semiautonomous kitchen

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The remaining two days of the walk are much more affectionate, and also much more free of wizards and snakes than the first two days were. Somehow, all three travelers manage to not realize that Bella has not yet produced her name, even though on at least one occasion it would have been convenient for Tony to have.

And there is the castle, and there is the -

"Skyvault," sighs Bella, diving into her hat for her specs.

Comments

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Well, Sherlock is not a very exclamatory sort of person.

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Awww. Does she mind if Bella tries to fix that?

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Not at all.

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Good!

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In fact, she appreciates the effort quite thoroughly.

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Excellent.

It's some time later when, staring up at the ceiling, Bella says, "I should probably call home and tell Cricket the news. He expects me home in a few days."

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"Yes, you probably should."

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Bella starts reaching for a change of clothes. "Where's a mirror I can use?" she asks, stuffing her head into a raspberry-colored tunic.

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"I will fetch one," says Sherlock.

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"Ooh, portable mirrors, fancy."

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"Perhaps not so portable as all that."

When she does in fact fetch one, it is not in fact extremely portable: just an ordinary smallish wall mirror, convenient enough to carry around a medium-sized castle but not something you'd want to pack on a long trip.

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"Ah, I see, you are of course less wary of carrying fragile objects than I am," laughs Bella.

She props the mirror up against a wall. "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, I would like to make a call."

"Who?" asks the mirror.

Bella blinks; hers is more polite than that. "Cricket the cat at the home of Bella Swan, in the Enchanted Forest."

"Just a sec," the mirror says.

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Sherlock glances at Bella, perhaps wondering what was so surprising about the mirror's response, perhaps thinking about something else entirely.

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Presently the mirror shows Cricket. Since Bella's mirror is up on her wall, Cricket has apparently dragged a chair over to sit on and get into frame. "Mrooow?"

"Hi, Cricket! I'm engaged!"

"Meow!"

"If they were allergic to cats I think it would have come up sooner."

"Mew mow?"

"Yes, they - well, sort of, they're princesses, they need heirs, I have to see if I can do that before I can marry both of them."

"Meowwww?"

"Sherlock first."

"Mew."

"Yes, I know Tony was flirting with me more. Tony pretty much just flirts more, period, that's part of why Sherlock first, Tony will have an easier time finding an acceptable husband if I can't come up with a spell."

"Meoooowow."

"Your confidence is, I hope, well-placed."

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"Confidence," Sherlock murmurs. "That sounds promising."

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"Oh, Cricket thinks I can do anything," laughs Bella self-consciously. "I can do a lot of things, but 'anything' is pushing it."

"Mewew."

"Cricket," says Bella dryly, "she's not a cat. She doesn't go into heat."

"Mow!"

"Whenever, okay, and that's all I'm telling you about that."

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Sherlock giggles.

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"Mooooow."

"Cricket says to tell you," Bella relays to Sherlock, "that you'd better be good to me."

"Mew."

"Or you may be scratched. 'Ket-cat, I don't think you want to try that."

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"I will be good to you," says Sherlock, "regardless of Cricket's opinion on the matter."

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Bella beams at her.

"Meow."

"Cricket thinks we're cute," laughs Bella. "Anyway, Cricket, I'll be home to pack up everything, including you, soon, but not likely four days soon. You'll be okay?"

"Mrrrrow."

"If you need to, yeah, I'll pay her back - in fact, you could go anyway, tell Bobbin to tell Sanda the news."

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"Meow."

"Yes, I could call her, but if you're going to be over there anyway - look, Cricket, I told you first, I haven't even called Ranata and Charlie yet, and I have other things to do, I lost a moccasin -"

"Mew mew."

"Tony carried me most of the way," Bella admits. "Don't interrupt. So I have new moccasins to make, and a Skyvault to look at, and maybe a sword, and of course there's Sherlock and Tony to get to know, I'm calling you because you generally expect me to feed you and you need to know how long I'll be gone but Sanda's down the priority list some."

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"Mow."

"If that were what 'getting to know' meant, I certainly would not tell you."

"Meeeeow!"

"If you're just going to make dirty jokes, then this call is over," says Bella firmly.

"Mowww."

"Apology accepted."

"Mew?"

"There's knowing someone well enough to be sure you want to keep them and then there's knowing them really well. You should know that, you'd decided I was going to be your witch - after a fashion - when you were five weeks old and had spied on me talking to Sanda for about ten minutes."

"Mew."

"Yes, you were very clever about it, but that didn't mean that you had nothing new to learn at the time I was convinced and brought you home, did it?"

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Sherlock grins a little.