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

[lexicality]

"Oh my god, just eat it, it's just ice cream," says Lexi. "It's not like God made it."

[cardistry]

"Ice cream is the best," Brilliance sighs, and he spoons up another spoonful.

[incanted]

"Be nice, Lexi, he ate food for the first time ever just a few hours ago," Bella says.

[lexicality]

"Why does it matter, he's your - thingy."

[incanted]

"My device, and you're my sister but that doesn't mean it's okay for random people to be mean to you, just because it would be more relevant if it was me being mean to you."

[cardistry]

He gives Bella a warm smile made only somewhat ridiculous by the spoon sticking out of it.

[lexicality]

"Well, your device decided to move into our house and eat our ice cream," says Lexi. "It's weird, why doesn't he be a pack of cards?"

[incanted]

"Sometimes he's a pack of cards and sometimes he's human-shaped, we can buy more ice cream, come on."

[lexicality]

"It's not like we're rich."

[incanted]

"If that becomes a problem I will find some way to cheat outrageously at some job with magic and earn plenty of money so I can feed the guy who is teaching me magic, okay? You don't have to worry about it, you just have to be civil."

[cardistry]

...The emotional tone of this conversation is making Brilliance's ice cream less enjoyable.

He puts the spoon back in the bowl.

[lexicality]

"Fine, do whatever, your device," mutters Lexi, "I got possessed for you, by your device, now I have to make nice to it, sure, Bella's the smart one." She scoops up her ice cream bowl and tromps upstairs with it.

[incanted]

Bella puts her spoon in her bowl and sighs and cradles her head in her hands.

[cardistry]

Brilliance reaches over and tentatively pets her head.

[incanted]

Bella sighs again.

Charlie is looking quizzically at Brilliance and eating his soup.

[cardistry]

Brilliance isn't really paying attention to Charlie.

Pet pet?

[incanted]

Bella picks up her head again and takes another spoon of ice cream.

"Did you possess my daughter?" Charlie asks Brilliance.

[cardistry]

"We kind of both got possessed by the same thing," he says, giving Bella one last petpet and then going back to his own ice cream. "It's dead now, I got Bella to help me kill it."

[incanted]

"...You've been killing things?" Charlie asks Bella.

"I killed a magical program gone rogue that was possessing Lexi and trying to destroy the world, it's not like the neighbors' cats have gone missing," Bella says.

"...Okay then." Charlie finishes his soup and wanders away.

[cardistry]

"You okay?" he says to Bella.

[incanted]

"Frustrated. I know Lexi's freaked out, but she's usually not catty to people."

[cardistry]

"It's no fun getting possessed."

[incanted]

"Yeah, and she was trying to do something nice for me, and now I've been kind of ignoring her to talk to you."

[cardistry]

He shrugs, and goes back to his ice cream.

[incanted]

Bella finishes hers. "Lexi cooked, so it's my turn to do the dishes. Unless there's a spell for it," she adds.