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

[telesonorous]

"I don't know what any of those mean," giggles Helen.

[exactlyright]

"What would you know what it meant if we had it?"

[telesonorous]

"I'm not really sure," she says. "Mostly I don't, but every so often something just makes sense. And there are all these things people say about what different daemons mean, but I've seen them be wrong as often as they aren't."

[exactlyright]

"...Like what?"

[telesonorous]

Helen looks around. And then giggles.

"I was going to look at someone's daemon for inspiration, but of course there aren't any—oh, hey, I think that's an alt of my friend Shura!" She sits up straighter on her cloud-pine and peers.

[subastra]

It does rather look like an alt of her friend Shura! She is standing around, holding a glass of wine, looking distinctly unwitchy both in visible age and in clothing choices and lack of bird. She seems to find the party a bit overwhelming.

[telesonorous]

Now thoroughly distracted, Helen directs her cloud-pine over thataway. Perhaps Shura's mystery alt is wearing a nametag!

[subastra]

Her nametag says that she is an [Unnamed Template] called Serah and that she is from Samaria!

She double-takes when she sees Helen. "Dama- no, you're not, are you."

[telesonorous]

Helen giggles. "How could you tell?" she teases.

[subastra]

"Damaris has wings. And she's older."

[telesonorous]

"I know," she confesses. "We've met. I'm Helen Ianthe. I think I know an alt of yours!"

[subastra]

"I didn't know I was supposed to have any, I'm only here because Isabella - I refuse to call her 'Angela', it's ridiculous, we've been best friends our whole lives - invited me."

[telesonorous]

"I invited Shura! You look just like her, only old and not a witch."

[subastra]

"I'm not even forty yet! 'Shura' - that's pretty."

[telesonorous]

"Shura Talkaivan. You still look older than witches ever do," says Helen.

[subastra]

"Well, that hardly sounds fair."

[telesonorous]

Helen laughs. "Maybe it isn't."

[subastra]

"So what are you, secretly a hundred?"

[telesonorous]

"Not-at-all-secretly thirteen."

[subastra]

"And I suppose Shura is approximately yea big too and she's going to make me feel like I'm already arthritic and forgetting why I walked into rooms?"

[telesonorous]

"Well, the second part's up to you."

[subastra]

"I might risk it. Where is she?"

[telesonorous]

"I have no idea, but I can look!"

[subastra]

"I wasn't really expecting to be interesting enough for two universes to have me in them," muses Serah, craning her neck to look for a younger version of herself.

[telesonorous]

Helen, of course, lifts herself on her cloud-pine until she is high enough to survey most of the room.