eviler and eviler

[self_composed]

[Hey,] says Stella to all three mints. [I wanna talk to all of you. You busy?]

Comments

[self_composed]

Doesn't especially. Bella backs off and continues touring Amalthea.

[guiltless]

Sandy hasn't managed to cover the whole moon with his various projects, but at the scales he sometimes works in, it won't be long.

And he is really good at designing three-dimensional objects.

[self_composed]

Cool. Bella starts debating names for a city of the undead. She'll probably put it on a different continent from Olympus. The Downsiders might have a hard time integrating and should be allowed to do it at a comfortable pace for everyone. Maybe she'll call it "Brightside" or something like that. Is that too twee? Maybe it's too twee.

[lookingforwardtoit]

A few hours later, Anna crows over brainphone, [I diiiiiiiiiid it!]

[self_composed]

[Congratulations! Please never tell me how!]

[lookingforwardtoit]

[But it was so much fun!]

[self_composed]

[Well, if you really must, I suppose I'll live. And I might want to be able to explain it to my counterparts' assorted minty helpers.]

[lookingforwardtoit]

[I think the methodology is pretty much 'intensify your pain processing by a factor of ten or so and then tell six sadists to go to town'.]

[self_composed]

[Oh, is that all. Thank you for the protective layer of abstraction.]

[lookingforwardtoit]

[You're welcome!]

[self_composed]

[Just the one?]

[lookingforwardtoit]

[Gearing up for a repeat as soon as I catch my breath!]

[self_composed]

[I shall claim you as a point of pride in my portfolio the next time a bunch of Bells all get together and compare empires.]

[lookingforwardtoit]

[Ooh, you're makin' me blush.]

[self_composed]

[I'm actually surprised we haven't started explicitly holding contests yet. I guess that wouldn't be fair to the ones who are just starting out.]

[lookingforwardtoit]

[You're kind of great, you know that?]

[self_composed]

[I do know that! I am glad that it is clear.]

[lookingforwardtoit]

She laughs.

[Okay, round two!]

[self_composed]

[Enjoy!]

And that's the end of that conversation. [You gonna try one, Alice?]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Mmm, remind me later,] he says. [Busy with Anna now.]

[self_composed]

[Okay.]

Stella finishes her tour of Amalthea and goes to hang out on Mars and catch up with email.

[edgeofyourseat]

A while later, Alice teleports to her and - assuming she is not doing anything that absolutely can't be interrupted - scoops her into a hug.

[self_composed]

Oooh, hugs! She's quite interruptable. Email is an asynchronous form of communication. "Hey, you!"

[edgeofyourseat]

"Anna made three before she decided to take an actual nap," he says. "She's cuddling Sandy, it's adorable. You wanna make arrows off me now?"

[self_composed]

"That could be arranged. You want me to stomp on your off-switch out of nowhere or ramp up from someplace?"