter. I can give the boosts to Bell too. Actually, Bell should probably just have all the superpowers I do, although it's probably worth explaining them first so she doesn't step off a curb sometime and be confused about why she's floating."

[she_sells_seashells]

"You can fly?"

[self_composed]

"Shell Bell," says Stella, almost reproachfully. "Of course I can fly. And if I'm not touching the ground and not paying attention, I default to hover, so I don't fall out of the sky."

[sicaria]

Sherlock laughs.

[ferratus]

"I wanna fly too," announces Tony.

[self_composed]

"You want my design, or your own hex to figure it out yourself?" asks Stella comfortably. "By the way, Shell Bell, these guys get stuff on your say-so, I'm just expecting based on having met the vampire us that you'll be similar enough to me that I can substitute your judgment here - feel entirely free to veto anything." [Including,] she adds, adding Bell to the brainphone, [privately like so and then I'll make up a reason to turn them down on my own.]

[ferratus]

"My own hex, why not," he says.

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell nods.

[self_composed]

Stella squares a hex off her bandolier and tosses it in Tony's direction.

[ferratus]

Tony catches it.

"Ooh, pretty."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Thanks," beams Alice.

[ferratus]

Tony gives him a speculative look.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Ooh," says Alice.

[self_composed]

Bella rolls her eyes fondly.

[ferratus]

Tony's hex goes.

He rises off the floor a little, like a tiny hop without engaging his muscles.

"Awesome," he laughs.

[she_sells_seashells]

"I think we should have a long conversation about your superpowers," Bell tells Stella seriously.

[self_composed]

"Can do!" grins Stella.

She explains invisibility, suppressible regeneration, the brain boosts (recall, speed, and capacity), the brainphone, her weather tolerance, the lack of need to breathe, her various defense hexes, spy detection, vision buff, the mess she has made of her sleep "cycle", her illusion viewer, the superspeed, and teleportation. She also mentions several relevant pentagons, most particularly grace.

[sicaria]

Sherlock listens in fascination.

[ferratus]

Tony gets bored and goes off to make out with Alice.

[self_composed]

"What can I interest you in?" Stella asks Shell Bell.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Um, all of that?" says Shell Bell, half laughing, half hungry.