View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
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."
+ Show First Post
her_imperial_radiance
her_imperial_radiance
She doesn't burden him with the effort of deciding what. She produces a sandwich with approximately everything on it, the kind of messy thing he'd make on lazy afternoons when sandwiches were called for, and holds it out for him.
Harley looks at the sandwich.
He reaches for it clumsily.
Nothing about his body is actually broken, but he is unaccustomed to using it to do things; this sandwich is probably going to be more spilled out of than eaten. (His poof wisely rolls out of the way, into the fountain.)
He reaches for it clumsily.
Nothing about his body is actually broken, but he is unaccustomed to using it to do things; this sandwich is probably going to be more spilled out of than eaten. (His poof wisely rolls out of the way, into the fountain.)
her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth patiently deploys triangles where triangles will be useful. When the sandwich has been used as thoroughly as possible she chooses something neater to follow it up with. (Apple slices, devoid of complications such as apple core.)
Harley munches contentedly on the apple slices.
her_imperial_radiance
And Elsie holds him, and when they are gone, she supplies cookies. (Soft cookies that won't get crumbs everywhere if they are clumsily handled.)
Harley noms up some cookies and then curls up in her lap again.
"Love you, Elsie."
"Love you, Elsie."
Snuggles.
Harley goes through another period of not doing very much.
Harley goes through another period of not doing very much.
her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth waits. After a while, she conjures up some bubbly for herself.
mind_game
[Sue's free to attempt porting lessons,] Jane tells them both, after considerable time has gone by.
[okay,] says Harley. [Elsie, come with?]
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.
her_imperial_radiance
Elspeth was already hugging him.
She continues in that vein.
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.