cake and ice cream

[self_composed]

Bella finds Milliways next, too, on New Year's Day, and calls in Alice (he's not coming to Goldenworld even if they find a person who can take them there, but he might find someone interesting to talk to in the bar) and also Lazarus. She mentions the door to Libby, too, in case she and/or her wolf want to take an excursion and see if his friends and family back home can be visited.

Comments

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I do try," says Addy with a sharp grin. "And I know they aren't directly linked. But without your attention on the similarity at all, I couldn't know if they were linked in your head - if you see that far because that's how you think seeing works."

[nonbird]

"It's not even seeing, that's just a convenience," he says. "I'd need a whole new set of terms to—how many languages do you speak?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Most of them," says Addy primly.

[nonbird]

"In that case, when I talk to you about my power I'm going to use my entire vocabulary. Maybe that will help."

[her_imperial_radiance]

Addy spreads her hands invitingly. "Please, do."

[nonbird]

"Well, put me in a room with both our empresses and I'll talk your ear off. Even just from here, the differences between the two powers, discounting the way yours is more vampire-y... actually, that's fascinating, I wish you could've seen Alice before he turned," he sidetracks. "There wasn't really an effect on what his power did, except incidentally when it cuddled up with his mate bond, but do you see the way your Bella is more...?"

He waves his hands and comes up with a description that draws on Hungarian and Japanese, two of the languages he pentagoned, with an occasional aside in Finnish.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Addy replies in a comparable admixture of languages, mostly her native German because why not and it's so good for long compound words too, and talks about what she knows of the history of Golden Bella's power and its functions and what, based on Lazarus's power's information, she thinks is due to what else.

[nonbird]

The German backdrop works just as well for him as English, and she's right about the long compound words, so he switches to match. Individual terms like the colour intensity metaphor for the vampire effect, or the texture metaphor for the witch/ingot distinction, he continues to pin down to specific languages in order to develop a working vocabulary.

Golden Bella's functional extensions to her power are interesting, but not nearly as interesting to him as the more basic differences like the vampirism amplification. In fact, he would kind of like to meet all the witches, vampire and non, to really get a sense of how that distinction portrays itself. Also, aren't mate bonds weird? Golden Bella's has kind of... well, it's not exactly cuddling with her power. They're definitely in close contact and on friendly terms, but there's something kind of uncomfortable about them.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Addy grins broadly, and invites him - and Starry Bella too, of course - on a tour of the whole complex, with visits to each witch's quarters. "A lot of them are mated," she adds.

[nonbird]

Anyone whose power has to do with interpersonal relationships, or their own thoughts or feelings, or other people's thoughts or feelings, has some kind of interaction. No two are quite alike; nobody else has Alice's fiercely comfortable intertwining, or Bella's hard-won affectionate equilibrium.

Lazarus is fascinated by each and every one.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I wish Marcus were here," Addy said, stomping her foot.

[nonbird]

"Maybe next time," Lazarus says optimistically.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Only if we're in Safesun next time you come by. That's where he and Didyme and their kids live."

[nonbird]

"Maybe we can visit anyway," says Lazarus.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Of course." Addy grins brilliantly.

[nonbird]

He appeals to Bella with a look, since he can't independently teleport.

[self_composed]

"I'll need a more specific destination than 'Safesun'," says Bella.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Will 'Marcus's house' do?" Addy asks.

[self_composed]

"Perhaps. Is anyone going to be alarmed if we teleport there? No? All right." Bella brings them all to the front door of Marcus's house.

[nonbird]

"Oh," says Lazarus. "That's new."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Ooooh," agrees Addy.

[nonbird]

"'Worshipful' is definitely a new quality."

[self_composed]

"Worshipful?" laughs Bella. "What's worshipping what?"

[nonbird]

"Their—that must be Marcus?—his power is worshipping his mate bond," he says. "It's kind of sweet."

[self_composed]

"That is sweet," Bella says.