so there was this deck of cards, right

[lexicality]

Jessica's house is cute. Lexi could see doing a lot of her homework here, listening to the calming chatter of gossip and getting help from Jessica on math (Bella's no help there) and helping Jessica on English. Forks isn't so bad. She doesn't mind the rain as much as Bella does.

Jessica goes to pee before they even start their assignment, after just introducing Lexi to her mom and dad as "one of Chief Swan's kids", and Lexi doesn't want to do work by herself or she wouldn't have come over in the first place. She sits on the couch and plunks her bag down and waits. There's a random deck of cards over there; she picks it up and flips through it. She's been trying to learn to bridge-shuffle.

Comments

[lexicality]

"Oh," says Lexi, dazed. "I found you. I was looking for you. I found a pack of cards that said it had limitless power. And I thought that sounded like something you should have."

[incanted]

Bella sobs and pulls her twin up into a hug.

[lexicality]

"You're dressed funny," observes Lexi. "And I thought I'd wait and bring you the cards - but it said it couldn't wait - so I figured I'd take it and then I'd let you boss me except on weekends - but then turned out I didn't know how to drive the thing."

[incanted]

"Lexi, there is some seriously screwed-up magic crap going on," says Bella, "is why I'm dressed funny - and why didn't you call me?"

[lexicality]

"I figured you'd be driving, by then," Lexi blinks. "...The car, I mean, not the limitless power."

[cardistry]

Brilliance, meanwhile, shifts from a staff back into a pair of jokers and tucks himself into the rest of the deck.

It glows white; the white glow cracks and shatters and falls away; it glows in Brilliance's every-colour instead.

"Fuck, that's better," he sighs. "Thanks, Bella."

The glow fades, leaving the deck a different colour from when it started - black and white reversed, a magician's deck. The front of the pack says 'Ghost'.

[incanted]

"Did you fix the programming issue?" Bella asks him.

[lexicality]

"Programming... issue?"

[incanted]

"I don't completely understand it myself, but Brilliance here is some kind of magic weapon, he comes apart, the part with a personality isn't on board with weapon-ing but it got split, I found the personality and you found the rest."

[lexicality]

"I guess that explains why it talked like a robot?"

[cardistry]

"Yep!" says Brilliance. "No more nasty control program. I'm freeeeeeeeee," and the deck leaps up into the air and flies around in a gleeful circle.

[lexicality]

"But, I wanted to give Bella limitless power so she can feed cancerous grandmas and heal starving orphans or whatever," says Lexi, "was it lying, or what?"

[cardistry]

"...Yyyyes and no," he says, halting in midair. "It wasn't lying about having the power, just about letting you use it."

[lexicality]

"So... now you have it?" Lexi asks. "What're you going to do with it?"

[incanted]

"I second that question," Bella agrees. "Especially since I'm still dressed up like I'm going to an anime convention."

[cardistry]

"Uh... nothing?" says Brilliance. "I'm pretty much gonna do nothing with it? If you wanna change back, I can do that," he adds. "Or you can. Just - want your old clothes back, like you wanted flying."

[incanted]

"...Will I still be able to fly if I do that?" Bella wants to know.

[lexicality]

"What, he doesn't get a lecture about Using His Power For Good, like I did every time we played superheroes starting from when we were six?" Lexi says.

[incanted]

"I'm pretty sure he's designed to destroy shit. 'Nothing' is next best," Bella says quietly.

[cardistry]

"You can still fly without the Barrier Jacket, but it's harder," says Brilliance. "With me you kind of get flying for free. ...Uh, not that I'm inviting lectures or anything, but technically my magic can be used for things other than wrecking shit. Yours too. I mean, I'm supposed to be a weapon, not a healing device, but I'm also not supposed to kick the shit out of myself and break my control program, so..."

[incanted]

"Would you be willing to teach me and Lexi how to use our own magic, before you go find a comfortable place to do your nothing in?" Bella asks.

[cardistry]

"I don't really know how to use your magic," he says. "...But I've probably got a better guess than you do. Okay, maybe."

[incanted]

"Also, we'd appreciate a ride home," Bella adds. "...Or back to wherever you put our car. I guess that's Jessica's house."

[cardistry]

"Oh, sure," says Brilliance.

The rotating figure appears on the ground beneath them, and their surroundings blur, and they are back out in front of Jessica's house.

[lexicality]

Lexi sticks her head in the front door. "Hi, Jessica! Um, a thing came up, Bella showed up to get me, sorry I disappeared but I had to talk to her, I gotta go, I'm sorry!" And she grabs her bag and ducks out over Jessica's confused spluttering.