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]

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?"

[temporal_affairs]

"Oh, Gianna was staying with the Cullens back when they were just the Cullens and not the Imperial Family, because Bella had rescued her from the Volturi, and I wanted to go for a visit, and Bella was nervous that I'd eat Gianna even though I'd recently taken up an animal diet and she was all 'um, I have a pet human', and I said 'I promise not to eat your pet human!' and visited anwyay, and I took one look at my pretty mate and I turned to Bella and said, 'I'll fight you for her.' The look on Ilario's face was priceless," says Maggie.

[manofmyword]

"...awwwwwww," says the Joker, "that's adorable. You're adorable."

[temporal_affairs]

"There was some ensuing awkwardness," says Gianna lightly. "But it all worked out in the end."

"What about you guys?" Maggie asks.

"Babe, you wanna tell this story or should I?" Nathan asks.

[manofmyword]

The Joker grins.

"I should definitely tell this story," he says, sitting up straighter and opening his aura a little. The air sparkles with cheer.

"See," he says, spreading his hands, "once upon a time, one'a the other Bells put me on an asteroid."

An image of the asteroid in question appears between his hands, translucent at the edges but impeccably detailed. It's small and cute and comfortable and quietly, achingly lonely, a little bit painful to look at.

"I didn't like it much there," he continues, "but lucky for me I could still get to Milliways, so I was all right." The asteroid fades away, replaced by a miniature view of the bar, complete with faint background noise and centred on an empty table. A miniature Joker appears there. "And who should I run into but—" The miniature Joker spots somebody at another table and waves; the view pans over to reveal Elspeth and Jacob. "A certain princess!"

Tiny Elsie and Tiny Joker commence having a reasonably amicable conversation. They don't speak in comprehensible words, but the emotional tone is clear.

"We got along all right," he murmurs, "and when I told her how lonely I was, she said she'd let me visit her world." The three figures get out of their seats. "So we did." Tiny Elspeth opens the conveniently-nearby Milliways door, and everyone troops through it, and she closes it again, "and funny thing," the Joker says brightly, "somebody was waitin' for me!"

The recently-closed door opens again to reveal Tiny Nathan with tiny hearts in his tiny eyes. Tiny Joker is instantly charmed, clasping his hands to his chest and beaming.

[temporal_affairs]

Nathan awwwws.

Maggie claps her hands. "Hurray for magic!"

[manofmyword]

He giggles. The visual accompaniment fades away.

"And Stella let me off the asteroid and I came here to be the local mint and it's been snuggly ever after," he says, getting out of his seat to give Nathan a hug.

[temporal_affairs]

Hugs! Nathan decides to just outright pick up his mate. Chairs are silly.

"Why did she put you on an asteroid?" Gianna asks slowly. "This world's Bella didn't say."

[manofmyword]

Mm. The Joker snuggles into Nathan's arms.

"Oh, she didn't like what I was getting up to at home," he says carelessly.

[temporal_affairs]

"I suppose it's not that different from how our Bella has Pera put people in the hiding place if they make trouble," Maggie says.

[manofmyword]

He shrugs. "You could say that, sure."

[temporal_affairs]

"I overheard someone saying she's going to phase that out," Nathan remarks. "Let Pera and Razi both retire and handle things with magic."

"Good, I always thought the hiding place was a little creepy. Best solution available at the time, but not better than something finer-tuned," says Maggie.

[manofmyword]

"I think it's a little creepy too!" the Joker says agreeably. "And maybe kinda fun. But I wouldn't wanna be there for long."

[temporal_affairs]

"Babe," says Nathan, "no one with an ounce of sense would try to put you in the hiding place to keep you out of trouble, and Bella has entire pounds of sense."

[manofmyword]

The Joker cracks up.

"That is true," he giggles. "Ooh, so true."