the emerald isle

[temporal_affairs]

Kerron has just gone to sleep. It has been a typical evening, more or less.

"If you wanna go to Ireland anytime in the next five years, now's the time to ask," Nathan remarks. "If you don't wanna go in the next five years we can wait until 2037."

Comments

[temporal_affairs]

"Maggie'd scold me ever so," Nathan laughs.

He stops them in plenty of time to be presentable to their munchkin when their munchkin awakens.

[manofmyword]

"Good morning, munchkin," says the Joker.

[colorshapes]

"G'morning, Mummy!" Kerron peers at some colorshapes. "You wanna go a place and you wanna leave me behind," he states after some intent observation.

[manofmyword]

"Yep!" he agrees, ruffling Kerron's hair and then hugging him. "Gonna leave you with a munchkin-sitter, if we can find one. That okay with you?"

[colorshapes]

"I wanna stay with Lily and her parents," Kerron decides.

[temporal_affairs]

"We can ask Carlisle and Esme, sure," says Nathan.

[manofmyword]

"Sounds good to me!"

[temporal_affairs]

Carlisle and Esme are asked. The munchkin is deposited with them.

"Shall we, babe?" Nathan inquires.

[manofmyword]

"Let's! You wanna give notice, or should I?"

[temporal_affairs]

"I can." [Incoming, Siobhan.]

[manofmyword]

The Joker teleports them to an unobserved part of Siobhan's island.

He immediately hugs his sweetie.

[temporal_affairs]

Ooh! Hugs! Irish hugs!

[manofmyword]

Snuggly hugs.

"Go on," he says happily, "show me around!"

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan looks around and gets his bearings. "Is this Belfast? I think this is Belfast. All right then."

And off they go through Belfast!

[manofmyword]

There is hand-holding and looking at pretty places and kissing in dark corners. Going places with Nathan is the Joker's favourite kind of tourism.

[temporal_affairs]

After giving Maggie notice and loitering in various portions of Ireland (and having sex in various portions of Ireland), Nathan and the Joker turn up at Maggie and Gianna's house in Wexford.

Gianna answers the door. "Maggie's out buying lightbulbs, but she'll be back in a few minutes," she says. "Won't you come in?" And she steps aside.

[manofmyword]

"Sure!" says the Joker. "Nice to meet ya."

In they go.

[temporal_affairs]

"I'm Gianna," Gianna says, "Maggie's mate." She's also wearing a wedding ring, but among vampires mate is by far the more important distinction.

The house is tidy but dusty, like the occupants put everything they use back when they're through with it but rarely actually clean, and it's furnished in a way halfway between Imperial capitols and human homes - designed to accommodate people who care whether they sit or stand and whether the surfaces they're on have any give, but perhaps not a great number of such people. There's embroidered samplers hanging from a few places on the walls and more computers lying around than there are household residents.

[manofmyword]

The Joker finds a comfy-looking chair and sits in it.

"What's with all the computers?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Oh, our current models were water damaged the last time our nephew visited and we've been using the old ones while waiting to see if they'll dry out and work again," says Gianna.

[manofmyword]

"Gotcha," he says. "Want me to fix 'em?"

[temporal_affairs]

Gianna blinks. "...Sure."

[manofmyword]

He flicks his fingers. "Poof."

[temporal_affairs]

Gianna flips open one of the computers and turns it on. It behaves. "Thanks!"

The door opens, and Gianna flies to the door to greet her mate with a kiss, and then stands aside to reveal Maggie.

"Hi, guys," says Maggie, "how's Ireland treating you?"

"He's fixed our computers," Gianna volunteers.

"Sweet."

[manofmyword]

The Joker beams.

"So how'd you guys meet, anyway?"