who will be coming?

[small_magics]

Aianon has made a plant in the open airless space above the surface of Thilanushinyel. It is a very, very large plant - some dragons will be attending the party, after all, even if Ansharil in particular is going to be assorted small things and stay on Sarion's person the bulk of the time.

The locals will be Sarion, her beloveds, their other beloved, the five conjured dragons (and their Bondmates, where applicable: Virgivere and Lissa), and Liselen - Magania has, as usual, declined, and so far no Bell party has featured Bell parents.

Amariah is bringing her boyfriend and spontaneous daughter and two of the spontaneous daughter's friends, as well as an Alethian instance of the Rupert template.

Shell Bell is bringing Pearl and Screwdriver.

Golden is bringing her usual large contingent, as usual not including her husband but including her daughter and daughter's grown fosterling (the other remaining at home) and his wolf, both mothers-in-law and one father-in-law, adopted siblings, staff members including the Joker and Nathan, and the children of the aforementioned.

Glass is bringing both wives, all three daughters, Kanim, and her cat. She invited Icarin and Valeria, but their parents are not willing to let them gallivant into other worlds unsupervised and had a scheduling conflict.

Stella's bringing a smattering of people including Alice, Anna, Sandy, Libby, Bridget, her college roommate Janine, and Lazarus.

Tab is bringing Aelise (but not Kers) and Luhan.

Etty is bringing only Nona.

Aether, likewise, brings no one but Celo.

Pattern comes with Ripper, Slipstick, Queenie, and Ghosty.

Aegis is accompanied by her four-bodied boyfriend, Merryweather, Whitlock, and Howlett.

Aurora comes with Brilliance, Lexi with her Device Persica, Agent Honey with her Device Adularia, and Beth.

Rose brings her husband and three children and her former apprentice, Luc.

Angela brings her husband, her four children, several of her friends, and some of those friends' children and grandchildren with and without wings. Keziah also brings a friend.

Juliet shows up with Soph, Minus, Red, Giles, James, Virginia, Minnie, Ike, and Val.

Cam brings Jellybean and Tilly and stops there.

And from unBelled worlds hail additional Sherlocks and Tonies, Darcy, Matilda, Pepper, and Eights.

Comments

[segreant]

Céleste is inspecting this space plant. It is nice, and has lots of parts, so there is a bunch of it to explore.

[telesonorous]

If she climbs around on the network of stairs spread over the walls of the main room, she might encounter a person perched on a cloud-pine branch and following them from the air.

[segreant]

"Hi! You're not Yseult and you aren't Damaris! You must be Helen!" says Céleste, waving.

[telesonorous]

"Hi! You're very logical!" says Helen, waving back. "I am Helen. And you are..." (she peers) "...Céleste!"

[segreant]

"Yep," says Céleste. "I'm a rosebud. You're... something, I guess? Aren't you from the world with animal souls? Where's your one?"

[telesonorous]

"Kalavar's outside," says Helen. "I'm definitely a something. An etcetera, to be specific."

[segreant]

"Why an etcetera?"

[telesonorous]

"Cherubs, rosecubs, etcetera," she explains. "I'm the etcetera."

[segreant]

"I guess. If I had an animal soul it would be a griffin," Céleste adds helpfully. "It only just settled into being anything instead of not working when I tried to see, a little while ago. But I already have one as a pet, so I don't want an animal soul one. Are you my age? That's weird. Even Damaris is older than me, and Yseult is a lot older."

[telesonorous]

"I'm thirteen! Are you thirteen? If so, then we are the same age."

[segreant]

"I am thirteen! Jane said Keziah is too. We matched last time we saw each other too."

[telesonorous]

"I wonder if that will keep happening," says Helen. "I guess it will automatically if the worlds don't unhook again."

[segreant]

"Yes, but we stayed matching even with the unhooking. I guess it could just be a coincidence. Our sisters don't match since the age gaps are different."

[telesonorous]

"Yeah," says Helen, "I mean I wonder if it is a coincidence or if it's a Thing of some kind."

[segreant]

"Dunno. Glass can tell about Things! We could ask her. Maybe we will."

[telesonorous]

"Yeah, Glass does do that," says Helen. "She told me and my alts some Things about us already. Like that our daemons and coin colours are themed."

[segreant]

"My coin color is this complicated - thing," says Céleste. She makes a triangle; it's divided into three parts, one sky blue, one bright gold (albeit without metallic sheen), and one white with a scallopped almost furlike pattern in it. "I don't know about Keziah."

[telesonorous]

"Mine are like so," says Helen, and she displays a square: it seems to be filled with sprays of pine needles that are always backlit by sunlight no matter how you turn the coin. "Damaris has feathers and Yseult has leaves, but they all do the sunlight thing."

[segreant]

"Pretty!"

[telesonorous]

"I thought so too!" She disappears the square.

[segreant]

"Mine look sort of like a coat of arms, but it's not any real coat of arms."

[telesonorous]

"Maybe it's yours," suggests Helen.

[segreant]

"Well, obviously it's mine. But it's not the Cygne coat of arms, we don't have one - and it's not Papa's Marche's either - it's not any one that existed before I started printing it on coins."

[telesonorous]

"So your coins gave you a coat of arms. Neat."

[segreant]

"I guess. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with a coat of arms! I don't ride my griffin into battle."