festive rainbow mirror summoning!

[incanted]

There are now one dozen Bells.

They and most of their friends are all here on Planet Rainbowsand II, to celebrate the addition of Sarion, the elf one, and Aurora, the one with a sister.

Comments

[small_magics]

Sarion has been pretty much standing around, people-watching, letting her memory-crutch bubble up old thoughts to stand in for her diminished ability to generate new ones. Some of the thoughts are new, though, just because so many of the people are so unlike what she could have expected. It's a novel sensation, frightening but pleasant, like diving from a high cliff into a pool on a hot day.

Every few minutes a Bell comes to check on her, make sure she doesn't need anything, that she's still responsive to conversational stimuli. She is not improving instantly, but she is better, and she is glad to have her alts, and she is finding this party nicely stimulating.

[gunpowdergelatine]

A-Joker-who-you-can-call-Queenie wanders by, nametag pinned to the front of her little black dress. She looks like the cuddliest person imaginable, not through any obvious physical quality but as an effect of her aura.

She spots Sarion.

She changes course immediately, approaches, and hugs her.

[small_magics]

"I See you," says Sarion. "And am hugged by you, as well."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Yep," says Queenie, releasing her from the snuggliest of hugs. "Hi! I saw you before, I'm glad you're feeling better now."

[small_magics]

"I am much improved," Sarion agrees.

[gunpowdergelatine]

"I can tell!"

[small_magics]

"I hope my beloved is also recovering from the mishaps before a solution was found."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Your sweeties are fine," Queenie assures her. "I was snuggling the little one a minute ago."

[small_magics]

"It seems that this is one of the more soothing things that could have happened to him."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"I have an aura of cuddle," beams Queenie. "It's the best. Wanna hug?"

[small_magics]

Evaluating her own wants is one of the harder things, and the memory-crutch doesn't help very much. Sarion considers this question carefully.

"Yes," she concludes.

[gunpowdergelatine]

Queenie envelops her in snuggle.

[small_magics]

Snuggle!

It's almost like falling away into unthoughts like when the demon concentrated, before, except she's lucid.

[gunpowdergelatine]

Cuddly cuddly hug!

Queenie could do this all day, really.

[small_magics]

Sarion's not going to start objecting any time soon.

"I have read your nametag, and know that you are an alt of my beloved, but I have learned little else about you."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"I'm the snuggly one," she says cheerfully. "Which is why the aura, not because of the aura. The aura does things other than cuddly. Did anybody tell you about Voice?"

[small_magics]

"I have - heard the name. In connection with Shell Bell. I do not know the story."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Sometimes Jokers have brothers," says Queenie. "They tend to turn out pretty fucked up. Voice is mine. He was a serial killer when he was alive, and when he died he took to keeping people in a box in his basement, one at a time. He got Shell Bell, and then a while later he got me."

[small_magics]

Sarion thinks about this.

Then: "This is why I am referred to as being broken 'like Shell Bell was'," she concludes.

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Probably," she agrees. "I'm not broken like Shell Bell was, but it fucked me up pretty bad. It's better if I touch people a lot, so - cuddly."

[small_magics]

"I am happy to help."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"I'm glad!"

Hug hug.

[small_magics]

"I was not kept in a box. It seems unlikely that my form of breakage is the same as Shell Bell's."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"I dunno exactly how she broke," says Queenie with a snuggly little shrug.

[small_magics]

"Perhaps we are simply the only two Bells who have broken at all, and there is more than one way to do it."