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

[self_composed]

"That one? Yeah. Can you not build yourself scars if you want them?" Bella says. "Or does that not count?"

[yourheartstrings]

She appears again, with the Joker's scars on her face.

"Sure I can," she says. "But it's different, y'know? That whole..." She waves a hand vaguely. "It's just not the same anymore."

[self_composed]

"Alice doesn't have any scars at all," Bella volunteers. "They didn't grow back after he set himself on fire that one time."

[yourheartstrings]

"Mm. Did he use to have," she licks her lips, "these?"

[self_composed]

"Nope. Had the injuries briefly but he let them heal."

[yourheartstrings]

"He must bounce back pretty good, your Alice."

[self_composed]

"Occupational necessity," says Bella, smirking.

[yourheartstrings]

"Ooh, this I gotta hear."

[self_composed]

"I'm making a habit of not explaining the details, but suffice it to say I plan for me and Alice to both live forever, and I wouldn't want that to interfere with his hobbies or vice versa."

[yourheartstrings]

"Aren't you precious," she says affectionately. "Can I see him pretty please, even though we're both awful terrible people?"

[self_composed]

"My Alice is not a terrible awful person," says Bella adamantly. "And..."

She pauses.

"Actually, what am I even thinking? My original objection is moot. I'll go grab Alice real quick."

Because if the Emperor and the Seer and the other ex-inhabitants of the witch dungeon are anything to go by, their sort of vampire is straight up immune to trauma.

Bella pokes her head out the door. [Hey Alice, want to meet another alt of you? She's a funky sorta ghost thing.]

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice appears.

"Hell yes!"

[self_composed]

Bella ushers him in. [I'm pretty sure your shiny new species is immune to being traumatized in any lasting way,] she says. [Although I wouldn't like you to go around taunting anyone with this information, the Emperor survived five years in small pieces in a dungeon believing his mate was dead and he is perfectly functional now. As long as I'm alive I don't think you can get to an irrecoverable state, and I have every intention of remaining alive.] "Alice, this is a female ghost version of you who has not introduced herself. Ghost, this is my Alice, as described."

[edgeofyourseat]

Alice opens his arms. "Hi, me!"

[yourheartstrings]

"Hi, you," she says, hugging him so hard she nearly bowls him over. "Oh, look at you, you're such a little darling, let me—"

And she dissolves into dust that dissolves into smaller dust that dissipates into apparent nothing.

[nonbird]

Lazarus makes an incredulous sound, which was not his reaction the last few times she did this.

[self_composed]

"What's going on?" Bella asks. Lazarus or Alice or both could answer her, whichever one knows.

[nonbird]

"Ghosty Alice is inhabiting him the same way she was inhabiting those bodies she kept making out of and dissolving into thin air," Lazarus explains rapidly.

[edgeofyourseat]

"...I don't feel possessed, or anything," says Alice.

[self_composed]

"Does it feel like anything?" Bella asks, looking him up and down.

[edgeofyourseat]

"No-o..."

[yourheartstrings]

The ghost reassembles herself in front of him, tangles both her hands in his hair, and kisses him enthusiastically.

[nonbird]

Lazarus turns quite pink.

[self_composed]

"Huh," says Bella. "What was that about?" she asks the ghost. "Also, do you have any sort of nickname or should I just call you Ghosty or something?"

[edgeofyourseat]

With some reluctance, Alice stops kissing her so she can answer some of those.