in which the narration is suggestive, yet vague

[subtly_artistic]

Neckrubs become a more regular part of Bella's life. And she does not tell him to stop until she is good and done. There is hugging. There is snuggling. There is kissing. There are some impressively sappy looks from his end, some fascinated mindreading from hers. The semester wraps up, Bella goes home for a week, and she comes back (now signed up for Utility Psionics 2, Intro to Mental Healing, Arcane Defense, Intro Cognition, and her survival credit, a lecture entitled "Wilderness Triage" (subtitled: Quick And Dirty Mechanisms For Identifying The Lesser Of Several Evils).

She missed Celo! She seeks him out at once. Hugs.

Comments

[subtly_artistic]

I am! And you are too. So much awesome.

[pythbox]

He giggles softly.

[subtly_artistic]

Bella is tired. And they have been here for a while.

Can I stay the night and not have to get up, or do you need to go do something nourishing? She's currently flopped onto him and would have to move if he needed to go do something nourishing.

[pythbox]

Nah, I'm good for tonight, he says, kissing her cheek.

[subtly_artistic]

Good. I'm comfy.

[pythbox]

Love you, he says contentedly. G'night.

[subtly_artistic]

Sleeps are slept.

In the morning, Bella tucks herself into yesterday's clothes to slip across the hall to her own room and prepare for the day.

Instead, she finds Milliways.

Hey, [name], wake up, I found the bar.

[pythbox]

Oh, cool! he says, waking up immediately. Are they on sexy holiday again?

[subtly_artistic]

Nnnnno, looks like everyone has pants on.

[pythbox]

Celo giggles.

Man, fuck pants.

[subtly_artistic]

Well, I can go in without you, if you'd rather.

[pythbox]

Yeah, go for it. You can always open the door again if you meet anybody interesting, right?

[subtly_artistic]

Yeah, but what if they don't want to come visit? They can't count on finding the door again on a schedule that suits them.

[pythbox]

He shrugs.

And you want me to do what about this? Wear pants? I don't even have pants! Get arrested in an interplanar bar? No thanks.

[subtly_artistic]

You don't have to do anything about it, I'm just mulling over the fact that this means you won't get to meet anyone cool I find who doesn't want to visit our plane, and I'm trying to think of a fix.

[pythbox]

He grins and gets out of his pillow nest to give her a hug.

"I love you," he says. "Go meet cool people."

[subtly_artistic]

"All right." Hugs. Kiss goodbye. In she goes.

It's breakfast-time. She goes up to the bar; she did this a couple times when she was hanging out with Etty, too, to hand them food, and the bar takes the meal plan (however that works; she tries not to dwell on it) so she can get some breakfast.

Breakfast comes with a key, and a napkin with a room number on it.

That's curious.

Bella picks up her breakfast burrito and heads up the stairs, eating it one-handed, looking for the room.

The room exists, empty, decorated with landscapes and neat rugs, and there's a sign; it directs her to go check out the new Belltower, in the backyard.

Bella walks slowly, suspiciously, back down the stairs, out the back door, and to the tower. That tower wasn't there before.

But it's there now.

[mind_game]

"Hi, new Bell! Read the book! I'll tell everyone you've found your way here."

[pythbox]

[Ooh, new Bell,] says Jellybean, conferenced to Jane and Tilly and Cam. [I wanna go meet her, how about you?]

[lifes_sake]

[I'm in - relay to the whole peal, please, Jane - we should probably send a small welcoming committee instead of descending on her in droves now that we number more than a dozen, huh? Dibs, though.]

[dark_light]

[I'll take a spot too - what's a good welcoming committee size? Three, four?]

[withmypowers]

[I'm not in,] says Tilly, to Cam and Jellybean. [You guys have fun.]

[autokinetic]

[I'll come though.]

[lifes_sake]

[Me, Jellybean, Amariah, Aegis - has new Bell got a Joker?]

[mind_game]

"Hey new Bell," Jane says, interrupting Bella's read of the Bellbook. "Have you by any chance got a boyfriend who looks like so?" And a series of images of Jokers appears.