Milliways Again

[her_imperial_radiance]

It lurks. Oh how it lurks.

Comments

[prima_sequentem]

Libby also decides that nothing terrible will happen if she sits beside Orfeo. So she does.

[her_imperial_radiance]

He goes right on grinning.

[self_composed]

Bella runs out of things to look at in the kitchen. She sidles back in. "So what's the deal?" she asks.

[prima_sequentem]

"If we can manage it, Orfeo is going to move worlds," says Libby. "I intend to manage it. Would you be willing to spare a star to see if it'll fix the unpleasantness of being a wolf with no pack? I'll start in smaller denominations, obviously, but I'm not sure a hex would be enough."

[self_composed]

"As a one-time thing, sure. I suppose if we have a mass immigration the problem will solve itself," Bella says. "Does this not seem sketchy to you? I mean, I realize it potentially cannot be helped, but it seems sketchy to me."

[prima_sequentem]

"Sketchy in what sense?"

[self_composed]

"A dude has just not-particularly-voluntarily had his motivation structure hacked and now whatever he was going to do next week is on hold so he can follow you home?" Bella says. "And your request was something other than 'Bella, can you see if a star can undo that'?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I don't want you do undo it," exclaims Orfeo. "I mean, unless Libby wants you to, but she doesn't seem to."

[prima_sequentem]

"Observe my reasons," she says, gesturing to Orfeo. "Not-very-voluntarily hacking his motivation structure again in the other direction isn't going to reduce the amount of sketchiness going on here. And imprinting is immune to magic in this universe, so even if we could reverse it with a star, I don't know that it wouldn't have long-term negative effects. Which I don't want."

[self_composed]

"Which is why I didn't say 'no, bring him into my universe and I'm hacking at the imprint itself, because ew'," Bella says, "but you seem awfully comfortable with this."

[prima_sequentem]

"Yep," says Libby.

[self_composed]

"Why?"

[prima_sequentem]

"I don't really know," she says. "It just doesn't seem to me that I have a really good reason not to be comfortable."

[self_composed]

"I suppose it wouldn't make any practical difference."

[prima_sequentem]

"Also," she says, smiling at Orfeo, "it's hard to be uncomfortable about things when I'm having a continual case of the warm fuzzies."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"I'm glad I can help," Orfeo says.

[prima_sequentem]

"I know."

[self_composed]

Well.

Bella decides it is time to go make carrot-cake pancakes.

[prima_sequentem]

Bella is so kind!

"What else should we talk about?" wonders Libby. "I want to get to know you."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Dunno. What's your world like? It's got a Her Majesty in it so it can't be too wildly different, but obviously not exactly the same."

[prima_sequentem]

"Well, for starters, it's 2005," she says. "And there are no vampires or werewolves; I'd know if there were. There's mints, who make wishcoins, and ingots, who are roughly equivalent to your witches."

[her_imperial_radiance]

"Funny names," Orfeo remarks. "And 2005, wow. I wasn't born then. This might be legally complicated if I can't just bring my actual documentation and claim that they must have lost everything on their end, even without hidden laws making everything easier for supernaturals."

[prima_sequentem]

"Oh, leave that to me," she says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "Documentation is easy. When's your birthday? How old are you?"

[her_imperial_radiance]

"January 3, 2010. I'm twenty," he says easily. "I'm going to pass for 25 until and unless I quit, though."

[prima_sequentem]

"So with a little math: January 3, 1985. And I don't plan on aging much past thirty, but by the time that starts getting really obvious, people are going to be used to immortal Martians. In the meantime, we can fake you some reasonably accurate documents."