all that remains is you

[jovahs_heiress]

It has been a couple of months now since the wedding, since the revelation about Jovah. Isabella has been busy. She is not as overt as some of her counterparts. It is not now impossible on Samaria to commit crimes of violence, for example - although anyone who gets going with one will tend to feel a sensation of being watched, and this is enough to noticeably ding reports of such misbehavior.

She's been noticed.

Linus has been calling all of the changes, collectively - because once one or two got overt attention the others were plain as day - "Jovah's hand moving among us".

Isabella is all right with the ship getting credit for her handiwork. It will be more accepted that way. No one riots over the god choosing to peer closely at them if they raise their hands to strike; no one theorizes about the appropriateness of meddling in the natural processes of things like childbirth when they believe Jovah is the active party.

Meanwhile she shadows Delilah. She makes routine visits to Monteverde to talk with Linus about this or that. (She can bring Micaiah, now that they're married.)

She gets steadily more pregnant. The heaviness is no burden to an angel, but it is somewhat physically awkward to be so bulky. She works around it. She's going to have a baby, and she just glows with it.

And, one day, for the first time since before the wedding, she finds Milliways in her and Micaiah's guest room in Monteverde.

"Oh, here it is, I was wondering when it would come by again," Isabella says.

Comments

[pythbox]

"Oh," he says softly.

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella squats so her face is level with Nathaniel's. "You're not the same person as that other one. Just like I'm not Shell Bell, only myself and the things I choose to do. But you should be warned, because you might have some of the same tendencies as your alts. And Shell Bell was so, so badly hurt, when she met that one, that when she heard you speak she was afraid."

[pythbox]

Nathaniel freezes in place.

[jovahs_heiress]

Isabella pets his hair. "What are you thinking?" she murmurs.

[pythbox]

"Am... am I going to be punished?" he asks hesitantly.

[jovahs_heiress]

"No. You didn't do anything. I wouldn't be punished for anything Shell Bell did and you aren't going to be punished for anything your alt did. I'm only warning you just in case."

[pythbox]

He relaxes a little.

"Thank you, angela."

[jovahs_heiress]

"You're welcome," she says, glad he didn't ask for details about how Shell Bell was hurt.

[pythbox]

Softly: "May I go now?"

[jovahs_heiress]

"Yes, of course. I think your group leaves to go back to the Eyrie in an hour and it won't do if you're missing when they set out."

[pythbox]

He nods, and goes.

[jovahs_heiress]

[Micaiah?]

[yovahs_kisses]

[What is it?]

[jovahs_heiress]

[It turns out that Nathaniel is an alt of 'Voice'.]

[yovahs_kisses]

Stunned silence.

[jovahs_heiress]

[I found a door when Nathaniel was following me around, and I thought I might as well take him through and show him the place, and Shell Bell was there, and every time he spoke she just twitched like someone had pricked her with a pin unexpectedly. Nathaniel left, Shell Bell doored Downside, Sherlock confirmed the match.]

[yovahs_kisses]

[...So what do we do about it?]

[jovahs_heiress]

[I... warned him. Not in specific, but I explained why Shell Bell reacted the way she did and about alts. He wanted to know if he was going to be punished; of course I said no. He could still easily turn into someone else. Shell Bell said it could be 'just Downside' - that maybe Voice is only the kind of thing that happens to Nathaniel's template if they spend goodness knows how many years stuck there. We can't assume Nathaniel's going to turn into - anything bad.]

[yovahs_kisses]

[So... I guess we don't do anything,] he says. [Except that.]

[jovahs_heiress]

[Except that, and - paying attention.] She grimaces into the empty room of the pavillion. [And taking apart Downside, when we can.]

[yovahs_kisses]

[That too. I want to hug you right now,] he says.

[jovahs_heiress]

[This room's empty. If you can get away from any company you're with you can teleport right in.]

[yovahs_kisses]

Port.

Hug.

[jovahs_heiress]

Hug. [I think Voice may have simply - never have been rescued. Not everyone comes out of terrible households the way you do.]

[yovahs_kisses]

[That's awful,] says Micaiah.