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Here is Aurum. Harley is home again.
"I minted you," Elspeth murmurs to him, sending a notice to the Joker that he's got a new alt he could choose to entertain because she's busy and teleporting herself and her ward to their living room in Québec. "And stuck it on."
her_imperial_radiance
It's a room with Sue in, too.
"Hi," says Sue.
Harley doesn't say anything.
Sue links him.
Harley snuggles Elsie, and sends—the sun.
"...Whoa, okay," says Sue, blinking rapidly. "Wow."
"Huh?" says Celo, and Sue links him too.
"Hi," says Sue.
Harley doesn't say anything.
Sue links him.
Harley snuggles Elsie, and sends—the sun.
"...Whoa, okay," says Sue, blinking rapidly. "Wow."
"Huh?" says Celo, and Sue links him too.
her_imperial_radiance
"...Should I know what's going on or am I just here to be a lap?" asks Elsie softly. (She is fine with being a lap. She signed up to be a lap sometimes.)
"...You can if you want," says Sue. "I don't know if you want what he's sending me, though, it kind of hurts."
"Kind of a lot," says Celo. "I mean it's not hurting right now, but - he was in the sun for five years."
Harley nods slowly.
"Kind of a lot," says Celo. "I mean it's not hurting right now, but - he was in the sun for five years."
Harley nods slowly.
her_imperial_radiance
"I'm pretty resilient. If it would be good for me to have it I'll take it, that way or judgesight-wise, whatever."
"I think I can kind of... interpret," says Sue, and he sends her:
Contrast. Absence. This (an impression of pain-everywhere without as much visceral reality as even a straight memory would offer) is what's missing from Harley now, like a sucking void in his sensory perception, like he's been throwing himself against a wall for five years and the wall is gone and he's hurtling dizzily through the open air.
Contrast. Absence. This (an impression of pain-everywhere without as much visceral reality as even a straight memory would offer) is what's missing from Harley now, like a sucking void in his sensory perception, like he's been throwing himself against a wall for five years and the wall is gone and he's hurtling dizzily through the open air.
Harley snuggles her.
Sue relays his love. There is a lot of it. It's - out of focus, right now, because all his thoughts are out of focus, but it is very loving. Love is a thing Jokers are good at.
Sue relays his love. There is a lot of it. It's - out of focus, right now, because all his thoughts are out of focus, but it is very loving. Love is a thing Jokers are good at.
her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth does not have to go through Sue to return the favor in high-fidelity, gently enough for a human brain but only just.
Harley smiles, and snuggles her.
"That's good," Sue murmurs. "Aww, you guys are sweet."
Celo finds himself somewhere to sit, and Sue finds himself Celo's lap to sit in. Snuggling!
"So - " says Sue, and Celo pushes him a haphazardly constructed but basically sound summary of The Problem With Fields, and Sue pushes back what-it-feels-like-to-teleport. All of this gets summarily bounced to Harley and Elspeth.
Harley tentatively pushes back what-it-feels-like-to-freecast.
It's not quite the same, but there are similarities, and the Jokers recognize them immediately.
"You know," says Sue, "this is actually a really good time to experiment, because if I'm linking you you're never gonna be out of reach or out of sync..."
Harley thinks this over, and snuggles Elspeth. Celo thinks it over and snuggles Sue.
"That's good," Sue murmurs. "Aww, you guys are sweet."
Celo finds himself somewhere to sit, and Sue finds himself Celo's lap to sit in. Snuggling!
"So - " says Sue, and Celo pushes him a haphazardly constructed but basically sound summary of The Problem With Fields, and Sue pushes back what-it-feels-like-to-teleport. All of this gets summarily bounced to Harley and Elspeth.
Harley tentatively pushes back what-it-feels-like-to-freecast.
It's not quite the same, but there are similarities, and the Jokers recognize them immediately.
"You know," says Sue, "this is actually a really good time to experiment, because if I'm linking you you're never gonna be out of reach or out of sync..."
Harley thinks this over, and snuggles Elspeth. Celo thinks it over and snuggles Sue.
her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth conjures up two ansibles, twists them apart, gestures with them in Jane's direction; Jane swipes half of each. She puts one of the remaining pieces on Harley's finger as a ring and offers the other to Celo. "Backup," she murmurs. "Extra layer of redundancy."
"Awesome," says Sue, "good thinking. And - "
if you try it, just push me (sense-of-place), he sends to the two Jokers, echoing Elsie out of courtesy.
Harley latches onto that and turns it over in his mind. He pushes Sue a blurred impression of the Gentle Cave.
Almost, says Sue. Kind of? I don't know if it's a style thing - you could try it.
Harley nods. He snuggles Elsie. With a running commentary to Sue, he lets his mind drift a little, and
(sense-of-place)
Sue smiles. Okay, good, he says. Can you come back?
This (Harley sends) was always the hard part.
if you try it, just push me (sense-of-place), he sends to the two Jokers, echoing Elsie out of courtesy.
Harley latches onto that and turns it over in his mind. He pushes Sue a blurred impression of the Gentle Cave.
Almost, says Sue. Kind of? I don't know if it's a style thing - you could try it.
Harley nods. He snuggles Elsie. With a running commentary to Sue, he lets his mind drift a little, and
(sense-of-place)
Sue smiles. Okay, good, he says. Can you come back?
This (Harley sends) was always the hard part.
Hugs hugs hugs.
"Hey, good for you," Sue murmurs, kissing Harley's forehead. "—How old even are you? Am I the youngest Joker again?"
"Hey, good for you," Sue murmurs, kissing Harley's forehead. "—How old even are you? Am I the youngest Joker again?"
her_imperial_radiance
"It's hard to judge how to count the sun time. Harley's still younger than you if you don't," Elspeth says quietly.
"Yeah. I took a four-year hit, I'm twenty now. Harley looks about my age, but it's kind of hard to tell."
"Also, I look about that age too and I'm actually closer to a hundred," says Celo. "I wonder if I can move just this part of me around... Harley, hit us with the fuzzy cave again? It looked cute."
Harley displays sense-of-place for the fuzzy cave.
"I'll go first," says Sue, "see if it's enough for me," and he flickers out and back. "Yep."
Celo thinks it over.
"Also, I look about that age too and I'm actually closer to a hundred," says Celo. "I wonder if I can move just this part of me around... Harley, hit us with the fuzzy cave again? It looked cute."
Harley displays sense-of-place for the fuzzy cave.
"I'll go first," says Sue, "see if it's enough for me," and he flickers out and back. "Yep."
Celo thinks it over.
What Celo tries is something closer to Harley than Sue, and not quite the same as either.
He spends a while not quite getting it - about a minute - but he's patient, and doesn't let himself get discouraged, and then there it is and he's broadcasting sense-of-place from a cave full of round fluffy creatures.
They're so soft! he says. Awwwwwwwww. I wonder if I can ask Queen Whatserface to put my field near here. I'll bring it up later.
He pets a poof and sends back the sound it makes. Harley giggles softly.
He spends a while not quite getting it - about a minute - but he's patient, and doesn't let himself get discouraged, and then there it is and he's broadcasting sense-of-place from a cave full of round fluffy creatures.
They're so soft! he says. Awwwwwwwww. I wonder if I can ask Queen Whatserface to put my field near here. I'll bring it up later.
He pets a poof and sends back the sound it makes. Harley giggles softly.
Harley sends a jumble of thoughts to Sue. He takes a moment to disentangle it, and then nods. "Yeah. Now we know you can go places if you're getting place-data in real time. The weird thing is, I could never do what you did the first time - jump when I didn't have a clue where I was going. I tried once and I ended up floating in some kind of mysterious void outside Milliways."
Harley mumbles a questioning sort of mumble.
"Good question," says Sue. "Why not." He conjures himself an ansible pair, twists it apart, taps Jane to request that she whisk away a half.
Harley mumbles a questioning sort of mumble.
"Good question," says Sue. "Why not." He conjures himself an ansible pair, twists it apart, taps Jane to request that she whisk away a half.