call me maybe

[from_scratch]

Cam is out flying. There's a decent cloud of atmosphere around the gold plane, now, millenia of demons making air around themselves for comfort and not sealing it up because why would you bother. There's a small forest, here - the effect is kind of ruined by the lamps it has to grow under, but it's still pretty.

He feels an open summons and lets it grab him -

with the Joker (kappa)

with Ripper (kappa)

with Darren (Aestrix)

with Minus (kappa)

with Emma (Marri)

with Facility 3141592 (armokGoB)

with the admin (kappa)

with Jarvis (kappa, Aestrix)

with Miles (kappa)

with Hank (Nemo)

Comments

[from_scratch]

"I'm re-reading my old physics notes to find what you might want your nuke wrapped up in, since it may be that I do not have time to put it in a small spaceship and haul it into space. I already made you a - call it a Geiger counter. It picked up some things." He tosses the Geiger counter to John. He resumes re-reading his physics notes with one hand while he handles his churro with the other.

[mylegalname]

John examines the Geiger counter, more to investigate its general sci-fi look than for anything it can tell him; he doesn't expect to be able to operate the thing without at least a short explanation.

[from_scratch]

"The major question is how to get close to it once we know where it is - since I bet there's somebody by it, possibly somebody with an 'on' button. Also, it is looking rather difficult to contain nuclear explosions even with 2159 tech. You really would be better off with an angel for this job, although they'd still have to get close to the thing. It's possible you should just summon an angel, I can teach you how."

[mylegalname]

"Okay," says John. "How do we summon an angel?"

[from_scratch]

Cam finishes his churro and conjures a clipboard with a piece of paper clipped to it, and a pencil. "I'm not positive it'll work. I don't know why I'm here. Maybe whatever glitch let me land in the wrong universe doesn't apply to angels, or to anybody but the first summon, or something, I couldn't possibly tell you. But if it works like it should -" He sketches a angel-summoning circle. "You draw this on the floor, any medium works, I've seen everything from blood to suntan lotion to watercolor, and then you get an angel. Since this circle is not incompetent, the angel stays put in the circle until you have agreed on a task for the angel to do and what the angel gets out of it. Then they can leave exclusively to complete the task and collect their payment. You can get rid of the angel by concentrating on meaning to do that for a minute or so at any time before they finish their task or after they've got what they agreed to take as payment, but not when they've held up their end of the bargain and you haven't. Some people like to pay in advance for that reason. Daeva of any kind can't go home on our own recognizance once summoned unless we kill our summoners but angels are sort of culturally unlikely to do that. Not that that's a guarantee. If you can't agree on anything with the first randomly chosen angel you get, you dismiss them by concentrating on meaning to do that for a minute or so and you have to draw a new circle, old one's used up. I'd recommend a specific angel but I don't know any who are noticeably better than average and all my knowing's way out of date anyway."

[manofmyword]

"I have markers," chirps the Joker.

[mylegalname]

"Sure. Okay. Let's summon an angel. Does it matter which one of us draws it, besides who has to do all the - concentrating?"

[from_scratch]

"I can't do it, but unless the glitch that brought me here is something about this guy in particular either of you could do it."

[manofmyword]

The Joker tosses a black permanent marker to John.

[mylegalname]

He catches it easily. "I'm not even going to ask if I can draw on your floor with this," he says, "because, God help me, I know you. Can I see that clipboard?"

[from_scratch]

Cam hands it over.

[mylegalname]

John carefully copies the angel circle onto the floor by the front door.

[allthebrightest]

And lo, an angel!

Her wings are large and vaguely owl-like, with soft-looking pale golden feathers, all of which fluff up in alarm when she spots Cam. "Whoa, a demon!" she exclaims.

[from_scratch]

"Whoa! An angel!" says Cam, rolling his eyes.

[allthebrightest]

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you were expecting me ahead of time," she retorts.

[from_scratch]

"I told them how to summon you. They know exactly nothing. I'm off-leash and also here for some reason it is the year 2012 and there is a nuke in this city I've never heard of and I was like 'an angel would suit your needs better, gentlemen'."

[allthebrightest]

The angel throws up her hands in exasperation. "Great. Awesome. At least this is a job I'll be good at. Lemme at your nuke. Why is there a nuke?"

[from_scratch]

"Because someone made poor life choices, obviously. Tell the nice amateur what you want for turning the nuke into a cloud, angel."

[allthebrightest]

"My name is Tony. Nice to meet you," she says with an attempt at withering sarcasm that lacks the requisite edge. "I don't know, what even is there to trade me in 20 fucking 12? I mean, that's not saying I won't do it, it's defusing a nuclear bomb in a city, I'd do it for a paperclip, it's just I'm really into techie stuff and all the things I'd usually ask for are going to be hopelessly out of date and compatible with nothing."

[from_scratch]

"I can give him something to pay you with if you want," Cam points out.

[allthebrightest]

"...yes you can," she says, eyes lighting with a speculative look. "Okay. Have your demon buddy make me... how complicated are you willing to get, here? 'Snazzy new computer off the top of your head' is fine, but 'I left some blueprints at home, can you get those and then make me a few things' is better. You could save me so much work."

[from_scratch]

"I'll blueprint you some things if you want, I don't mind."

[allthebrightest]

She bounces up and down gleefully. "Awesome! I'll take it!"

[mylegalname]

"Sounds good to me," says the nice amateur. "I'm John, by the way."

[from_scratch]

"And I'm Cam, and this is apparently 'the Joker', who has no non-stage name," Cam tells the angel.