on the first day of christmas, my true love gave to me

[self_composed]

[It is now Christmas in the latest time zone on Earth,] Bella announces, when this becomes the case. [C'mere.]

She has conjured a syringe of venom. There are no known effects relating to any particular person doing the turning, but she's gone ahead and duplicated her alt's venom - what would be hers, if she turned - regardless.

She hides it behind her back and smiles.

Comments

[nonbird]

"Yes he is," says Lazarus, hugging back.

[edgeofyourseat]

"It's weird hugging somebody I can't smell properly," says Alice. "Do you squish?" He squeezes a little bit tighter. "Nope, you don't. You are unsquishable."

[self_composed]

"You aren't any less able to smell humans than you were before," Bella says. "Although I suppose it's comparing against everything else."

[edgeofyourseat]

"My nose thinks he's not really here," he says, and lets go, and turns to investigate the bubbly stuff.

[nonbird]

Lazarus blinks after him.

[self_composed]

"When I said we'd arranged for him not to eat people," Bella says, "I meant that he's got a human-specific air filter so he doesn't instinctively lunge for the carotid just from being in the room with us. But since you've got your defense on, if the idea of Alice ineffectually gnawing on you happens to amuse, say the word and he can turn it down."

[nonbird]

...He looks like he may be considering it.

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice interrupts himself mid-drink to singsong, "You waaaaaant me nibbling on you, don't lie."

[nonbird]

"Shush," says Lazarus.

[self_composed]

"Poking the repressed ingot isn't very nice, Alice," Bella says serenely. "How's the bubbly? There might be other kinds, this is just what Elspeth brings home from Milliways."

[edgeofyourseat]

"It's tasty, I like it," he says. "Can I make you unsquishable for a bit so I can hug you?"

[self_composed]

"Sure," says Bella.

[edgeofyourseat]

He spends a hex to make Bella impervious to squishing in a way that is fully at her discretion to control, and then scoops her up and twirls her around and hugs her as hard as he possibly can.

[self_composed]

"Eee!" laughs Bella, extricating one arm from the squeeze to put over his shoulder and have some measure of control of how she's held up.

[edgeofyourseat]

He puts her down again and kisses the end of her nose.

"I love you," he says. "I love you lots. Read how much I love you."

[self_composed]

"What, in front of Lazarus? I'm already reading you, and opening up the details sometimes has side effects," laughs Bella.

[edgeofyourseat]

He flutters a hand at Lazarus. "Shoo unless you want a threesome."

[nonbird]

Blushing even more than he already was, Lazarus shoos.

[self_composed]

"You didn't wanna wait and see if he was gonna take you up on ineffectual gnawing?" Bella asks, but then she prods at the emotion-blob and takes a moment to breathe oddly and ramp up her speed to process inhuman levels of muchness. "Oh dosage control issues hello," she says weakly.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Dosage control?"

[self_composed]

"Yes, dosage control, I am figuring out a parallel-ness upgrade for my brain now," Bella says, closing the emotion-blob with a great effort of will.

[edgeofyourseat]

"Bella, are you getting high on how much I love you?"

[self_composed]

"I might be getting braindead on how much you love me. Elspeth can do that, if she blasts people with too much vampire-mind," Bella says. "I already got kinda high on it, and if it gets anywhere near dangerous I'd start to worry about my ingot power deciding the mindreading's dangerous like my alt's witchcraft decided Elspeth was dangerous."

[edgeofyourseat]

"That would be bad. I'd hate to have you not read me anymore," he says, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and kissing her forehead. "Will the brain upgrade help?"

[self_composed]

"Should. Have to think about it. I don't think I want to just straight up wish for a vampire brain; from what Bella said it has some drawbacks, which she can handle and I could too but that doesn't make it something I want to move into unedited. Hm." Bella leans her head on Alice's shoulder as she considers, and finally settles on a wish design she likes.

Hex goes.

"Trying this again," she murmurs in his ear, and she opens the package of emotions and does-not-quite-drown.

But only not-quite.