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

[tearingup]

"Maybe he'll think of a name for the template," snorts Ripper.

Keth laughs. "All right, now, then."

[thaumobabble]

"Okay. Lemme just prevent incipient flying squirrel..." Glass wishes on a star, then taps her Janegem, and then they are in Amariah's house in Alethia. "Do you teleport, do you want to lead the way?"

[tearingup]

"Yeah, I teleport," says Keth.

He teleports them to his living room.

[pythbox]

"Another one?" says the local Rayne.

[thaumobabble]

"There's lots," says Glass. She peers at him. "Oh yeah, that's - about as attached as you get, these are not optional."

[pythbox]

"Tell me something I don't know," snorts Rayne.

[thaumobabble]

"And the - template we don't have a name for -" (Glass waves at Keth) "are the 'leader' template here, except that's less meaningful than it is in some cases because you're just always going to appear together, one for one. Oh, wow, you are so attached, but apart from always showing up in the same place it's almost totally unidirectional... Also I think everyone should be glad there aren't a set of you in Aurum, that would get potentially gross very fast... Thilanushinyel could do the same thing, come to think of it..."

[pythbox]

"Template you don't have a name for?" inquires Rayne.

[tearingup]

"Yeah," says Keth, "we were hoping you could help with that, actually."

[pythbox]

"Kingfishers," Rayne says offhandedly. "What's this about potentially gross?"

[tearingup]

Keth looks at his daemon. Hecate looks at Keth.

They both burst out laughing.

[thaumobabble]

"Oh, Kingfishers, that works. The gross is potentially unreciprocated eternal bonding. Aurum has two kinds of it, and if you landed there..."

[tearingup]

"Yeah, that could get ugly," says Keth. Hecate flutters behind an armchair.

[thaumobabble]

"The Rayne in such a world would inevitably wind up stuck on the Kingfisher, and there isn't a shred of metcausality enticing it to be all sewn up the other direction. Metacausality has no interest in making sure Kingfishers like their Raynes, the Raynes have to do that themselves."

[pythbox]

"Naturally," says Rayne, eyeing his Kingfisher.

[tearingup]

Keth smiles at him. It is a smile full of communication not meant to be intercepted.

[thaumobabble]

"...I - huh. Can your daemons come out where I can see them?"

[tearingup]

Hecate zips out from behind the armchair.

[pythbox]

A stripey ginger cat follows her just a moment later.

[thaumobabble]

Glass peers at them. "I think they're helping you with the not-having-a-falling-out. They are, however, not a guarantee."

[pythbox]

The cat begins washing herself unconcernedly.

[tearingup]

"Yeah," says Keth, "I think we guessed that part."

[thaumobabble]

"Anyway, I think that's all I have to say unless it ever becomes worth everyone's while to collect the other three Raynes and line you all up."

[pythbox]

"Even I don't think that's a good idea," says Rayne.

[thaumobabble]

Glass snorts. "Back whence we came?" she inquires of Keth. "Or is there anything else I should look at while I'm here and already covered versus flying squirrel?"