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Bella keeps her empire humming. Her staff swells; her population booms. Earthlings solicit more and more tweaks here and there until it's nearly as safe and pleasant as Saturn in some places, although the realities of economics, prejudice, and politics mean that Saturn continues to be particularly inviting to certain classes of people. Bella receives Earth's tired, its poor, its huddled masses yearning to breathe free. There are political cartoons with spikes on her halo-crown, a torch in her hand, and her telling Uncle Sam, "Well, someone ought to do your job."
People on the Internet complain that she is technically an absolute monarch who has not, in fact, limited herself with a Constitution of any kind, only posted about what she does and does not expect to want to do on her website. Other people on the Internet point out that she seems to want and not want to do those things just as predicted and that it doesn't really affect anyone's quality of life if she happens to wear a ringcrown while she does it. Still other people point out that even if she wrote up a Constitution and swore to uphold it, this would not, in any way, shape, or form, cut her magical power in such a way that anyone could make a practical objection should she change her mind.
A lot of dead people come back to life. She does not make a particularly big dent, but it's enough to give hope, and the fact that the resurrected immortals don't suffer unusual levels of existential dread or lose their ability to appreciate classical music leave a lot of those who have never died more willing to try immortality.
Time passes. The Empire of Rings is the new normal. She still gets attention, but she's not nearly as memetic anymore. Her spotlight continues to shed spare interest on Ripper and his musical career.
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bellfounding
bellfounding
[Somewhere in that range, yes. My speechwriters still have to eat and sleep. Well, most of them.]
tearingup
[Brilliant, then. I'll see you at some unspecified time in the next few hours. Love you.]
bellfounding
[Love you.]
About half an hour later, there is absolutely no sign of Bella in his apartment.
About half an hour later, there is absolutely no sign of Bella in his apartment.
tearingup
Ripper has finished playing the guitar, and has apparently decided to tempt fate, because he's having a cup of tea while he goes through his archive of mostly naked pictures of himself. (There are a lot of them by now. He thinks he might go back to that original graveyard shoot for his next album cover; he hasn't used any from it yet.)
bellfounding
Bella insinuates herself into his lap. There is still no sign of her. She watches pictures go by and leans her head on his shoulder and is a snuggly ninja. She waits for tea to be put down. She decides to see if his earlobe tastes like anything right now.
tearingup
His earlobe tastes like a certain delicious chocolate cake. Apparently he was feeling nostalgic for their first date.
He puts down his tea.
He puts down his tea.
bellfounding
There is now some sign of Bella.
Not a complete complement of signs, but he can feel her on his lap now. And her teeth on his ear.
Not a complete complement of signs, but he can feel her on his lap now. And her teeth on his ear.
tearingup
He shivers.
"Ooh, hello, love," he says, wrapping his arms around her. (He is, of course, shirtless.)
"Ooh, hello, love," he says, wrapping his arms around her. (He is, of course, shirtless.)
bellfounding
She snuggles up. She renders herself audible, breathing near his ear. "Hello."
bellfounding
"Mm-hm."
She decides to remain invisible. And commences neck-nibbling.
She decides to remain invisible. And commences neck-nibbling.
bellfounding
Bella has not played a lot with finer control than "per sense, per person", but she decides to see what her aura will do.
And it turns out that it will hedge out all experience of her that isn't those nibblings and her hands. No weight on his lap, no tickling hair on his unshirted parts, just nibbles and slightly wandery hands.
And it turns out that it will hedge out all experience of her that isn't those nibblings and her hands. No weight on his lap, no tickling hair on his unshirted parts, just nibbles and slightly wandery hands.
tearingup
It further turns out that this makes Ripper get kind of squirmy! In the good way. The extremely good way.
bellfounding
She is still sitting on his lap, and will find that this limits his squirming, despite the fact that he can't detect her weight. That could be interesting.
tearingup
That - yes, that is interesting. And a little weird. He's not sure if it's in a good way.
The nibbles and the wandering hands are definitely good, however.
The nibbles and the wandering hands are definitely good, however.
bellfounding
Wander wander. Nibble nibble. She fades the rest of her tactility back in, but not all the way.
She is also smellable. She smells like cinnamon-sugar.
She is also smellable. She smells like cinnamon-sugar.
bellfounding
"I love you too," she murmurs against the part of him she is currently nibbling.
bellfounding
Bella has decided that this is Induce Maximum Positive Ripper Squirms Day.
bellfounding
Good, good.
Eventually she decides her purposes are no longer served by ninjahood, and she flips her aura the other way, since it's so nice and flattering.
Eventually she decides her purposes are no longer served by ninjahood, and she flips her aura the other way, since it's so nice and flattering.