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Time has passed.
Inconsistently.
Jane's network has kept all the Bells' worlds - and every other world with a Janepoint stuck in due to its being attached to Downside - in temporal sync, but when Jane spluttered for just a moment, that was shot to hell.
Peace lost three seconds, because it was where Aegis torched; after that process was complete, Jane was there again. And as soon as a door between Peace and Milliways appeared, she could sync to her ansible hub in the Belltower and, from there, to everywhere else.
Atlantis and Sunshine each stand at about a minute apiece: Shell Bell's aura and Juliet's local copy of Jarvis both enabled them to get to Milliways immediately, pausing their homeworlds as standard for occasions when someone walks into the bar. Shell Bell's the one who connected Peace.
Everyone else was running on luck.
Luckiest is Rainbow, which lost only five hours.
Next is Alethia; in spite of Sherlock's mishap, it's fared reasonably well, spending only six weeks isolated.
Syntropy's just a little worse - seven weeks.
Origin waited two months.
Eos waited three.
Thilanushinyel, ten.
Everyone else is out a decade at least. Samaria's ten years, almost ten and a half.
Aurum is out eleven.
Rêverie has been separated for sixteen years.
All the Bells - and Elspeth, who was stuck in Downside for a day and a half on her end and whose mother was very upset - are collected in the Belltower, as are two Bell-attached Sherlocks who happened to be along for the ride. They all memorize this list of numbers. Aegis replaces her earpiece. And then they all go home to notify their loved ones and staff that there's a party cooking in the Belltower.
(Shell Bell, who has no particular cause on her own account to be distressed, sends her Sherlock to invite Tony in while she refits the Belltower to suit a party of a peal of Bells and their larger-than-last-encountered families and circles of friends.)
mind_game
campanas
Two very similar seven-year-olds spot each other from across the Belltower.
They approach each other slowly, mirrored, frowning.
They get close enough to touch noses.
And then each one throws back her head and shouts:
"DAAAAAAAAARS!"
"DOMINIIIIQUE!"
They approach each other slowly, mirrored, frowning.
They get close enough to touch noses.
And then each one throws back her head and shouts:
"DAAAAAAAAARS!"
"DOMINIIIIQUE!"
carillons
The named parties come straight to their sisters' rescue!
...
Damaris is not sure what to think of this situation!
...
Damaris is not sure what to think of this situation!
campanas
"I knew there would be more of Maman and Papa!" exclaims Céleste. "I did not know there would be more of me!"
"I'm Dominique," sighs Dominique.
"No, cherie," says Dominique, smiling at her sister. "I'm just - surprised."
campanas
Keziah and Céleste peer at each other's sisters.
It's Céleste who figures it out. There are portraits of Dominique (and the rest of the family) at all ages, around the castle. "Are you each other too?"
"But they're not the same age! We are!" says Keziah, fluttering her wings. "Right? I'm seven."
"I'm seven. Hmmm," says Céleste, puzzling over this puzzle.
It's Céleste who figures it out. There are portraits of Dominique (and the rest of the family) at all ages, around the castle. "Are you each other too?"
"But they're not the same age! We are!" says Keziah, fluttering her wings. "Right? I'm seven."
"I'm seven. Hmmm," says Céleste, puzzling over this puzzle.
"There's no special magic telling our parents when to have children," says Dominique. "So maybe they just didn't do it at exactly the same time."
campanas
"I didn't say my name!" realizes Céleste. "I'm Céleste."
"I was going to call you Mortal Keziah," giggles Keziah.
"I'm gonna live forever," says Céleste. "Because Maman is Madame L'Enchanteresse!"
"Yes, but you aren't an angel," says Keziah, showing off her not-very-impressive-yet wingspan that has only sufficed for flight for the last year and a half.
"I was going to call you Mortal Keziah," giggles Keziah.
"I'm gonna live forever," says Céleste. "Because Maman is Madame L'Enchanteresse!"
"Yes, but you aren't an angel," says Keziah, showing off her not-very-impressive-yet wingspan that has only sufficed for flight for the last year and a half.
"And yet," says Dominique, "no one is suggesting we call you Fluffy Céleste."
campanas
"I'm an angel," says Keziah. "Mommy said none of the other hers were angels. I guess none of the other hers' kids would be either."
"Can you fly?" asks Céleste.
"Yes!"
"I have a pet griffin. Do you have a pet griffin?"
"No!" exclaims Keziah. "Whoa!"
"Can you fly?" asks Céleste.
"Yes!"
"I have a pet griffin. Do you have a pet griffin?"
"No!" exclaims Keziah. "Whoa!"
"It is a very sweet pet griffin," says Dominique.
campanas
"His name is Rainier! He can do tricks. I didn't bring him," Céleste says.
"Aww," says Keziah.
"Aww," says Keziah.
campanas
Céleste has a string of triangles and squares in her parents' colors around her wrist. "I could make an illusion of him! Maman said he would probably not like all the crowdedness of this party."
campanas
Céleste does! She pretends to pat illusion-Rainier on the head.
"Awww," says Keziah. "Mommy probably won't let me have one, will she?"
"Awww," says Keziah. "Mommy probably won't let me have one, will she?"
carillons
Damaris claps her hands.
"No," she says regretfully, "I don't think she will. It would be too magic."
"No," she says regretfully, "I don't think she will. It would be too magic."
carillons
"Other people don't know there's magic!" says Damaris. "So if they saw Keziah with a griffin they would be confused!"
campanas
"Everybody in our world knows there is magic," says Céleste. "Maman is Mme. L'Enchanteresse for the whole world! People ask her for things."
campanas
"She is just the right size! And she is older than you so you are a Dominique, she isn't a Damaris," says Céleste.
"Mommy's template is called Bells and Daddy's is called Jokers. Ours don't have names," frets Keziah.
"Mommy's template is called Bells and Daddy's is called Jokers. Ours don't have names," frets Keziah.