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Shell Bell is dancing on literal air when they leave Milliways.
Stella is an even more fortuitous find than Amariah was, and Amariah was amazing. Stella has given her everything she needs. Stella is a Space Empress and Shell Bell is going to follow right after her, probably with slightly less Space.
The fact that Shell Bell has to torture her girlfriend to accomplish anything in this department is a mood dampener, but she went and had a look at the memories of those "tastes" Stella provided and - well. They're bordered pale, even the big one. She's spooked about looking any closer; she managed to neglect to ask Stella before she went back to her Empire if looking at pain-related thoughts hurts. She looked at the square-sized memory and it was... too close to call. Stella might not even know the answer - mental opacity could easily interact somehow with mindreading. Stella might be protected against painful reading where Shell Bell, with only a wished-for imitation, might not.
But Sherlock seems content, and so -
"We're gonna take over the wo-orld, we're gonna take over the world, we're gonna take over the wooooorld," Bell sings, dancing into the house from the bar. (She can dance now. She is not in the least danger of tripping, wouldn't be even if her feet were touching the ground, and if she does anyway, she will float.)
she_sells_seashells
she_sells_seashells
Hugs are entirely welcome! Sherlock can join her in her air-dancing. "We," she says, very seriously, "are going to take over the world."
sicaria
Still giggling, she kisses Bell's cheek.
"We most certainly are. It will be delightful. I love you."
"We most certainly are. It will be delightful. I love you."
she_sells_seashells
"I love you too!" Bell grins. She's got a chain of starter coins making jangling noises audible only to her around her waist; she's got an array of glorious superpowers; and now she has to decide how to take over the world. "Hmmm. Went from having not enough resources to form a proper plan to having so many that I can play this any way I want. Not all that much easier, I gotta say."
she_sells_seashells
"Finding Atlantis if it exists is definitely on the to-do list," Bell agrees. "There could easily be some functional government across the ocean better equipped to absorb Panem's population than anything we make de novo will be. Then again, Atlantis could exist and turn out to be just as bad. I'd like a plan for handling Panem if there is no Atlantis, and then if there is a bad Atlantis, we won't be caught giving ourselves away in one without any strategy we can adapt for a bad Atlantis too."
sicaria
"We could install your counterpart's anti-violence measures directly over the planet," she says. "Or better ones. And then start solving problems and deal with resistance as it occurs. Whatever we do, it would be best to do it fast, while the Capitol is still headless."
she_sells_seashells
"We could," Bell says. "I don't think the ones she has for Mars will work exactly as she 'worded' the wishes. It's designed to coexist with some others of the 'ground rules'. She has enough of them buzzing around to render a police force completely unnecessary in the first place, and I'm not sure how the Peacekeepers will take being rendered unnecessary. Speaking of Peacekeepers," she says, looking up suddenly, "I don't think I have any excuse not to tell my parents that I'm alive after all. I can teleport in when they'll both be home and have a brief conversation and make sure they're safe and fed and then teleport back."
she_sells_seashells
"I'd ask you to come, but I think I'll be enough of a shock all by myself," says Bell ruefully. [But I can keep up two conversations at once now!] she adds, giving Sherlock a kiss.
She consults the time. It is in fact right between salmon expeditions; under normal circumstances both of her parents will be home unless Shark has chosen this occasion to poach fish.
(Invisibility first. In case they have guests. And port.)
She consults the time. It is in fact right between salmon expeditions; under normal circumstances both of her parents will be home unless Shark has chosen this occasion to poach fish.
(Invisibility first. In case they have guests. And port.)
she_sells_seashells
[Yup. They're home,] Bell reports.
They don't faint. They do insist on hugging her. Ranae cries. Shark rants. (Just like Amariah predicted.) They hug her a lot.
[They were so sad,] she reports guiltily to Sherlock.
They don't faint. They do insist on hugging her. Ranae cries. Shark rants. (Just like Amariah predicted.) They hug her a lot.
[They were so sad,] she reports guiltily to Sherlock.
she_sells_seashells
[I feel really bad about it. But there wasn't a better option at the time.]
After they calm down about her being alive, they want an explanation of the teleportation thing. Bell explains it as gently as she can.
After they calm down about her being alive, they want an explanation of the teleportation thing. Bell explains it as gently as she can.
she_sells_seashells
[I believe I will like that.]
Bell tells them that she found an Atlantis, "not on this planet, but farther away" and that the queen of Atlantis gave her special powers. This is all sort of true if you interpret the District Four definition of "Atlantis" and the commonsense definition of "farther away" very liberally.
At length, Bell determines that her parents have begun to repeat themselves, and says that she's going to be on her way, but she'll visit again soon.
She hugs them both, and then she teleports home - back to the Starks', anyway - and hugs Sherlock too.
Bell tells them that she found an Atlantis, "not on this planet, but farther away" and that the queen of Atlantis gave her special powers. This is all sort of true if you interpret the District Four definition of "Atlantis" and the commonsense definition of "farther away" very liberally.
At length, Bell determines that her parents have begun to repeat themselves, and says that she's going to be on her way, but she'll visit again soon.
She hugs them both, and then she teleports home - back to the Starks', anyway - and hugs Sherlock too.
she_sells_seashells
"Okay," says Shell Bell, after there have been a satisfying number of hugs for the time being. "I think what I want is an accurate globe of the earth with - population indicators and marked capital cities and so on. That's a magical object, so - pentagon, I suppose. ...I have a fair few for now but let me know if and when you feel like making more?"
she_sells_seashells
"Okay." Shell Bell is not fully comfortable with that yet, but Stella and - Stella guesses - Amariah have manged it, and so can she. Eventually. With lots of mindreading and reassuring cuddles.
She wishes on a pentagon, and she has a globe of the Earth, about four times the size of her head, complete with tides going in and out in real time on the coasts of sunken continents. Panem is all labeled correctly, Capitol and Districts One through -
"Thirteen," murmurs Bell.
She wishes on a pentagon, and she has a globe of the Earth, about four times the size of her head, complete with tides going in and out in real time on the coasts of sunken continents. Panem is all labeled correctly, Capitol and Districts One through -
"Thirteen," murmurs Bell.
she_sells_seashells
It has a population marker on it. A few thousand people live in Thirteen. Fewer than any other District, but that there is a populated area.
"Very interesting. I thought it'd been destroyed. I wonder what happened instead."
She spins the globe.
There is no Atlantis.
"Very interesting. I thought it'd been destroyed. I wonder what happened instead."
She spins the globe.
There is no Atlantis.
she_sells_seashells
"I think that would be prudent of us. Do you suppose Tony will want to come?"