her_imperial_radiance | friendly door

Elspeth gets a door.

It's been so long she reels for a moment, and then she throws herself forward and almost lands in a peal of Bells. Yes, there's Shell Bell, there's Juliet and Aurora, there's Glass, there's some Matilda she hasn't seen before.

"Elspeth!" exclaims Glass.

"How long has it been?" Aurora asks.

"Seventeen years. Shell Bell - I need you to help me find Harley," says Elspeth.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

incanted

"Act like it," advises Aurora after a glance at Adularia.

From:

her_imperial_radiance

Elspeth nods, and sends summary at human-tolerable speed.

It's still fast, and still nests within itself with fractal context for instant comprehension. (Addy was so pleased when she learned to do that.)

Harley (her fosterling, a Joker) went missing (like Sue, not controlled, like Glass said) (Elspeth tried and the attractor got him anyway) to another world (no name, has a Libby and a Chelsea (she's a monster, she does this thing)) and it's an empire (dead babies; mind control) run by the first with the aid of the second; Harley dreamed his way to Milliways (Jokers do that, when trapped...) and someone let him out their door and it was Aurum after all (and then she deprogrammed him (with her witchcraft; it is like this -) but she can only do it halfway (she can disillusion but not restore) and it was harder than Chelsea's work ever was to undo) (and his wolf woke (wolves are this thing)) and they did not realize he hadn't only teleported again, that he was dreaming, that he might wake, until he vanished (and Zeus screamed) - and it has been months since in Aurum and who knows how long in the other world.

And she wants him back and home and safe and to tear out everything Chelsa has put into his head and to ask Glass if that was enough, if the template has taken all the toll it needs to be satisfied.

Golden will shield them. Lizzie will talk to Aelise. Elspeth will get her fosterling back again.

Edited Date: 2013-07-06 02:14 am (UTC)

From:

withmypowers

Matilda blinks.

"Excuse me," she says, "but do you think you could copy that to Adularia?" She taps the rectangular moonstone pendant hanging around her neck, which shimmers.

From:

her_imperial_radiance

"Does she also need it that slowly?" asks Elspeth.

From:

withmypowers

"I think that would be safest for now, pending a controlled test," says Matilda.

From:

her_imperial_radiance

Elspeth nods, and starts sending, again.

She waves impatiently at Shell Bell.

From:

she_sells_seashells

Shell Bell moves for the door. She flares. She concentrates, hard.

From:

withmypowers

Adularia shimmers, then expands into a large, closed book with a sky-blue cover, which Agent Honey hugs against her stomach. If Aurora has her threat sensor out, it may note that Matilda is now prepared to get into some serious shit.

From:

incanted

Aurora does have her threat sensor out. All the Bells have their auras out; hers and Shell Bell's unflavored and Glass's just barely sylvan, Juliet dripping flames and hazard, Golden every inch a vampire half stillness half speed.

Edited Date: 2013-07-06 02:27 am (UTC)

From:

she_sells_seashells

Shell Bell opens the door.

From:

salus_populi

They emerge in Aelise's office.

She raises her eyebrows, taps something on the screen in front of her, and says, "Tell Tab her alts are here."

From:

queensidecastle

"Will do," says Kers's voice out of the computer.

From:

her_imperial_radiance

"Aurora, how are we?" asks Elspeth softly.

Edited Date: 2013-07-06 02:33 am (UTC)

From:

incanted

"...Covered. Not an overwhelming safety margin, but covered, and she's not hostile."

From:

thaumobabble

Glass is looking at the world. "I do not like this world," she concludes. "It's not as - the thing Sunshine is as Sunshine, but it's not nice."

From:

cross_and_bow

"Let's hear about Tab," invites Juliet, in tones that do not match her general hellgoddessy-ness.

Edited Date: 2013-07-06 02:37 am (UTC)

From:

her_imperial_radiance

Elspeth, meanwhile, acts on Aurora's information and kills a hex to yoink Harley into her arms.

From:

pythbox

Whatever Aelise was about to say is interrupted by the air catching on fire everywhere it touches the incandescent figure in Elspeth's arms.

From:

cross_and_bow

Juliet's aura slurps up the fire; she's very bright, for a moment, but then it calms down in among the usual harmless licks of flame that dance on her person. Nothing catches; it is merely warm while her aura performs.

From:

her_imperial_radiance

Harley. It's me. With Bells. And she works her witchcraft on the vestiges of what Chelsa did to him.

From:

salus_populi

Aelise looks at Harley (who has by now finished torching and is back to an ordinary temperature) with startlement, then relief. Then she shakes her head and looks at Juliet.

"Tab. Mehitabel Marika Coscoroba. I met her eleven years ago, when she was six. And if I'm going to say anything more about her, I'm going to want some assurance that you're not quite as hostile as you look." She glances at Lizzie when she says this.