IC INBOX | @erku

[leetle]

Hey! It's Jester!
I can't pick up right now, but I'll reply really soon, okay? Don't miss me too much.
...doot doo doo beep boop!





🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭🍭




Drop a message, actionspam, or delivery below!
A5 chart | noctulae | art source

Comments

[halforc]

what does that mean, "not a thing"?
in the cafe you said they were super cool and good-looking or something

[leetle]

yes but so are lots of people
that doesn't mean i'm dating them or anything
why, are you totally jealous???

[halforc]

i'm not jealous because apparently they suck and i don't get jealous over sucky people
B:
because they suck!

[leetle]

that doesn't sound like a hard no, though...

[halforc]

i just want to make sure you're safe with whoever you like
in that way

[leetle]

[Deep breath in, deep breath out.]

don't worry, fjord. the person i do like makes me feel really really safe.

text, un: widogast

[blumenthal]

Jester, are you very busy today?

un: sapphire

[leetle]

oh yes i'm suuuuper busy, lots of important nothing to do 3;) why, what's up!

[blumenthal]

I thought you might like to do some baking, or perhaps see some of the sights here, if you would rather get out of the house.

[leetle]

those are both really good choices! hmmm!!

i think i'd rather see something new, if you have someplace in mind??

[blumenthal]

Sure, I can think of a few places you would like. The amusement park, maybe, or the arcade. The first is difficult to describe. Sort of like a festival, but the attraction is mostly the big mechanical rides. The latter is indoors, and mostly games. Veth likes the shooting ones, though mostly she was interested in stealing the tickets. They can be exchanged for prizes.

[leetle]

AMUSEMENT PARK

do they have food

[blumenthal]

Some street food, yes. You would like the cotton candy.

[leetle]

they made a candy out of cotton???
when can we go? right now??

[blumenthal]

It is almost pure spun sugar dyed either pink or blue. I am pretty sure it was made just for you.

Right now, if you want. Just knock on my door when you are ready.

[leetle]

i need that in my mouth right. now.

[that'swhatshesaid]

i'll be over REALLY soon.

[and...she's not lying! Jester turns up about 15 minutes later sporting a new-to-her, frilly pale blue dress and a new haircut. The back might be a little uneven, but it's almost as short as it was when they first met, curling just below her chin. Seems like she'd gotten tired of all that thick hair on the back of her neck.

She pounds on Caleb's door excitedly.]

Caaaaay-leb, are you ready?

[blumenthal]

[ Really soon turns out to be the perfect amount of time for Caleb. He answers the sing-song call of his name by swinging the door open, dressed comfortably and casually as he's become accustomed to. As the weather has gotten a little warmer recently, he's been wearing fewer sweaters and more lightweight shirts under flannels, like he is today. Today's is a favorite, and he hopes it will make Jester smile, too.

Of course, the change in her appearance takes him off guard, but it's a pleasant surprise. ]

Ah, look at your hair. It's-- [ Gods, he shouldn't struggle with saying this, it's a completely innocuous compliment. ] It's cute.

[leetle]

Aw, thanks, Caleb!

[She's really missed having short hair, honestly, as fun as it'd been to play with braids and space buns. She fluffs up the choppy ends of her hair, and then reaches out to tap him on the chest.]

I like your shirt. So, how far away is this place?

[She's got a little backpack hanging off her shoulders, a pair of wedge sandals on her feet, and red heart-shaped sunglasses perched between her horns, ready for a day in the sun!]

[blumenthal]

[ So she did notice. He ducks his head down with a smile, tucking a bit of loose hair back behind his ear. She looks very cute, honestly, even beyond her hair. She's adapted quickly to make the style here her own. ]

Thank you, Jester. It's a bit of a walk, a little over thirty minutes across the city. Have you tested the extent of your magical capabilities recently?

[ It would be faster, and more fun, to polymorph and fly there. Even if Jester isn't capable at the moment, he can always carry her. ]

[leetle]

[She's already heading for the stairs as he asks about her magic, and she shakes her head, barely resisting the urge to slide down the banister.]

No, Fjord told me I needed to earn my powers back, and that I'd need to save up for them, so...I haven't bothered trying except for right when I first got here.

[Jester scowls a little, clearly annoyed by the loss of her powers.]

[blumenthal]

Some of my capabilities were missing when I got here. Most of them still are. But I did not lose everything, as Fjord did.

[ And he's glad for that. It really would have taken him forever to earn back his already hard-won skills. ]

Is it everything for you, then?

[ His scowl is a little more subtle than hers, but still matching, as they make their way to the front door and out into the bright warm light of early afternoon. Caleb had chosen this day to ask her rather strategically: it's their weekly allotment of sunshine, a break from the typical grey, cloudy weather. ]

[leetle]

Oh. [Jester feels silly, for a second, that she hasn't even really tested the limits of her power. She'd assumed that if the Traveler isn't here with her, on a different plane, she'd be completely bankrupt, but...]

Well, shit! [She hops down off the last stair down to the main floor and then flings her arms out to the side, summoning Thaumaturgy—

—and all the windows on the first floor of the Neinhaus slam open, loudly.]

Oh! Did you see that?! I'm not completely useless!

[blumenthal]

[ The clatter of all the windows (all of them) and Jester's excited shout startle a soft laugh from Caleb, who hovers at the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the banister. ]

You would not be useless even if you had no magic at all. But I am glad some of it has stuck with you.

[ It's a nice day. The house could use some fresh air and sunlight. ]

Now, do you want to be the giant eagle, or should I?

[leetle]

I know, but you know what I mean. You'd probably feel pretty useless if you thought your magic was gone, too!

[Jester considers it for a moment, hovering near the door. The temptation to Polymorph herself and feel the wind beneath her wings is won over by the idea of seeing the island with her own eyes and a pilot who knows where they're going. That decides it.]

You should, and I'll be your passenger.

[blumenthal]

I would be useless if my magic was gone.

[ He doesn't see it in a way that's particularly self-deprecating; just factual. Jester is so much more than what she can do, even if it is very impressive. But Caleb has always felt that his magic is his one big thing. What would he do without it? He's grateful that he hasn't been forced to answer that question. ]

Ja, okay. We'll take the scenic route. Just hold onto these.

[ He taps the top of his head right where Jester's sunglasses are perched on her own, and leads the way down the front steps of their home and out onto the street. Most of the area is still in shambles, so the row of three nicely finished houses stands out. ]

Ready?