where have you gone?

[small_magics]

Isibel likes being able to ask at any time that a mirror of herself, from another world but with the same soul, visit her and speak with her. She doesn't do it too often, not even every day, but it is soothing to have the other Bells behind her on the long and arduous project of figuring herself out again so that she can do as Bells are meant to do.

She asks Jane to send her whoever is taking their turn, one day, and Jane does not respond.

She broadcasts this information, and her alarm, to her beloveds.

Comments

[small_magics]

Isibel reaches for the power of the earth below her, and pours it through her spell and her channel.

[endragoned]

Her demon shivers.

He likes it just as much as he thought it would.

[small_magics]

That is good. She doesn't want to do anything to them that they don't like.

They could channel another spell now, or wait for the lingering effects of this one to wear off.

[endragoned]

They can channel another spell now.

[small_magics]

And so they do.

Isibel stops to ask after each, if they want to go on or to pause.

[endragoned]

They want to go on.

They go on wanting to go on.

[small_magics]

After a few spells, not only has Isibel mastered Rose's trick of casting with her eyes open, but the lingering-pain has built up to a point where, between spells, there is still evidence of it on her demon's face.

...Interesting evidence that provokes a blush and a heart-flutter.

[endragoned]

"My love?" he inquires, smiling a little.

[small_magics]

Isibel squirms.

"You are making faces."

[endragoned]

"They are happy faces," he says. "Do you not like them?"

[small_magics]

"I do like them," blushes Isibel.

[endragoned]

Her demon hugs her. "That is good. I am glad that you like them."

[small_magics]

Isibel hugs him.

She lets him have just a little peep at the way in which she likes them.

[endragoned]

In that case, perhaps she would like a little peep at the way her beloveds like enchanneling.

[small_magics]

She looks.

She squirms.

[endragoned]

He grins.

[small_magics]

"I - I don't know if -"

But then she does know if. She knows exactly if. She knows that.

"Oh," she murmurs, and she shows him, soul-sympathy pointing with blinding obviousness: there, this one, this is forever. She is really not clear on how she missed it. Supposedly it can hide until it is too late to avoid; she doesn't know if that or the immediate circumstances or her own slow healing were operative, but now it is there, now it is clear.

[endragoned]

...

He wraps her up in a many-limbed hug, arms and wings and tail.

[small_magics]

Hugs. Hugs and love.

[endragoned]

Hugs and love.

[small_magics]

Isibel loves him and loves how he loves her.

[endragoned]

That is good!

"Does this mean—" the demon murmurs, and he reminds her of some of the things he said to her when they first met. The ones Magania refused to translate.

[small_magics]

Isibel blushes very dark at that.

"Maybe."

It would be unkind to leave it at that word with no explanation. She broadcasts a little: while she has never exactly envisioned herself a lifelong Unicorn Knight, one of the first things to shrivel up when she was breaking was any impulse to render herself unfit for unicorn company. It has not, till now, been a priority for rebuilding, because she was waiting for soul-sympathy, and - now she has it.

[endragoned]

She does has soul-sympathy. And she has it with her demon. Her demon who is touching her.

It occurs to him - and he broadcasts, by way of asking - that the spell for finding out what sorts of things are good for someone to eat could, with a little work, be adapted to find out... other things. If she liked. Perhaps she would rather find out those things about herself the long way around.

[small_magics]

...Isibel does not see much reason to prefer the long way around.