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

[incanted]

"Well, the aurora-ish mana is really pretty anyhow."

[cardistry]

"Yep," he says smugly.

[incanted]

"So how come your human form is - well - a human form? I wasn't exactly certain last week that we were alone in the universe, but I figured the aliens would be aliens. There's a decent fossil record on this planet indicating that humans evolved here, and convergent evolution isn't that precise, I don't think."

[cardistry]

"Not a clue," says Brilliance. "Humans seem to be it as far as intelligent biological life, but fucked if I know why."

[incanted]

"So you don't know if they're converged or secret forgotten colonists from Earth or colonists to Earth fossil record be damned or what."

[cardistry]

"Nope."

[lexicality]

"Dinner's ready!" calls Lexi.

[incanted]

"Ooh, soup." Bella gets up, heads for the table, and trips over nothing whatsoever.

[cardistry]

Brilliance has just finished assuming human form, half a step in front of her; he spins around and catches her before she can fall on him.

[incanted]

"Thanks," says Bella, regaining her footing and smiling at him.

[cardistry]

He grins back and lets go.

[incanted]

She makes it the rest of the way to the kitchen without further incident.

[lexicality]

Lexi has ladled out four portions of soup, which are sitting at each of the four places at the table. She peers quizzically at Brilliance - she hasn't seen his human form before - but doesn't say anything.

[cardistry]

Brilliance plops himself into a seat and commences eating soup.

It turns out that split pea soup with bacon is maybe even better than bananas. Also, magical devices do not have table manners.

[incanted]

"Brilliance, eat with a spoon, you'll get soup everywhere," says Bella exasperatedly. "Like so, watch." She takes a spoonful of her soup.

[lexicality]

"Needs to be housetrained," mutters Lexi under her breath.

[cardistry]

Brilliance tries the spoon. It works much better this way! He beams gratefully at Bella.

[incanted]

"There you go. Consider practicing chopsticks on an uninhabited planet instead of picking up a pair for the first time in a Chinese restaurant, though."

[cardistry]

He cracks up. But manages not to giggle soup all over the table!

[incanted]

How skillful!

[lexicality]

"I don't think we have enough ice cream for four," Lexi says when the soup is dwindling.

[cardistry]

Brilliance looks disappointed.

[incanted]

"I'll skip dessert," shrugs Charlie, "have another bowl of soup, I outgrew my sweet tooth years ago." He ladles himself some more soup.

Bella gets up and distributes the available ice cream (Cherry Garcia) between three bowls.

[cardistry]

Brilliance beams gratefully at Charlie!

[incanted]

Ice cream, om nom nom.