Being Bella's consort has some perks of reflected fame; by the time Ripper's solo album is done, he has plenty of fans, enough to support a significant tour through even Earthly venues.
Touring, it turns out, is fun. Exhausting and occasionally frustrating, but fun.
Well, he can teleport to take breaks in the comfort of his own home. Or Bella's own home. No endlessly beige hotels.
Breaks in Bella's own home are definitely a major plus of this teleportation business.
So, his tour goes through London (because how could it not?)
And on his second night in the city, late at night after a fantastic show, someone knocks on his hotel door as he's getting into bed and he goes and peers through the peephole—
And brainphones Bella.
[Guess who just showed up.]
[I'm going to guess the Easter Bunny. Am I right, do I get a prize?]
He opens the door.
"The fuck, Rayne?"
"Miss me?" says Rayne, stepping forward. Ripper doesn't budge. Rayne (looks briefly surprised, and then) smirks at him.
[I love you too, and why are you neglecting your better judgment?]
"Unfortunately, yes," he sighs.
"We should have a chat," says Rayne. "Catch up a little."
[There's a reason they call it better judgment and not worse judgment.]
"Well, if that's on the menu," laughs Rayne.
"When isn't it?"
"I seem to remember something about a girlfriend..."
"Yeah, she knows you're here," says Ripper.
"Good," says Rayne, and kisses him.
Ripper puts both hands on his chest and gives him a shove that sends him sprawling in the hall.
[So this two conversations at once thing,] he says, [turns out it's a little much for me even when I'm not drunk - I promise not to fuck him if he's transparently trying to make you jealous, is that enough to be going on with?]
Rayne gets up. "The hell was that for, mate?"
Ripper rolls his eyes. "Oh, come in here already before somebody calls the press."
Bella leaves it alone. She spends a while tweaking J's email-handling protocols and then she appears at a tiresome ceremonial event in New Guinea and then she grabs Queenie to patch the enchantment on a bubble-cluster.
[Didn't sleep with him. Did make out with him a little. Now he's gone and I'm gonna sleep. Love you.]
Now it is time to argue with various people about international adoption laws between Saturn and other places. People have mostly been handling it so far as citizens from their countries of origin, but it's about time that Saturn had its own protocols.
[Well, that went better than it could've.]
[I don't even know if he'll be back. Anytime soon, I mean. I'm pretty sure there's no getting rid of him in the long run.]
[Not without drastic measures, maybe. He's awfully persistent.]