her_imperial_radiance | delicious bubbly

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.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

manofmyword

"Sure," he says brightly, snuggling up a little.

From:

luminous_regnant

Nathan's certainly not going to interrupt snuggles. He (carefully carefully carefully) scoops his mate right up off the floor. "So this is the Princess's office," he says, and then he heads out the door and in the opposite direction down the corridor from the Empress and her contingent. "The entire PRPR department is down here; they handle turning people and telling folks everything that you know is a lie, vampires and magic and werewolves oh my, and making sure that Her Majesty doesn't do anything particularly tactless without having a really good reason."

From:

manofmyword

The Joker giggles.

"You're funny," he says affectionately.

From:

luminous_regnant

"I try. And I'm trying very, very hard to make a good impression, 'cause any scenario where I don't could go very badly," says Nathan, belying his light tone.

From:

manofmyword

"Well, I like your sense of humour," he says. "That's a good start."

From:

luminous_regnant

"Good." Walk-walk-walk. "That's it for the Princess's department. R&D is this way. They work on figuring out witch powers and reverse-engineering those yummy synthetics the Princess brings home from Milliways and so on -"

A head peeps out of the door to the department. She looks like the vampire equivalent of somebody's housewife, wearing a PETA t-shirt and floral skirt. She glances between Nathan and the Joker. "Huh," she says to Nathan. "Didn't know you swung that way."

"Neither did I," shrugs Nathan, "but so little swinging's been going on, how would I know, I've been nearly as uninterested as you till now, maybe you'll get a surprise one day too. I like whatever he is. Babe, this is Addy, Imperial Factotum."

"I don't think I like anybody in gooey matey ways," says Addy, unconcerned.

From:

manofmyword

"Hi!" says the Joker, and he waves.

From:

luminous_regnant

Addy responds by booping his nose.

"Aw, pfft," says Addy. "Nothing."

"She was checking to see if you had any magic she could copy," Nathan explains to the Joker.

From:

manofmyword

"Sorry, hon," he says unapologetically.

From:

luminous_regnant

"Well, see if you can't cook up something tasty when you turn," Addy says.

"He doesn't want to," says Nathan quietly.

"Well," says Addy, "then when he leaves you all alone see if you can go Marcus's route instead of Jasper's or just offing yourself, all right, and then you can sit in a room in the basement and I can visit you on Tuesdays with cups of blood and we can still use the timer?"

"I'll see what I can do," says Nathan cheerlessly.

From:

manofmyword

"Aww, sweetie," says the Joker, ignoring Addy and cuddling Nathan.

From:

luminous_regnant

Nathan avoids squeezing - he hasn't handled humans much; it'd be dangerous - but he is obviously appreciative. He starts down the hall again. "R&D doesn't give tours without notice. They deal with all sorts of chemicals, anyway; you could get hurt. Down this way is the liason offices for human governments so we can get up to shenanigans and not have to deal with Interpol or anyone trying to involve themselves."

From:

manofmyword

He giggles softly.

From:

luminous_regnant

"We could look around in there but it's just offices and people on the phone with the prime minister of this and the president of that," says Nathan. "And except for the wolf village, which I'd rather skip because wolves do not smell so great, that's the Capitol." They're currently standing in a covered corridor, between R&D's building and the liason offices, looking out through glass at a beach. "D'you want to go outside? It's allowed, here, they keep humans well away from this beach so no one sees the dead giveaway of vampire-in-the-sun."

From:

manofmyword

"Ooh, let's," he says, grinning.

From:

luminous_regnant

There's a door out in the wall of the corridor. Nathan shoulders it open without putting the Joker down; he doesn't seem to have any intention of doing that anytime soon.

When he steps into the sun, it looks like he's dusted with diamond powder.

From:

manofmyword

"Look at you," he says delightedly, and kisses Nathan's cheek.

From:

luminous_regnant

Nathan grins brilliantly. "Occupational hazard. This capitol's called Safesun because we can go out without getting a dozen cell pictures taken and posted on the internet."

From:

manofmyword

"You're all sparkly," he says. "Now I wanna make you pretty clothes."

From:

luminous_regnant

"You sew?" prompts Nathan, intrigued. "I've never thought much about my outfits. My closets in all the capitals are stocked with stuff like this."

From:

manofmyword

"I sew!" the Joker agrees. "I made this shirt."

It's a pretty nice shirt.

From:

luminous_regnant

One of Nathan's hands is already on the shirt, on the Joker's upper arm. He slides a finger across the fabric (carefully, carefully). "Nice," he says. "And colorful."

From:

manofmyword

"Mmhm," he says proudly.

From:

her_imperial_radiance

Nathan starts strolling idly down the beach when both he and the Joker get a message from Elspeth:

Found it. And I sent Jake in first and he spotted Stella. It's in the conference room in the liason offices.

"Ready to go negotiate your release with Her Stellar Majesty, babe?" murmurs Nathan.