plotting to unnerve her

[self_composed]

Bella finds Milliways in the moon palace instead of one of her balconies.

"Huh," she says aloud.

Then, to Alice, Libby, Elena, and Mary, and Lazarus except he autoreplies with a busy message, [Hey folks, Moonstone Palace grew a bar that I don't remember putting in, come check it out.]

Comments

[self_composed]

"Well, I do, but most people find the whole thing a little disturbing."

[manofmyword]

"Does that," he inquires, "bother you?"

[self_composed]

"So far it hasn't caused me any problems. It'll probably present a challenge for my future PR person if the details get out, though."

[manofmyword]

"See, this is why empires are bad," he teases. "Who wants to be beholden to all those opinions?"

[self_composed]

"I said I was a space Empress, not a space President. I don't want people to be uncomfortable with me; that doesn't mean I can't live with it and get on with my business if they are."

[manofmyword]

"You want my advice?"

[self_composed]

"I might ignore you, but sure."

[manofmyword]

"Of course you're gonna ignore me, who takes advice from the Joker? No, no. All I'm saying is, if you wanna keep the people comfortable, never let your boy get in front of a camera."

[self_composed]

"I had no plans to do so," Bella says.

[manofmyword]

"That," he says, "is 'cause you're a smart cookie."

[self_composed]

"There's no real reason to," Bella says. "He doesn't even seem particularly interested in being a public figure. If interviewers want to know about my personal life they're going to be politely told it's none of their business, regardless."

[manofmyword]

"Oh, don't let anybody tell you I'm not a fan of the spotlight."

[self_composed]

"In such a way and for such reasons that I should expect Alice to develop the same proclivity?"

[manofmyword]

"He might. And if you don't know that, you don't know him as well as you think you do."

[self_composed]

"I mean in particular, as opposed to developing an equal and opposite interest in - say - living without human contact apart from me on an asteroid dolled up in the style of the Little Prince."

[manofmyword]

He giggles.

"I'll let you figure that one out for yourself."

[self_composed]

"I can see him doing the asteroid thing," she says. "It'd be cute."

[manofmyword]

"Adorable," the Joker agrees. "I'm tempted."

[self_composed]

"How would do you it, plain old non-magical human?"

[manofmyword]

He blinks wide, excessively innocent eyes at her, an effect it is difficult to achieve with the surrounding sockets blacked out by makeup.

"Pretty please, can I have an asteroid?"

[self_composed]

"I don't have a way to get to your world and do magic there," Bella points out. "Since you're sleeping. Although now that you mention it, I would in fact be pretty comfortable stashing you on an asteroid for the rest of your life."

[manofmyword]

"I'd get bored eventually," he says. "Unless I still came here, I guess. Then I'd be juuuust fine."

[self_composed]

"There's no obvious reason why you wouldn't, unless it only happens when you sleep in certain geographical locations."

[manofmyword]

"Well, it never happened before she caught me."

[self_composed]

"That could be about the location or about any number of coincident factors," Bella shrugs.