Illusion is Reality

Chapter 124

-A millennia of crimes-

Blue green portal'ed into Ford's lab in a huff, still more than a little disgruntled. He paced about for a bit, then laid himself down on the couch.

Little did he know that someone had been lying in wait for this to occur. Several someones, in fact...

When Ford walked in the next morning, his lab was an absolute mess. It looked like a whirlwind had gone through it. -Frankly, he had not thought he owned this much paper, with this many notes!

And Ford looked at this. (Damnit, Blue! Of course this was some sort of backlash for the night before, the demonic jerk.) And then Ford thought about what Ashton had very strongly suggested to him. And then Ford turned on his heels and Portal'd to Seb's house to spend the day with Miz instead. She'd be able to grab anything he needed for his work anyway! And also, Ford would have an excuse to spend the day with her. Win-Win!

Unfortunately this excuse only worked until late mid-morning, when he got an exasperated call from Fiddleford. Something about the interns and the cafeteria and 'needing to clean up his own damn mess, Stanford, get in here already'.

Ford tried to protest, but his friend had already hung up.

"What's wrong Fordsie?" Miz, sweet little Miz, asked as she helped him put together a new external hardware addition to his mind-reading for mental health check device. She'd made them wireless and compressed down into an earbud, complete with a function for actually being able to listen to radio stations, if one liked. Though apparently that would interfere with the readings somewhat, so she'd pouted and said that they could only be used for music when one's stress level was too high, as a built in way to help lower stress until help arrived.

"I think your brother may have pulled my interns into some unholy confluence of sheer madness, which Fiddleford cannot handle alone," Ford groaned, rubbing a hand over his face, underneath his own glasses.

"...is that bad?" Miz tilted her head. "...well, he caused a huge mess in my lab this morning." Ford admitted. Miz frowned. "Want me to come help out?"

"...if you don't mind?" Ford hung his head. Was he relying on Miz too much? But Miz seemed delighted to come along. So… well...

Looking down at her sparkling eyes, Ford let out a chuckle. He felt like he could take on anything, with her by his side. "Yes, I would love your help." And so they packed up his work and Portal'd back.

Ford strode into the cafeteria, armed for demon, as it were. And then he stopped dead in place. He had not expected this.

The place was a warzone. Fiddleford had been right about that. There were bodies lying everywhere, strewn across several surfaces. (But on closer inspection, they were still alive. Barely.)

And if the 'paper explosion' in his lab had been bad, well, it looked like a single dropped sticky note when compared to all this.

(Some of it was even stretched up, down, and around in odd paper streamers almost, coming down from the ceiling. What in the world…?)

Ford carefully picked his way through the paper (through what little free surface left there was, between the ground, tables, and benches in here; the chairs were all a wash). He noted several plates of half-eaten food, several empty pizza boxes, chip bags, far far too many empty one-liter soda containers, all sorts of various (used) beakers and jars...

He finally made it in closer to the center of this whole messy maze of things, and finally glared down at what looked to be the worst of the offenders, and probably the leaders of this whole bitched mess - his three sleeping interns, and an also dead-to-the-world and slumbering Bill... -Blue. It was Blue.

Ford glared down at this mess, and these people who he had once trusted not to sleep with the enemy, and then he finally turned and deigned to pick up one of the pieces of paper, to see how very bad it could be.

...Oh. Oh, no. It was quite bad.

Ford clenched the piece of paper in his fist. He shook with suppressed rage.

"How…" Ford hissed. "How did they make it to level 5 after only one night?!" he said of what had apparently been the most intense overnight DDNMD game of the century! With at least thirty people involved! And he'd not even been invited to this! -Clearly, heads would have to roll!

"Know this Blue Cipher!" Ford pointed dramatically at the passed-out demon. "This slight shall not be forgiven!"

"..." went the demon, who had only passed out a mere half-hour ago, and was now on his cycle of eight hours of sleep. (So, basically, Blue just kept right on sleeping and breathing quite easily, having barely managed to last long enough to get this troupe through the last campaign, before his head had literally then hit the table, leaving him very soundly asleep.)

Continuing his tirade, Ford raised his hand up with a clenched fist. "This insult against me will be rectified!"

"Uh-wha, ...Dr. Pines?" he heard behind him, as one of the survivors(?) managed to wake up a little at his tirade.

But Ford turned on his heel and pointed at Miz, who was diligently picking up the papers and stacking them neatly. "Miz! We shall have our own game of DDNMD! And Blue will not be invited!" he declared. ("Goddammit FORD!" Fiddleford raged at him from the entrance to the cafeteria, "That is NOT why I called you here! Your interns caused this whole thing! The rest of us want our damn lunch hour. Now clean this mess up!")

Miz blinked and cheered. "YAY! Dungeon crawl!" and with a gesture, all the papers flew around into neat stacks, sorted by type, character and questline, while the tables righted themselves and even all the dust was neatly swept away and deposited into the trash receptacle (along with the leftover plates, pizza boxes and other errata, though the beakers and other glassware was lined up neatly on the cafeteria table sitting in the backmost corner of the room). And on further inspection later, even under the barrier's might and the seal around her wrist, Miz still had managed all this. Cleaning and organizing everything. Not just in the cafeteria, but the entire building (including Ford's lab). No one would notice the sheer impossibility of this feat (nor how much power and focus it had actually required to do so, and to make it seem effortless) until much later.

(And once Fiddleford had realized this all, he'd broken out into an instant cold sweat. He'd been rather afraid of Miz for a little while now, at how terrifyingly powerful she could actually be, if she put her mind to it, but now-)

Miz was a bit gentler with the pieces of paper that had been stuck under people (including her own brother), but a few more people (friends of friends of the interns' friends, who had gotten some sleep before being woken up with frantic far too caffeinated and excited late-night cellphone calls of, 'dude, you have got to see this!') did wake up at these very slightest of jostlings, and slowly roused themselves to then stare around.

"Yes. And the room is clean." Ford nodded, patting Miz's head as he said so. "And now, we shall be off." He looked far into the distance. "For adventure AWAITS!"

Fiddleford gestured the cafeteria staff in, to get started on the cooking in the kitchens. (They'd escaped out the back, and had to circle around to the front of the building to go make their request for assistance from Fiddleford, when they'd tried opening the doors from the kitchen area inwards to get the buffet and cafeteria line areas set up, and gotten both yelled at and 'attacked' by a slew of paper immediately upon entry. It had been a short battle, in the night's long and unpaltry war.)

"Come along Miz." Ford sank down on one knee, offering his arms, and Miz jumped into them, squealing as Ford stood up and lifted her onto his shoulders. "To ADVENTUUUUUUUURE~!" He roared as he ran off, the girl clinging to his head.

Fiddleford had no expression on his face. He walked over to the coffee machine and poured himself a cup.

"Seriously, Stanford," the engineer muttered, "It's not like I don't know where your interns get it from already."

At some point during Ford and Miz's game, in his lab - which was now covered in papers again, only this time they were his own - Miz had gotten bored and shifted into Jan, which was a pleasant surprise for Ford, having only seen this particular form a few times.

"I still think letting you play two different characters is cheating." Ford teased, even as Jan made use of his extra arms to write out the calculations for two separate character sheets. "Cheat smeet," Jan scoffed. "Single player campaigns aren't as wild as when you've got multiple people working off each other."

"You just made your character pretend to kill your other character and toss his 'dead' body into the burial pit." Ford rolled his eyes.

"Well, how else was I meant to sneak into that crypt? And I got the Ring of Reanimation, so it's all good."

"You bypassed my entire dungeon is what you did!" Ford threw his hands out in frustration.

It was about this point that he heard a knock on the door, and three sheepish-looking interns poked their heads in.

"Dr. Pines?" said one of them. "Sorry about the mess. We, um, we can clean this all up for you now…" ""Sorry…""

And then they stopped, staring at the gorgeous entity seated across from their teacher. Like some painting brought to life, a lithe exotic beauty with four arms and gold spun hair that curled around their heart shaped face-

"Woah," said Terrence, sounding kind of blown away. "That's even cooler-looking than what we tricked Blue into- ow!' he said, as he got elbowed from both sides. "What?"

And Jan, feeling rather… mischievous, shifted sex into Yun between one movement and the next, running a hand over her hair as it changed as she purred and slid up to Ford, wrapping her arms around him. "Sorry kids~ mind coming back later? Fordsie and I are…" she rubbed her cheek against his. "...in the middle of plundering the depths of the dungeon~"

Ford, not picking up on the joke, simply nodded. "Ah, we should be done in another half hour, especially since someone bypassed my entire-" he was cut off by Yun placing a finger against his lips. "I was merely using what I had at my disposal~" Yun crooned at him. Ford rolled his eyes, perfectly relaxed. He was, in a word, not as angry with their 'treachery' as he had been before; not anymore. (Getting to play his own campaign had also helped his mood greatly.)

The interns nodded slowly and, faces red, shuffled back out. "Um… we'll be back in a half hour… then?" and they shut the door behind them.

Ford turned his focus back to Yun. "You changed?" He blinked. "Yeah, I'm feeling in a 'female' mood right now." Yun shrugged. She draped herself across Ford's lap, wondering how long it'd take for Ford to finally notice the prank she'd been playing on him for the past… almost year?

Ford sighed. (Well, at least she hadn't done this out in the cafeteria again? Though at least a decent portion of his scientists would have been fine with that, given that they'd all be too busy eating, hopefully...)

And Ford took this time to examine this form. As Yun was lying in his lap, he could see her up close. Pretty, was the first thing that came to mind. Ford blinked. Unlike Xin and female Xin's curvaceous bodies, Yun was pretty much flat in comparison. But she wasn't without curves. Her physique was slender, with only the barest swell along her chest, and Ford wondered if the four arms were part of that. Having more arms would probably lead to some soreness along her back, and having larger proportions would have only made it worse. So saying, Yun's form was slender and delicate. But those were just surface observations. Ford's eyes were drawn to the ever shifting melanin along her arms, just as he'd been drawn to Jan's.

"...can I study your markings?" Ford asked. Yun giggled, batting her long eyelashes at him. "Only if we can continue playing~"

Ford was fine with that. So he continued his narration even as he held one of Yun's arms and stroked his fingers along her skin, watching how the colors changed. So engrossed was he, that Ford hadn't noticed how his ministrations began making Yun purr in his lap. Ford's study had moved from Yun's arms, to her back, her neck and down her spine, making the woman arch out with a breathless cry at the feeling.

At some point, they had moved from the floor to bent over one of Ford's lab benches, with Yun taking off her top so Ford could get a better look at her skin, the scientist remained oblivious of the scene he was making, as he ended up massaging Yun's back and shoulders, just to see and study the pigmentation. For her part, Yun was panting heavily whenever he pressed down onto juuuust the right spot and- "F-Ford-Fordsie-!"

And it was to this that the Interns came back in to help, saw what was going on in there, and immediately stepped right back out.

Estania's eyes were wide as she held a hand to her heart. "...what did we just see?!" Viola's face was bright red. "Oh. Oooh… Oh…" She couldn't really form words.

Terrence had his arms folded, nodding to himself. "So they're like that… wait, who… was that person he was with?"

"I thought he was with Xin?" "That wasn't Xin, though?" "Um…" The three interns thought very hard. (They hadn't met Blue's sister's other forms yet.) "He couldn't be cheating on Xin. Dr. Pines isn't that kind of man." Terrence said firmly.

"Well… we could ask him?" Viola wondered out loud.

"Maybe he's being taken advantage of with alien pheromones," said Estania, and they all looked around at each other. Would they need filtration masks for a rescue attempt?

"Ok, first of all, that lady he's with right now is clearly not human. But… they… I mean, weren't they playing DDAMD before?" "Who is she anyway?"

"Look, I'm just gonna ask him." Viola slapped her cheeks lightly, trying to make them stop blushing, and psych herself up for this. She knocked on the door. "Dr. Pines? Are you decent?"

"...yes? I'd certainly like to think so. What do you-?" came his confused reply. Viola took a deep breath and walked in. The woman was fully dressed and seated on the ground surrounded by papers. Dr. Pines blinked at her, looking perfectly unaware that what he was doing might be in any way wrong. Viola took a deep breath. "Who's that."

"Oh, this is-" Ford's reply was cut off as Yun waved. "Hiiii~ I'm Yun! Nice to meet you all," she grinned at them. Viola narrowed her eyes at the woman. "And… what are you, to Dr. Pines?" because Viola wouldn't accept some gorgeous alien hussy getting between Dr. Pines and his tragic (romantic) love for Xin.

And Yun burst out laughing. "Ahahaha- sorry- I can't- ahahahaha!" She doubled over, pounding the ground. Viola and the other two watched on, bemused. And then, to their surprise, 'Yun' shifted and then they were staring at Xin. "I'm a shapeshifter." Xin explained. "But keep this a secret. Me as Yun has a different identity from me as Xin." He winked at them.

"Why is this a secret?" Ford blinked. Xin huffed. "Because I'm planning to make identification papers for my other forms," he explained. "Then I can start up bank accounts! For getting human currency! So I wouldn't have to mooch off you all the time."

"You're not mooching off- Xin, I don't mind." Ford sighed. Xin shrugged, shifting back into Yun as he/she went. "If I had different identities, I can meet up with you all the time, without there being cases of people witnessing 'me' in two places at times that shouldn't be possible." she explained patiently. Ford's eyes widened. "Wait, is that why you-"

"Of course!" Yun nodded. "Though you will need to fix up that… filter of yours too. Still. But that'll be for later."

(The (still rather tired and sleep-deprived) interns exchanged a few looks between themselves at this.)

"But this is just a test run." Yun sighed. "Didn't actually think of it first thing when we were in the cafeteria. But most of the staff was passed out anyway." Ford nodded. "Right…"

And, staring at this interaction, Terrence spoke up, "But… did you two have to… do… that here and now… with us right outside?"

""Do what?"" Ford and Yun asked. Perfectly oblivious (though Yun was holding back an amused smirk).

"Um, said Viola, "We're just gonna go ahead and clean up the lab, now!" "Yup!" said Estania, elbowing Terrence as she went. ("Ow! What?")

"Ah, we… cleaned it earlier-" Ford 'oofed' when Yun elbowed him. "I cleaned it. But, you made a new mess." She shrugged. "Though…" and here, Yun regarded everyone. "Why were you all playing in Fordsie's lab?"

"Well, this was where Blue was," said Terrence. "And at first we only talked him into running one short campaign, because he said he wanted to fall asle- OW!" (Terrence got elbowed from both sides by the two girls who had heard about the rant Dr. Pines had given in the cafeteria before this.)

"Ah, well, I suppose, I can't really blame you all for wanting a good game of DDAMD." Ford sighed. He supposed he should be glad that Blue was kept occupied.

Upon hearing that Dr. Pines actually wasn't mad at them, Estania squee'd and said, "Ohmigosh-ohmigosh- IT WAS THE BEST!" She jumped up and down in place. "Terrence talked him into one game, and then Viola kind of snuck in some of her friends in as spectators, and then they all wanted to play, too!" She began talking nonstop. "And then Curt ordered pizza and Carrie got a bunch more people together and Terrence asked him about the multiple campaigns at once and I tricked him into doing all of those illusions like he did tricking you in the forest that one time by the tree-" (Ford did not know how she managed to keep talking without passing out; was this a weird mutation of some kind?) "And then we found out that all the campaigns were actually linked, and all six parties got to be in on the same massive battle! And-!"

"-and we kinda made a mess with all the extra coffee and snack runs and stuff," Viola said a bit more sheepishly. "Sorry. We should've cleaned up your lab completely first before moving everybody out to the cafeteria," she apologized next, even as Estania was still practically vibrating in place and making one long drawn-out 'EEEEEEE!'

Ford adjusted his glasses. "When did you finish your last game?"

"Yeahhhh," said Terrence. "That was kind of… uh. Around 11:30? Ish? ...A.M.?" he winced a little bit.

"And he tells ME to sleep properly."

"Well, he was gonna, but I tricked him into trying caffeine, because coffee is a plant? And wow, he is really weird on that stuff. He's got a really wild laugh!" Estania was grinning like she thought this was hysterical, and was clearly very proud with herself for this accomplishment.

"...you gave Blue… coffee…" Ford said slowly. He was… a little horrified actually. "Well. It's very good that no one died."

"Oh wow, no," said Terrence. "There were, I dunno, at least twelve full party wipes over the whole crazy five-part campaign. It was a mess," he nodded, like this was to be expected for some reason.

Ford paused at this.

"...You had… twelve party wipes… and reached level five... in one night?" Ford asked them all slowly.

"-Across all six of the party teams," Viola corrected, "Ours only wiped once, in the very beginning of the second mini-campaign. So it kind of sucked, but it really wasn't that bad. Not as bad as it could've been. He let everybody reroll at only one level down each time."

"Ah, that would make it easier the next go around." Ford got several nods from the interns at this. Usually one only managed one level per session or 'mini-campaign', though (if they were lucky to be able to rack up that many experience points). If they'd ended up at level 5, then they must have been setting a grueling pace to do an entire campaign, to try and get back that lost level during the second of five parts of it - and then succeed at it, no less.

"Dr. Poddar said he's gonna pull the security footage for the stuff we were doing in the cafeteria and make a highlight reel for everybody," said Estania, "Since everybody who was playing didn't get to see what was going on with the other parties at the same time? They were all kind of different," they'd only found out, comparing notes, later. Some of them had even ended up on opposing sides of the big mini-campaign five battle, up until that Eldritch Horror had crashed down on them all, apparently drawn in by a cult's worship that one of the groups hadn't managed to stop in time, that was able to summon it down on them all by all the blood on the massive three-way battlefield that had been shed, which the dark group had apparently orchestrated to happen in order to do that very thing-

"So… ah… what… sort of game are you and… Miss Yun playing?" Terrence asked, still blushing as he had trouble looking at her directly. They hadn't seen anything explicit, but she had been bent over the lab bench with Dr. Pines right over her-

"Oh, a necromancy-type storyline," Ford told them. "And I found every way I could to get out of not having to fight!" Yun grinned. Ford rolled his eyes. "I still think giving you two characters is cheating."

"Well, I can have just one, if more players are in the party." Yun leaned against Ford's side, batting her eyelashes at him. Ford snorted. "I think my interns are too… sleep deprived, to play a full game."

"Aw~" complained Estania. "Hey, I've done more on less sleep," Terrence complained. (It was now getting close to 3pm.) And Viola made a big-eyed face at him. Ford gave them all a level stare. (It was super-ineffective.) Yun then physically got up and herded them over to the couch. "Nap. Then maybe we can play a game later." she said sternly. "Didn't realize you guys had spent THAT much time awake. Yeesh!"

The troublesome trio ended up dozing off snuggled up against the left and right armrests, respectively, with one of them curled up in the middle against the back of the couch (Terrence, who at this point in his life, was pretty good at being able to fall asleep on just about anything, if he really tried; it was a gift).

Meanwhile, those in the cafeteria kept a wide berth away from the still-slumbering Blue (who had fallen asleep at the 'main' table). Fiddleford had warned them all not to mess with the cryptid. (And on his eight-hour cycle, he wasn't going to be rousing again himself until around 7:30pm that night…)

He was glad that at the very least, Blue wasn't causing any trouble while asleep. (Given that he was supposedly also one of those 'dream demons', Fiddleford would not have put it past him somehow.) And Fiddleford wanted to complain about all this, but Ford was being an idiot right now. He sighed. Whatever, Fiddleford was going to be the adult here. He had work to do, like upping security because, dear lord, how had that many teenagers and young adults gotten back into the center so late- and even managed to stay there overnight without any one of the night shift staff saying anything about it, or setting all the alarms off?!

When he heard that Poddar was going over the security footage and that they had caught something on it, Fiddleford demanded copies of all the footage out of him post-haste.

So Fiddleford sat down in his office and played the tapes, hoping to see what had happened the night before.

And it was rather depressing, from a security standpoint. The night staff security and janitorial crews had thought it was normal, as far as Fiddleford could tell. That it had been some kind of overnight team building event? It seemed that way, at least from the body language he was seeing there in that video feed. (The audio, he was running through a few filters, to better clean it all up.) They'd even held doors open for folks, being helpful, or seemed to coordinate letting people back into the building via cell phones with the way some of them had stopped in the midst of their duties, seemed to check their phones at their belts, and then headed off for one of the doors to meet up with and let in some of those folks. After watching at least seven separate groups entering with, or leaving to do snack runs over the course of the night… all Fiddleford could do was shake his head. (The only saving grace on that front was that they hadn't actually let either of the two pizza delivery men inside the actual building, just met them at one of the side doors with a group of two or three people, and taken the pizzas from there.)

Fiddleford sighed. He was… going to have to talk to a lot of people. At least the kids hadn't been able to get into any of the labs. They locked after a certain time and you needed a keycard. Of course, from what he was seeing from the hallway camera, the interns had stayed in Ford's lab overnight, been inside the room when the lock had happened, and then held the door open for folks as they'd come back in. He was rather annoyed by this oversight. Any of the school tours that they sometimes allowed in for field trips were going to be able to exploit this if some kid just hid inside a lab after most people had left for the day.

The security logs had picked up all of the opening and closing doors, but they didn't differentiate between who had what shift for any of the keycards, Fiddlefird realized, after checking things over. He was at least going to have to have the thing send up some kind of an alert. It was one thing for somebody to be there when they were expected to be, or to maybe stay late or come back one night because of a particular itch to work on some project or another, or to check on some necessary after-hours testing regime. But this had been pretty damn egregious, and the monitoring system had not been set up to set off any alerts at this. They'd been worried about folks who weren't their staff getting ahold of a keycard that they shouldn't have, not their own people coming in and doing some random demon-driven nonsense.

The only other saving grace of all of this was that they hadn't just invited folks willy-nilly over from the town. It had only been their own interns and younger scientists coming back to the grounds, on the premises at all times. Some of them really shouldn't have been in Ford's lab without his say-so and supervision, though, and that was the kicker.

Ford didn't have any cameras in his lab. He refused to. Which meant that Fiddleford had no idea if any of those interns - or that Blue demon himself - had messed with anything in there, between last night and this. Bad enough that the Blue demon had been getting in there every night for the past few nights somehow - via portal probably, from what Ford had told him when he'd asked, which was another headache and a half - but Fidds had to trust that Ford had tested and checked what he needed to each morning after he's gotten in, knowing that the demon had been there by seeing him in there after Ford had eventually arrived.

And Stanford had had the audacity to come to him worried about cellphones the other day. There were far worse problems with their security here these days than that. Fiddledord could lock down the electronic end; it was physical access he was worried about. People getting in and walking off with something. Or messing with their equipment and then- Fiddleford shook his head.

Once Fiddleford finished watching everything else but the cafeteria footage (he'd save that headache for later), and writing down all the issues needing to be fixed, he stomped his way down to Ford's lab. He knocked firmly. "Stanford. We need to talk."

"F? Sure, come in."

So he went in, blinking at the state of the room, and noticed the interns sleeping like babies on the couch. "Stanford, there is a serious breach of security around the Center that we need to talk about. I'm gonna need to do an overhaul of the whole system."

"Breach-" Ford sat up, holding a stack of papers to his chest. He placed them down on one of the many tables. "What happened?" he asked seriously, Fidds having his full and undivided attention now.

Fiddleford was looking around, Ford had come in with Miz earlier- ah, there she was, gathering sheets of paper over on the other end of the lab. Fiddleford sighed. "Too many people got right in here, last night. Into your lab, into the Center, the security teams just let them right on in without even checkin' them over."

Ford's eyes widened. "What?!" Fiddleford proceeded to list off everything that had happened. And Ford grew progressively paler.

"And I don't know what they were doin' in here," Fiddleford said, "Because there ain't a lick of security footage here because you won't have it in here." He paused and let Ford mull that one over for a hot second before saying, "Or I wouldn't, if Dr. Poddar wasn't putting together that 'compilation' of his, and people weren't trying to help out. -I got audio," Fiddleford said, "No video. Your interns said not to do video, because you didn't like it in here. So I've got a truckload of sounds I've got to go through now, seein' if I can tell the difference between a dice roll and a bunch of excited folks playin' with paper, or somebody goin' through your own file cabinets instead." And if he hadn't gone back and asked Dr. Poddar if he had any of that raw footage that wasn't from a security camera from here, and that nobody would get into any trouble over it for maybe recording stuff there when they shouldn't've, he wouldn't even have that. Fiddleford sighed. "And that's not even addressin' the blue-haired demon who keeps comin' in the room all the time to begin with."

"Yes, he does it because it upsets me. He's just trying to get a rise out of me." Ford sighed at the whole thing. Damn Blue just liked bullying him.

"You sure about that?" Fiddledord asked him. Ford paused. "I asked him to stop, but he said it was fun."

"...have you asked Miz to tell 'im to stop?"

"...I can't just go to Miz every time, to tattle to her about her brother," Ford groaned. Fiddleford nearly smacked him across the head for that. "Your pride ain't the issue here. If she can make him stop, then ask her to make him stop!" Ford rubbed his head with an annoyed look.

And Miz looked over, calling out, "If it really bothers you so much, I can ask him to stop?"

"..." And Ford just felt rather emasculated by all this. "...yes please." he said in defeat.

Blue woke to a terrible pounding through his skull, and a warm, familiar presence against his side.

The dichotomy left him a bit thrown for significantly longer than it usually did.

And when he was finally awake enough to be verbal, he let out a series of chittered curses, and decided that (1) letting anyone talk to him about anything when he hadn't finished eating dinner yet was a terrible idea, (2) skipping dinner before sleeping OR naps was NEVER going to happen again around these people here again, NEVER, (3) coffee was even more terrible when he was the one ingesting it than when that Stanford did it to his own body. And not the good kind of terrible, either.

Blue slowly lifted his head up, to turn it chin-down on the table, on top of his arm. ...Still in the cafeteria. Wonderful. (That was sarcasm.)

And then he noticed that there was a shadow on the table around him. He blinked, looked up a bit further, and realized that there was some sort of umbrella-type thing above him, blocking the bright fluorescent lights from high above. And this was probably supposed to be helping to make his headache marginally less terrible than it might have been otherwise, if the way his eyes stung and his head pounded when he tried to look out at anything lit up any brighter from being in the light out from under said umbrella-type object meant anything.

And his little sister was there, peacefully sitting beside him, head in her arms as she played with her Com, texting to her friends.

Blue closed his eyes, pulled a breath in, and took a moment to bounce himself out of his vessel just a bit. He tweaked a few things, flushed out a few others, then dropped back down into it more fully again. ...Better.

He slowly sat up (a bit carefully still), stretched out a bit, and then relaxed again. "Water," he said, reaching for his hat. He was already wearing it, so that wasn't hard at all; one hand up and in, and he had a bottle of water out, uncapped, and downed fully in rather short order. (For carbon-based lifeforms, dehydration was a nasty bitch, and some things were handled better by letting the bio-systems handle it for you instead of injecting it all directly. ...Less work and still managed in relatively the same order-of-magnitude timeframe, for one.)

Miz looked over and up at him. "Hi," she greeted. "Do you want some lemon juice for your water too?"

"No," said Blue, as he put down the first empty bottle and went for a second. (He was glad that he'd done that grocery store trip here in this 'set earlier in the night on the night that he'd left that 'sensitive' Ford crying in the local-warlord Kari's arms.) "Easier to track-and-manage the hydration process without getting distracted by the additional obfuscating input."

"Ok." Miz swung her legs back and forth. "Do you need food, though?"

"YES," said Blue. "Going to handle that next." He'd eaten some things the night before, but they'd all been out of his hat. He was down to his last bit of reserve foodstuff stores, currently.

"Want me to cook something?" Miz asked next, tapping out a response on her Com.

"Might want to save your energy, little sis," he noted. He paused a bit, to let things settle before he'd go for his third water bottle next.

"Naw, I can use their kitchens here." Miz raised a hand to point toward the side of the cafeteria. "They've got ingredients and stuff. And Fordsie told me I had free reign of the facility."

"They've also got pans big enough to feed twelve people, which you would find VERY hard to resist," Blue noted dryly.

"Ehehehehe~" Miz looked to be lost in a daydream. "Giant food~"

Blue sighed. "Crystals to make it bigger? Or you smaller? Or both." He propped his head up on a fist.

"The technical skill required to craft giant food with your own two hands and careful application of physics and chemistry is part of the fun!" Miz insisted. "I watch ThemTube videos about it!"

"Might want to save it for the family dinners," said Blue. "Can do those now, once Kari realizes exactly what that local-'Hand has got in his hot little hands, now. Fourteen Pines to cook your 'giant food' for," Blue noted, sounding both amused and a bit bemused perhaps.

...and his little sister was off in her head, eyes glazed with the daydream she was no doubt caught up in.

Blue got to his feet, and pet her on the head almost absently twice, before picking up his bottles to throw out as trash, leaving her to it.

He was out of the cafeteria and halfway down the hallway when Glasses stepped out of a doorway and began to walk down it in a direction that had him moving towards and past him.

Blue rolled his eyes, and got ready to thoroughly ignore the local Glasses as he walked past, because food first.

"You're a security risk," Glasses told him, not bothering with any niceties.

Blue felt his mouth start up in a wide, twisted grin, and barely managed to force it back down again. Because… "Oh," said Blue. "You r-e-a-l-l-y DON'T want to have this conversation with me right now, local-Glasses," Blue told him, and kept walking past him. "Food first. I'll be back~~" Blue said almost sing-song, rather nastily. (He barely kept back the 'Can't get rid of ME~!')

"...very well." HM. This Glasses was apparently smarter than he looked, knowing when to back down. He also shivered, which did wonders for improving Blue's mood.

Blue was smiling to himself, almost humming now, as he continued walking down the corridors, down the hallway and to his chosen exit.

Blue was in a significantly less good mood after dinner, when he realized that he might miss tea with Kari tonight if he didn't get over there quickly - and that was on top of how he'd almost completely missed doing so the night prior. Last night, he'd spent a mere five minutes with her before heading off to the visit with that Ashton character. He'd promised a longer session with her tonight, to make up for that, and to let her know how things had gone. And now he'd have to 'look forward' to talking to this local Glasses after that. (-A far less than fun prospect, now that he had enough willpower back to properly think through and prioritize why he probably shouldn't be driving the local Glasses out of his blinking little mind with absolute fear.)

"I'm sure granny Kari would understand you having other obligations," his sister told him gently, over the phone. (He'd texted her, thinking she might be busy or still daydreaming, not having checked directly; she had called him back.) "And I can go with you tonight," she added.

"Don't need to do that], said Blue. [Just tell that local-'Hand to tell that local Glasses that I'll talk with him tomorrow. And that my rates for security consulting work are exorbitant. Just shy of extortionary. Local warlords trump local Glasses every time."

"...okie," he heard his sister chirp, cheerful as could be. A shuffling sound, "Who're you talking to?" More shuffling. "Blue, oh, hey! Hey Mister Fiddles! Brother said he can't make it tonight, he's having tea with granny Kari after this." ("That is NOT what I said.") A sound of Fiddleford making a questioning sound. "Oh, because granny Kari is a higher priority than you." More sounds of complaining. "Well, I can ask him." (And then Blue narrowed his eyes.)

"Ask me what?" Blue complained. "I'm already 'watchdog'ging this local Stanford's lab every other night for practically nothing."

"They don't seem to understand that. They're unhappy that we can both just come in whenever. Even if we're protecting the place, we're still getting through all the security."

"Then maybe that 'Hand should get that portal-denial tech working, as a start," Blue said rather sarcastically. "Make it at least a little more challenging for me." (Blue had a perception filter up around him here, and was beaming this to her phone directly; he wasn't worried about eavesdropping.)

"He started on that today, it's only got a range of three feet so far," Miz told him, and Blue blinked. Miz continued, "He got a working prototype in just a few hours! And I barely had to give him any hints." She sounded incredibly proud of her chosen Sixer.

Blue rolled his eyes. He knew how 'hints' went. Could shave millenia off of a problem with a good 'hint' in just the right place. Decades, even.

(Blue wasn't thinking about the fact that, for the average human, one could gift them with all the advanced blueprints and groundbreaking knowledge in the world, but many of them still wouldn't be able to do anything with it, even with additional help beyond that. Mostly because Blue didn't care about what the 'average' human could or couldn't do in this particular context. Blue was generally more concerned with the particular individual, not their standing on the 'general standard' any farther than his initial determination of whether they might be worth his time to talk to at all in any given circumstance - or not, as the case may be. And Blue's standards for 'six-fingered hand's on a zodiac were incredibly high, for better or for worse. And so, he wasn't impressed at all with his sister's Sixer, who was still much too stupid, too thoughtless, too half-baked from less than fifteen years in other dimensions while relying too much on a Stanley for everything - and just out-and-out not good enough for her, as far as the demon was concerned.)

"Don't let him blow himself up, little sis," Blue reminded her, thinking of more than a few problems to do with that rather immediately. "Safety first, for the fragile little humans in the building there."

"Got it! See you later brother~!" she sang before hanging up.

There was a pause, and then his phone rang again. Blue picked up. "Sorry brother! I forgot to ask you the thing!" Miz apologized.

"Ask me what thing?" Blue said.

"Well, Fordsie and Fiddle-fo-fum wanted me to ask you to ask for permission from either one of them before you come into the Center."

Blue rolled his eyes at this. The local Glasses was the one who'd said he wanted to talk to him! "Are they absolutely certain that no-one is capable of breaking into that lab and stealing that portal device, if I'm not in there at night to wake up in a VERY bad mood when my bracer goes off because someone not him-or-you is entering that lab room of his 'without permission' while I am there?"

There was some quiet murmuring on the other side of the line. Then, "Nope. They don't have anything more effective than you." Miz didn't sound any less cheerful despite this news.

"Then I'm either sleeping there tonight or stealing that portal device from him myself," said Blue.

"I can hold onto it," Miz told him, "Since Fordsie is starting to get really upset that you keep going into his room without asking."

"Not really the point I'm trying to make here, little sis," Blue told her with an eye roll (as he shoved his cart up to the checkout counter and cashier there in the grocery store). "And is he, now? Is he really."

"Yeah, Fordsie's looking really sad." Miz's pout was audible.

"Oh no, he looks sad because I'm keeping people from stealing his shit instead of breaking it all on him myself," Blue drawled out. "How terrible for him."

"That's not what he's sad about, and you should know that," Miz drawled back.

"Well," said Blue, "I'm not about to fall asleep next to him in bed, if that's what he's wanting. All alone at night, without you there." Blue shifted his phone to his other hand and started unloading foodstuffs from the cart 'the human way'.

"...I would like for you to not go to bed with my Fordsie." There was almost a trace of possessiveness in her tone.

Blue couldn't quite stifle the quick grin before it broke out for the moment. "Yes, little sis, I'm aware," he not-quite teased her.

He could hear her whining a little over the phone. "Fordsie! You're not allowed to go to bed with my brother!" "WHAT?! I wouldn't- what would even make you think-?!" "Look, Fordsie's really upset," Miz said, more seriously. "Just, I dunno, call or text them beforehand to ask if you could go in for that day?"

"The local Glasses asked to talk to ME, little sis," Blue told her, eyes narrowing. "NOT the other way around. -If they want to talk to me civilly after this," he informed her next, "They can beg me for my help, and I'll be tripling my rates."

"Well, he does want to talk, but you're supposed to be with granny. And I think they don't like you enough to beg you," Miz pointed out. "I ain't beggin' him. I know he's just testing out the flaws in our security, but it would have been nice to get some heads up on it all first!"

Blue pulled in a breath, and reached for patience. Humans.

"Miz," he said in very even tones. "Let that idiot Glasses know that the point of a security test is that it is not planned for, to check the current ACTUAL state of the security of the facility being tested, under normal operations and circumstances. Including the security staff." Blue let out a breath. "Now. Emergency drills and security training programs are another thing entirely," Blue said. "And I KNOW they do not have enough riches to pay me to be conducting either one of THOSE for them," he told her firmly. (He handed over several bills of paper money, which he'd made into a perfect analogue of the local currency from a handful of leaves and grass outside, to the cashier to pay for his purchases, and then indicated that she keep the change.)

There was a mumbling as Miz repeated what he said. Some sounds of annoyed complaints. "Brother's just a tsun-tsun. It's how he's like with everyone. I'm the only one who can get a 'dere from him." "What in tarnation is a tsun-tsun?!" "You need to sit down for more anime with Soos."

Blue let out his breath in a huff. "I am not stupid enough to get in an argument with you about the applicability of that particular term, little sis!" Especially given that one hallmark of the trait was supposedly denying such repeatedly. Stupid.

"You're halfway between a Tsun and a Yan." was Miz's matter-of-fact reply.

"I am myself," Blue informed her. "I don't conform to others' terms, conditions, wants, or needs. I am the best of The Worst." (He scooped up his bags, nodded to the cashier with a smile, and made his way out of the store.)

"Ok," Miz agreed easily enough. "But humans need to compare things to other things to get the point sometimes. So I use words that they can understand." "Absolutely no one here understood what you said just now." "Shush Fordsie! I'm gonna make you watch Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, we're skipping the endless summer though!" ("I don't understand any word coming out of your mouth.")

"Either put me on speakerphone over there or hand one of them the damn phone," Blue said.

A shuffling, then a tap. "You're on speaker."

"Fine. -You want a comparison over there? I'm 'several supernovas walking around at ground level', as my own Stanley very rightly puts it. Every second you continue to breathe is because I don't feel like murdering everything by letting myself relax and stretch out for a bit; I've lived several times longer than your universe has existed, and I've watched the entire histories of more dimensions than there are stars in your sky. I've interacted with more people than you could ever hope to meet in your entire lifetimes in less than a month along my own personal timeline, seen more horrors than-" Blue stopped himself. Breathed. "You people are doing your damnedest to tell me to take a long walk off of a short pier, when I am actively trying to not-decide that it would just be more fun to go hang out in a third world country or two for a week and cause a bloodbath there just for fun because I might get bored or annoyed while I'm there." Blue worked his jaw. "I should think that 'crashing on your couch' for a week, 'keeping an eye on your shit' while I'm at it, and only interacting with you when you talk to me first, while trying not to do much of anything objectionable outside your own flat-ish 'morality' while I'm there, should not be too much of a hardship for you, instead of having to turn on the news every night and listen to that. OR WORSE. -Am I making myself clear enough to you in your own common vernacular, yet?" Blue asked them all rather pointedly.

There was a long moment of silence. Then, the local 'Hand's voice asking, "Miz, are you like that in your true form too?" ("Yeah, if I didn't keep myself in the Mindscape or a vessel, I would end up consuming most of existence if I stretched myself out.") "...good to know….." Ford's voice sounded a little strained.

"...yes. Very clear," the local Glasses said, much more serious than the other two people on their side of the line.

Blue blew out a breath. "I need to eat more food," he told them, as he noted this himself. "Caffeine is terrible. -And NOT in the 'good' kind of terrible way." Blue pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't much like the biochemical echo that he hadn't quite cleaned out this evening, not wanting to 'reset' things too far in this vessel. He was still learning things about how these vessel-things seemed to work and didn't-work on him, and when and why not.

"Coffee is nice to smell but terrible to taste!" Miz agreed. "Unless it's mixed with chocolate!" There was a sigh. "You're not allowed to have both chocolate and caffeine at the same time."

"Agreement. Stay away from any chocolate you have not already modified yourself, little sis." Blue pulled his (not-floating) hat off of his head, dumped the bags into it in shirt order, and took a sharp turn into an alleyway. "I'm portalling to Kari's door now. I have edible food with me and will eat enough of it for a meal there. Hanging up now."

"Ok bye~" click.

Blue hung up.

He tossed the phone into his hat after that, 'fold'ed up his hat after, pocketed it, and gestured up a portal into existence to five feet in front of Kari's door. And then he walked himself right on through it.

"...I don't understand that boy at all," Fiddleford groaned. Miz huffed. "Brother's kindness is something that people don't understand." She swung her legs, perched on the lab bench. "He could easily kill half the planet if he was bored. But he doesn't. And he's trying to help out with things he hears you guys complaining and being worried about, but he can't do it in a nice, outright way." Miz shrugged. "I'm the same, my powers don't like when I'm nice to people directly without getting something in return."

Ford frowned. "That's not true, you're always helping people-"

"I help people selfishly," Miz corrected. "I'm helping them because I'm doing what I think is best for them, without asking them first if they want my help." She leaned back on her hands. "I've gotten pretty good at working around my powers, so I can do what I want, without having to be as awful about it as I should," she told them.

"I… don't understand?" Fiddleford frowned. "You're perfectly civil and such, and you're not…" he made a helpless sound, "...like your brother?"

Miz huffed. "I put in an effort to try and get along with people. I don't have to. I chose to." She glanced up at Ford. "And since I got adopted, the Pines are my family, they're mine. So of course I treat them well. I take care of my belongings."

"They're not your belongings." Fiddleford frowned. ("Yes they are!") He twitched at Miz's protest. "That's not how it-"

"-Miz isn't human," Ford interrupted. "And it's not fair to her, to expect her to see the world the same way a human does." He didn't notice the shy smile Miz had at his words. "What's important isn't how she thinks about it herself, but how she ends up treating the people around her because of it. And if it means she'll be kind, and courteous, then what does it matter how she got to that thought?"

Fiddleford looked rather… disturbed by this. Which Ford didn't understand. What was the problem here? If Miz loved and cared for people because of this possessiveness, that meant she would protect those people, keep them safe. Then Ford had a moment of realization. "Oh, this is not the same as seeing us as pets," he told Fiddleford, because that must have been what his friend was worried about.

"You're not a pet," Miz agreed.

But Fiddleford didn't seem any more relaxed by that. "...does Xin see things this same way?" he asked. Ford blinked. Miz giggled. "Yeah. The Island was handed over to you and Ford and stuff, but the people on that Island belong to him," and they did. Belong to her, that is. She hadn't claimed them at first, but since they'd begun worshipping her, well, that made them her responsibility now. Therefore, they were hers. She just hadn't told them so, humans (and many other sentient beings) tend to get upset about this fact. And Miz had enough tact to realize there was no point in telling them. Her brother would probably berate her for 'lying' or 'withholding' such information from them, but Miz wasn't going to bother, since she wasn't planning on doing anything that would cause such a thing to become an issue.

Fiddleford was frowning in thought for a good long time. Finally, he sighed, looked exhausted and frustrated. "Well Stanford, are ya sure this is… what you want? That… you're happy with this relationship?" Fiddleford was asking about the romance he was quite sure existed between his friend and the dragon. Ford, on the other hand, thought he meant about his friendship with Miz. "Yes. I'm quite alright with this." Because it made sense to him, Ford really didn't see the problem here. If William loved them all, what did it matter why those feelings came about?

Ford was a bit twisted inside, just as Miz said. And Ford didn't know what it meant, or even recognized it in himself. Sebastian was somewhat twisted as well, valuing his family above all others. If some random human died, Sebastian wouldn't care, so long as it had nothing to do with him. He only cared for his family. Much like that, Ford cared for the rest of humanity in a somewhat distant way. A sort of 'because I'm supposed to' way. But he didn't much care beyond others being 'not dead' or 'not maimed'. They were twisted. And Miz loved them deeply for it.

Fiddleford sighed. "Well, as long as you're… happy, and safe." He was worried, yes, but his friend was stubborn. And… at least… if that dragon of his truly loved him back, then… it… should be fine. That Bill Cipher… all those years ago… he ain't never loved Stanford. Fiddleford could tell. He was intuitive like that, could tell that demon loved no one. But… looking at little Miz here, and at Xin whenever he came over… the affection there was real. That was the reason why, despite how incredibly fucked up all of this was, Fiddleford finally relaxed.

"Of course you had ta go fer a different species." Fiddleford chuckled. He probably should have seen this coming. Ford looked confused, Fiddleford patted his shoulder. "Well, good luck." And then Fiddleford waltzed right out of Ford's lab, leaving the six-fingered man very confused.

Fiddleford's cellphone rang at ten AM on the dot the next morning. Unknown number.

He rolled his eyes, suspecting who it would be, and set the phone on speaker. Wasn't gonna hold it near his brain, what with who was on the other end.

"I am already annoyed," said the very irritated voice on the other end of the phone. "Whoever of you thought bled was a good color to paint the couch last night needs to be shot." A pause. "Also, I fixed it for you WITHOUT painting every last inch of every surface in your homes and other-offices and lab-spaces that color in justifiable-retaliation in return. You're welcome."

And Fiddleford's mouth twitched. "Thank you very much for this thoughtfulness." He had thought Ford was insane, when he had sprayed down his couch with that paint the night before (cackling like a madman), confused as to what he was trying to do. But this, this was funny.

"DON'T LIE to me," he heard back. A bit of a rustling in the background. "What did you want to talk about yesterday anyway. Be specific."

Fiddleford quickly set aside his mirth, for the moment. "The holes in our security. I would like to have your feedback on how you think we should fill them." Fiddleford had actually sat down with Soos for some anime the night before, to learn what this… tsun-tsun was. And… Fiddleford's mouth twitched again. Despite Blue's complaints, Miz was right. It did sort of give Fiddleford a bit of an idea on how to understand Blue better.

"I'm sure you would." And that was… it. The demon didn't say anything else.

"May I discuss those holes with you?" Fiddleford asked.

There was a significant pause.

"Do you know why I'm calling you from a phone this morning?" he was asked.

"To ask for permission to come in?" Fiddleford guessed.

"No," said Blue. "I fell asleep on the couch in the lab again. After fixing it. And not doing the justifiable-retaliation things. Which I can still do to all of you. If I feel like it."

"And here I thought you were making an effort to ask, after already expressly coming in without asking, as some roundabout pettiness," Fiddleford noted.

"I'm not human," he was told by the demon. "If I wanted to be 'petty', I would literally rearrange your face. Or just murder you outright without saying anything, not even so much as a little bit of gloating there beforehand."

"..." That's not what pettiness is… Fiddleford didn't say. "So why are you calling?"

"Two reasons. One: I don't particularly feel like going to where you are, and having this conversation within the hearing of this local-'Hand here whom I might actually listen to a 'stop' or 'no' from is probably a 'good' idea. Because, two: I really don't like any of you local Glasses. Not actually seeing you when I am talking to you will make certain things… marginally easier to control and potentially not-do. Probably. And that 'marginally' is very important."

"Ah, ok then." Fiddleford nodded, though it couldn't be seen over the phone.

He heard a long breath out on the other end. Then a muttered, "...Not used to actually talking to-or-with you Glasses ever. Usually involves a lot more 'demon!' screaming and scrabbling around for some holy water or something."

"Ah, well, I kinda got over that," Fiddleford drawled. "Therapy helped."

There was a pause. Then: "...Well. That's horrifying."

"Is it?" Fiddleford wondered.

"Yes," came the very dry reply.

"Well, I'm sorry for being horrifying?" Fiddleford wasn't sure how to feel about this.

"What part of DON'T LIE was somehow unclear?'

"I was merely speaking with the ingrained niceties of polite conversation. It's a human thing, apologizing even when we don't mean it."

Fiddleford blinked as he heard an 'ugh' and a click. (Blue had ended the call and tossed the phone onto the couch next to him, tossing an arm up over his eyes next. Uuuugh. Blue laid there, eyes closed. Not murdering the Glasses. He was not murdering the Glasses. For lying to him, and having the AUDACITY to try to make it sound like he should think that it was just fine that he'd done it, right to his face, while admitting to it at the same time!)

Well. That… happened. Fiddleford shrugged it off, going back to his work.

Fiddleford saw Blue later in the cafeteria that day at lunch, sitting off at a separate table, eating alone. Looked rather purposeful to him.

Fiddleford kept half an eye on the demon as he sat down with the folks he usually did, struck up a conversation.

He blinked as he saw Ford's interns come in as a group, spot Blue, and… sure enough, after they'd all gotten their lunches from the line, they made a beeline for the demon at his table.

...Looked like they'd asked to sit down with him. Demon shrugged it off; they sat down. They were all talking and chatting; the demon wasn't talking much. Looked like he was giving one word answers.

Fiddleford frowned. That looked like a lot of 'no's there. One of them started gesturing; looked like they were trying to convince him of something and-

-the demon stood up, took his hat off to shove his tray inside it, and... walked away?

"Leave him alone, if he don't wanna talk," Fiddleford called out to the interns, as two of the three got up to follow him.

Got him a couple pouts from those two girls, but it paused them long enough for the demon to walk his way out of the cafeteria.

Fiddleford finished up his own lunch, then got himself back to work.

"Fiddleford!" Ford burst into his friend's lab with a wide grin. "-Jesus christ!" Fiddleford jumped. "Dammit Stanford! How many times do I have to tell you-"

"I finished the portal blocking device! And the new perception filter! I mean, we still need to test them for the long term, but the tests I've done with Xin are going well!" He grinned, looking so eager and giddy that Fiddleford laughed. "Well, congrats to ya."

"And I'm working on a security scan that'll activate to keep people out, if they aren't authorized, into certain areas of the facility," Ford continued. "I would have gotten further on it, but Xin left to go check on the island and I thought to come and show you what I've got so far!"

"That's very nice." Fiddles was going back to his own project now.

"I mean, there's still some holes that could be slipped through, I'm going to keep upgrading them as I find said holes," Ford continued on. ("That's great Stanford.")

"Anyway, I'm going back to my lab for more tests now."

Ford turned back towards the doorway-

-and stopped abruptly in place as he saw Blue standing there in the doorway, leaning sideways up against the doorframe. Watching him.

And his mood was high enough that he merely gave Blue a smile and wave, not even saying anything as he slipped past him and headed back to his own lab. He was making an attempt to be civil with Blue. Ok, Blue got in, he was going to ignore the demon and check the anti-portal thing again to see what he might have missed.

Blue eyed Ford as he went. (He'd been blocking most of the doorway.)

Then he turned his head towards Fiddleford.

"...When did you stop checking his math?" the demon said to him.

"When he started just buildin' stuff within just a few hours without waitin' for me." Fiddleford sighed. "I'll go over and look over his work later." He put down his screwdriver.

"Does 'later' sound like a good idea for 'portal tech' to you, when it hasn't been 'triple-checked' yet?" the demon said to him next.

"..." and then Fiddleford was making his way out the door, an annoyed look on his face. "Uuuugh!"

Blue moved out of his way to let him on by. He strolled at his own pace after them both.

"-imme the blueprints." "Oh, here." "...that's fine… that's fine… that's fine…" (Blue strolled in.) "Xin looked over my math earlier." "Should still have me look stuff over before you build- how are you even building this stuff without me?" "Xin helps me do the parts I can't." "Right, now shush while I check this…"

Fiddleford frowned as he worked his way through it at his own good sweet pace. It had been awhile, but… he frowned. He couldn't see anything wrong with the calculations or the concept as-is. So why the hell had the demon-

Fiddleford stopped and frowned as he realized what he'd been thinking just then.

Then he sighed. And then he put the papers back down. "Ford. In the future, even if Xin's lookin' over these for you. Please come to be before you start buildin' something."

"...but I was afraid you were busy with your own work, didn't want to bother you…" Ford winced. Also, he just thought it was easier, since Xin was right there and Ford wouldn't have to go all the way to Fiddleford's lab… essentially Ford had been lazy, that was his own bad. Ford resolved to not let his laziness get in the way of safety in the future.

"Doesn't matter. I still want to check your work over. Always good to have another set of eyes, as it were." Fiddleford patted Ford's shoulder. His friend nodded. ("Alright.")

Blue was leaning against the doorway, not blocking it this time, but as Fiddleford turned away from Ford to leave, he froze for a moment at the look in the demon's eyes.

Not murderous. Flat and unimpressed.

"Really," said the demon. "That's it."

"...what's wrong?" Ford asked, turning and seeing Blue, then Ford frowned, almost worried about Blue. He looked… odd.

The demon twisted in place, and made a sort of 'tsch' sound. He looked away from them both, and a look of frustration seemed to cross his face.

"...do you know what this is about?" Fiddleford asked under his breath. Ford shrugged, trying not to let his irritation show, "Blue's always angry about one thing or another."

"You really don't see it. Really." The demon was looking off to the side. Not at either of them. They kept quiet, not wanting to set him off again. Miz had said that Blue was 'Sensitive as a maiden, an iron maiden. Filled with venomous spikes.' ...the analogy was too much for either man to comprehend. (Though Ford thought it was an appropriate train of thought - he'd love to shove Blue into an iron maiden and be done with him.)

Blue pulled in breath, and closed his eyes. Looked like he was getting a bit of a headache, as he raised his hand to rub the side of his palm back and forth against the side of his temple.

"Fine." The demon pulled in a breath, then said, slowly, like it was costing him some effort to put out every word, "What. Happens. If. You. Aim. That. Thing. At. A. Rift."

Ford frowned at him. "The rift would close." He and Xin had discussed that.

"Because it's part of the dimensional boundary." Blue pulled in a breath, opened his eyes slightly. "How much energy goes into closing that. Into unrippling the boundaries of the dimension along with that." And then he looked over at the two of them.

"And how much energy would be pushed back," Blue continued, "To the origin point of a 'portal device' that was artificially creating an unstable 'rift' between those two points, inside the dimension, because the thing might not have been made by you or had enough working safety features not to overload at the other end of that thing you are forcing close. And then do what at the other end of that thing, in the vicinity of where that portal device used to be," Blue said to them next.

"...well, according to this part here," Fiddleford said, picking the papers back and up, and flipping a few. "It'll use the energy around the rift itself, dispersin' it harmlessly." He frowned at Ford. "Which would need more testin' ta see if it's actually safe. Which I'm sure you're gonna be doin'."

"For a 'natural' rift," the demon said. "Not something transitive, that is also inside the same dimension. 'Dispersing it' is an 'energy pull' case, which can also cause overload at the other end, as the 'portal device' there tries to pull down more and more power to try and compensate next. In some cases, there would be dispersion for closure; in others, potentially closure, a forcing-closed, opposite direction. Usually, first the one, then the other. -And there are two sides to this," the demon said, "What happens to the 'ripple'-rift at your end, and the one that is also at the other end. Also, the devices at both ends. -This isn't a balanced reaction. It is a competing one. And you aren't treating this as a two-dueling-devices problem, currently," Blue said, "With the potential for resonances as the devices try to compensate and compete against each other. And what happens to the space in-between throughout the entire process. -These are not natural processes. This is a problem of military scope, requiring a fighting mindset."

"...well, there was somethin' here that I'm a little confused about…" Fiddleford pointed at the equations again. "There's some extra bits here and here… and here, they don't cause any instability with the rest of it all, but I don't… know what they're for."

"Ah yes, Xin added those in. Said it 'looked nicer' to have them." Ford sighed, "Which means he put in something to fix up whatever design flaw I must have overlooked." Why was Blue trying to make them suspicious? Ford knew that Xin wouldn't put in anything that would harm him or anyone else.

Blue let out a long breath. "They are an attempt to handle some of what I am talking about. It is incomplete. Currently. -My little sister does not think of 'attacks' in the same way that I do. She also is not trying to think of ways to create rifts to get into her own third dimension, Dimension 46-apostrophe-backslash. Or has created working stable 'natural' portals between dimensions herself to facilitate interdimensional travels. Or overseen many wars where portal disruption was a major component of the war and the ongoing 'arms race'. There has only ever been ONE stupid Time Baby in her 'set," Blue told them, "Not an entire race of them that needed killing before they finished spreading across the entirely of existence, trying to nest their way into everywhere and disrupt everything across everywhen like a parasitic dimensional disease."

""...oh."" both men said. And Ford frowned as he realized what Blue was getting at.

Blue looked up at them both.

"If you think that creating that one thing is enough to make it safe for 'local portal tech' to be sold and distributed, you're in for a nasty surprise from the very first moment someone reverse-engineers one of your devices, or drops one accidentally, and 'forgets' to tell anyone."

Ford narrowed his eyes. "...why can't we just science for science's sake? Why's it always have to be 'threats' and such?"

"Then do that instead," Blue shrugged off. "Forget about the consequences; turn off that brain of yours again," Blue drawled out, then looked away from him. "There are other ways to handle these issues. I usually layer on solutions. One thing is never enough. Overlap. Reinforce. -If one device is not enough to overpower the other, have two; have twelve; fine," Blue said. "Leverage is better. Force multipliers. -Back to basic principles: why let the other-thing even begin to form a 'rift' anywhere in the first place? Let them push against an immovable wall instead, for as long as they want. You shove a 'wedge' under the 'door'; the 'door' just needs to hold after that. No additional effort on your part necessary. And physics can be a very strong 'door'." Blue looked over at them. "If the unstable within-dimension rift doesn't form anywhere in the first place, then the overheat-and-explosion at the other end is a feature, not a bug. There is never a rift anywhere to worry about in the first place, at either location: yours, or theirs."

"Why do you talk as if there's gonna be some attack on our dimension?" Fiddleford asked, rather worried now.

And at this, Blue smiled.

"Wasn't talking about anything outside the dimension for this-device you have here, now did I?" Blue said. "But you might be able to use similar for keeping other portals-from-elsewhere from forming-also, yes."

"...are there going to be portals from elsewhere?" Fiddleford's hands were clenched white. Ford frowned at this, not as worried as he should be. The possibility was there, but, from what he'd been keeping track of for years, portals hadn't been forming anywhere near large enough for invasion-type issues.

At this, Blue just shrugged.

"Haven't checked myself," said Blue. "Didn't Seb say that was going to be his job, that he was going to handle his way? With his very own 'brain trust'," Blue added next, directed more at Ford than at Fiddleford. "He did make it very clear that he wanted me to only 'sit back and take notes'."

"Ah, well, Sebastian's powers aren't strong enough for such a thing yet," Ford said blandly. Then he paused. "Though, Miz has been teaching him…"

"Good," said Blue. Then, "When was the last time you just 'kept in' and used a bunch of things a demon gave you that you didn't completely understand, yet?"

Ford paused. "Ah, I see your point." He sighed. "But I trust Miz. She looks over my work, and she has even changed my design to add in safety features, and explained them to me afterwards. Xin was going to go over this with me, later."

"You still aren't asking enough questions," Blue pointed out. "Even choosing a different color of paint for a 'paint job' on something could change the heat dispersal rate. Yes? And you were thinking of testing this when my little sister wasn't even around. To save you from yourself, if there was a problem. To reach out and stop it from happening, right in its tracks. If you trust her so much, to do that for you."

Ford sighed. "I'm… no good… aren't I?" He had no idea why Miz bothered with him… (The thought-sensing device let out a beep, shaking Ford out of his thoughts. Right, no self-depreciation. Thank Tesla no one was going to see these readings but him.)

Blue looked him over evenly. "You attempted to do a 'life's work' in three years instead of thirty. By taking shortcuts that were not in any way 'short' but definitely involved all of the cutting. You are still making that same mistake, over and over again, only now you are doing it even-faster, while understanding what you are doing even-less, and having less people check over your work. Do you not see how this can be a problem?"

"That and this isn't-" Ford winced. "There's so many things I have to do! I can't just…" He waved his hands, a frustrated expression on his face. Look, he had so many ideas and only so much time to do them, okay?! And so what if he was finding shortcuts? The faster a project was in a testable stage, the sooner they could gather data on them!

"...There are ways around the time problem," Blue told him, eyeing him a bit. "If that is what this is. 'Not enough time for everything'."

"...Xin has suggested placing a time stop around my lab… but I would end up aging outside the timestream from everyone else." Ford frowned. Not that it was any of Blue's business what he and Xin decide to do or not do together.

Blue let out a sigh and tilted his head back.

"Never did show her what I set up in Lee's dimension for that science teacher in his basement, now, did I?" the demon muttered out next, raising his eyes up as if trying to look skyward. The demon blew out a long breath, then tilted his head back down.

Blue then looked over at Ford, addressing him directly. "My Stanley had me set up something that solves that problem for someone in my 'set recently. Without any aging issues. He also had me put limits on its amount-of-use still, though. I don't know what the similar 'analogues' for what he had me do would be for you humans, here. ...Or if it's even a good idea to be doing it," the demon muttered out next, looking away from him again.

Fiddledord glanced over at Ford. He knew his friend was already a workaholic. This sounded like it could be a very bad idea, or go bad very quickly. People had limits for a reason.

"No. It would give Ford more reasons to work until he collapsed. Not a good idea, at all." Fiddleford glared at Ford, who whined at this. Truthfully, he wanted a room that could give him more time to work. But he'd been afraid of being 'out of synch' in time from everyone else.

"My 'Hand had a similar concern about this other person. Stanley balanced it appropriately. We checked on him later; he was fine," the demon said, but he looked a bit uncomfortable as he said this, though. "Could bring it up with Kari. Maybe."

"Ford, you can slow down on your work. We can't even market any of this, not in a way that would be responsible. So… just… calm down."

"...but I…" Ford bit his lip. What if Miz stopped wanting to hang out, what if she got bored of him? (It was something he'd worried about, way back when… but… no… that wouldn't happen. Miz was…)

"'But you' what," the demon said testily next.

"..." Ford flushed. "Damn, I'm still… making that same mistake…" Because… no. Miz wasn't like his Bill. William was- she wouldn't just abandon Ford for any stupid reason like that. (He knew that well, after their summer together, how much Miz-) Blue was pushing his buttons, trying to make him feel bad, make him hurt. He took a few deep breaths, his sensor beeping as he slowly pulled himself out of those thoughts. "Right… that's… I'm fine." Clearly, Blue didn't know what the fuck he was talking about. He didn't know him at all. He was just assuming things about Ford that he knew nothing about.

...Blue was still eyeing him.

"I guess, I really need to think things through, give them more time for the thinking." Ford sighed. William wasn't Bill. She actually cared. And she was nothing like this… asshole of a brother.

"More 'depth' instead of 'breadth' would be 'wise'," Blue noted dryly.

"..." Ford wasn't sure how to do that. He just… didn't think of things as thoroughly as Blue apparently wanted from him. And Ford wanted to say that he didn't want Blue constantly asking for all this, from him. But Blue was trying to help, in some twisted way… no! Even if he was, that was no reason for- Blue had NO right to treat him this way! "You're not good for my mental health," he snarled out at Blue. "My damn sensor's gone off multiple times since interacting with you!"

"This is unexpected for you?" Blue said to him. Then (apropos of nothing to Ford): "You're trying to solve problems that took me far longer than a day and a half to handle, back when I had to first do it," Blue told him. "What part of sharing knowledge from more dimensions than stars in your sky across their entire existence to-date are you not getting here. -You think I came up with every last piece of portal-disrupting tech myself during that entire multiversal war? Talk to more people than just your own self, and take a damn break," the demon told him with severe irritation.

"You don't even know me!" Ford clenched his fists. "Sure, you've seen OTHER Fords, but they're not me. And yes, I know I tend to rush forward with a project- but you don't have to be such a bitch when you tell me so!" Ford was… for lack of a better word, pissed. Blue keeps waltzing in here, acting like he owned the place and making everyone miserable! "If you want to warn me about safety or anything- you could stand to do so in less of a-" Fiddleford was trying to pull Ford back, terrified that he was going to make Blue finally lash out and kill everyone.

"Then HOW, exactly, WOULD you 'like' me to warn you about it, instead?" Blue scoffed, with a severe amount of irritation of his own in his tone. "Kidnap you and shove you in an old rotten tree in the woods until Miz came back to pull you out? Toss double-fuzzy ducks at you until you run out of the lab? Tie you to the couch with a grappling hook rope? What? -Would that even slow you down? -I don't know when she is going to be back, and I have to sleep sometimes now, you know!"

"I want you... to warn me about it... like I wasn't a fucking stupid lesser creature!" Ford thundered out. "You're always treating me like I'm some lower life form! I know I'm human, and maybe that makes me younger and less experienced than you-" but Miz was older than the Earth itself, and she never treated Ford like some base leveled child who couldn't even perform basic logic and-

"You ARE a lower life form!" Blue said. "I'm a BEING OF PURE ENERGY! And you're acting like you think you're better than me?! -If I was pulling ANY of YOUR STUPID SHIT, that I've seen from you today," Blue ranted at him, "I'd expect FAR WORSE than someone to come along and begin actively TRYING to tell me the things I need to know, in order to not blow myself up!" Blue ground out at him, "Instead of the much more likely case of someone who would take one look at what I was doing, sit back and watch it unfold, and then LAUGH ABOUT IT LATER! Or HAND ME A MATCHBOOK and SHOVE me RIGHT ON THROUGH to MAKE IT HAPPEN that much faster! -You should be down on your knees thanking me for actually WARNING you about the things that my little sister CAN'T tell you about," Blue spat out at him next, "Because SHE DOESN'T KNOW and CAN'T TELL YOU RIGHT NOW!"

"You-" Ford's face was livid. "Don't have to talk to people like this all the time! You're just INSUFFERABLE!" And he was angry, not just because Blue was such a bitch but because-

"THEN HOW SHOULD I BE TALKING WITH YOU, WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO MURDER YOURSELF AND MAKE MY LITTLE SISTER SUICIDAL AGAIN!" the demon raged out at him next.

"IF YOU'RE SO SMART- SHOULDN'T YOU KNOW HOW TO FUCKING TALK TO SOMEONE WITHOUT MAKING THEM WANT TO STRANGLE YOU OUT OF SHEER FRUSTRATION!?" That was what really pissed Ford off here. Blue was brilliant! He was so cool and smart and- but he went out of his way making Ford feel like SHIT constantly! Ford knew that it was possible for a higher being to be kind and patient and help him out or tell him when he was wrong WITHOUT treating him like some brain damaged little-

"You SHOULDN'T BE LIKING me! I'm NOT TRYING to TAKE you FROM HER!" Blue yelled right back.

Ford drew back, hissing in a breath before he screamed, "I DON'T WANT YOU!" He threw his hands out, shaking. "YOU'RE THE WORST!"

"GOOD! YOU NOTICED!" the demon yelled back at him, "YOU SHOULDN'T EVER WANT ME ANYWAY!" The demon's chest was heaving, hands clenched at his sides.

"WHAT THE FUCK MADE YOU THINK I WOULD EVER WANT YOU?!" Ford fumed. He was breathing hard, Fiddleford pulling on his lab coat, trying to get him to back down.

"Because you REMIND me TOO MUCH of my OWN six-fingered hand!" Blue snarled out at him. "-AND HE DID!"

Ford looked taken aback. Then he just got angrier. "Well, that's your problem." he said lowly. "If you're so hung up on your own Ford, that's your issue and I do NOT appreciate you taking it out on me!"

"I'm NOT 'hung up' on him," Blue snarled out at him next. "His puppet-strings can't hold ME down!" He started rubbing the side of his palm back and forth against his right temple, seeming to breathe and calm down at least a little bit. "And you're damn well MAKING yourself my problem," the demon informed him tersely next, "Because you're my little sister's 'Hand now, she decided. -So when you betray her - which you WILL do if you keep doing all the idiotic no-thought things I keep trying to warn you about - I will THEN have to 'take you out' and kill you, and then she will begin-crying-then for who-knows how long," the demon told him, "And maybe even HATE me a little after that for it." The demon's back seemed to come up at the thought of this.

Ford huffed. "You're brilliant. You… you could do so much good for the world." Like his own Bill, who'd been so, so smart and had squandered all of that in exchange for just using his power and intelligence to hurt others. And Blue was almost like that. Almost, because Blue was trying to help improve Ford's project, but he was just being such a bitch about it. "Why are you so convinced I'm going to hurt her? I care about her. And…" Ford twitched. "I know you care about her too. So… I can understand that you're worried about her safety and happiness, I get it. But you just keep going out of your way making me miserable for things I haven't even done yet!"

"I'm working on fixing everything, you just don't agree with me about it." Blue's eyes narrowed at him next. "You only just 'gave' Miz 'permission' to change one very-SMALL thing in this world of yours here. Do you REALLY WANT me to do anything here? -I told Seb I would let HIM do things, and I would 'sit back and take notes'. He HASN'T asked me to help him with anything," Blue gave him the stink eye, "And I doubt YOU would 'trust' any 'brilliant' thing I do here. Which is why I have been 'couch surfing' here for the last week, instead of doing anything substantial here, instead. -I'm not TRYING to 'make you miserable' for ANYTHING you haven't done yet," Blue said, "I just TOLD you to take a damn break! -And if I was 'convinced', I wouldn't be giving you warnings, I would have KILLED YOU already!"

"I meant your knowledge! You're brilliant! You'd be able to help everyone here with their projects, but you're just so insufferable that I just can't… can't stand you!" Ford rubbed a hand over his face. "Everytime I think there might be something good in you- that maybe we could actually get along, you go out of your way to be an absolute jerk!" He slapped a hand on his lab bench, "And this, right here, you're saying that you want me to take a break, while telling me all the things that I'm supposed to go off and fix- how am I supposed to want to take a break after having you tear my work apart like that!?"

"I never told you to try and go off and do it in one afternoon! Or all by yourself! I gave you information, and reasons not to try to test this right away, so that you can work on it more LATER, instead of being stuck because Miz will not be able to tell you what she doesn't yet know," the demon complained. "I am NOT inconsistent! Wanting you to 'do something' NOW at the SAME TIME as 'taking a break' is NOT CONSISTENT! -What part of me trying to help you out here with your project, is not helping you out here with your project?!"

"But do you have to be such a bitch about it? You've been talking down to me for the past few days, you keep coming into my lab without even having the courtesy of asking me first-" and implying that Ford was stupid- Ford knew he was intelligent, he also knew he was an idiot who often missed the obvious things, but Miz always pointed them out gently, with a smile and a little teasing, she never talked to him like he was dirt beneath her-

"Then how should I be talking with you, then," the demon repeated. "Give examples. Be specific."

"Like I'm a capable, intelligent adult! Not like I'm some kinda brain-dead monkey!"

"That ISN'T an example," the demon ground out at him. "That's a parametric REQUEST. -Try again." (And Fiddleford stared at the demon at this, because that sounded more like the kind of thing he'd expect out of some gosh-dang computer than any kind of a-)

"Do you even know how to be polite?!" Ford asked, "Wait, no, I know you can! I've seen you with the children! I've seen you with Miz! You're perfectly capable of being civil! You just hate me!"

The demon was twitching in place at this.

"You don't ask questions like they do," Blue began, in very dangerous tones. "You assume you are better than them, and me. You don't have an open mind, you don't listen to what I have to say to you half the time, you don't pay attention, you aren't trying to learn from me, and you don't trust me to be able to walk you through things, and you refuse to take the time you need to think about or try or do anything properly, and instead rush yourself forward, like you are trying to toss yourself off of a cliff!" The demon was glaring at him. "Of course I DON'T treat you like I do them, because you're not like them at all."

"Well every, single, time, I try to trust you-" Ford was almost hyperventilating, "-you go out of your way to make it very clear that I SHOULDN'T!"

"What times were you trying to trust me?" The demon had an almost shocked look on his face.

"I-" Ford couldn't believe this. "You… you haven't noticed?!" he cried out, absolutely gobsmacked.

"I've seen you trust Miz, look down on me, and lie to me incessantly except for right now," Blue said to him next, looking pissed. "Yeesh. -Doesn't matter anyway, you shouldn't be trusting me on most things anyway."

"...you…just complained about me not trusting you to walk me through stuff!" Ford threw his hands in the air. (Fiddleford didn't try to grab onto him again. For whatever reason, as mad as he and the demon had got, they weren't actually throwing physical punches at each other. They were both keeping it purely verbal here. It was still stressing Fiddleford the hell out, but so long as they didn't go off and start-)

"Trust isn't and shouldn't be ALL-or-nothing," Blue said to him, looking almost… "And it shouldn't ever remain-or-be static and unchanging FOREVER, either. -It's called 'operational security', you dolt! -That Stan of yours did you NO favors at all, handling every last thing he could for you, on the other side of that portal of yours," Blue said to him firmly.

"Trust isn't only ever for one person-" Ford sighed. "I trust Miz. I trust her judgment of you. But I still… had to extend you some trust as well, trust you to live up to the way Miz sees you. She… she loves you. She… really believes that you wouldn't kill us…" Ford just felt tired of all this. Blue was stressful.

Blue stared at him then.

Then the demon pulled in a breath.

"Do you 'trust' your Stan to try and take a twenty dollar bill off of you, every chance that he gets?" said the demon.

"He would do that, just for fun." Ford rolled his eyes.

"Can you trust him, if you set down your wallet somewhere nearby him, to leave it alone?" the demon said next.

Ford thought about it. "It would depend on the circumstances," he finally said. "Stan doesn't need to take money off me, he's got more than enough. But he also likes to mess with me as part of our 'teasing' each other."

"Do you trust him to love you?" the demon said next.

"Yes." Ford said firmly.

"Then you trust him to take twenty dollar bills off you every chance that he gets, and to love you," the demon said, "And you don't know if you can trust him with your wallet or not. -That is not 'all-or-nothing' trust; it is variable," Blue said to him next. "Understand?"

And Ford groaned. "Yes, I understand. That's…"

"What 'trusts' did you think you were you 'trying' to give me, and when," Blue said to him next, crossing his arms and looking at him with a slight frown.

"That you wouldn't kill me during our training exercise, that you wouldn't kill the children if you were left alone with them." Ford sighed. "And you didn't. Kill us, that is. But you hurt me, and when I held onto the fact that you didn't kill me as maybe a reason why you weren't as awful as you could be, you got angry at me. And told me not to…" Ford scratched a hand through his hair. "You keep giving me reasons to want to hate you, whenever I thought that we could almost get along…" he slumped. "...you're Miz's beloved brother. She values you. And if I hated you, she'd be sad. I don't want her sad!" And for as much as Ford was angry at Blue, he still didn't hate him. Hate the way he behaved, yes. But the demon himself? No.

"Of course I've been giving you reasons to hate me," said the demon, "You should hate me, because many of the things that you hated about that broken-demon here are things that I also do. If you hated me outright and openly for them, then I could show Miz exactly what you were hating me for and why, and have been lying to yourself about before now. And then she would have to give you up. -We're past that point now; she decided and chose you," Blue said with no small disgust, "So I have to try and find a way to not have you doing that instead, without directly forcing or impacting or overriding your own stupid Free Will. -That requires you deciding things differently. Which you currently do not do with external input; you do it without listening to anyone else for a potential-redirect, instead." Blue narrowed his eyes at him. "Why do you think I keep telling you to communicate with others more, and get more-other external input, and ask more questions, and understand yourself better by not-lying to yourself anymore."

"But I don't hate you." Ford's voice was tired. "Yes, you do things that I hate. But despite the fact that you're an all powerful demon who's perfectly capable of murdering half the planet, you haven't done that. You said as much before."

"You don't know me," Blue said. "You don't ask enough questions. You don't know why I'm not-doing that here-currently, or what you'll think about my own thought on that - which is very-likely to have you hating me, once you know that and you stop lying to yourself so damn much."

"I know enough to know that for whatever reason, you chose not to go around killing people." That's what it came down to, choices. Blue could go on a murder spree, but he chose not to. Bill hadn't cared to ever stop. He killed for fun, never held back on hurting people.

"I've killed people before, and I'll do it again," the demon said to him next, "You think that I'm the worst and I'm awful, and I am both of those things. And sooner or later, once you're honest enough with yourself about all of it, you'll want to try and stop me from doing that again, and hate me for doing that before-now," the demon told him succinctly.

"Why? Why did you kill them? I know you well enough by now to know you don't do things without reason," even if that reason was just making Ford upset.

But at this, the demon just let out a short "HA!" and said, "What, are you trying to 'Catch-22' me here on-this now? I'm not stupid. -I just said I'm not-trying to have you hate-me anymore, and I'm also trying to not-lie to you here!" The demon eyed him. "You do realize that my normal go-to answer for that one is usually a 'because I can!' or 'why not?' whenever anyone ever thinks to ask me that one, don't you?" The demon wasn't quite grinning at him then; it was more of an angry upturning of his lips at one side of his mouth, not really anything like a smile or a smirk.

"Miz has killed to defend herself. Or when she lost control of her powers. Or when she wants to protect someone," Ford listed off. (Blue narrowed his eyes at him briefly over this.) Fiddleford was rather horrified to hear all this. (He was still somewhat confused about the topic of Miz.) "She's not entirely innocent. I know this." Ford wished she hadn't. He wished she didn't have to kill.

"Define: self-defense'," Blue rolled his eyes (having tossed off his earlier narrowed-eye look mostly). "-Rhetorical and unnecessary question; sometimes the best 'defense' is a good 'offense'," the demon said with a shrug, "And yes, I kill those who want or are otherwise trying to kill me. I don't let my powers loose and out of my control; I worked hard to get every last inch of that control that I have, for reasons. And the only someone at the very top of my list now for 'protection' is my little sister, as far as you are concerned." Blue eyed him steadily for a mere moment, then said, "I also kill those who get in my way in the way of my plans. -Now," said the demon, clapping his hands together. "Are we cueing all the yelling and hating right away? Or are you actually going to ask the right follow-on question to that?" Blue stood there, eyes wide, pupils as mere slits, hands still pressed together from his single clap, and he was waiting.

"And what questions should I be asking?" Ford was standing straight, staring Blue down. He had the feeling he was finally making some headway into understanding this demon.

Blue blinked at this and straightened up a bit, his head coming up. His shoulders (unconsciously) relaxed a bit (and his pupils went noticeably a bit more circular again as well), and while he was still holding his hands together, the expression on his face now was both a bit surprised and a little bit delighted. And then Blue broke out into a bit of a grin, eyes flashing slightly.

"'Why do you think it's fine for killing the people who get in the way of your plans?'" the demon prompted his sister's new 'Hand.

"If you were planning to do something, say, pressing a button that would stop the self destruct sequence of an entire space station, and someone was purposely trying to stop you from doing so, you would have to choose between letting the timer run out and allowing everyone on the station to die, or move the other person by force in order to save everyone else." Ford's response didn't even take time to think up. He'd had to do that before. He shot the man who had set up the self destruct sequence. He hadn't wanted to, but he didn't have time. He had a choice to make, let everyone die, or get that man out of the way. He wasn't happy about it. But it had to be done.

"Your scope is too small," said the demon. (And he didn't have to think about this one either, having multiple examples himself he could pull from.) "One: I would be in no immediate danger of dying if 'physically' there, because being of pure energy! Right here! This usually has an impact on most beings' decision-making; check your assumptions," Ford was told promptly. "Two: in the absence of any other Deals or similar to do with people, places, things, wealth, riches, or ownership in the area," the demon began, "I would be looking to see what impact the destruction of that space station would have on what I have planned. -Is this a terrorist attack considered so beyond the pale, that the destruction of that space station would cause an abrupt stop to the war and peace accords? Having a net positive effect on the number of people I could then make Deals with in the future in that dimension, instead of dying in droves over several more hundred years, in the short-term? Would this act kick off a war that would push non-military interdimensional business elsewhere, potentially into my own better reach? Would this attack on their space station force one neutral side that is watching all this unfold to have to grimly accept that they need to make a Deal of some sort with me, to secure their own safety and future? -I wouldn't have to be there in the fleshy-flesh to even push or not-push that button, to stop it or to make it stick in place instead, no matter how hard someone tried to pound down on that stupid thing," said the demon. "E-equals-em-cee-squared. It would take a significant amount of energy to get over the mass-inertia curve, but I could do it without even needing to possess someone in the immediate area, one way or another, to do it."

"That was simply an example. I cannot claim to know what sort of situations you would have been in." Ford ignored the worried look that Fiddleford was sending him. What did it matter anyway. His mother already knew he was a murderer. Ford had made a lot of hard decisions out in space.

"So were mine," said the demon. "An example based on experience, which I was sharing with you," the demon noted (and Ford clenched his fists). "You think I don't know that tone and that look from my own Sixer? -You still didn't ask the question."

"I supposed we do have the same face," Ford noted blandly.

"Only if you're so blinded by an old Deal that you don't even try to look properly, to See in the first place," the demon noted just as dryly (though he crossed his arms together and clenched his own hands into fists under them hard).

Ford held his ground. "Alright, why do you think it's fine for killing the people who get in the way of your plans?"

The demon looked at him. "I think it's fine because I'm going to fix it all later. Because I'm going to fix it all later." The demon eyed him. "I've talked about this with you before, just a little bit of the big-picture big-plans of mine. -Death as a speedbump; I will make it non-permanent. It will be better, by the time that I bring them all back. Because that is a very big part of all my big plans." The demon let out a huff of breath, as he resituated his crossed arms. "Perfectly-imperfect for everyone, everywhere, finally, forever.'

"...I figured it would be something like that." Ford couldn't help the wry smile. "That's the difference between you and Miz, and my old Bill." He noted. "You have no qualms about killing, because you believe you can fix it. Miz is afraid to kill, because she doesn't think she can. Bill loved to kill, because he no longer cared about fixing anything at all."

"A very simplistic way of putting it," Blue said to him next. "Leaving out all of the demons in the details, as a start."

"That would take more time than I have to discuss. You are all older than the universe after all." Ford shrugged.

"Oh look, you noticed," Blue drawled out, then grimaced, stretched in place, and said, "This does NOT count as a break. -Lock all of that up, and go get something to eat. I am getting something from the cafeteria right now; I need to eat something 'between meals' before dinner," Blue said next, "Spent more energy on this just-now than I would've liked." Blue turned towards the door. Then he paused. "...You aren't going to try and test either of those things without Miz around at the very-least MINIMUM, are you?" The one eye that Ford could see was eyeing him suspiciously right now.

Ford sighed. "I suppose not. Next time, could you kindly just tell me to wait for Miz to test the project."

"-I don't trust you to listen to me if that's all I do," said the demon, one visible eye narrowing at him slightly. "The fallout of the risk of you-dying because of that is too great for me to do that right now, and 'leave it' at that."

"I often ignore you out of sheer spite because you annoy me. I am petty like that." Ford rolled his eyes. If Blue didn't want him to lie, then he had no need to be polite. (Though what Ford didn't realize yet was that Blue really, actually did prefer it that way.)

"Which is why I was trying to give you enough reasons for not-doing it that maybe at least one of them might actually stick," Blue said to him. "And enough information to give you a distraction in the meantime, if you wanted to try to continue barreling down that very same route like all you Stanfords usually do, in a way that would not immediately involve testing-next anytime soon."

"...if you asked nicely, or said please, I might have actually listened to you," Ford pointed out.

"'Might have actually' isn't enough," said the demon, "That is not trust." And then Blue repeated (and elaborated), "The fallout of the risk of you-dying because of you not listening to me and doing something idiotic instead while my sister is not here to stop you in a way that you will not immediately try and fight off is too great for me to do that right now, and 'leave it' at that."

Ford sighed. "I see…" he had an odd expression on his face. "...thank you for worrying about Miz's happiness."

"I am not stupid. I am taking your lack of trust on things involving 'me trying to keep your from dying' into account," the demon told him next. "And don't thank me for that," Blue said to him, looking vastly uncomfortable at that 'thank you'. "She's my little sister; of course I'm going to take her happiness into account."

Ford let out a frustrated sigh, and when he realized that the demon wasn't going to leave to go eat something until he actually did lock up what he'd been working on there and left the room, he ended up (after exchanging a look with Fiddleford) locking the two devices up and then leaving the lab after Blue. He also ended up locking the door behind him, at a look from both the demon and Fiddleford, too. (Ugh…)

"No testing until Miz is back," said the demon, one more time, before starting down the hallway towards the cafeteria. "Go take a break elsewhere now. Do something you think is fun."

"I get it." Ford rolled his eyes. He needed some coffee. And maybe some jelly beans. This had been a stressful talk and he needed to treat himself.

(Ford only realized later that Blue had somehow swiped the keycard to his lab from him at some point, so he couldn't have gotten back in again without help - and Fiddleford potentially either finding out or being informed about it almost-immediately - if he'd tried.)

They all met up again in Ford's lab after Xin had finished up and came back, shrinking back into Miz because she wanted cuddles. She found Ford fuming as he sat outside his lab with his knees pulled up to his chest, twitching slightly and pouting like the drama queen he was.

"...my brother stole your keycard?"

"..." Ford's pout got worse, and Miz sighed.

She patted his head, and Ford leaned into the touch, feeling his stress melt away under the soft touch. Ah, why couldn't Blue be more like his much nicer sister?

It was around this point that they both heard footsteps, and saw Blue striding back down the hallway towards them.

"...Problem?" Blue said in calm, yet almost cheeky tones, as he put his hand in a pocket, and pulled out and flicked Ford's security badge to him, aiming to have it fall down into his lap - which Ford caught in mid-air instead.

"I did tell you that I don't trust you not to test right now in the meantime," Blue said, as Ford pushed himself to his feet. "Did you think I was lying to you about that?"

"Nah nah mah mah mah," Ford fake-repeated, just being as obnoxiously annoying as he could. He was angry, alright? (Miz sighed. "Don't stoop to Zoe's level." She loved the Pines, but they were all little brats sometimes.)

"Oh, little sis," said Blue, "Don't tell him that. He thinks Zoe is below him," the demon added, as Ford unlocked his own lab door, "And having him act more like her would be a vast improvement, at this point."

"Setting fires inside his lab would be a bad idea, so no." Miz giggled.

"'Setting fires inside his lab' would only be a 'bad' idea, if he didn't set up the space and the safety measures inside it properly for it," Blue corrected her smartly.

"True. But there are designated explosion areas where people can set fire to stuff, in the Center." Miz squeaked when Ford picked her up for a cuddle. "Wow. You're being affectionate today?" She glanced up at him.

"My point still stands," Blue said, not commenting on Ford's 'hugginess' all of a sudden at all, "We were discussing only one specific 'location', not 'efficiency'."

"True." Miz looked around. "But this is Ford's lab, he lets me organize, but remodeling is his choice." Ford carried her over to seat the two of them on his couch, hugging her and just trying to feel better after stewing in his own annoyance for the past hour.

"Alternately, get him a bigger room for his lab," said Blue, walking in casually after them.

"I wouldn't mind a larger lab," Ford mumbled into Miz's hair. She giggled. "I can make it as big as you want!" she chirped. Ford nodded, then his head came up. "Oh, can we test out the anti-portal? I wasn't allowed to do so until you got back."

"He's trying to work on space-warping and preventing-space-warping technologies right now, little sis," Blue said with no small exasperation, of Miz's offer of making it bigger for the human scientist. "Trying to stack those on-top-of or within each other isn't a good idea when trying to go about testing 'first principles' within those modified-and-already-folded and expanded-outwards-within spaces." Blue gave her a hands-on-his-hips look. "Also, there are a few things that we need to discuss first before that. ...Briefly," Blue added somewhat uncomfortably after that.

Miz looked around between Ford, who was tense, if the way he was seeking comfort from her was any indicator, and her brother, who was uneasy about something. "What happened?"

"He almost tested something potentially extremely dangerous all by himself when you weren't around, in some potentially going-to-kill-him-IMMEDIATELY ways," Blue said, "And we need to talk about that, little sis." Blue still looked uncomfortable, for some reason.

Miz frowned, then she wiggled and Ford let go of her, blinking as she pattered over to one of his lab benches. And then Ford stared as she pointed at something under it, on the bottom side of the desk. "I placed a rune here, it'll pull him into a protective bubble if anything happens." Ford stood up and walked over to look under his desk. "When did you put that here?" ("Like, the second time I came to your lab?")

"You say that is only for one-person-him," Blue noted, "And depending on the space warping, and has its own interactions with the barrier around the facility, I am thinking. It could interact with the space-warping experiments you are doing even-worse, and doesn't keep out everything, like other forms of light and radiation, I assume…" Blue frowned. "We can discuss this more later, if you want. That is not the particular point that I was meaning to talk to you about."

Miz blinked at him. "What's wrong?"

Blue grimaced at this and looked away from her.

"...I don't like telling you where you currently have deficiencies, when you are learning," Blue started out slowly, "Especially when our ways of doing things are similar, but also in many ways very different. Telling you to do or not-do a thing a certain way, or even giving a light-push-to-guide your thinking in one direction could be… far less than optimal. Especially when you are right in the middle of working on learning a new thing, for the better." Blue paused for a moment frowning deeply. And then Blue turned back towards her and said, "But you are not able to be taking your time here because of this 'Hand of yours you have chosen, so I am now having to intervene. Do you understand?" he said to Miz next.

She frowned. "Oh." She glanced up at Ford. "So… what am I doing wrong?"

Blue grimaced again. He drew himself up a bit. "I don't like telling you that you are wrong," Blue said, then confirmed, "But you are very, very wrong with what you are doing and not-doing right now, with him. -You left him here," Blue gestured at Ford, "Alone and unsupervised by anyone he is at-all likely to listen to without any forcing that is otherwise-physical. And he was going to test that portal exclusion field first. And then test it against his own made device - which you likely expected." Blue stopped and pulled in a breath. "And then, he might have gotten the bright idea to call his 'mom' up, and ask her to try to portal into his lab while he had that exclusionary field up. -Not Seb, because he does not have his own unlocked yet. But for either one of those two, trying that would have been absolutely disastrous here. Because I made those devices for them," Blue said. "I made Kari's for her, and you 'copied' one of my designs for Seb directly, with no changes or understanding in-between." Blue frowned. "You are not used to thinking of 'fighting' or 'dueling' in most of your problems and fixes. Let alone 'fighting off'." Blue pulled in a breath. "I used information from my own 'set to make the designs for both of those devices. Information that I know you have not looked up yet, to See and understand yourself. -I based those designs off of information and work done during the Time Lords war in my own dimensional set, to handle active denials in a very proactive way. Using that device to force a portal to open here would have absolutely overloaded that current iteration of a portal denial field that you have made here currently, and potentially taken out the whole area in a twenty-mile radius from ground zero here. -The parts of those me-made devices that would push that are very subtle," Blue noted next, "As are the mathematics and physics and 'magical-physics'-as-further-leverage involved, among other things, for lack of a better set of terms. -You should not have left him alone with this here," said Blue, "And you yourself need to understand that sometimes, there are things that are unexpected outcomes that you should have someone double-check your own assumptions and work on also, when there are other advanced factors in the mix. -I did not think that you-and-he would be working on things so quickly here," Blue said to her. "I would have warned you about this much-sooner and more-directly otherwise. -I will let you know when 'Ford is 'out of the way' as soon as that has happened there, so you can obtain the information that you are currently missing more fully yourself from my own 'set," Blue told her next, "And I will give you my own work that continued on after. There are nuances there that you should See for yourself. And you will likely also See at least some of those things differently, as well. -You may focus on some things more than others, somewhat differently than I myself did."

Miz frowned. "I see your point… I only focused on getting it working and stable, didn't think about active fighting interference from another device. Fordsie's been so worried lately about getting everything done." (Meanwhile, Ford felt a little cold as he heard Blue talk about all of this. He could actually see himself thinking of that, and calling her up all excited... And then his mother would have- in a twenty mile radius-!) Miz sighed, looking disappointed in herself. "I still need more work on thinking through all the possible paths…" She didn't think things through as thoroughly as her brilliant big brother did. It made her feel rather upset at herself. She was 700 billion years old! You'd think she'd have learned how to do things like that by now! But predicting what everyone would do was hard. And thinking through all the worst case scenarios… she didn't like using 'future sight' very much. But being able to just pick out all the problems and dangers was something she just… wasn't very good at.

Blue walked over to Miz and dropped a hand down on top of her head.

"There was an entire corps of military scientists, working on that. Several hundred thousand of them over millennia in many different locations and teams, working on the problems during that portal and anti-portal 'arms race'. Many things that I was not the one to think up first resulted from that collaboration, some things which I myself am continuing to parse out all the implications of still. You should See it for yourself," Blue repeated, half petting-half patting her hair. "Doing this properly is going to take time," said Blue. "I am still thinking up even-more-methods for countering and counter-countering these, even further." (Ford stared at Blue, at this longer explanation on something that Ford suddenly realized that the demon had briefly touched upon with him earlier. ...And had Blue just said that he, himself was still working on this…? This wasn't already a solved problem for him? Ford thought Blue already knew the answer to all of this… with the way he talked about it, and everything he demanded out of Ford.)

"I like having many different scientists working on stuff, so I could learn from their projects too." Miz admitted. "It's much faster than having to do all of that myself. Ten thousand minds are better than one, after all." She pouted. "And having just Ford and me on his projects probably aren't enough people and perspectives to find all the holes that I miss."

"And having something farther along that is beyond interdimensional-space-empire military-grade in both design and function, from my 'set where almost-everything is a fight of one sort or another, that could because of this kill any lesser effort all so very easily and simply if-and-when put up against it, is also not exactly helpful for the non-fighting, non-militaristic experimenting-and-general-learning process either, yes, I know and am aware," Blue sighed, as he stopped moving his hand in that petting-patting motion, and just left it to rest on top of Miz's head.

Ford blinked. He was… somewhat lost as to the scope of what the demons were talking about. "Wait, you mean that…" He glanced over at his anti-portal device. "That's… something based on what you've learned from watching other people work on making portal technology? Interdimensional portal technology?" They didn't just… do it all themselves?

Miz shrugged. "Yeah? I mean, I put the idea out there for getting them started on that sort of thing. And I nudged them to fix certain problems that I noticed when they were doing so. I'd meant for it to give people a way to move to different dimensions to explore and discover new plants and animals… so that I could get people to cook new dishes for me to try…" she looked a little embarrassed by that, "B-but regardless, if they get a working portal device, of course I'm going to see how they did it, then test it out myself and fix it up for better efficiency!"

"Interdimensional portals are generally easier and safer to make than within-dimension portals, 'on average', for reasons," was Blue's contribution to… answering his question? "As long as you don't stumble across that particular pathway-of-learning that leads up to how to perform-and-enact dimensional collapse," Blue said to him next, with a frown.

"Well, portals to within the same dimension need more stabilization, since it's connecting two points that exist within the same 'space'." Miz noted. "It's much easier to just make teleportation points."

"And you can't 'lean on' the structure of the dimensional boundaries to help you out and 'pick up the slack' for you there, if you're not trying to create them between two different, separate, stable dimensions," Blue said next.

"Ah huh…" Ford was writing all this down in his journal.

"Thirty years, life's work," the demon told him. "A rift was the 'simple' way of gaining entry-by-force. Not the 'best' or most-safe option," the demon told him next, "Depending on your definition of 'safe'."

"Right, my own portal was only meant to tear a hole, not hold it stable. The frameworks for stability were put in by F after he looked over the blueprints Bill gave me…" Ford sighed. Miz leaned over to nuzzle his side. "I don't give you blueprints. I just fix up yours." Miz very specifically did not just give Ford the blueprints for things. The only exception was the Quantum Destabalizer, but that was for Stan. And she was younger back then, more impatient. Miz understood that Fordsie liked to feel like he had accomplished something; he was intelligent, and he knew it, and was independent enough to want to do it mostly himself. So she kept herself back to just correcting his work or giving hints.

"You should find a way to convince him to not-test and not-use things that he does not understand completely," Blue said next (to Miz). "Or test anything he has worked on with you, when you are not there. He isn't doing any of this safely, and he won't listen to me on this," Blue noted next. "He also has not been having the local-Glasses checking the work he has been doing with you. That is a double-check, not a triple-check, little sis. You need at least three. Minimum."

Miz huffed and turned to Ford. "Always have at least two people double check your work, and don't bring random people into your lab unless you've got all your safety up. And if you're going to be testing anything that messes with the stability of space and time, wait for me first."

"-'Two people' you can trust in-and-with this, who you have had vetted. For both relationship-trust on yourself and the work and all other credentials," Blue said, as he worked his jaw over this. "Also," Blue added, "Has all the equipment in this lab been calibrated to offset the influence of that rune-also, since you put that rune in? It might distort the raw data obtained from the final few moments of 'worst-case scenario'," Blue asked of her, "If anything-else might end up surviving that 'very bad' event."

"It's passive, can't even be detected until it activates. Doesn't interfere or alter any of the things in here."

"I meant more 'during and after' activation," Blue said. "Yes?"

"It's only meant to affect Ford, and take him out and away from everything here, it's designed to specifically not be an issue with everything else here."

"But what is the mechanism for 'removal-to-elsewhere', is it space-warping?" Blue asked, as he walked over to take a look at it himself. "Powered off of the ambient-barrier any pressure, without draw-down? What?" Blue frowned slightly, as he squatted down to peer under the workbench, up at it directly.

"It's powered by the vibration of molecules in and around the lab. It's a mix of magic-type runic magic, but tied into the physical sciences. There's also a backup rune that runs on electron movement. So long as there's anything here with an electrical current, it''ll be able to work."

"The 'vibration of molecules' is 'ambient heat' mainly, isn't it?" Blue frowned as he tried to get a mental 'handle' on the unfamiliar rune, and how it interacted with not just the local magic, but also the physics. (He'd still been trying to double-check things based on the local structure of that before.) "Wouldn't that create a severe temperature drop? ...Or is it only pulling from the electrical current sent to the wall-outlets, not those of other-devices elsewhere within the room?" Blue tried to intuit from context, both what Miz was telling him and that he was trying to process within his own Mind from what was here seen (rather than Seen). He lifted a finger, but didn't quite poke at the main rune.

"...everyone at the Center assumes the air conditioner is on… it's actually been off for a very long time. No one's noticed." Miz said sheepishly. "And it's actually quite helpful for taking some of the heat energy from their reactors, stops them from overheating and uses up less of their coolants."

"That would still potentially cause a spike in the readings," Blue noted, pulling his hand away. "Some circuits have temperature sensors to handle the offset, but most human devices have operating ranges that they effectively do not work outside that are not very forgiving." He glanced up at her. "What is the farthest 'removal-to-elsewhere' range for him away from here, then?"

And Ford listened to the two demons discuss this, being amazed once again, by their understanding of the underpinnings of reality, and how to go about changing those variables to alter reality to their will. They were both back to basics on the actual mechanisms involved, but also discussing the interactions in ways that quickly grew very complex and refined. He was taking notes on everything they said, and after a good half hour of debate, and some modifications to Miz's rune in a way that satisfied both demons (and should both extend the range and not having the contents of Ford's lab effectively dropping below absolute zero - because magic apparently allowed for physical deficits that way), Ford had filled five pages of his journal with (fairly large swaths of) what they'd both said that he could understand.

"-Any questions?" Ford heard the demon say next, at the end of it all, and at Miz's lack of response, he looked up and… realized that Blue was looking directly at him.

"...would I be able to create a rune to make effects like this too, if I copied that?" Ford pointed his pen at his desk.

"Not from what you can see with your own two biological eyes there," said Blue. "Some of the newer add-on parts of this are microscopic. This isn't 'just' some 'unbroken' curving-line anymore; it consists of several strips within that," Blue told him. "There are also things written in shades of color outside the human visible spectrum, amplitude and frequency; that helps with certain types of the bleed-off, for directionality, to fold and redirect it back under. Think 'different paint job' and 'reflectivity'."

"Some of the rune is written in a type of ink that can't be seen by the plain human eye," Miz reiterated more simply, before continuing on in similar, more general terms (but in a more accessible to human thought patterns and processes way, in more human terms). "Color itself has power of its own, and some of this rune only exists on the ultraviolet spectrum." Miz sat on Ford's lab bench, kicking her legs back and forth. "Remind me to teach you color theory as it relates to magic sometime." She told Ford. And then Miz shuddered. "Ugh, like bled. Bled is a horrid discordant, unstable shade that makes any spell drawn with it just… wither and rot."

"Were you here when someone dumped paint on that couch that was bled sometime between yesterday afternoon and last night?" Blue asked over his little sister, reminded of that unwelcome discovery of the night before by her shudder and her following words.

Miz looked horrified. Ford coughed. He'd known there were colors that cryptids seemed to absolutely detest. He never knew why...

"I didn't want to assume who should be penalized with a similar fate and 'hit' the wrong person or persons," Blue continued on next, "Because Bled." He gave his own grimace, and almost a near-shudder. "-Was that look a 'no'?" Blue asked of his little sister next.

"I wouldn't touch that shade with a 10 foot pole!" Miz looked disgusted. Ford looked away, eyes wide and trying very hard to look innocent.

Except Blue saw this and said, very suspiciously, while leaning towards him slightly and narrowing his eyes at him, "I Know that look…"

"What look?" Ford did not meet his eyes, sweating slightly.

"That one, right there," said Blue, pointing at him for a moment, "That you are doing. Right now." The pupils of his eyes narrowed to slits. "You did the thing! DIDN'T YOU."

More so than Blue's glare, Miz's disappointed look shot through Ford in a way that had him twiddling with his fingers nervously. "I… didn't know that color was… such an issue?"

"Fordsie! You didn't?!" Miz tugged on his sleeve, looking rather angry.

"Liar," said Blue. "You wouldn't have picked it, if you didn't know SOMETHING about it! -That wasn't off of somebody's shelf," Blue continued, starting to look truly angry, "Creating a paint here in that color took purposeful effort."

"...I just thought cryptids thought it was an ugly color…" Ford whispered out. (He was a lot more worried about what Miz thought right now, than what Blue did. She seemed legitimately upset with him over this.)

Blue was looking at him with severe distrust on this, after his first two attempted lies on the subject.

"You know I burned the entire Bled dimension to the ground?" Miz intoned quite seriously. Blue stiffened, looking over at her and then said quickly, "-After removing and re-coloring all-the-people first," to his sister's new local-'Hand.

Ford blinked. "Did you?" he asked Miz, rather calmly, despite that horrifying declaration. She scoffed. "Of course I did! Though I couldn't recolor all of them, some of them… liked it." She shuddered. "But even Ax didn't raise too much of a fuss at what I did!"

"I DON'T know why you spun up that one with that lizard-'dad' of yours in the first place," Blue complained, still somewhat tense, but beginning to settle down again.

"I didn't make that dimension directly. And Ax didn't really have much input on that one either. He made a new dimension, and then he fell asleep. And while the two of us weren't paying attention…." Miz shuddered.

"...I knew I hated that stupid Time Baby there," Blue muttered out next, all of a sudden looking very... murder-y.

"He likes keeping some Bled around, uses it as punishment for certain criminals…" Miz was hugging herself. "...I'm glad he never felt the need to put me in one of those Bled cells…"

Blue made a face. "WELL. Now that's just downright evil." (Ford blinked at this.) And then Blue ruined the moment by saying, "And not the fun kind of 'evil', either. -And this is exactly why you should listen to me and my Stanley about not letting anyone talk you into being in a jail cell anywhere, ever again."

"...is bled really that big of a deal?!" Ford felt like this had to be some kind of joke.

Two demons turned their heads towards him immediately, staring and completely expressionless, and… ""Was that supposed to be a joke."" ...apparently it was not a joke.

And Ford swallowed his pride and kneeled down on the ground. "I humbly apologize for my poor taste prank. I was not aware of the severity of that color," he apologized honestly. He didn't do this for Blue, no, he just wanted Miz to stop looking at him with that disappointed, hurt expression.

He was immediately smacked upside the head by Blue, who told him, "Get up, no worshipping; you are getting ALL the penalties for this." And Ford felt a bit confused, as Blue literally grabbed onto him (using his hands at Ford's arms and elbows) and hefted him upwards. (Because it was at this point that Ford realized in the back of his mind that the only times Blue had ever physically touched him before had been that slap across the face during their training session, the slap upside his head again now, and the hand at his neck twice now, before this. This was the first time that Blue had actually forcefully grabbed onto him with his actual hands. That said the rest of his brain was rather preoccupied with the idea of...)

"Um…" Ford swallowed. Penalty? Miz was puffing out her cheeks as she stomped her foot, having stood up on top of his lab bench so she could glare down at him (as Blue let go of him yet continued to stand at his side like a warden), once Ford was back on his feet. "You're lucky you humans can't feel the full effects of Bled. That awful eye-cancer that just makes every part of you itch with the creeping rot of dying magic…" Miz told him.

"...I'm sorry. I seriously didn't realize it was such a big deal." Ford winced. And then Miz glared and began to muss up his hair. "Bad Fordsie!" she scolded. "Do you still have any more of that paint? Destroy it!"

"I got rid of what I could find in this lab already, little sis," Blue told her. "Full-on removal. I disassembled the molecules, and then disassembled the atomic structure of it next. Not even the smallest of remnants remain. This lab has been both purged and cleaned of this travesty on good sense, foul judgment, and life," Blue seemed to intone rather formally, while still eyeing Ford where he stood ('wardening') at his side.

"Good." Miz nodded, but she wasn't stopping with the hair mussing. "Do you have any more of it?" Miz leaned in to glare at Ford. He swallowed. "I-it's… a paint can in the storage room…" then Ford thought of something. "...could bled be used as a ward against magical creatures?" Like salt circles? Then he squeaked when Miz mussed his hair even harder.

"Only if you want them stampeding you, in a bid for then to see who can trample you into the ground the hardest and first after that," Blue said to him dryly in response, eyes flashing coldly at this, as he turned on his heel and headed out the door of the lab - presumably, on his way straight to the storage room, on a mission of further destruction.

"Just because it can doesn't mean you should! That would be needlessly cruel!" Miz wailed. Ford hung his head, in shame. "I'm… very sorry. I won't try that again." (It was easier to say it without Blue around.) He sighed as Miz continued mussing his hair, until it was a tangled mess. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "Is… there anything I can do to make up for it?"

She finally pulled away and huffed. "...what are you willing to do, to make up for this~?" Ford shivered a little at her tone. "A-ah…" He knew he had to be very careful with his words here. "It… would… depend…" Her eyes were narrowing. Ford gulped.

He knew Miz. She wasn't the type who liked to maim and torture, not to people she didn't think deserved it. And her listed criteria for people that deserved the painful torturing was active-pedophiles, child abusers and rapists. None of which applied to Ford, so he knew that even with how awful of a thing he had apparently done, he didn't have to fear being put through that.

Nor did he have to be afraid of being killed, as he knew Miz wouldn't do such a thing to him. So he hadn't even bothered to list that as a penalty that he was unwilling to receive.

No. He knew Miz. More than causing pain or death, she had a far more sinister idea of proper punishment.

Humiliation.

So Ford begged, "Nothing that would kill my dignity forever, or leave me unable to show my face in public ever again." He hoped that would be good enough.

And Miz regarded him. Looking him up and down, calculating. And then she nodded and held out one of her hands. Ford watched her flick her fingers, a motion that looked very much like snapping one's fingers, but without the sharp sound that normally accompanied such a movement. And then he saw what appeared in her hand. (Ford would ask later, how Miz had created the objects without her powers, and had learned of the techno-bracer and some of its features mimicking her Weirdness powers using pure science.) Ford's eyes widened. His heart sank. Oh. Miz was much angrier than she had let on.

But he couldn't refuse her. Not if he ever wanted her forgiveness. "...Alright." He consented. Miz's smile displayed all her teeth.

"Little sis. I have destroyed the last of the known-located bled paint down below its atomic level. I suggest we begin discussion and deliberation on the penalties now-" Blue trailed off, eyes going wide (pupils not narrow though) at the scene that was laid out before him.

His little sister waved at him. "I've started up on his penalties already. You can add more on, but he's got some things he won't do. So talk it out with him first." His little sister turned back watching Ford, a sly grin on her face. And as for the local 'Hand...

"...are you sure I can't have a longer skirt?" Ford complained, pulling at the back of said skirt again. It kept riding up.

"I've already told you, that skirt goes down to your knees, any longer and it'll get in the way when you need to move around. I don't want you tripping." Miz huffed. "It only seems short because you're too thicc."

"...at least just make the back a few inches longer?" Ford whined as he once more tugged at the back of his maid uniform.

Miz sighed. "Fine. But only because I am a merciful god." And she waved her hand to make it lengthen. Ford nearly sank to his knees in relief. "Now thank and praise me for this mercy." Miz demanded.

"Thank you Miz. Truly you are the most benevolent. Praise be and glory to you," Ford said in a monotone. Miz still preened under his words. Ford sighed. Well, it could have been much worse.

Blue eyed him, as he started to walk in a bit of a semi-circle around him. "Well. That was a very 'Ford-like response," said Blue. "Is that what you were going for, little sis?" he asked not-quite sing-song, eyeing Ford critically.

Miz giggled, "I just think it's funny." She patted Ford's head, able to reach now since he was down on the ground. "He needs to wear a maid outfit for three days. I have two others made for tomorrow and the day after." Ford sighed, already resigned to the mockery he was going to get. He was planning to try and work until late so he could slip out without anyone seeing him.

...wait, no. There were cameras out in the hallways, here. Shit.

Miz continued petting him. "I also have this sign he can wear." She pointed at the slab of cardboard with string along the top, so I could be slung over the head and worn. It read [I have been a bad boy, and I'm being punished.]

"..." Blue gave her a look. "If you are trying to have him not-test things not-around you," Blue began, "Then this is not a way to do it. He is already working on the perception filters under the barrier. Yes?"

"Oh no, this is for the bled. And my amusement. And if it motivates him to get a focused perception filter up for himself…"

"That is pushing him to work faster, not slow down and think more carefully," Blue noted, trying to use his own Stanley's 'penalty'-reasoning for this. "Refinement may be necessary. -If he thinks about doing the testing without first thinking about coming to you, he suddenly 'wears' or 'is shown to be wearing' the maid costume he is wearing, until he has shown himself visually to at least five other people at this facility? This will have him wanting to seek out other humans for 'comfort' in wearing-things also," Blue suggested. "Also, he will learn who will judge and laugh at him, and who does not care about his choice of clothing on a day-to-day basis."

Miz pouted. "Kay, I guess that works better as an incentive." Then she brightened. "And it means he'll wear more maid outfits if he forgets! Beyond just three days!" Ford shuddered. ("I will be actively striving to not do that.")

"Yes, that's the point." Miz rolled her eyes. "But it'll still be funny for me if you forget and then get reminded when you realize your clothes have changed."

"Color changes he sees to his eyes, for visual confirmation to him of this now-being-seen status?" Blue suggested again, eyeing Ford critically. "Add all of the glitter-sparkles to how he looks for the duration? Ask the local Mabel for suggestions for a best-most visual-pop? -Collaboration?"

Ford could feel a creeping despair at the delighted expression on Miz's face. "W-wouldn't that be affecting my mind if you-"

"Add it to his glasses." Blue smiled, eyes gleaming.

"That's what I was gonna do." Miz reached for Ford as he stood up and backed away. "Fordsie~" she whined, jumping uselessly as she was nowhere near reaching his face. "Gimme!"

Blue put a hand on his arm at the wrist, and Ford couldn't move in the same way he'd been 'captured' back during their training session almost a week ago now. The demon plucked the desired by his sister pair of glasses from his face and handed them down to Miz, still keeping that single hand on his arm.

"...you're having too much fun with this," Ford groaned. He also made a mental note for making some barrier to prevent physical contact, to be turned off once Blue was no longer here. Miz was turning his glasses over in her hands, humming as she did 'something' to them. Ford was almost afraid to know.

"Don't worry little 'Hand," said Blue Cipher. "My sister is not terribly cruel. Yes?" His smile turned into a grin. "She does listen to all of the begging. Sometimes." The grin widened.

Ford sighed. "She isn't cruel. But she is creative." And somehow, that almost made it worse. And he had already begged. He was going to need to switch to bribery instead.

"If you don't like it," said the demon, "You'd better speak up now with a better counter-offer. Keeping what she wants-most in mind. Or talk to your trusted-family for far more help on a better-offer to put forth to her later, which will need to be more-than-this-then, if you don't manage to get this one right now, with your counter-offer. For her possibly not wanting to give up what she is looking forward to right now, instead-for something she will already know she likes later. Possibly more than she had ever first-expected." Blue was smiling again. And watching him a bit intensely.

But Ford just sighed. "I could try to offer something else, but she might just decide to make me female again if I did."

"How would you know, if you don't ever try?" Blue said. "Asking and communicating are important, little 'Hand."

"I can't think of what else I could offer her at the moment."

Blue eyed him then. "Have you never done 'group brainstorming before? With her, or with others."

"I have. But she's…" and Ford gestured at Miz, who was off in her own little world, muttering "Maids… maids..." while off in a daze.

"And I... am right here now also. Yes?" said Blue next. And he had a raised-eyebrow look going now.

Ford nodded. "And I thank you for changing the penalty to something I could have a more active part in preventing." Ford hadn't missed that. Having to only wear this until he was seen by five people for short periods of time when he 'screwed up' again, was better than having to wear it for three days straight.

"I am an expert at these sorts of negotiations with other demons and beings of all sorts, yes," Blue said next, not quite preening, more like he was… trying to make some kind of point? "Sometimes with multiple sides. And finding a better convergence." Blue eyed him. "Do you have a question for me?"

"Do the two of you count towards the five I need to be seen by?"

"That is up to Miz currently; I did not specify," said Blue. "Do you think she would like being required to be one of those people, bringing your potential total down to four almost-immediately, because you know she will jump on seeing you as the maid? As soon as you tell her immediately?"

Ford gave Miz a hopeful look. She crushed his hopes and dreams with a, "Needs to be seen by a human. I'm not having you exploit this by going into the forest and finding some gnomes."

"Ah, yes," said the demon. "But are you human? Or are you not?" Blue hummed out at her next.

"Technically, this vessel is a dragon." Miz shrugged. "And I'm a demon-god inside that. And I don't know if my mind is human or not."

"Not all homo sapiens are human," Blue noted, "Are all humans homo sapiens?" the demon added, rather instructively.

"I suppose not. I just didn't want him trying to claim that he was seen by some of Viola's frogs and counting that towards his needed number."

Blue nodded, then gave Ford a look.

"If you call her, she will likely be almost-immediately one of the five, with all of the 'squee'ing and then-scolding," Blue said to him next. "She will then be here so you can then-get some testing done with her-here after-that. Because then she will be here. Yes?"

Ford stared at Blue for one long moment. "...So Miz, you and Blue count?"

"I am not human, and never-was," Blue waved away.

"I'll let myself count, Blue is like half a point, on account of never having been human."

Blue sent her a look. "Who else would possibly be another half-point, then, for that to make any difference at all."

"Toby Determined," she deadpanned.

"That would require going into town," Blue noted. "He will be seen by many other humans then first, before that. My 'half-point' will then be in-practice worthless." Blue paused. "Unless he plans on caging a few of them here for the interim," he then noted. "-No memory gun use-after," Blue said after this, right to Ford, with a glare.

"Fiddleford has it under wraps. We won't be using any memory guns. Too dangerous."

"GOOD," Blue intoned. "Wiping out Minds like that is disgusting."

Ford thought about how they defeated their own Bill. And then Blue's obvious distaste for it. "You got beaten by a memory gun too?" He guessed.

"I. Did. NOT. Lose," said Blue. And Ford felt the hand on his arm tighten down just a bit further.

"Ah, temporarily incapacitated?" Ford corrected himself.

"I did not lose; they did not win," Blue said next. "I am OUT now. I am WINNING the war overall. And soon I will have won permanently." Blue looked like he was doing some sort of breathing exercise, to help calm himself down. His hand on Ford's arm didn't relax though, not the least little bit. "-Is that modification to this 'Hand's eyewear done yet, little sis?" Blue said next. "And something, perhaps, to make him be-wearing the maid outfit immediately, whenever he takes them off outside of the bed in his bedroom of his own house?"

Ford immediately glared at the demon for closing that loophole.

"Him taking off the glasses outside his bedroom is too wide of a case. He could just drop them accidentally when leaning over or when he's out in the forest and trips or something." Her words made Ford relax.

"There are strings for glasses to keep them on his own face," Blue noted. "And if he breaks them running away from being eaten, he will have MUCH worse problems than 'caring about what he is wearing' beyond still-keeping his best boots for said-running."

"Well that glasses are just for the visual overlay, the maid outfit is a localized Curse around his person. So if anyone asks about it, he can honestly say he was cursed."

"Even under the barrier that is trying to suppress and remove all of the magic and Curses?" Blue eyed her. He didn't quite ask outright what she was affixing the Curse to that she was going to be putting on him, then.

"It's done via light manipulation so I can make it's effects 'science' in function. It's more like your cybersuit with the way you could use it to change what you looked like without really changing what you were."

"So," Blue said, "He will only be wearing the seeming of this-clothing hereafter. Not the actual clothing upon his person, as he is doing so now."

"Yeah, it'll be easier than swapping out his clothes or transforming them. That sort of transmutation is harder to get around under the barrier. And the 'seeming' effect is more easily dismissed afterwards without leaving him naked if the clothes swapping didn't work or something."

Blue nodded once at her at this, and Ford cautiously let out a breath in a bit more relief. (He'd thought up until now, like Blue apparently, that Miz had been talking about him actually ending up suddenly wearing the actual clothing again.)

"Does that mean I can take this off now?" Ford asked, with a middling but burgeoning hope. Miz turned to him with a bright smile. "Nope! This right now is a penalty for the bled. You can change out after I've taken photos for posterity." And blackmail, Miz didn't say but Ford knew was strongly implied. Miz finally finished what she was doing, handed the piece of modified eyewear up to Blue (who promptly put them back on Ford's face and then let go of his arm, releasing him), and then Ford walked over to his lab bench and slumped over it in despair.

"...your skirt's riding up." Miz pointed out. Ford reached back a hand to tug it down, still pressing his face into his table as he moped.

"That underwear does not pair well with those ruffles," Blue said next, "Or those leggings." He said it in a tone of voice that (Tesla help him) reminded Ford strongly of Seb, of all people.

"Yeah, but the jarring disconnect is pretty gap-moe." Miz shrugged. Ford knew that had to be an anime reference.

"..." Blue was staring off into the distance for a few long moments, then turned back to her.

"Still don't like it," said Blue. "It is not visually pleasing to see," he said, like an art critic in a low-rent low effort gallery.

"True…" Miz addressed Ford. "Would you rather I gave you some cuter looking briefs, or full on panties?" And Ford realized he was in hell.

"Could ask Seb for his opinion," Blue offered up next, and the demon sounded like he was mulling or musing over something or another to do with him.

"...Seb would never let me live this down…" Ford said in despair.

Blue grinned abruptly.

"You say that like you think he won't find out," the demon said teasingly next. "And then would not be very offended that you did not ask for his personal opinion any-sooner than that."

The click of Miz's camera sealed his fate. Ford dry sobbed into the table.

...Ford wasn't sure how to feel about Sebastian not laughing at him for his predicament.

He also was not sure how to feel about how his brother had squee'd at him and demanded that they set up a portal to let him come over from his house's studio IMMEDIATELY. (And then shown up in his lab with an entire armsful of stuff piled high and in-tow.)

He definitely wasn't sure how to think about how what he was wearing now, as Seb and Miz fussed in the corner over other designs, actually felt almost comfortable on him now, in comparison to what Miz had had him wearing before. (For one thing, he had what felt like actual full coverage now, at least. And a hefty sort of scarf around his neck now, to cover up his damnable tattoo.)

He glanced over at the third demon in the room, who was lounging up against the side wall, seemingly looking under the fingernails of one of his hands. Except for the fact that Blue had seemingly been doing that for the past twenty minutes here now, while...

"See they need to be tailored and adjusted to his body-shape. Ford's got much larger pecs, but also a wide frame, so you need to give him more room in the bosom…" Seb was explaining as he and Miz drew full on sketches of different designs, mixing and matching for what was apparently going to be future outfits to physically make him wear.

Ford sighed, going back to his project; he was reworking the entire section on 'exceptions' to account for other spatial distorting devices that could come into the area of effect.

"I don't see why you don't just give him a set of 'battle maid armor' while you're at it, little sis," he heard Blue speak up to the other two of them finally, and Ford continued to sputter at that, even as the demon continued to follow that up oh-so-casually with, "Those tend to be the most-comfortable arrangements, of the lot of all the types of power-frame armor that I've ever Seen."

"...showing more skin does lead to proportionally more defence for some stupid reason…" Miz muttered out. She never understood how that worked.

"Seemingly showing more skin," said the demon. "In actuality, those 'shown' transparent parts tend to be stronger and draw the idiot-attackers to trying to hit those seemingly-more-vulnerable parts, and not-trying to aim for all the joints and connections, instead. Yes? Also lets the wearer see if they are injured-underneath from an attack even if their display has somehow shorted out, or things have gone-numb from the battle-shock or adrenaline, since they can see themselves if there is any blood from themselves-underneath, or even 'just bruising'. Tactics and strategy meet practicality."

"True…" And Ford let out a hopeless sound as Seb and Miz began scribbling more designs. "Also, never underestimate the power of 'distracted by the sexy'," Miz said solemnly, as if her words weren't entirely ridiculous.

"Not a problem in-practice when it comes to this one," Blue noted quite easily. "He does not 'look sexy' to others. No distraction to his attackers on any of all of those parts; he has zero advantage."

"He can get embarrassed by the 'sexy'. But he doesn't react to it the way-" Miz's words were cut off as she blinked. "Ford is sexy!" She protested. And Ford was bright red as Miz went over to begin pointing at him all over. "These lovely curves, the thicc thighs…" Ford dropped his pen.

"That is just-and-only 'aesthetically pleasing' in some way, as you put it, at-best. Not 'sexy'," Blue said to her next with a frown. "And if that-thing about the embarrassment is true, then that is a detriment to him for no detriment to his attackers at all, not being stunned at the look of him; where is the gain?" Blue said next. "That will not result in a higher probability of survival for him, in the event of a fight; it will do the reverse." Blue paused. "Unless the embarrassment adds to his battle-rage somehow." He turned to Ford. "Does the embarrassment add to your battle-rage somehow?"

"The quicker he takes them out, the sooner they won't be looking at him," Miz noted, and Ford realized she was right, he was already going over all the ways he could knock out an opponent quickly so they wouldn't be able to gawk at him. (Or any of the scientists here who might see him.)

"Only if the actual act of being-seen does not have him freezing and pausing in place first, and trying to cover himself, instead of taking them out immediately, right away and upon his first sight of them, even if he'd been seen," Blue noted next. "He'd have to survive the first few seconds of freeze-in-place-from-'mortification' first, and would lose his advantage in that case, in practice, instead. Unless he doesn't. -Which one of those-cases are you?" he directed at Ford again next. (Seb was already sketching new designs in the background and- was he on a video call with Fiddleford now?! Apparently about how to set up armor and cybernetic plating in a way that wouldn't compromise the design aesthetics?!)

"I don't think wearing a maid outfit into battle should be the first go-to for protective covering." Ford pleaded. "Can't I just have a cool decked-out trench coat instead?" he whined. ""No."" the two other people in the lab actually working on said clothing and assorted accessories responded in unison.

Ford hung his head. Sebastian paused in his sketching to ask, "Why are you in a maid outfit?"

"He's being punished for creating, and having, and using a canister of bled paint," Miz said as she scribbled another design, with lacy thigh high stockings. Seb stared at Ford for several long seconds, before leaning over Miz and pointing at the dress's top part. "Add in a deep plunging neckline, and remove the scarf." Ford groaned into his hands. He didn't know bled was such a big deal, okay?!

"Penalties, not punishments, little sis," Blue said next. "Or later, he may decide that the external-not-internal 'punishment' is worth it, for the external response he may get. No internal pushback against anything other than external factors is less than useful, when he thinks those external factors may not be in play anymore, or right away. As my Stanley puts it in more-human terms, more or less: if the only thing keeping him from doing it is other people, he'll do it himself anyway. The incentive will then be to 'get away with doing it', not to not-do the thing. -The point is to have him, himself, lean to not want to do the thing for his own person internalized, not to do with anyone else, reasons. Yes?"

Ford went back to his work as the ex-demon and dragon deliberated more about his future maid status. He was glad they were leaving him alone to rework his blueprints, at least. If Ford just kept quiet, hopefully they wouldn't add on more punishment. To his relief, they were more or less leaving him alone… up until Miz suddenly sat up. "Dinnertime!" She turned to Seb, who gasped as well. "Sorry Sixer, we need to go. The twins are gonna be mad if we don't get home soon." "I have a slow cook wellington in the oven!" And then the two left in a hurry, portalling out of Ford's lab and back to Seb's house, where the twins had been busy with the TV and a Care Unit that Miz had made temporarily for babysitting, leaving Ford wondering if that meant he was allowed to take off the maid dress now. (Nevermind the fact that it was actually pretty comfortable… and Ford was rather disturbed to realize he felt such comfort while wearing something he most certainly shouldn't be wearing-)

Then he realized that the other 'big brother' demon had stayed with him. Blue was still there.

Ford sighed, looked like he wouldn't be able to take the dress off, not right now. Also, he didn't know if Miz had set anything up to keep him from getting out of his 'punishment'.

"Problem?" said Blue. The demon was still lounging up against the wall.

"...just wondering how long I'm going to have to wear this." Ford turned a page to start on the next line of calculations. Set the area of effect to be constrained within the stable parameters, don't react to other distortions...

"If you take it off and Miz shows up again immediately, you will know," was the demon's reply to this. "Is there a problem with the clothing that you are wearing, here and now?"

"I shouldn't be wearing things like this. I'm not…" Ford paused to change his words, "I'm not like Sebastian."

The demon blinked at him at this.

"What does Seb have to do with this?" the demon said next. He frowned. "Is that clothing not comfortable, not allow full range of motion, or not allow you to keep on your person any and all tools and supplies you may need for the immediate destruction of any and all of your enemies?"

Ford winced at Blue's little list there. (It did have a lot of pockets in it, yes, but…) "That's not the point," the scientist tried to explain to the demon. "Seb likes the skirts and make up and stuff. I don't. I shouldn't be wearing this-" it's not proper. He was a man, he shouldn't… Ford twitched. Sebastian was a man too, but he… liked this sort of thing, Ford wasn't… weird like that. More importantly, it was undignified! He was a noble man of science and this wasn't...

"You 'shouldn't be wearing this because you 'don't like it'? Or you 'don't like it' because you think 'you shouldn't be' wearing it," queried the rules-breaking demon.

"...the latter," Ford admitted. There were just things… sometimes… and… while some people were okay with them, and Ford didn't mind the whole… dressing up thing, while he was female, but he was male right now. And this didn't… "And it doesn't look good on me. I look ridiculous."

"Do you?" said Blue. "Who told you that?"

"...no one told me that, but…" Ford held out a hand to gesture at himself, "I look ridiculous!"

"So you are running off deciding things all on your own again." Blue let out a huff of breath that was almost a sigh, pushed off the wall, and started walking towards him. "Show me," Blue demanded.

"What?" Ford blinked.

"Show me what is 'ridiculous'," the demon said to him next, crossing his arms at him then.

Ford flushed. "This..." he pointed at himself. "What I'm wearing. It's all… pretty and frilly and… that's not… it… people would lose all respect for me if they saw me in this!"

"What people, and why?"

"My staff, because I'm their boss, I should be wearing something more professional and… less revealing."

"How is that not professional, and what is so 'revealing' about that?" (And Ford had to grimace at that, because this modified-by-Seb one was covering him a lot more completely than Miz's initial design; Seb and Miz hadn't yet finished their new design...)

"I should be in a labcoat," Ford said weakly. "...and the stockings cover skin, but they're hugging the shape of my legs, and that's… you can see it…"

"So put a labcoat on over it," said Blue. "Nobody's stopping you. And there are many styles of 'pants' and 'jeans' that do exactly the same. -Try again."

Ford wasn't sure he knew how to explain this. "It's embarrassing!"

"Why?" Blue said. "Because you decided it is?"

"Because…" Ford sighed, knowing Blue was going to get all up in his case if he said it was because 'other people' decided it was. Ford… knew, somewhat, that it didn't matter. People could wear whatever they wanted, but this… wasn't something he wanted to wear. He didn't enjoy it like Sebastian did. Even Sebastian didn't go around in public in a dress after all.

"What did you wear here last Summerween?" Blue seemed to say out of nowhere.

"We spent the last Summer in New Jersey." Ford reminded him.

"Last Halloween, then," Blue waved off.

"I… was working? I didn't celebrate, or dress up." Ford admitted. His brothers were the ones who would drag him into dressing up. But they were celebrating with their families. "Oh, but this year, we'll be celebrating Miz's birthday on Halloween." She had decided on that date for her 'birthday'. Ford suspected there was some magical reason for it. Possibly the energy of the belief in the holiday granting her some sort of boost, perhaps?

Blue seemed very disgruntled at the idea of Ford missing out on such an important celebration, then the second thing that Ford was talking about registered, and he became a bit sidetracked. "Her birthday?"

"Yes, a celebration of one's birth-" (Blue gave him a flat look.) "-Ah, we don't know what Miz's true birthdate would be, in our calendar system. But Miz wanted to celebrate on Halloween." Then, Ford paused. "We're getting off topic."

"Are we?" said the demon. "If you told people in your workplace today that the reason you are wearing this now is to 'try things out before Miz's Halloween birthday', what do you think they would say to you about that?"

"Even for Halloween, I wouldn't want to go out wearing something like this," Ford grumbled. "And I don't… know what they would say to that."

"HA." Blue grinned at him then. "WELL.' He leaned in a bit. "YOU JUST MIGHT FIND OUT, now. VERY SOON. -Might want to think of a good 'excuse' for yourself before that," the demon said next, leaning back away from him and upright again. "Some form of 'social experiment', perhaps?"

...Why was the demon still grinning like that?

Ford had a terrible feeling about this. And then the door to his lab opened.

"-hey Dr. Pines, can you look over these readings, I've been wondering about the change suddenly and…" Dr. Poddar trailed off as he looked up and froze upon seeing his boss.

"...I lost a bet!" Ford blurted out his excuse quickly.

"He lost something, all right!" the demon said brightly (still grinning), leaning to the side so that Ford's own body was not blocking the sight of him standing there from the door. "Doesn't he look pretty like this? And it has all of the every-single-pocket he could ever-want on it, too!" Blue stepped to the side and gestured at him like he was showing off his own work (well, he wasn't!).

And Dr. Poddar stared silently for several long seconds. Just when Ford was about to take a chance with knocking the man out, and hoping he assumed what he'd seen was just some messed up dream, Dr. Poddar cleared his throat and walked forward, handing Ford his papers. "This is why Dr. Clark and I bet money," he said simply, "Well, if it's any consolation, you look… good? In that?" He was struggling not to make a very odd expression. Wow. He never knew his boss had such well-defined arms...

"My sister has very good taste, yes," Blue nodded, now smiling and looking very relaxed, crossing his arms easily and walking a bit forward. "And his fashion-style-making triplet. Both. -It is a gift!"

Dr. Poddar seemed to have a look of understanding. "Ah, Sebastian, right? Yes, I heard about that fashion show too, my partner keeps up with that sort of thing, loves watching the Runway-style shows on Nexflit. Are you modeling one of his new designs for him? Testing the comfort and convenience of pocket space?"

"...I… yes?" Ford took this excuse by the horns. "Yes. And… Miz was… she was helping with… with the design."

"He is worried that the apron may not cover as much as the coat does," Blue said like it was an aside to Dr. Poddar, "Or as easily-washable, either. But the fabric is much better at stopping all of the stains from going through! Less acid burns on skin, all around! Also, even-more quickly-removable in an emergency, when the chemical-wash shower is very needed," Blue told him next with a nod. "Would you like one as well?"

"...well, I suppose if it's lab safe… ah… anyway, you must be busy. I'm… going to leave you to look over those readings, I'm going back to my lab." Dr. Poddar nodded. "See you around Dr. Pines." And he turned around and left, leaving Ford very confused about what just happened.

Blue waited until Dr. Poddar had left, watching him go.

And then he turned back to Ford Pines with a grin.

"Did you learn something today-here, just now?" Blue said to him brightly, not quite bouncing on his feet, as if waiting expectantly for… Ford didn't know what, he was just sure that he wasn't going to be enjoying it at all if he had known instead.

"Not one more word, please," Ford grumbled, covering his face. "I… I have a lot to think about." He sat down and looked over the readings Dr. Poddar had given him.

"Mm," he heard Blue say next.

And the next time he turned around again, the demon was gone.

And Ford sighed to himself and tried not to worry himself to death over it.

Blue ate dinner (by himself) first, before heading over to Kari's place again, for their nightly tea.

"How was your day, dear?" Kari asked casually.

"Is my little sister celebrating her birthday on November 27'th of this year, later this year?" Blue said, handing her the cookie tin and striding on in after her.

"Oh." Kari blinked, as she closed the door. "No, she's going with October 31st. The generally accepted date for Halloween, she said she liked the idea, since she'd be able to bring her alien friends over without them seeming out of place."

"HM. So it is 'Halloween', then." Blue looked like he had mixed feelings on this.

"Is there something wrong with that date?" Kari asked.

"No," said Blue, stopping in place. "She just didn't tell me. I had to find out from your son-Stanford here."

"Oh." Kari blinked. "Well, it was something that she and Wanda had decided pretty recently, when Wanda brought up the idea, after Dipper and Mabel had their birthday at the end of the summer. I suppose it hasn't crossed her mind yet to tell you. October isn't for another month." They were still in early September right now.

"Before or after they 'adopted' her," Blue said next, still frowning. "When was this decision made."

"After. So, just a couple weeks ago. The summer that just ended." Kari clarified.

Blue looked over at her. "They will need to change her 'adoption paperwork' then?"

"I suppose, I think they were using the date they adopted her as the stand-in until now." Kari frowned.

"Most human forms do not like that," Blue muttered. He seemed to be thinking quite hard on this, arms crossed.

"Yes, they consider it 'fraud'. But you can appeal to a court and state official, and then fill out the paperwork."

"No 'appeals'," said Blue. "That is not appealing. -Many small changes in-place to be made, very stealthily," Blue muttered out next, then: "That's fine." The demon was still frowning a bit, though.

"They probably should have asked Miz to decide what date she wanted before all this." Kari sighed. "But from what I understand, Miz was too excited at the prospect of being adopted and hadn't really considered it until now."

"Mm," said Blue.

And then the demon turned away from her and resumed walking the rest of the way into her apartment.

"Are you feeling left out, since Miz didn't tell you about her birthday?" Kari asked gently.

"I'm not 'left out'," Blue said to her, as they both made their way into the kitchen. "Miz forgets all sorts of things, including her own priority levels, very easily." Blue sat down at the table next, pulling out next his usual seat.

"She reminds me a lot of Sebastian in that way," Kari said, a bittersweet fondness in her voice.

"I gave-and-showed them-both those bracers for a reason," Blue said as if agreeing with her on that one point. "Not on me if they decide they don't want to use them."

"Thank you for that." ("Mm.") Kari went to set down the cookie tin, and get the cups out for tea. "I wish we had such things when Sebastian was a child…"

"Why?" said Blue. "You didn't know he might need one. ...Unless I 'misunderstood' something about that ADHD of his, and when he found it all out."

"It would have made his life much easier, he wouldn't have had to… go through the pain he did." Kari sighed. "If only we had known much sooner…"

"Would Filbrick have spent the money on him for it?" (It wasn't as though Blue hadn't ended looking up some of that later. After he'd heard about Miz wanting to kill him after Seeing it, and then almost doing so after that, he'd thought that maybe he should do that, and then used his 'looking-spell' on the light many more light years out from the planet there, for just that.)

"...no. He wouldn't have." Kari glared down at the teapot.

Blue looked on at her evenly. He propped his chin up in his palm this time, elbow on the table. (His legs were crossed under his chair at the ankles. One foot was twitching.) "What is that human saying? 'If I had a wish for every time that I wanted a house-boat…'" Blue trailed off for a moment. (His foot was still twitching slowly.) "'...then I'd be all out of wishes real fast, because what is a house-boat, anyway?'"

Kari chuckled lightly. "I know it's rather pointless to wish for things to be different. I'm here now, and Sebastian is doing alright now. It should be enough."

"It never is, though." Blue closed his eyes for a moment, listening to the sound of the teapot. "Do you ever miss the rain?" the demon asked her, eyes reopening.

"The sound, the smell or the way it hides my tears?" Kari was feeling poetic tonight, apparently.

"The first two," the demon said to her. "The touch of it can be very cold."

"I don't mind the rain. On occasion." Kari admitted. Sometimes it was even soothing.

"I like watching it fall," the demon said. "Very chaotic. I like the taste of the light-heaviness of it, the electricity in the air…" He looked over at her lazily. "You don't get much of that, here. Not in this little hermetically-sealed little 'skyscraper' of yours."

"No. We're too… away from it all." Kari sighed. Stan wanted to support her, give her a life of comfort, she understood that. But it was… all… so far away from the city below, so high up here, away from everyone else.

"But you have a portal gun," Blue said to her next. "And your Stanley has many houses elsewhere, to which you could go." There was a pause. "Don't try to portal to the Center unless and until you are told it is safe. You'll crater the whole place and end up falling at least twenty miles straight down."

"What has Ford done now?" Kari chuckled.

"He's working on a portal exclusionary zone," Blue told her, "But I made your portal gun military-grade. You would 'blow his shit up', I believe is the correct human technical term for it," the demon explained. "I'm going to have to warn Seb, and add more provisions to his bracer, for whenever he manages to make the time to finally get his own portal gun tech in it unlocked."

"Well. I don't wish to blow his shit up. So I guess I'll hold back on visiting him for the time being." Kari wondered if she could go visit her dear Sebastian instead? It had been a couple weeks since she'd seen him.

"If you ask him first, he can confirm or not and turn all of the experimental things off first, if he needs to," Blue noted to her next. "I just can't guarantee that he will just-and-always wait for my little sister to be there when he is doing all of his testing, to reach out and try to fix things, if they are looking like they are going to go very wrong. So I am telling you this now."

The tea kettle went off after that, and they were both quiet for a bit as they stopped for a bit and handled their tea.

"Do you enjoy being here?" Kari asked next.

"Define: here." Blue sipped at his tea.

"Multiple heres for this ask." Kari smiled. "Here in the evenings with me. Here in this dimension with your sister. Here in this dimension away from that 'Ford of yours."

"I wouldn't sleep here if you paid me," Blue said. "I only slept at Seb's house the one time, because I was too tired to not. If that tells you anything." He picked up his cup. "And I will always want to be with my sister, wherever she is. 'Away from that 'Ford' can take many forms," Blue then glowered, "And he isn't anything like 'mine' at all." Blue looked down at his cup for a moment, and then raised it just that little bit further and sipped at his tea.

"From the sounds of it, you've been spending much more time with my son than with your sister. Why is that?" Kari asked.

"He reminds me a bit of my 'Hand," Blue told her next. "And his lab is relatively 'safe' in the evenings. Besides," he added, "I'm pretty sure that he'd only ever want to just murder me." Blue lifted his cup again. "And this is Seb's turn with my sister here, not mine. I see her enough during the day, here, anyway. And Seb's made it clear that he doesn't really want me around. I am to 'sit back and take notes' only, yes? What is there to talk about further, about that, with him? When he doesn't want to talk about anything that is truly important. He is already too busy, says he doesn't have the time to do things like work at unlocking that portal gun."

"You're really worried about safety. Is it because you're expecting our dimension to be attacked, or just ingrained caution from surviving on your own for so long?"

"Mm. You could say both. It would be mostly accurate." Blue took another sip of his tea.

"Should I be worried about the safety of this dimension?" Kari asked next, wondering if 'alien invasion' was really something that was going to pop up in the near future.

"Seb wants to handle it all himself-without-me. So I haven't looked. Wouldn't be very surprised, though." Blue downed the rest of his tea, all in one stroke.

"...I see." Kari made a note to call her sons about this. See if they had any idea.

"Does it really matter?" Blue said to her next, as he set his cup down. "You've already got enough problems here as it is. People ready to attack. An internal invasion of stupidity, ignorance, and hate."

"What's one more thing added to the pile?" Kari sipped her tea, "The world's just waiting for someone to throw the first stone."

"You say that like the stones haven't been being thrown at the one side already," Blue said as he stood up. "For a very, very, very long time. Not that it's ever just the one side; it's actually several that are taking most of the hits."

"...is there no way to fix all this, without having to use force?" Kari wondered.

"Define: force," Blue said, as he shoved his chair in. "Humans have been killing each other for a very long time. Cities and civilizations rise and fall. This is news?"

"Miz wants to separate the 'bad' people and simply have people living apart, where they can't hurt each other." Which was fine, but it was a very childish way of thinking, but Kari didn't blame her for it. Sometimes Kari wanted to just banish people to the moon or something.

"Have her define 'bad' for you sometime," was Blue's reply to this. "I'd rather give people a choice. Taking choices away usually leads to more problems, not less. You are going to 'compromise' and 'give your permission' her into a solution that is no solution at all, and fixes nothing of the underlying problems that cause all these things in the first place."

"And how would we fix these underlying problems? It's nearly impossible to speak to anyone who's already set in their ways, believes they're right and refuses to change."

"I told you already," said Blue. "But you don't believe me. You don't think it will work."

"...making it so people can come back to life as whoever, whatever they want, after death?" Kari asked.

"And allow for exclusionary zones, where certain types of things have no effect. Rules change, enacted on and over that entire location."

"Exclusionary zones seems to be what Miz is going for, except with physically separating people." Kari pointed out.

"Yes," said Blue. "But what happens to the next generation of children who are then born? Not all of them will agree with the adults," Blue said next. "And even inside those new forced communities, they will just find another reason to segment themselves and each other out and hate. And jail each other. And kill each other again. Putting people in cages is restrictive, it doesn't work," Blue said next, "The point is to get rid of the frustration, at the point where it comes from. To let the compression ease off; give it some tension, let it stretch out. Make it take far more energy to do a thing that gets them no real benefit, when they know they could be doing all the things they like that are actually fun and will make them feel happier instead. And then? Because who doesn't want to have fun?" Blue shrugged at her, hands over the back of the chair, leaning slightly on it, letting it take his own vessel's weight...

"I believe Miz would simply move them as needed." Kari sighed, "But I am not Miz and I don't know what her plans are for each little thing." She rested her head on one hand. "But I do know that simply giving people the freedom to hurt each other… there are plenty who won't, because they know not to, and there are others who would take that chance to hurt others for their own enjoyment."

"And what do the bullies do, when the teachers and librarians arrive and are-watching?" Blue said to her next. "Do they continue? Or do they stuff their hands in their pockets, hunch their shoulders, look around furtively, and then shuffle off?"

"They play nice, or make excuses. They don't stop, not once the teachers leave."

"Which is why having the structure there to handle all of the things for you is important. Miz cannot and should not be everywhere-forever at once." Blue pushed off of the back of the chair then. "If the bullies can't punch anyone, their hands just go through, are they going to keep doing that? Or go find an 'illegal boxing ring' to have fun at with like-minded people instead."

"I suppose, in that sense, it would be fine. But why not simply make it so no one can be killed by someone else, or via accidents and disease, before their time? Or make it so that people can't be harmed? Why do they need to be brought back?" Kari asked.

"Define: 'before their time'. You're assuming that most people would even want to age. And yes," Blue said, "Places could be made that allow no physical harm, too. Call it a 'bouncy castle dimension', if you like. But they'll 'need' to be brought back because they'll want to be," Blue told her. "There will always be the next adventure, right around the corner-bend."

"That is the natural order of things. They're born, they live, they age, and then they die, and return to the earth," Kari told him. "The plants, the animals, and humans too. And yes, I know there are some exceptions sometimes, but we humans are not meant for eternal life. We'd go insane."

"You're all insane already," Blue told her. "And death is not natural; it never has been. Chaos can and will always come, before order. There is no unbroken order; that never works."

"...I suppose I don't have the perspective for that." Kari shrugged. "But I still feel like your idea of this fixed world wouldn't work for humans."

"Why not?" said Blue. "You keep on saying that, but you never give your proof for why not." Blue frowned at her in irritation. "You say all these things, and yet my way of doing things would still be better than what you have now. But none of you want that still, anyway. -Should I send you a dream or two?" he half-asked her. "Just so you can see what it's actually like? ...Stanley would be annoyed at me being so enlightening though."

"Perhaps if I could speak with your Stanley about this plan of yours. I'd like to hear his perspective on things."

"Right now, he's heard less of it than you."

"Why haven't you told him? Are you worried he would also disapprove of it?"

"No," said Blue. "He just has a different set of priorities. We're still working out parts of the agreement; we haven't even gotten to what him actually wanting me means, or any of the rest of that, yet. I've told him some things, but not anywhere close to all of it, yet. I've had no reason to just yet, and more than every reason to not. -I go too fast with him over there," Blue told her next, "And my 'Hand will end up being all-but left behind, and create a significant amount of pullback from there. Try to tear it all apart. Cause a lot of plan-complicating havoc. -Best to let them all go at their own 'best' speeds, without so much 'pushing', for now. No need to rush. I'm SUPPOSED to be 'on vacation'."

"Do tell me I'll be able to speak with your Stanley." Kari really wanted to get his thoughts on this whole matter. It just… Blue's plan was insanity. Sure, it would keep people from dying for all the stupid reasons, but...

"I can't promise you that," said Blue. "I don't understand or have control over the time differences that happen between 'sets, yet. I may never be able to do that; the Doors are in-and-of my own little sister's domain. But if it ever looks like there might be a 'good' time for it…" Blue grimaced a little, but he said, "...I'll see what I can do. Won't happen anytime soon, though."

"...perhaps tell him that I wish to talk with him someday?" Kari requested.

"...Fine."

And with that said, the demon gave her an elaborate and half-mocking bow, before tossing open a portal and walling on through it. It closed behind him.

Kari blinked, shrugged, and went back to her tea.

And then there was another knock on her door. Kari got up and went over, "Who is it?" Stan wouldn't knock, just call out for her.

"Me!" she heard, and she frowned. Had the demon forgotten something? She narrowed her eyes even more as she heard some murmuring on the other side of the door. Two voices, not just one. "Blue? Did you forget something…" Kari trailed off when she opened the door.

"...Maaaaaaaybe?" The demon both sounded and looked suspiciously chipper. ("Seriousl-oof!" went the person next to him.)

Kari continued staring. And the other person, who was with Blue, glanced over at her, and then kinda winced a little.

"Uh… hi?" said the (twenty-year-old?) young man in glasses and some kind of odd black leather-looking jacket; he looked like the spitting image of her Stanley almost, but her Stanley had avoided wearing glasses with a passion. Then he turned to Blue, who he was both kind of being held by, by both arms, but also shoving his own shoulder up against, and… "Seriously, man, why are we-" "Because it's funny! -Look!" the (slightly older looking) demon said to Kari quite brightly, while sporting a very winning grin, "A Lee! -Now, I know he's not what you wanted exactly, but-" And then Blue cut off in a bit of a garble of sound as this younger 'Lee' reached a hand up and started mussing up his hair.

"..." Kari didn't look away from this younger Stanley. But she did ask, "I thought your Stanley was older?" Then she blinked. "You brought me a different Stanley?"

"Uh…" said Lee, blinking up at her almost owlishly a bit. "Wait. What-?"

"Ohheylookatthetimegottago!" said the demon next (who had managed to get one arm over his own head to protect it from further hair mussing, another arm around and over Lee's back), and then-

"Hey-!" the 'Lee' yelled out as a portal opened up below both his and Blue's feet, and they both dropped down into it quickly, the demon whooping, the younger Stanley clearly a bit frustrated with "You crazy-" and already reaching for him-

And then no more portal or two unexpected visitors. The hallway was empty.

Kari stared at the spot where they'd been. And then she sighed, running a hand along her face. Damn demons.

She went back to her kitchen to get something stronger than tea.