"Ah, that's the thing with doorstops that get up and walk around," says Timer. "Mmm, not time to leave just yet - even now you're here. Five minutes. Time to get dressed, though. You can't wish up a door?"

"It's probably above my pay grade," he says. "But I guess I could try it, if we run out of other options."

"Getting dressed is boring," announces Eights. "Hey you, Joker, got a spare hug for me?"

"Aww," says Nathan. "Hey, babe, I've wondered - how did I die? Kind of hard to sneak up on a vampire with, you know, death, they can burn or starve if I remember right and neither thing's instant."

"Batsy got her hands on some hexes," he says. "Thought you were gonna eat her, so she wished you to death."

"I wasn't gonna eat her," says Timer scornfully. "...I was gonna yell at her, though, I hated her guts. All a bit far away now."

"I know you weren't, sweetie."

Timer finishes buttoning up his shirt. It is not time to leave yet, so he sits down on Eights's bed. "If I come back to Aurum or Sixty or whatever with you I do not imagine Vampire Nathan is going to like me much," he points out. "Similar reason."

"Babe," says Timer, "does anything about how mate bonds work make sense? As far as Nathan's concerned - you can call me Timer, your sort of name is pretty popular around here - I'm not just competition, I'm competition who 'cheated on you'." He makes air quotes, he gestures at Eights.

Timer's memories of being alive are not perfect, especially with name collisions. "Alice - are we thinking of the same Alice?"

"Mm, no, the other one. One of me," he explains. "He's a vampire and he's with Goldie's alt Stella but they are nnnot monogamous. Ringing any bells?"

These people's social life is fascinating. Eights could listen to it all day.

"Oh, one of you. Why would one of you follow any of the rules?" snorts Timer. "Stella hasn't turned, has she? Because that'd start screwing with them. Aurum's Bella and monogamy are like this." He twists his first two fingers together.

"Nah, don't think she's planning to." He grins. "It's a one-vampire relationship."

"There you go, then, Nathan probably wouldn't like it if you fucked around - though come to think of it if you did it during the parts of the relationship I remember, it has slipped my mind - but Stella's got no reason to care if Alice does, whether that makes sense for his species or not."

"Haven't done it yet," he shrugs. "But Alice doesn't mind if Stella fucks around, either. Not that she has."

"Mmm, he might think that but I'd take even odds on him getting a surprise if she ever goes for it," shrugs Timer. "I could be wrong, though, maybe you lot are just that - that."

"We really, really are."

"Good for you. My timer throws me in a pretty girl's path now and again, here, and I'm no monk, but I'm not far out enough for my vampire self to be comfy with such things."

"So much for me and my dreams," the Joker says playfully.

"Hm?"