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

[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.

[subtly_artistic]

"...Yes. He can't come in here, though."

[mind_game]

"Oh, no worries, a welcoming committee of three of you and one of him is gonna come to you," says Jane brightly.

[subtly_artistic]

"...Awesome."

[mind_game]

"There's more of both of you than that, but they don't want to overwhelm you right away."

[subtly_artistic]

"Can they come home with me? I feel bad about Celo not being able to come here when there are apparently," she gestures at the book, "interesting people to meet."

[mind_game]

"Sure, we can skip to that," says Jane cheerfully.

[Everybody ready?]

[pythbox]

[Sure thing! I wanna meet her Joker,] says Jellybean.

[mind_game]

Yoinking, one two three four!

[autokinetic]

"Hi!" grins Aegis. "Us three are Bells like you. That's a Joker. Me and Amariah have ones of our own at home too but they're not joining us today. Why can't yours come here?"

[subtly_artistic]

"He's a nymph, he'd get busted by Security," says Bella, putting down the partially-read Bellbook. "Nymphs don't wear clothes - is that going to be okay? My door leads to his dorm room, and he's in it."

[dark_light]

Amariah glances around at the Bells chosen for this landing party. "This is probably the best-chosen set of three Bells for not caring about a Joker being naked. Maybe Rose or Sarion, but I don't know how they generalize beyond their respective ones. Lead the way. I'm Amariah, my entry's one of the first so you know about me; that's Cam, he's the boy one; that's Aegis, she's Jane's mom; that's Jellybean, he's Cam's Joker."