delicious bubbly

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth is glad that Milliways likes her, because she likes it. Jacob at her side and a glass of this nice golden stuff in her hand (she's tried the other synthetics; they're nice for an occasional change, but only humans care about dietary variety that much and this one is her favorite) and hubbub from a hundred worlds around her: lovely. A lovely break from work that keeps no one waiting, that doesn't even throw off her sleep cycle because her sleep cycle cares about the sun. (It throws off Jake's, a little, but his is more flexible than hers.)

Comments

[her_imperial_radiance]

"No?"

[manofmyword]

"Course not," says the Joker. "Here I am on this asteroid. Maybe I could leave if I tried, but maybe I couldn't. And if I don't, I'm gonna be there until I die, all alone, thousands of miles from anybody I could talk to." He closes his eyes. "Some days, I'd rather she'd just killed me."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Can you not even go into another world from here?" asks Elspeth.

(Her mother would have had this idea, and then, most likely, would have refrained from voicing it. But it is not in Elspeth's nature to hide her thoughts.)

[manofmyword]

"That's the thing I haven't tried," he says. "It might kill me, and some days I don't want it to."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"It won't kill you," says Elspeth absently, and she takes a swig of golden bubbly.

[manofmyword]

"...And you know that... how?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I sometimes just say things, and they're true," says Elspeth. "Usually they're things I actually have some way to know, but sometimes they're not. That's why Jake wanted me to tell him if you were dangerous or not. That works pretty well because Jake cares a lot about the answer. I don't think I can reliably do Milliways physics questions, but I did that one."

[manofmyword]

"Heh," says the Joker. "Now I just need somebody who'll let me visit."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Well, if you'd kill a lot of people wherever you went, you might have some trouble finding takers," says Elspeth.

[manofmyword]

"It's not exactly a hobby of mine," he says. "Try getting you-know-who to believe that, though."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"If I took you through my door now, you wouldn't hurt anybody," says Elspeth. She blinks. "Well, since I can say that, I'm allowed to take you through, if you want a change of scenery."

[manofmyword]

"I'm not sure I believe you," he jokes. "Sure, let's go! That sounds like fun."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Okay. Bar, two cases golden bubbly and a six of the blue for Uncle Jasper?" Elspeth asks politely, waving a shiny gold credit card in the bar's direction. She collects her purchases and she and Jake lead the Joker doorward.

[manofmyword]

He bounces as he walks. New people! New places! New places, oh, how he's missed those.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth holds the door for them, then follows. It's her office.

Exactly one second after she shuts the door, it opens again. "Hi, Nathan," she says to the blond mustached vampire.

"Hi, Princess, hi, Imperial Alpha, hello - gorgeous," says Nathan.

Elspeth blinks.

Jacob groans.

[manofmyword]

The Joker laughs.

"Hello to you too," he says. "Friendly locals you've got around here," this mostly to Jacob and Elspeth.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"It's not usual," says Elspeth. "...Nathan, did you just happen to -"

"Nope! Trusty timer," says Nathan, "brought me here. Best time all week to drop by your office, Princess. But I never know why till I show up. What's your name, babe?"

[manofmyword]

"Hmm," he says, "did I bring another one," and he tilts his head thoughtfully and searches his pants pockets, and comes up with a second joker. Which he kisses and hands to Nathan.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Nathan kisses the card too (carefully, he doesn't want to dissolve it) and then inspects it. "All it's missing is your phone number," he remarks, winking.

"I'm telling Mama," says Elspeth, closing her eyes.

"Go right ahead, Princess," says Nathan, hovering right between sarcasm and sincere respect with the tone of that title.

[manofmyword]

The Joker cocks his head and regards Nathan thoughtfully, eyes sparkling.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Gonna swipe a set of pamphlets, Princess," Nathan says over his shoulder, "explain to -" He deliberately looks at the back of the playing card, winks, and goes on, "mister registered trademark of Bicycle Playing Cards here, what has just happened." Lightning-quick he's at the stacks of pamphlets in their file folders behind Elspeth's desk, and he chooses a selection and hands them to the Joker like a bouquet.

[manofmyword]

Well, now he's giggling too hard to read any of them.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Nathan can help! He opens up a pamphlet, stuffing the others in the Joker's pocket for him with gentleness and not overmuch groping of the corresponding thigh. "PRPR 1-A," Nathan reads dramatically, "introduction to vampires. Section Three: Mates!"

"Mama's on her way," reports Elspeth.

[manofmyword]

The Joker continues to laugh, clasping his hands together and hugging them to his chest and listening attentively (with giggles) to Nathan's explanation.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Nathan reads through the section like it's overdirected Shakespearean blank verse, even though the prose is quite straightforward and spare, and while he has the pamphlet open, he memorized it instantly on looking at the page and doesn't actually consult it: he just holds level, unblinking eye contact and smiles through the recitation.

The section explains how mates work.