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]

"Several times. If you didn't I'd be shit out of luck. Collective you."

[yourheartstrings]

She kisses him fondly on the cheek and says, "Hit me again, this is getting fun."

[lifes_sake]

He hits her again. So to speak.

[yourheartstrings]

Mmmmmm.

Eventually, though, she too needs a break. Definitely the fun kind.

[lifes_sake]

Who's next?

[truthwright]

"Our turn!" says Petaal.

[lifes_sake]

"Right, do I need to do anything special what with you being a pair?" Cam inquires.

[truthwright]

"Nope," says Kas. "We've got the same mindscape and everything."

[lifes_sake]

"Cool. Off we go, then."

Off they go!

[truthwright]

Kas and Petaal are in the habit of cuddling while they enchannel.

[lifes_sake]

No skin off Cam's nose.

Petaal's aura suggests that he could touch her if he wanted. He hasn't made up his mind about whether to try it, but he is sort of curious what it's like, since it's supposed to be like something.

[truthwright]

Petaal has been taking angel form lately. Her wings look, as Queenie claimed, soft and fluffy.

[lifes_sake]

Between spells, Cam reaches in the direction of a wing, and pauses an inch short; he's not sure if he should trust aura-welcome alone. "Mm?"

[truthwright]

Petaal grins and stretches out her wing and folds it lightly around him.

"Aren't I cuddly?" she says happily.

[lifes_sake]

"Ooh. Quite."

[truthwright]

She wraps him in her wings.

[lifes_sake]

"Feels like - I dunno. Feels like something, anyway, on top of the feathers I mean." Snuggles.

[truthwright]

"Guess you haven't gotten around to reading your sweetie's mind, huh?" says Petaal.

[lifes_sake]

"No? I mean, we haven't even discussed it. I gather it's a thing, but the book said you and Amariah don't."

[truthwright]

"Not usually," says Kas. "But that's what it feels like, apparently - touching somebody's daemon feels like reading their mind."

"Being touched feels - different from that," Petaal adds.

[lifes_sake]

"What's it like on that end? I don't exactly like people to scoop up my Grace, but it doesn't feel like anything if somebody does." Luke has made this mistake. (Once.)

[truthwright]

"It's the best thing in the world when it's somebody we love," says Petaal, "and when it's somebody we just kinda like it's still pretty fucking good."

[lifes_sake]

"Path has a definite back off aura," Cam says.

[truthwright]

"Have you noticed how all our alts are huge sluts?" says Kas. "I think this is kinda the same deal. Most people, anybody touching their daemon who isn't their favourite person in the entire world is like... getting their soul fucked."

"But we just have a lot of favourite people," says Petaal.

[lifes_sake]

"Fair enough," Cam says. "Except I don't think that's what the word favorite usually means."