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Over the next week, Isabella gets the alethiometer to tell her that the planets they looked at don't contain microorganisms that know what to do with a human body (although the one with the giant bugs has some multicellular parasites that might be able to make do with the foreign macro-scale features of a human body if they got the chance). "The present", it includes in one of its answer phrasings, which is kind of worrying. But Adarin makes enough progress with his scry in little enough time that it's worth the double-check.
Isabella also hires ticket-takers, gives them little pots of ink to verify the authenticity of the passes she handed out, and opens the Los Angeles - New York route for the employees of her three companies of choice and anyone who shells out a cool fifteen thousand dollars per round trip (ten K for a one-way). This is steep, but it's within an order of magnitude of what people sometimes pay for short-notice first-class cross-country flights - with less novelty and more hassle. Albeit she doesn't supply inflight meals. She expects to have to raise the price when more people hear about it in response to volume and then be able to drop it again.
By the time the thing has been open for a few days she's fired and replaced one ticket-taker and the others have settled into a routine that she's willing to try out leaving unsupervised for awhile.
If Adarin's up for some up close and personal planet shopping and his results suggest it'll go well, anyway.
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dark_light
prodigal_miser
"Sure," he says. Then he walks over to the wall in question, and pokes it. "Boop! Okay, done."
dark_light
"Boop!" giggles Isabella. She collects her cloud-pine, makes sure all her stuff is tied to it, and tucks herself under Adarin's chin for the largely imaginary improvement it might confer on his teleportation of her.
prodigal_miser
Adarin supports this. A lot. He hugs her, snuggling a little while he reviews required math and his magic cheat-sheet. Then - spell.
Utterly without incident, there they are, safely outside of their home.
"I should tell Ana she doesn't need to keep watch anymore. Also, successful return trip! Hurray!"
Utterly without incident, there they are, safely outside of their home.
"I should tell Ana she doesn't need to keep watch anymore. Also, successful return trip! Hurray!"
dark_light
"Robot army! Hurray! Dead civilization to study! Kind of tragic but hurray!"
prodigal_miser
"Yeah. I mean, maybe we can save some of their culture and put it in the history books or something, but it's still rather sad. On a completely separate note, may I borrow your pocket library so I can call my sister?"
dark_light
"Sure, but your sister doesn't have a phone so you're betting on her being nearish Ranata." Isabella hands over the pocket library.
prodigal_miser
"I can hope," he says. Then, fiddle, fiddle - oh look it's all convenient and labeled. Buttons are pressed, and Ranata is called.
(Pocket libraries are awesome.)
(Pocket libraries are awesome.)
prodigal_miser
"Hello! Sorry to bother you, Ranata, but could you let my sister know we made it home all right? I don't want her to worry."
kindestgarden
"She's with Luzia, so I'm not necessarily sure she'd welcome an interruption."
prodigal_miser
"Oh? She's usually fine with be- Oh." He coughs, sounding embarrassed. "Never mind, never mind, I understand now. Thank you, if um - if you could let her know as soon as she's - done? Available, I'm going to say available, that would be fantastic. Please tell her I said 'I love you' too."
He is blushing, but Ranata wouldn't know that.
He is blushing, but Ranata wouldn't know that.
prodigal_miser
He hangs up, then returns the phone to Isabella. He continues to blush. "Sooo. Programming?"
dark_light
"Wanna walk to New York and find a library where you can start your read-up on Wikipedia? You can look up feminism while you're there. And while we are walking you can tell me why you're bright red."
prodigal_miser
He laughs, looking flustered. "Uh, sure. It's nothing, Ana was just um - occupied. She is apparently getting along well with being part of your clan."
dark_light
To the portal they stroll. "Occupied, huh. Mom introduced her to someone?"
prodigal_miser
"I think that's what happened! Or she met her on her own. Either way, hopefully she's happy."
prodigal_miser
"Very. Just kind of - awkward to hear about my sister probably getting er - I have no idea how to word it politely. Help?"
dark_light
"I dunno, is she the 'girlfriend' type or the 'friends with benefits' type or what?"
prodigal_miser
"Er. Yes? I think she tends to go with it being about as casual as her partner wants it to be, and she's not personally very clingy. So probably leaning towards the latter. Though she's had several of the former and I'm not ruling that out, either."
dark_light
"Slightly fewer polite words if it's casual. Mostly people talk around it or aren't firetruck red when they say it directly."
prodigal_miser
"I am not firetruck red," he defends. He's really more of a bright crimson.