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]

Bella isn't thrilled about what this implies.

"What else can you tell us?" she asks.

[nonbird]

"I don't know," he says. "Where were you trying to teleport him to?"

[self_composed]

"I was mostly trying to teleport him away."

[nonbird]

"From...?"

[edgeofyourseat]

"I was fucking a guy she's scared of and she was worried he'd hurt me," Alice puts in.

[self_composed]

"That," says Bella.

[nonbird]

"...I feel like that is already too much information," says Lazarus, "but it also tells me nothing about why Alice's power would have cared. Unless the... um, event... was very important to you in some way," he says, managing to look at Alice with only a slight blush. "Life-changingly important."

[edgeofyourseat]

"Yep," he says, a little defiantly.

[self_composed]

Bella plants the heel of her hand on her forehead. "Alternates," she mutters.

[nonbird]

"...What?"

[self_composed]

"We were in Milliways. I met an alt of Alice. For some reason, I decided to introduce them," she says.

[nonbird]

"And you...? Okay," says Lazarus, blushing again. "That makes a lot more sense, actually. I wonder... I wouldn't mind seeing the two of them in the same room," he says. "To see what Alice's power thinks of the other one."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice gives Lazarus an appraising look.

"Yeah, not sure that's a great plan," he says. "He'd eat you for breakfast. The nice way, if you're lucky."

[ignorable]

Kolya snickers.

[self_composed]

"And he's currently stranded on an asteroid in his own world," says Bella tartly, "as he was going to escape from his mental institution any day and go back to terrorizing his city to get his crush's attention, and I met someone from the same world who was more than happy to get outside assistance towards not being blown up or set on fire. Maybe we'll find another one, one of these days, a less... like that... one."

[nonbird]

"Yeep," says Lazarus.

[self_composed]

"Yeah. I'm not going to say it's strictly impossible for you to meet him, since he can go to Milliways from his asteroid, but it wouldn't be the best idea."

[nonbird]

"And I am now kind of hoping I don't."

[self_composed]

"Yeah."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice sighs.

He misses the other him. Even though the other him is nasty.

[self_composed]

"Maybe we'll find a nicer one who met a me or some reasonable facsimile early on," Bella says. "Or otherwise turned out better. Anyway. Without that particular test, is there anything else you know, Lazarus?"

[nonbird]

"No..." he says slowly. "No, I don't think so. No."

[self_composed]

"So... Alice's power wants Alice to be Alice, and while this most obviously extends to defending against mental tampering it will also block any attempts to remove him from experiences that, in its estimation, are making him Alicier," Bella says. "And we don't know what Alicier means exactly."

[nonbird]

"We don't," he says, gesturing between himself and Bella. "Or if I do, I can't explain it usefully." He points at Alice. "You should have no such trouble."

[edgeofyourseat]

"...I guess," he says. "I mean, if it wants me to be me, it makes sense that it wouldn't want me taken away from... me."

There's more to it than that, but the more resists words.