universal star visitor brilliant start!

[incanted]

Eventually Bella and Lexi go to bed - they have to coordinate this; Bella's a reasonably sound sleeper but Lexi's not, so if Bella goes to sleep first Lexi won't be able to drop off with all the random nouns and if Bella goes to sleep second Lexi will wake up when she's trying to sneak around. They get up, and they get ready for school.

+Morning, Brilliance,+ says Bella while she's brushing her teeth.

Comments

[cardistry]

+Morning!+ says Brilliance, brightly. +I went world-hunting. Found a buncha places with pretty decently similar atmosphere and gravity.+

[incanted]

+Oh, swell! Can check those out after school, practice all kinds of stuff. Hey, how'd you come by your name?+

[cardistry]

+I picked it,+ he says. +'Cause I like it.+

[incanted]

+It's a good name.+ Off they go to school. Bella doesn't really consider taking him along; they can talk from that far away.

[cardistry]

+Can't wait to get away from me, huh?+ he jokes.

[incanted]

+What, you want to hang out in my pocket all day?+

[cardistry]

+Sure, why not?+

[incanted]

+Can you catch up to the truck or should I ask Lexi to turn around?+

[cardistry]

+Good question,+ he says cheerfully. +One sec.+

A beat passes.

Brilliance drops out of thin air into Bella's lap.

[lexicality]

"Aaah! Make it not do that!" exclaims Lexi, and her control of the vehicle falters briefly.

[cardistry]

Brilliance... doesn't do anything.

[incanted]

"Lexi. Brilliance is a he," Bella says. "I realize you didn't personally get to see the human form, but still. Brilliance, kindly don't abruptly teleport in front of unwarned people." She puts him in her pocket.

[cardistry]

He shivers a little once he's there.

[incanted]

+You okay?+

[cardistry]

+Kind of no?+ he says. +I'll be fine in a while. I think.+

[incanted]

+Can I help?+

[cardistry]

Wryly, after a few seconds: +Just... remind me that 'make it not do that' is not advice you plan on taking?+

[incanted]

+I asked you not to,+ Bella points out. +If you decided that appearing at us whenever you felt like it even if we didn't want you to was your prerogative I'd have to figure something else out, but I'm definitely not leaping straight to forceful options.+

[cardistry]

+Yeah.+ He sighs. +Yeah, I know.+

[incanted]

Bella hesitates, then awkwardly pats her pocket.

[cardistry]

Awww.

Her pocket glimmers comfortably.

[incanted]

Bella is not really good at interpreting glitter-language. +You glittered,+ she says blankly.

[cardistry]

+Yeah,+ he says. +It's like - the device version of smiling, I guess.+

[incanted]

+Aww!+

[cardistry]

He laughs softly - over magephone, not out loud.