[Would he? Why?]

[Why don't you guys talk to each other,] he suggests into a conference call.

[Hi, Nathan, I'm Shell Bell, I don't think we've met. Have you been all right here? Why don't you think your liveling would want to be you?]

[Hullo, Shell Bell, I think he'd be torn to pieces over the fact that I've spent the last century comfortably enough, unmatebonded, enjoying myself with miscellaneous ladies of Downside instead of remaining loyal to his mate in spite of the fact that he'd see red if he knew I'd touched his mate.]

The Joker grins and snuggles up.

[...That seems like an obviously silly thing to think. You two could customize the merge, you know, I'm mostly Bell and not Shell. Would he mind not thinking like that anymore?]

[Not sure. I don't know if that would work, anyway, mate bonds are impervious to magic.]

[Obviously not completely,] Shell Bell points out. [You had one and now you don't. Maybe there's room around the edges to make yours - his - work more like Alice's does.]

[I'd like that,] the Joker contributes. [Seems like the least awkward way to get to love both of him.]

[Well, babe, if you ask him, he'll fold like a napkin.]

[Do you want me to pull you out, then?]

[Up to you, sweetheart,] he says, kissing Timer's cheek.

[Put some clothes on, babe. Shell Bell, you could just open the door to here even after you fused?]

[If I don't think about it, it's Atlantis, but I concentrated and I opened the door to my Downside apartment without too much trouble. You'll be able to visit friends of yours here through Milliways. And the place isn't going to be like it is, anyway, me and the other Bells are going to destroy that sadistic ruinous setup.]

The Joker grins and spends a square off Timer's chain to dress himself.

The Joker kisses his cheek and teleports them to Shell's place.

"...What happened to your scars?"

"Guess."

"...How long did I leave you here for, that you found time to die?"

"Oh, measured in hours, no very lengthy holdup, he's just efficient," says Timer. "He's not out of his grace period yet, he's skipping out on a sentence with Jasmine. Do you know if torching works out of Downside?"

"It works - and fuck Jasmine, I hope it bothers her for a thousand years that she can't find you - let's go."

"By the way," he says as he steps through the door, "mere hexes won't give me my minting back in a permanent way - did you dodge that with an evil? Could you gimme a hand? I can make the coin."

"I did my merge with an evil. I haven't torched since, but I did mean to keep all of my magic as it was, and the coin went. If you give me a star to try, and an evil if that doesn't work, I can do it for you. Although maybe I should consult with Golden first, as long as we're going to your world."