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

[manofmyword]

"I can tell."

[self_composed]

"Besides, he's got a present waiting for him at home, and this would be a distraction."

[manofmyword]

"Ooh, presents. Is it a secret?"

[self_composed]

"He wants it to be a surprise. I'm not sure if you're the sort of person who'd spoil it for him if you had the chance."

[manofmyword]

He puts on a look of utmost innocence. "Course not."

[self_composed]

"Alas," says Bella. "You have not successfully made me sure."

[manofmyword]

"Could I?"

[self_composed]

"Maybe. Not easily, probably."

[manofmyword]

"Mm." He smiles. "How?"

[self_composed]

"If I tell you a sequence of actions to perform," Bella says, "they lose most of their communicative value."

[manofmyword]

"Nnot if the sequence in question is, 'Pretty please, read my mind,'" he suggests. "For example."

[self_composed]

"That wouldn't rule out the possibility of you changing your mind. If anyone knows how to be sincere in the moment and less so a minute later, I'd bet on you."

[manofmyword]

"Smart cookie. So no, I can't convince you," he says. "Tell me anyway."

[self_composed]

"No," Bella says. "It's a surprise. If I'm feeling particularly friendly towards you at the time I leave the bar I might conjure you a note when you won't have an opportunity to spoil it for Alice, but I might not."

[manofmyword]

"Can't you cheat?" he wonders.

[self_composed]

"What, cheat at not letting you tell my surprise? Yes, but I think that would make you even more likely to try to tell him, and it's possible you'd think of a loophole, and I can make the probability of you successfully telling him zero by not telling you, and I am just not that strongly motivated to tell you."

[manofmyword]

"I don't wanna tell him," he says, leaning back in his seat. "Take a look."

[self_composed]

"No," says Bella.

[manofmyword]

He cackles.

[self_composed]

"Do you have a plan for getting out of jail?" Bella asks. "For that matter, how long are you going to cool your heels in Milliways?"

[manofmyword]

"I'm not in jail," he says. "Technically. I'm in an innnstitution for the criminally insane. And I can walk out anytime I want; their security's a--" he licks his lips "--heh, joke."

[self_composed]

"I'm kind of surprised they left you in the makeup and the custom outfit," Bella says. "Don't they usually put everybody in unattractive smocks in those places?"

[manofmyword]

"Sweetie," he says. "I'm dreaming, remember?"

[self_composed]

She tilts her head. "That wasn't given to me as part of my Milliways explanation, but I suppose it could have been incomplete."

[manofmyword]

"I don't think it's usual," he explains. "But I'm kinnnd of a special case. I think they're afraid of what I'd do, if I came in the normal way. 'Cause every time I'm about to do something particularly, hmm, un-friendly--" he snaps his fingers, "I wake up!"