Milliways Again

[her_imperial_radiance]

It lurks. Oh how it lurks.

Comments

[prima_sequentem]

"The Bar is magic," says Libby, pointing. "And sentient, and female. You ask her for things and she gives them to you, within fairly reasonable constraints. There is a magical tab board that may or may not be visible at any given moment, which records how much you owe. I've never actually seen somebody get collected on, but I like to pay it off once in a while anyway."

[self_composed]

"Can she," Bella says, "answer questions, such as 'can I pay in imperial asters'?"

[prima_sequentem]

"Yes she can!"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"She gives out napkins," Elspeth says. "Sometimes they have writing on them. The writing is what she has to say. Just go up to the bar and ask."

[self_composed]

"Hello, Bar," Bella says, walking up to an empty space at the bar. "Can I buy a virgin piña colada in imperial asters?" Come to think of it she's not even sure if the bank system extends here. Can she check her balance? Yes: it's zero, because she's still just making asters exist on an as-needed basis. Can she make more? Yes, she can.

The beverage and a napkin slide up to her. The napkin reads in pretty, ladylike handwriting, Why, I don't see why not.

"Thanks," says Bella, making the Bar an account so she can pay off her tab later. That'll be fun to explain to Mary.

[prima_sequentem]

"Well, that's convenient," says Libby.

[self_composed]

"Quite," Bella agrees.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"The Golden Empire doesn't have its own currency," says Elspeth. "We just work in the currencies that already exist on Earth. It contributes that we moved into a power vacuum after removing the previous vampire rulers."

[prima_sequentem]

"Also you probably couldn't design and implement a magical currency system," says Libby. "Which is a pity, because watch."

She withdraws a *500 bill from her account and says, "Fold, please." It folds itself into a tiny, perfect origami swan.

"This is hands down my favourite anti-counterfeiting measure."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"That's adorable!" exclaims Elspeth. "Oh my word. What kind of magic do you have that you can do that? It's an anti-counterfeiting measure? Do they just all do that?"

[self_composed]

"Wish magic," Bella says. "Very comprehensive stuff. They do all do that - but different denominations make different birds. The coins just glow in assorted colors."

[prima_sequentem]

Libby deposits her swan, withdraws an ostrich, and repeats the request.

"See?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth claps her hands. "That's really sweet." She pauses. "It's more... whimsical, than my mama."

[prima_sequentem]

"I wonder why that is," muses Libby. Although she has some guesses.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"How old are you?" Elspeth asks Bella.

[self_composed]

"Eighteen. As of not terribly long ago," Bella says.

[her_imperial_radiance]

"...I'm older than you," Elspeth says. "Even just chronologically. Oh, this is strange."

[self_composed]

"Did your mom become progressively less whimsical over time?" Bella asks.

[her_imperial_radiance]

Elspeth thinks. "I don't think so - not so I'd notice," she says. "But all the memories I have of her, even the ones that don't belong to me from before I was born, have her dealing with vampires. Maybe vampires are more... serious? Than whatever you've been doing?"

[self_composed]

"Or Alice is rubbing off on me."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Aunt Alice, or someone else of the same name?" Elspeth inquires eagerly.

[prima_sequentem]

...Libby laughs.

[self_composed]

Bella blinks. "...Well, he's my boyfriend, if that answers your question. Is that also weird, that I have a boyfriend?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Not Aunt Alice," concludes Elspeth. "Of course you can have a boyfriend. You could even if a version of Dad were around, but without one it's not particularly strange to me."

[prima_sequentem]

"The correspondences between our worlds are so interesting," says Libby.