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]

"It's a good answer," he says. "I like that answer. But yeah, wrong question."

[self_composed]

"Then you might need to be more specific."

[manofmyword]

"Well," he says, "there's a lot of games I could play with you, but most of 'em wouldn't be fun for you. And some of 'em wouldn't be fun for me either, at least - heh - not for very long."

[self_composed]

"Mm." She peers up to the ceiling. "I'm not coming up with anything. At least nothing that would compare particularly favorably with my default activity, which, I remind you, involves ruling a space empire."

[manofmyword]

"I'm sure it's a very nice space empire," he says. "Can I come visit?"

[self_composed]

"I might just barely be willing to put you on Mars somewhere for a visit. It's got lots of safety features. But all things considered I think not."

[manofmyword]

"If you put me somewhere with safety features, I'm gonna try'n break 'em," he agrees. "But I'll try'n break 'em nicely, 'cause I like you."

[self_composed]

"And yet, funnily enough, I put the safety features in because I wanted them as they are," Bella says mildly. "And so I would not much care for even the nicest of breakage."

[manofmyword]

"Suit yourself."

[self_composed]

"Always."

[manofmyword]

"I'm getting that impression."

[self_composed]

"Aren't you observant."

[manofmyword]

"I sure am!"

[self_composed]

"So your bat-costume-clad crush," Bella says, "do you not even know her name? Or is her name actually Bat or Bats or something?"

[manofmyword]

"Oh, it's a big secret," he says. "I tried to get it out of her once, at the beginning, but I don't really care. I already know who she really is. I don't need to know who she pretends to be when the sun's up."

[self_composed]

"Is this dressing up as a terrifying expensive non-festive small mammal and then going out at night and getting into fights with the criminally insane a thing in your world?"

[manofmyword]

"Not until her, it wasn't."

[self_composed]

"Has she," Bella asks innocently, "inspired copybats?"

[manofmyword]

...

He cracks up.

[self_composed]

[manofmyword]

"She did!" he giggles. "They were a riot. Dried up pretty quick after I killed one, though. 'S a shame."

[self_composed]

"Ah. Yes, I'd imagine that would do it."

[manofmyword]

"Never made a dent in her, though."

[self_composed]

"I'm curious," Bella says. "If she disappeared - suppose she died of a heart attack or developed a deadly peanut allergy, all by herself - something boring - would you even bother continuing to terrorize the place?"

[manofmyword]

"Mm... maybe," he says. "Maybe not. I hope she doesn't; it'd break my heart."

The wide-eyed anxious delivery of 'break my heart' is deliberately exaggerated, but that doesn't make the message any less true.