welcome to the chessboard

[self_composed]

Bella stockpiles hexes.

She already has a ridiculous number, but she wants so many that if it seems most expedient to individually do some manner of hex-magic to every cubic inch of space in her dorm room, she can and still have a ridiculous number left. She wants enough that if Libby turns out to be a particularly dab hand at extortion, to the point where paying up is her best bet, Bella can keep gritting her teeth and handing over tribute up until the point where even this person will believe that this is all there could ever be - and still have a ridiculous number. She wants her ridiculous numbers to have ridiculous numbers.

What does she have?

An Alice. She has one of those.

And she can use what she has to get what she wants, late into the night, hexily disassembling her body's dependence on sleep, and till she should start thinking about catching up on the internet and heading to class.

Comments

[self_composed]

[You can come lurk by the magic door and Alice and I can come up with stuff to do,] Bella suggests.

[nonbird]

[Will do.]

But first, he should probably put on some pants.

[self_composed]

[Alice, what fun things can you think of to do with coins of various sizes so Lazarus can watch magic do stuff?] Bella asks.

[edgeofyourseat]

[...Define fun,] he says, giggling. Because he can think of lots, but the first ten or so items that come to mind probably aren't things Lazarus would enjoy watching.

They could always create a rain of jelly beans. Invisible jelly beans. And then clean them up afterward.

[self_composed]

[Rain of jellybeans and subsequent cleanup is a couple pentagons. If you're low on fabric or anything this would be a good time to do some batches of conjuration. I think I'll add super-speed - to match my brain's version of same. And if we need something else I may want to gain the power to become insubstantial. And I haven't learned all the languages there are yet.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[I love you,] Alice says cheerfully, and makes his way to the appropriate magic door.

[self_composed]

Bella meets him in the lair. [Ready when you are, Lazarus,] she says, including Alice in the call too.

[nonbird]

[...What the hell...?] he says, sounding confused and vaguely affronted, as he trots down the stairs. [Oh. Why would you do that? Did you not know—? I guess not. Alice, you have a native power that protects you against mental tampering,] he says. [And it clashes horribly with the hex on top of it. Ick.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Hello to you too,] he says, giggling again.

[self_composed]

[Like... half of my native power?] Bella asks, tilting her head. [That would explain why his didn't fail for redundancy like mine did, if it's only half. We can peel away the extra if it's bothering you.]

[nonbird]

[It is bothering me a lot,] says Lazarus. [It's like you took a pretty little decorative object of some kind and then covered it in glue. And I wouldn't say it's half of your power, exactly. They don't look at all alike.]

[edgeofyourseat]

[Okay, sure,] says Alice, [let's make my powers all pretty.]

He wishes away exactly the part of the protective hex that is already covered by his native power.

[self_composed]

[I'm defended against inspection and tampering, he's defended against just tampering - what's the difference beyond that?] Bella asks curiously. [Alice, please warn him before making wishes; we want him to supervise them carefully.]

[nonbird]

[Ooh, that is pretty,] says Lazarus. [The differences are, um... I'd almost call them a matter of personality? Your power has that very distinctive exactness to it; Alice's is more, how do I put this, friendly. Or maybe friendly isn't the right word. It's close, though.]

[self_composed]

Bella laughs helplessly. [Friendly! But - wait a second. I'm pretty sure an agony beam like mine would bounce off me, for tampering and not inspection reasons. How come it works on Alice if he's all natively-anti-tampering? Because it so, so does.]

[nonbird]

[Um,] says Lazarus.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice cracks up.

[Aww, look, he's blushing.]

[self_composed]

[Well, I don't have another example ready to hand, I don't tamper with Alice's brain very often. In your professional opinion, what's going on there?]

[nonbird]

[In my professional opinion, I have no idea,] he says primly.

[self_composed]

[Would it help you make a professional determination if you saw it done?] Bella asks. [You know, in a professional capacity. I'm really not trying to go out of my way to discomfit you even though it is entertaining, but it seems worthwhile to know how this works.]

[nonbird]

[Thanks,] he says dryly, [I'm glad you cleared that up. And okay, if you must know, I guess I can stand to watch. It probably would help.]

[self_composed]

Without further ado, Bella hits Alice with some mid-pentagon-range (expecting smaller amounts to be indistinct), flavor: rattlesnake venom. She looks in Lazarus's direction expectantly, through the magic doors.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice closes his eyes and smiles. Mmm, fun.

[nonbird]

...Lazarus blinks.

And looks somewhere between fascinated and mildly uncomfortable.

And definitely blushes.

[self_composed]

Bella represses a sporfle.

She brainphones to Lazarus only. [You too, huh?]