in between moments

[she_sells_seashells]

Shell Bell has not found Milliways by herself since the occasion on which she first met Sherlock.

Today, after eight months, she does.

She makes sure that Sherlock and Tony are both awake, finds that they are but do not want to join her in the bar today unless she finds something interesting, checks her coin supply and finds it sufficient, and steps through.

Comments

[ferratus]

[Sure. Where?]

[she_sells_seashells]

[Kitchen,] says Bell.

[ferratus]

He goes there.

"...Why are you both so..?"

[she_sells_seashells]

"I died briefly," Bell says. "But Sherlock fixed it."

[ferratus]

He cannot figure out who to hug first.

Both. Both is obviously the answer.

[she_sells_seashells]

Hugs all round. "So now I have to deal with the assassins - Coin and whoever actually planted the nuke and whoever else was involved - and also figure out a form of invulnerability that won't interfere with emergency coinmaking. I guess it could just go on and off at will like the regen does. Although Stella found it really useful to be able to make a hex unexpectedly that once, we're not looking at the exact situation that would make that relevant..."

[sicaria]

"You could make yourself invulnerable but optionally able to feel pain from thwarted injuries," Sherlock suggests.

[she_sells_seashells]

"That sounds... confusing, but I imagine I could adjust," says Bell, and she nods and spends a hex. "Is there any reason not to cover you two similarly?"

[ferratus]

"Nope," says Tony.

[sicaria]

Sherlock considers, then nods.

[she_sells_seashells]

Hex hex. Hugs.

[sicaria]

Definitely hugs.

[she_sells_seashells]

And eventually, "Can't decide whether to moon Coin and conspirators in the ex-Capitol or in a separate section."

[sicaria]

"Separate," says Sherlock.

[she_sells_seashells]

"Why?"

[sicaria]

"The two factions are likely to try to harm one another otherwise."

[she_sells_seashells]

"Yes. But there could easily be a very small number of District Thirteen folks that I ever need to bemoon, and I'm concerned about them all eventually hating each other. The ground rules should prevent actual harm, and the ex-Capitol population is much larger, it'd be easier for them to be absorbed. Maybe I should make them an - attached suburb sort of area that I can close off if there's too much friction."

[sicaria]

"Yes, that seems reasonable."

[she_sells_seashells]

Bell closes her eyes, speeds up, designs and wishes the suburb, and then says, "Come with me to confront Coin?"

[sicaria]

"Of course."

[she_sells_seashells]

"...Er," Bell says, holding up a finger, and she squares off two of the evils from Sherlock's chain, declaws them, and gives them to Tony. "Hold onto these for the next few minutes, if we don't check in... I don't think Coin has anything prepped for us appearing right now and if she did it probably wouldn't get around the protection newly added, but I'm all paranoid now, I literally just died."

[ferratus]

"You got it," says Tony.

[she_sells_seashells]

And with that, Shell Bell teleports herself and Sherlock into Coin's office.

The look on Coin's face is priceless.

[sicaria]

Sherlock smiles at her.

It is not a pleasant expression.

[she_sells_seashells]

"You're very glad you failed," says Shell Bell in a voice that might be quite pleasant under other circumstances. "It's the best possible outcome. If you had not failed, Sherlock would most likely have killed you with her bare hands. I, on the other hand, am just going to put you and everyone who helped you on the moon. In fact, let's all go there right now."

Teleportation into the new moon-neighborhood occurs.

Coin still has nothing to say, apparently.