welcome to my

[manofmyword]

The deck of Jokers keeps on enchanting. It takes a few days. The ones with various sweethearts get various visits.

Slowly, everybody's aura builds up.

They're not just less powerful than the Bells'; they're different. Joker auras don't tell you they're attached to magic and power; it's not 'look at me, I'm important' or 'look at me, I'm magical' but 'look at me', the end.

Except that that is not the end at all.

Their auras track emotions, like the Bells', but far more responsively. They can be whimsical one second and terrifying the next; they can laugh while their auras cry and cry while their auras laugh. It's all in how you play it.

The initial differences are subtle. Beast's aura can make him seem more human, or more beastly, whichever form he's in. The others of variable species don't seem to do anything similar, at least not to nearly the same degree. Ghosty's is the most interesting, because she can show her aura without manifesting physically; suddenly she has a presence even when she technically doesn't.

Micaiah's aura is the first one to manifest an obviously unique feature, although 'unique' isn't quite accurate, because after a few more hours of spellcasting they all have one:

A soundtrack.

Pretty soon, they're all cuddled up in one of the guest rooms and the music is going strong. With the whole pile of them together, somebody's aura will start playing a song and the rest will either pick it up or add embellishments. It's tremendous fun.

Comments

[lifes_sake]

"I'm not claiming Grace is my equivalent of Pathalan, but nearest counterpart, sure," says Cam. "She doesn't like anyone else to handle her, even, though she knows how to show them old algebra notes and grocery lists if somebody does. She's my only exception to that definitely-against-having-my-mind-read thing."

[dark_light]

"Huh. Yeah, sounds like a step down from Path but just a step."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Interesting," muses Queenie. Her cuddle aura continues to operate.

[luminous_regnant]

"I wonder," says Golden, "whether Edward would be just as uncomfortable with you as he is with the other eight of us. I suspect he might not be. Of course he wouldn't like to come here, but perhaps sometime you'll visit Aurum. Sufficient wishcoined defenses can screen him out," she adds. "Witches aren't as automatic an override of coins as ingots are."

[lifes_sake]

"Aurum sounds worth a look at some point," says Cam agreeably.

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Aurum's fun," says Queenie. "Jokes loves it there. Careful a vampire doesn't get stuck on ya, though."

[lifes_sake]

"Because that worked out so poorly for him?" Cam chuckles. "But yeah, probably worth checking with the Imperial Seer there first."

[luminous_regnant]

"Of course. Safer all around."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Jokes and Nate turned out all right, but they could've been pretty well fucked up," says Queenie.

[luminous_regnant]

"Of course Alice can check first," Golden says. "Even the Joker wouldn't have gotten far without getting checked over if it weren't for Nathan's timer telling him to visit Elspeth right then."

[gunpowdergelatine]

"Shit happens. And they did turn out fucking adorable."

[lifes_sake]

"I have yet to see this for myself but I'll believe it on hearsay," laughs Cam.

[gunpowdergelatine]

"If Nathan shows up, I'm sure Jokes will tear himself away from your sweetheart long enough to come be gooey at him and you can see for yourself."

[autokinetic]

"This is kind of a shrimpy party," comments Aegis. "I know I don't usually bring that many people, but some of us have generally got entourages."

[self_composed]

"They are coming at a bit of a rapid clip now, and Jane seems to time-sync all the worlds she's in, so it's the same rapid clip for everyone," Stella points out. "I was surprised we got as many attendees as we did for Rose's party, and I'm not surprised that some people have Bell-party fatigue."

[she_sells_seashells]

"I would've expected the first found Matilda, at least," says Shell Bell.

[mind_game]

[She's asleep.]

[lifes_sake]

"Maybe more notice would've helped. I'm sure I'll meet everybody of import eventually, though. Matilda, how d'you suppose you and the other you are going to wind up in the nicknames department?"

[pythbox]

"If she doesn't have a Jellybean, I bet nobody dares to call her Tilly," she says. "I'll take that for non-redundancy purposes."

[lifes_sake]

"You got it, Tilly."

[she_sells_seashells]

"I met the other Matilda when we were both six," Shell Bell tells Tilly. "But then I lost track of her for years. She's got magic too, but it's not like what Jane's telling me about the kind on your world."

[pythbox]

"I want to meet her!" says Matilda. "But I can wait until she's not asleep, that seems polite."

[she_sells_seashells]

"Jane's got a node in her world, so you don't have to wait for the next party," Shell Bell says.

[bellfounding]

"So," says Pattern. "What's it like being a boy?"

[lifes_sake]

"You realize that's an almost completely impossible question," Cam says.