SaDiablo Hall, Dhemlan, Kaeleer, Midmorning Thursday [Fandom Time]
It was a little tense in the Hall today. Even through the dark power that saturated the very stones of the building, those sensitive to such things could feel that emotions were running very high. On top of Karla having gone missing, no one had heard from either Jaenelle, Lucivar, or Smoke, and an emissary sent from the Dark Council was scheduled to arrive the any minute now to 'look into the distressing violence Lady Angelline had shown herself capable of.'
The door to the study was locked, bolted, and Black-shielded. Even so, it radiated danger and a hot, riotous fury.
Upon arriving, the students from Fandom were led into a wide, receiving chamber. Food was set out on the sideboard--things would have to be a lot more cataclysmic that this for the servants of the Hall to forget their duties--and four males were already waiting within.
Julian
Julian whirled around as the Fandom contingent entered. "Who are they?" he asked Morton, even as he kept his eyes on them. "The 'help' you mentioned?"
He sounded utterly convinced of their abilities. Yes.
Tara
That was a tone guaranteed to make Tara wither. She had to press herself to remember she had as much of a right to be there as anyone so she didn't completely give up and try to find some nice wall to hide inside.
"Um. Yes?" she said, making it a question. "I'm" -- she swallowed. She was not going to stutter her name. "Tara. I'm a, a w-w-witch and a friend of Karla's."
Of course, she wore no jewel, so she wasn't sure how much of a witch she would count as here.
Julian
"You are a witch?" Julian asked, raising his eyebrow slightly. "You don't wear a Jewel."
As if she needed this explained.
Tara
"No, no I ... know that," Tara said softly. "It's, um -- nobody in my world wears a jewel. It's a whole thing."
Julian
"Then what kind of witch are you?" Julian demanded.
Tara
It almost seemed like Tara wasn't going to answer for a long moment. "I don't -"
She had to be strong. She reached down, finding it in herself though her tone was still a little wobbly.
"The kind who's here to save your Queen."
Aaron
There came a sound of slow clapping from behind them. "Well said, Lady," Aaron replied. "And we greatly appreciate your assistance, too. If it is magic of our world that is holding Karla, it's possible that magic from another may be the best way to get her freed again. It's something no will expect or be able to counter."
Tara
Tara's surprised smile lit her face.
"That's ... about all I can hope," she said. "Could we try a locating spell, to start?"
Aaron
"A locating spell?" Aaron asked, confused. "You mean, like, a spell to find someone?"
Yes, Aaron, that would be what a locating spell would mean.
"I stand by my previous comment then. We don't have anything similar here."
Well, maybe Jaenelle did. But anything she did or did not have was kind of a moot point right now.
Tara
Tara looked equally confused. "But -- you can teleport things to you from anywhere," she said. "That's way, way harder. How come you can't...?"
She blushed. "Sorry. That was sort of a rude question."
Aaron
"Not from anywhere, actually," Aaron explained. "To first be able to call something in, we must vanish it."
He called in his moneypouch and tossed it on a nearby table. "If I leave the room with it there, I won't be able to call it in again. Otherwise, vanished, it travels with me. Please don't ask me how, because I cannot answer that," he added with a laugh. His pouch vanished off the table again. "As for why we don't have something like your spell?" He shrugged. "Perhaps because we can vanish and call items. Or perhaps because we're so used to relying on psychic scents. I'm not sure--simply grateful your people do."
Julian
Julian scoffed a little in his throat. "This is our help," he muttered.
Kennedy
"Yeah, that's right," Kennedy spoke up, her chin jutting out defiantly and her tone turning just belligerent enough to match; the dismissive vibe was enough to piss her off, and for bonus pissed-off-ness he was being an ass to her girl. Casually, like she didn't care about the answer to the question anyway, she inquired, "And you would be...?"
Julian
"I am Prince Julian, of Glacia. A friend of Lord Morton's and...part of Karla's Court," Julian growled. "I wear the Purple Dusk."
That was supposed to let you know you were outranked, Kennedy.
Kennedy
"Right," Kennedy said offhandedly. She got that was supposed to mean something, but mostly she was still bristling at their whole gang getting the apparent brushoff here. "Were we supposed to be trading off lists of qualifications here? Because there's a bunch of us, and it might take a while, I'm just saying."
Julian
"You have qualifications?" Julian asked blankly.
Kennedy
Kennedy didn't even try to stop herself from rolling her eyes this time. "Yes. God! Trained fighter since kindergarten here?"
Julian
"...Kindergarten?"
Stop using words he didn't know, Kennedy!
Kennedy
No, Julian, because that would mean ceasing to be a pain in your ass. Don't you know she lives for that stuff?
She rolled her eyes again, harder. Somewhere, metaphorical bowling pins crashed over in the resounding sound of a metaphorical strike worthy of a SportsCenter replay.
"All my life, okay? Just go with that."
Julian
Julian really wanted to suggest that that didn't necessarily mean she was any good at it, but it was beneath him to argue with a landen. Instead, he was simply going to offer Kennedy a patronizing smile and say, "I'm sure they'll be ever so relieved to have you and your formidable skills along."
What? The words were polite!
Kennedy
Like Kennedy hadn't heard that tone of voice often enough? She wasn't buying the polite phrasing, Julian.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and gave him a tight, sarcastic little smile, the kind that gave you an automatic -2 to your wisdom roll if you were debating the advisability of punching her for it.
"Yeah. Guess you'll find out exactly how much, won't you?"
Julian
"No, much to my eternal regret" Julian said, rolling his eyes. "We'll be searching in Glacia, while you all enjoy your busywork in Askavi. But you can tell me all about your impressive swordwork against the scary rodents when we bring Karla home."
Kennedy
"Please," Kennedy shot back, unexpectedly irked by that. "I don't do this so I can tell fishing stories afterward. If you don't believe me, your loss."
Julian
...Fishing stories? It was like they spoke a different language using the same words!
"And I'm truly humbled by it," Julian snarked. "Really."
He was like a recalcitrant eight year old sometimes. Like, when he was talking.
Kennedy
Oooh, just like Kennedy sometimes, then.
Also, about that language thing? Just be glad you haven't had a conversation with Buffy or Willow, Julian.
"There, see?" She smirked faintly at him. "You got something out of this after all. Congratulations."
Ben
Ben recognized two of them immediately. "Prince Julian," he said with a slight nod to his head. "Lord Morton."
He tried to stand as far from Saetan's study as physically possible without calling attention to what he was doing. That kind of rage would give him a blazing headache, and he needed to be able to think clearly here.
Morton
"Prince," Morton replied, giving Ben a nod in return. "I'd say good to see you again, but I'm not terribly thrilled about the circumstances."
Julian
"Prince?" Julian asked, looking from Ben to Morton and back. "He's a--"
Morton
Morton interrupted him with a shake of his head. "Karla gave him the title. You want to dispute it, you can take it up with her. But from what I've seen, she had damn good reason."
Ben
Ben's smile was more a show of teeth than anything approaching something friendly. "She did," he said. "Now, what are the circumstances?"
Morton
"Karla's missing. I've got a few people I trust trying to figure out who grabbed her." Morton's eyes narrowed angrily. Karla could take care of herself, mostly, but she did have a tendency to get into trouble.
Ben
"Lucivar?" Ben guessed, noticing he wasn't around. "Why's Saetan so angry?" he asked in a lower voice.
Aaron
"Lucivar isn't here right now," Aaron said quietly, his natural reserve shoved aside out of concern. "Something happened to Jaenelle. In Little Terreille. Lucivar took her hunting in Askavi to try to...work through it."
Ben
Listen closely, Aaron, as Ben inadvertently teaches you new and creative Huttese curses. He'd really not wanted to be right about Little Terreille. "So is someone making a concerted effort to take down all the darker Jeweled Queens in Kaeleer now?" he asked.
Aaron
"Just Jaenelle," Aaron said softly. "And Karla. But while things are uneasy in Dharo and Nharkhava--" Aaron kept an eye on Kalush's Territory. For, uh, no reason, of course. "--it's mostly because our Black Widows are uneasy. Change is coming. And much of it...unpleasant. But we keep to the Old Ways. And no other Queens have come into danger."
Ben
Ben nodded. "Okay. So you're currently thinking that Karla's disappearance and Jaenelle's--" he figured "meltdown" would be a bad word choice, "--difficulties aren't necessarily related to the bad feeling the Black Widows are picking up?"
Aaron
Aaron frowned. "It's hard to say. For one thing, even when they fully understand their dreams and visions, Black Widows aren't always the best at explaining what they see." He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "They keep explaining it in terms of a storm, a maelstrom. Whatever's going on, Jaenelle is in the center of it, both the focus and the eye. The storm could grow enough to cover all of Kaeleer, but it hasn't yet."
He gave a small apologetic shrug to Ben. "Not all that helpful, I know."
Why did prophecy have to be so damn vague?
Ben
"We have mostly useless until they come true prophecies at home too," Ben said with a wry smile. "I'm Ben, by the way."
Aaron
"Aaron," Aaron replied, reaching out to clasp Ben's hand. "Karla has spoken very highly of you. Morton did too, once he got past the part where you pulled some kind of glowing weapon on him."
Ben
"It's called a lightsaber," Ben said, "and Morton looks very much like someone I wasn't fond of. I regret the misunderstanding."
Aaron
Aaron offered Ben another smile. "It's not like you attacked him," he said, waving it away. "I'm sure you won't be the last person to pull a weapon on his anyway."
His smile faded. "Besides, you're here to help find Karla. That would go a long way towards making everything all right even if he were inclined to hold it against you."
Ben
"Even if they aren't officially Court yet, Karla has a lot of friends willing to lend a hand," Ben said, watching as Julian faced off against a few of them. "It's wise not to underestimate any of us, Jeweled or no."
Aaron
"None of us are," Aaron said. "Well, at least, not of the covens and boyos." From the exasperated look he was giving Julian, the Purple Dusk Warlord Prince didn't count. "Well, we will try hard not to," he amended. "It's hard to go against what we've been raised with our whole lives, simply on someone else's say so. But even if Karla hadn't been so loud in your defense, the High Lord told us a bit about the friends of hers he met."
He gave Ben a small smile. "And Lucivar said something about a hole in Helene's wall?"
Ben
"He started it," Ben replied immediately with an answering smile.
Aaron
"Of course he did. He's Lucivar," Aaron said, amused. "You have my solemn oath as a Brother of the First Circle to not tell her you were here...until at least a day after you've left."
Ben
"I'm grateful," Ben said with a slight inclination of his head.
Aaron
"I'm just hoping to earn similar consideration, should I ever have a chance to visit your school," Aaron assured him.
Ben
"I'll do you one better and not throw a knife at your head to start," Ben replied.
Aaron
"Now, now," Aaron laughed. "Let's not make promises that we might not keep."
Ender
The atmosphere here was definitely pressing; Ender didn't need heightened senses to notice that. But rather than go to anyone in particular, he chose to pace slowly past the sideboard, eyes darting around the room, observing.
He might have looked like he was eating, but he wasn't.
He wasn't a fighter, nor anyone of 'special abilities'. All he had was his mind, and he fully intended to observe things as independently as he could manage. There'd be enough people getting dragged into the fury of it all without thinking.
Jack
Jack actually was eating. The food was delicious, and he had no idea when they'd get the chance for such a feast again again if things got as dire as it seemed like they might. He liked to be prepared in that way.
Otherwise, his thoughts ran much as Ender's did. He hung back a bit -- he wanted to get more of a sense of Morton and Julian before introducing himself.
"So far," he said quietly, picking up a bit of cheese, "it seems like they're trying to keep up the formalities. Do you think it will last?"
Ender
"For as long as they think it has to," Ender said, leaning over the table to reach for something, himself. He wasn't hungry. "Karla's people take their protocol seriously, which you no doubt know." His jaw set, and the edges of a frown made themselves known in his forehead. "It makes them dangerously predictable."
Ender was never a fan of rules set in stone-- at least not if the people on his side believed in them so openly.
Jack
"It does," Jack nodded, speaking softly and rapidly. He doubted anyone was paying attention in the great hall, but being quieter never hurt.
"Though it doesn't seem like they take anyone without their kind of power entirely seriously. It might make it a bit easier to go around their rules, if they can't quite figure out which ones apply to us."
Landens. Those conversations still smarted a bit.
Ender
"Jaenelle is their game-breaker," Ender noted, keeping his voice just as softly muted. Not that he didn't trust the others-- well, actually he never really trusted anyone, but Jack made a good point about their genetic arrogance. It made it worthwhile to keep an extra plan in the pocket, so to speak, for those who didn't have some power to offset their humanity. "She steps outside the rules. For Blood standards."
He pulled back with his prize, something that looked like cheese, and eyed it. "But you're right about us. We're 'Landens'. At best, everyone but Karla will treat us as something to be protected, and to be kept at a distance at the same time." He paused. "But everyone here relies heavily on their Craft. We don't have that crutch. Which leaves us a few openings to be creative."
Jack
"Have you met Jaenelle?" Jack asked. He had not, and her name had barely come up with Karla beyond the basics. A perspective on her would be -- enlightening.
"And you're right, of course," he added. "We can't add to the muscle here, physically or magically. But if we step back I think we'll find enough to do."
Ender
"I've seen her before, the last time I came here," Ender said, frankly, "But we've never spoken much. I've heard some from Karla, though-- it's a strange mix of reverence and familiarity, coming from her. She's something unusual alright."
His eyes flicked towards Jack. "How much has Val told you about me?" he asked, lightly.
Jack
A hesitation. Jack had been talking far more than he'd been prying, but he couldn't deny there'd been some point to his statement.
It went back to sizing people up, again. And, in a way, to the fact that no matter who they were at home, here they were landens and barely mattered.
"That was some time ago," he said evenly. "I believe not to underestimate you, was the gist. And that you were more important in some ways than your brother who actually rules the world. She went vague about specifics in a very Valentine way. Any of that we should expand on?"
Ender
"I'm a trained tactician," he said, not mincing words. "I'd rather not put any of that to work, if it's all the same, but it sounds like it might be hard to avoid right now." His eyes flicked to Jack briefly. "So I've noticed what's worth noticing. For the most part."
And anything else, was the insinuation, he'd like to hear from Jack.
Jack
Jack nodded slowly. He wasn't surprised; it made some sense given Ender's bearing.
"Of course," he said, answering the implied question. "Not that I have anything anyone with eyes wouldn't know at the moment. Emma might have picked up more than I have -- but I hope she's not going too deep."
Julian
"Wonderful", Julian snarled. "I find out my Queen’s gone missing, so I come on the fastest Wind from Glacia I can catch, just to discover that Morton will be spending his time babysitting one of the search parties, rather than actually looking for his cousin."
Raven
"It would be wise not to underestimate our abilities," Raven said, not a threat, just a statement of fact. Or maybe it was a tiny threat, since she was very much on edge about Karla's disappearance.
Sookie
"Agreed," Sookie said softly and without any of her voice's usual warmth, meandering over to Raven. "The last few people to make the mistake of underestimating us really kinda ended up regretting it. We want to find her too. Insulting us isn't going to do Karla any favors."
Raven
Raven gave Sookie a grateful look, glad to have support in showing this man, whoever he was, that they were well prepared to find Karla.
"And," she said, eyeing Julian, "she is to be my Queen, too. Where and when was she last seen?"
Julian
Julian had another comment at the ready, but bit it back when he spotted Raven's Red Jewel. "For that, you'll have to ask Lord Morton," he said stiffly. "I just arrived at the Hall a few hours ago. Lord Khardeen and Lord Aaron will be accompanying me back to Glacia to search for Karla there."
Raven
"Good," Raven said, gentling her tone. Hostility, including her own, would do no one any good. "We may have much ground to cover, and it will be good to know that there are those who care for Karla's welfare doing all they can, as we will be. You may be unaware of who we are, but I can assure you, we have faced much together and triumphed over it, and each of us care very dearly for your queen."
Sookie
"Our Queen," Sookie added, since Karla had mentioned adding Sookie to her Court, and it seemed like a good time to mention that. "We'll work better as allies than as suspicious of one another. Please just understand we want her back as bad as you do. None of us is helpless or a liability."
Julian
"Is she collecting a Court of landens then?!" Julian snapped, frustrated. It had been a very long day for him already, starting with a message that his Queen--well, a Queen, one that he happened to know, all previous protestations otherwise aside--and ending with his notion of the world being knocked on its ass.
Julian didn't take to such things very well.
"Just what can you do?" he asked. "Carry the picnic lunch?"
Sookie
"Excuse you," Sookie snapped, her eyes narrowing. "You'll be speaking to us as the ladies we are, thank you."
She held up a hand, her irritation sparking purple lightning that danced across her fingers. She didn't brush against his shields so much as press against them, a display of telepathic power. << We won't be carrying any goddamn lunches, and you'll do well to watch your tone, please. >>
Julian
Dammit. Julian recognized the expression he was wearing. It was the one he was privately referring to as his 'What the Hell?' face.
It was becoming a distressingly familiar expression, the more he talked to these strange people.
"I--You--How--?"
Sookie
"Ain't it fun how people can be just full of surprises?" Sookie asked cheerfully. "We're not Blood. But we aren't landens. We're a team. It's up to you if you want to be part of it."
Julian
Somewhere in the background, Lord Khardeen was chortling, and Julian was certain that he was the source of amusement.
Again.
From the minute he'd arrived at the Hall, he'd been metaphorically kicked in the balls time and time again. This was just one more instance of everything he thought he knew being merrily turned upside down.
See? This was why he hadn't wanted to serve Karla in the first place! Everything she did caused chaos!
"Perhaps you would be so good as to tell me how you could be neither Blood nor landen," he said through gritted teeth, struggling to keep his temper.
Raven
She'd tried to be nice, and Julian had continued to insult them. Therefore, Raven was going to get bitchy, for Raven values of "bitchy." "There are countless worlds beyond your own," she said, "and each of them have different systems of magic. You know nothing of the things Karla has seen that lie beyond Kaeleer. She knows us and trusts us, and you will please cease to question her judgment now. Sookie has already demonstrated her gifts. You will not want me to demonstrate mine."
Julian
Raven, at least, could easily be slotted into a category that Julian understood. She had a Jewel and it outranked his, so that meant she was a witch, even if that wasn't exactly how she was registering to his senses.
Which meant Protocol, if nothing else. "Your pardon, Lady," he said tightly, before turning around and stalking away. to piss someone else off instead
Raven
Raven exchanged a glance with Sookie. "I do not find him very pleasant," she said. "I think he has much to learn if he intends to serve Karla."
Sookie
Sookie gave Raven a little half-smile. "You and I are roughly eleventy-billion times nicer and more patient than Karla, most days, and he got that reaction. I wanna see what happens when he acts like that with her."
Raven
"I doubt it will be a mistake he makes more than once," Raven said with a tiny smile. "She will show him the error of his ways."
Sookie
"With colorful methods and language," Sookie said tactfully. "And that special Karla charm."
Jonothon
Jonothon was content, today, to hang around the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest, observing.
He'd never been here before, and couldn't help but feel perhaps a touch out of his element. Paying attention to the goings-on of the people who already belonged here seemed like the most practical thing he could be doing.
... And it kept him from making faces at the food.
Khardeen
Khary was just going to slip up beside Jonothon and offered, "It's usually a lot less prickly and on edge here. Though there's usually more yelling."
Jono
//Really says something,// Jono mused, //when th'yelling is a good sign, doesn't it?//
The crazy thing was, he meant it. He supposed he was just getting entirely too used to spending his time around all of the loud ones.
Khary
"You've met Karla, right?" Khary checked. "I think yelling's her default." He rubbed his head a little and laughed. "At least when dealing with males, anyway."
Jono
Jono was trying to picture yelling as a default. It wasn't happening, so much. There was a lot of sly teasing, and there was some drinking here and there, but he couldn't actually remember ever being yelled at by Karla. So help him, he almost felt left out.
//Whatever keeps her happy, I suppose,// he decided. //Yer sure th'ones she yells at don't have it coming to them?//
Khary
"I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about," Khary said innocently. "Also, anything she says about dropping a wall on my head? Totally unjustified."
Jono
And that statement was met with a bit of a projected chuckle and a shake of his head.
//Yer th'very picture of innocence, mate. I believe you. Really.//
Khary
"Excellent! I'm sure we'll make great chums." Khary was nothing if not friendly. "Especially if you happen to have any fun stories of that school of yours. Stories that come with pictures would be an added bonus!"
Jono
//I make no promises,// Jono decided, lifting a finger to point at Khary. //Particularly not if sharing those stories could wind up with a wall being dropped down on me.//
Of course, before he could worry too much about falling walls, they were going to have to get Karla back. One thing at a time, he supposed. One thing at a time.
Khary
Khary's smile faded as his thoughts went in the same direction. "We'll get her back," he said, going to clap Jono on the shoulder. "We'll get them all back."
Sookie
Sookie, for her part, was looking a bit too anxious to actually want to eat, but she dutifully did grab a few things without looking at her plate too much.
Her attention, instead, was focused outside -- she could feel the strangeness of the power infusing the building, and the tension of the people within it. Add that to the fact that she was worried about Karla and she didn't know any of these men in the room, and Sookie was just going to leave her shields down to pick up whatever she could, thank you kindly. She tried to be surreptitious in her observations, keeping to the side.
Aaron
"Lady," Aaron approached Sookie and gave her a small, half-bow. "Are you all right? You look distressed."
He paused a moment with a rueful smile. "Beyond the obvious, I mean."
Sookie
Sookie smiled a little nervously, shrugging a bit. "I don't do well in unfamiliar places," was the answer she settled on. "But thanks for asking. I don't think we've met before, have we? I'm Sookie."
Aaron
"I am Prince Aaron, of Dharo," Aaron replied with another bow, reaching out to take Sookie's hand. "An honor to meet you, Lady Sookie. Kaeleer offers its thanks for your help in finding our wayward Queen."
Sookie
Sookie let him take her hand, her spirits lifting a little in spite of herself. Wasn't every day handsome men bowed to her, calling her Lady. "And a pleasure to meet you, your...highness. I hope you don't take my uneasiness as an insult to your country."
Aaron
"Highness?" Aaron said, looking confused. "I'm tall, but certainly not so tall as that. And don't worry. I'm from Dharo." He chuckled. "I'm certain that Dhemlan can handle the insult readily, if there's one to be found."
Sookie
"I'm not sure what to call a Prince," she admitted. "We say 'highness' at home. In books, anyway. But it's not meant insultingly! I, um -- honestly, I don't know the...geography of this world very well."
Way to be awkward all over a prince, Sookie.
Aaron
"From what Karla has said, your world has some very interesting and unique customs," Aaron said, showing off his fancy diplomacy skills. "But here, no such additions are necessary. Prince Aaron is fine."
Actually, even 'Aaron' would be fine, as he wasn't one to stand on formality more than necessary, but he was a little skittish around strange females. Aaron was both handsome and not particularly fond of being pursued.
"As for geography, well..." Aaron frowned. "I have a feeling you'll learn a little more, soon enough. Because we'll hunt for Karla until the ends of the earth and twice over if that's what it takes."
Sookie
"Yes, we will," Sookie said. "It's sad -- Karla's visited my world twice now, and this is my first trip here. It seems like none of us are able to go home with our friends for any happy reason. I'm sure this world is beautiful, but I won't have the opportunity to observe."
Aaron
"We'll just have to extend an invitation to you some time when Karla is not in any immediate danger," Aaron said. "Kaeleer has many happy occasions that could only be enhanced by your joining us," he added with a little bow.
And this was why Aaron got pursued all the time.
Sookie
Oh, yes. Sookie was half-tempted to send him over to give Bobby a few tips. "You're way too good for my ego," she sighed. "But I'd love to come back and visit sometime."
Aaron
"Any friend of Karla's is a welcome addition to our circle," Aaron said kindly. Then his eyes tracked to Julian. "Mostly, anyway."
He sighed and looked away. Now was not the time for snarky comments, even deserved. "I'll leave you to your meal, Lady. Please, eat your fill. There's plenty." And few enough with appetites, though he doubted Sookie was among them.
Bobby
"Sweet spread," Bobby commented, eyeing the food approvingly.
Yes, Bobby Drake could always be counted on for useful contributions to tactical discussion.
Warren
"I'm not really hungry," Warren noted, looking at the food, a worried frown on his lips. "But it's probably good. It's always good."
Also, hi, Bobby.
Bobby
"There's gonna be a fight," Bobby pointed out. Because there was always a fight, that's how these things worked. "You should eat. Keep your strength up."
Warren
"I was actually kind of hoping that fear and adrenaline would be enough," Warren decided, trying on a wry smile for size. A wry, worried smile. There really was no getting away from the fact that he was... really, really concerned, here.
There was going to be a fight. That barely registered past the knowledge that somebody had taken Karla.
Bobby
"That'll keep you going for a while, yeah," Bobby acknowledged. "But Karla's gonna make fun of you forever if the first thing she hears after you swoop in all knight-in-shining-armor-like is your stomach growling like an angry puppy." Bobby's brand of reassuring was... special.
Warren
... Damn you, Bobby, for having special logic that worked.
"I guess I should eat something first, huh?"
Not just so that Karla wouldn't have cause to make fun of him, no. Also because that notion was silly enough to get Warren to turn on his brain for a moment, so that common sense could happen.
"I'll have whatever you're having, then."
Bobby
Bobby snagged a couple of glazed fruit things and handed one Warren's way. "Now we're talkin', dude. Bobby Drake is wise and all-knowing, and you'd best remember that."
Sookie
"Eating is important," Sookie agreed. No one notice how she hadn't really touched her food. "Karla would agree."
Bobby
"That's what I told Warren," Bobby said, waving a breadstick at Sookie. "And you should eat too."
Sookie
"I did," she said, pointing to her plate. She had sort of picked at an apple. It was something. "I'm too worried to be hungry, though," she admitted softly, with a glance around. "Seems like everyone is, here."
Bobby
"Jack's eating," Bobby pointed out. Jack was, in his opinion, clearly being sensible about this whole deal. "But that right there is energy you're probably going to use if we end up with a fight on their hands." Which they would, because he kind of doubted whoever had taken Karla was just going to hand her back with a shrug and apologetic smile.
Sookie
Sookie half heartedly took a bite of a piece of bread. "I already drank coffee," she pointed out. With a sigh, she paused, closing her eyes, and pressed her shields firmly into place.
Blissful, muted quiet filled her brain, for the time being. She could do that long enough to eat -- there were enough of them there that she wouldn't worry about not being able to hear someone coming. "I'm shielding now. It's helping," she added after a moment. "It's scary that everyone here seems worried, too. I mean, their powers are like Karla's. If they're scared...."
Cassidy
Cassidy had met Karla's cousin before, so she smiled politely at him as she paid attention to what was going on. Yes, she did blush when she saw him.
Morton
Morton smiled politely in return. And offered her a little standing bow. He didn't quite blush himself, but it was close.
Cassidy
She smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Lord Morton -- even if I would have chosen other situations."
Morton
"Lady," Morton bowed again. "I wish we could have met again under different circumstances, too. Thank you for coming."
Cassidy
She shook her head. "I'm forgetting my manners, I apologize." She offered her wrists to him. "I would do anything for Karla, so I am a little worried."
Morton
"We all are," Morton said, eyes dropping slightly.
He looked up suddenly with a sheepish grin. "And it seems I'm doing the same thing."
Cassidy
"If you don't report on me, I won't report on you," she teased.
Morton
"I can't pass up a deal like that," Morton chuckled, eyes twinkling slightly.
Cassidy
She grinned. "This is how great friendships start."
Morton
"I don't suppose that means that if it came down to me and Karla, you'd side with me?" Yeah. Nice try, Morton.
Cassidy
She laughed. "We Queens have to stick together when there are snarly males around," she teased. "But as long as it's not Karla I'm siding against, you can have me on your side during most things."
Maybe making friends ahead of time would cut down on snarling and fussing at later dates?
Morton
"I'm not snarly!" That was kinda close to a snarl, Morton.
Cassidy
She just merely lifted an eyebrow and smiled at him.
Morton
Morton sighed. It was the sort of sound Cassidy was probably pretty familiar with already.
Cassidy
"My brother used to make that sound all of the time," she offered.
Morton
"That's not very reassuring," Morton pointed out. "And why 'used to'?"
Cassidy
"Used to because I haven't seen him since I went away to school," she said cheerfully.
Morton
"Did you leave him behind with any other Queens?" Morton asked. "Because if so, I suspect that he still makes it."
Cassidy
She shook her head with a bright smile. "No, I was the only Queen born in our village. There are witches and at least one Black Widow."
Morton
"Well, then he's probably still doing it." Females seemed to have that effect on poor Warlords in his experience.
Cassidy
"But at least I'm not there to be fussed at."
Her logic couldn't be denied.
Morton
"That probably only makes him sigh all the more," Morton pointed out. He knew that he did the same thing with Karla away.
Cassidy
Cassidy grinned at him. "But again, it is not me that is being fussed at."
Morton
"Maybe I should get Karla to find someone in Fandom to fuss over you. Your brother would probably appreciate it."
Cassidy
Cassidy blinked and then shook her head. "She would never do that to me," she sounded very sure of that.
Morton
"I might. Gotta stick up for your brother, right?"
Like he'd ever be able to convince Karla to help him out with this one.
Cassidy
"You barely know me," she sputtered. "I don't need someone to fuss over me in Fandom. I lost my roommate and no one has replaced him yet so I'm just fine on my own."
Yes, Cassidy. Mention the former male roommate.
Morton
"You’re Karla's friend," Morton pointed out. That told him a whole lot right there.
Cassidy
She frowned slightly at him. "She is a very good friend," she agreed, not sure what to make of that statement.
Morton
"That tells me quite a bit about you, right there."
Cassidy
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
Morton
"If you're anything like Karla, chances are you need some fussing."
Cassidy
"Powerful Queens need fussing, Morton, not someone who only wears the Tiger Eye." Her chin jutted out stubbornly because she believed she had just ended that argument.
Morton
Morton blinked. Then shook his head. "You're a Queen." That was so much more important.
Cassidy
"I can take care of myself."
Yes, which is why she was here, obviously. She heard Karla was in danger and ran to help before knowing what was happening.
Morton
"Of course you can." He meant it. But that didn't exempt her from the need for fussing.
Cassidy
"So who are all of the guests that are here?" Cassidy said, trying to change the subject from her. After all, talking about something else would make him forget the idea of getting someone to fuss over her.
Right?
Morton
"You're not any better at that than Karla is," Morton chuckled.
"But if you'd like introductions, it would be my honor to make them."
Cassidy
She turned red, and shook her head. "I would love to get introductions." She smiled. "I'm very intrigued and like meeting more people."
Morton
"I don't know everyone," Morton admitted. "Emma collected the Fandom troops. But everyone else..." He smiled and waved toward the gathered people. "Let's get started."
Cassidy
She smiled cheerfully. "I look forward to this, Morton... or do I call you Lord Morton?"
Morton
Morton flushed just a bit himself, and ducked his head. "Morton's good. 'Lord' is so... formal." Morton wasn't good at formal when he didn't have to.
[As you can all guess, NFI, NFB, what we'd love OOC commentary. So begins the saga of posts spread across multiple entries because of stupid LJ post size limits. The second half of this carries a warning for dark themes and potential trigger issues, as Saetan again explains safframate. Continued from here. Part...oh god, I've lost track. Part a billion, okay? ( I, II, III, IV, V, and VI)]
The door to the study was locked, bolted, and Black-shielded. Even so, it radiated danger and a hot, riotous fury.
Upon arriving, the students from Fandom were led into a wide, receiving chamber. Food was set out on the sideboard--things would have to be a lot more cataclysmic that this for the servants of the Hall to forget their duties--and four males were already waiting within.
Julian
Julian whirled around as the Fandom contingent entered. "Who are they?" he asked Morton, even as he kept his eyes on them. "The 'help' you mentioned?"
He sounded utterly convinced of their abilities. Yes.
Tara
That was a tone guaranteed to make Tara wither. She had to press herself to remember she had as much of a right to be there as anyone so she didn't completely give up and try to find some nice wall to hide inside.
"Um. Yes?" she said, making it a question. "I'm" -- she swallowed. She was not going to stutter her name. "Tara. I'm a, a w-w-witch and a friend of Karla's."
Of course, she wore no jewel, so she wasn't sure how much of a witch she would count as here.
Julian
"You are a witch?" Julian asked, raising his eyebrow slightly. "You don't wear a Jewel."
As if she needed this explained.
Tara
"No, no I ... know that," Tara said softly. "It's, um -- nobody in my world wears a jewel. It's a whole thing."
Julian
"Then what kind of witch are you?" Julian demanded.
Tara
It almost seemed like Tara wasn't going to answer for a long moment. "I don't -"
She had to be strong. She reached down, finding it in herself though her tone was still a little wobbly.
"The kind who's here to save your Queen."
Aaron
There came a sound of slow clapping from behind them. "Well said, Lady," Aaron replied. "And we greatly appreciate your assistance, too. If it is magic of our world that is holding Karla, it's possible that magic from another may be the best way to get her freed again. It's something no will expect or be able to counter."
Tara
Tara's surprised smile lit her face.
"That's ... about all I can hope," she said. "Could we try a locating spell, to start?"
Aaron
"A locating spell?" Aaron asked, confused. "You mean, like, a spell to find someone?"
Yes, Aaron, that would be what a locating spell would mean.
"I stand by my previous comment then. We don't have anything similar here."
Well, maybe Jaenelle did. But anything she did or did not have was kind of a moot point right now.
Tara
Tara looked equally confused. "But -- you can teleport things to you from anywhere," she said. "That's way, way harder. How come you can't...?"
She blushed. "Sorry. That was sort of a rude question."
Aaron
"Not from anywhere, actually," Aaron explained. "To first be able to call something in, we must vanish it."
He called in his moneypouch and tossed it on a nearby table. "If I leave the room with it there, I won't be able to call it in again. Otherwise, vanished, it travels with me. Please don't ask me how, because I cannot answer that," he added with a laugh. His pouch vanished off the table again. "As for why we don't have something like your spell?" He shrugged. "Perhaps because we can vanish and call items. Or perhaps because we're so used to relying on psychic scents. I'm not sure--simply grateful your people do."
Julian
Julian scoffed a little in his throat. "This is our help," he muttered.
Kennedy
"Yeah, that's right," Kennedy spoke up, her chin jutting out defiantly and her tone turning just belligerent enough to match; the dismissive vibe was enough to piss her off, and for bonus pissed-off-ness he was being an ass to her girl. Casually, like she didn't care about the answer to the question anyway, she inquired, "And you would be...?"
Julian
"I am Prince Julian, of Glacia. A friend of Lord Morton's and...part of Karla's Court," Julian growled. "I wear the Purple Dusk."
That was supposed to let you know you were outranked, Kennedy.
Kennedy
"Right," Kennedy said offhandedly. She got that was supposed to mean something, but mostly she was still bristling at their whole gang getting the apparent brushoff here. "Were we supposed to be trading off lists of qualifications here? Because there's a bunch of us, and it might take a while, I'm just saying."
Julian
"You have qualifications?" Julian asked blankly.
Kennedy
Kennedy didn't even try to stop herself from rolling her eyes this time. "Yes. God! Trained fighter since kindergarten here?"
Julian
"...Kindergarten?"
Stop using words he didn't know, Kennedy!
Kennedy
No, Julian, because that would mean ceasing to be a pain in your ass. Don't you know she lives for that stuff?
She rolled her eyes again, harder. Somewhere, metaphorical bowling pins crashed over in the resounding sound of a metaphorical strike worthy of a SportsCenter replay.
"All my life, okay? Just go with that."
Julian
Julian really wanted to suggest that that didn't necessarily mean she was any good at it, but it was beneath him to argue with a landen. Instead, he was simply going to offer Kennedy a patronizing smile and say, "I'm sure they'll be ever so relieved to have you and your formidable skills along."
What? The words were polite!
Kennedy
Like Kennedy hadn't heard that tone of voice often enough? She wasn't buying the polite phrasing, Julian.
She narrowed her eyes slightly and gave him a tight, sarcastic little smile, the kind that gave you an automatic -2 to your wisdom roll if you were debating the advisability of punching her for it.
"Yeah. Guess you'll find out exactly how much, won't you?"
Julian
"No, much to my eternal regret" Julian said, rolling his eyes. "We'll be searching in Glacia, while you all enjoy your busywork in Askavi. But you can tell me all about your impressive swordwork against the scary rodents when we bring Karla home."
Kennedy
"Please," Kennedy shot back, unexpectedly irked by that. "I don't do this so I can tell fishing stories afterward. If you don't believe me, your loss."
Julian
...Fishing stories? It was like they spoke a different language using the same words!
"And I'm truly humbled by it," Julian snarked. "Really."
He was like a recalcitrant eight year old sometimes. Like, when he was talking.
Kennedy
Oooh, just like Kennedy sometimes, then.
Also, about that language thing? Just be glad you haven't had a conversation with Buffy or Willow, Julian.
"There, see?" She smirked faintly at him. "You got something out of this after all. Congratulations."
Ben
Ben recognized two of them immediately. "Prince Julian," he said with a slight nod to his head. "Lord Morton."
He tried to stand as far from Saetan's study as physically possible without calling attention to what he was doing. That kind of rage would give him a blazing headache, and he needed to be able to think clearly here.
Morton
"Prince," Morton replied, giving Ben a nod in return. "I'd say good to see you again, but I'm not terribly thrilled about the circumstances."
Julian
"Prince?" Julian asked, looking from Ben to Morton and back. "He's a--"
Morton
Morton interrupted him with a shake of his head. "Karla gave him the title. You want to dispute it, you can take it up with her. But from what I've seen, she had damn good reason."
Ben
Ben's smile was more a show of teeth than anything approaching something friendly. "She did," he said. "Now, what are the circumstances?"
Morton
"Karla's missing. I've got a few people I trust trying to figure out who grabbed her." Morton's eyes narrowed angrily. Karla could take care of herself, mostly, but she did have a tendency to get into trouble.
Ben
"Lucivar?" Ben guessed, noticing he wasn't around. "Why's Saetan so angry?" he asked in a lower voice.
Aaron
"Lucivar isn't here right now," Aaron said quietly, his natural reserve shoved aside out of concern. "Something happened to Jaenelle. In Little Terreille. Lucivar took her hunting in Askavi to try to...work through it."
Ben
Listen closely, Aaron, as Ben inadvertently teaches you new and creative Huttese curses. He'd really not wanted to be right about Little Terreille. "So is someone making a concerted effort to take down all the darker Jeweled Queens in Kaeleer now?" he asked.
Aaron
"Just Jaenelle," Aaron said softly. "And Karla. But while things are uneasy in Dharo and Nharkhava--" Aaron kept an eye on Kalush's Territory. For, uh, no reason, of course. "--it's mostly because our Black Widows are uneasy. Change is coming. And much of it...unpleasant. But we keep to the Old Ways. And no other Queens have come into danger."
Ben
Ben nodded. "Okay. So you're currently thinking that Karla's disappearance and Jaenelle's--" he figured "meltdown" would be a bad word choice, "--difficulties aren't necessarily related to the bad feeling the Black Widows are picking up?"
Aaron
Aaron frowned. "It's hard to say. For one thing, even when they fully understand their dreams and visions, Black Widows aren't always the best at explaining what they see." He raked a hand through his hair and sighed. "They keep explaining it in terms of a storm, a maelstrom. Whatever's going on, Jaenelle is in the center of it, both the focus and the eye. The storm could grow enough to cover all of Kaeleer, but it hasn't yet."
He gave a small apologetic shrug to Ben. "Not all that helpful, I know."
Why did prophecy have to be so damn vague?
Ben
"We have mostly useless until they come true prophecies at home too," Ben said with a wry smile. "I'm Ben, by the way."
Aaron
"Aaron," Aaron replied, reaching out to clasp Ben's hand. "Karla has spoken very highly of you. Morton did too, once he got past the part where you pulled some kind of glowing weapon on him."
Ben
"It's called a lightsaber," Ben said, "and Morton looks very much like someone I wasn't fond of. I regret the misunderstanding."
Aaron
Aaron offered Ben another smile. "It's not like you attacked him," he said, waving it away. "I'm sure you won't be the last person to pull a weapon on his anyway."
His smile faded. "Besides, you're here to help find Karla. That would go a long way towards making everything all right even if he were inclined to hold it against you."
Ben
"Even if they aren't officially Court yet, Karla has a lot of friends willing to lend a hand," Ben said, watching as Julian faced off against a few of them. "It's wise not to underestimate any of us, Jeweled or no."
Aaron
"None of us are," Aaron said. "Well, at least, not of the covens and boyos." From the exasperated look he was giving Julian, the Purple Dusk Warlord Prince didn't count. "Well, we will try hard not to," he amended. "It's hard to go against what we've been raised with our whole lives, simply on someone else's say so. But even if Karla hadn't been so loud in your defense, the High Lord told us a bit about the friends of hers he met."
He gave Ben a small smile. "And Lucivar said something about a hole in Helene's wall?"
Ben
"He started it," Ben replied immediately with an answering smile.
Aaron
"Of course he did. He's Lucivar," Aaron said, amused. "You have my solemn oath as a Brother of the First Circle to not tell her you were here...until at least a day after you've left."
Ben
"I'm grateful," Ben said with a slight inclination of his head.
Aaron
"I'm just hoping to earn similar consideration, should I ever have a chance to visit your school," Aaron assured him.
Ben
"I'll do you one better and not throw a knife at your head to start," Ben replied.
Aaron
"Now, now," Aaron laughed. "Let's not make promises that we might not keep."
Ender
The atmosphere here was definitely pressing; Ender didn't need heightened senses to notice that. But rather than go to anyone in particular, he chose to pace slowly past the sideboard, eyes darting around the room, observing.
He might have looked like he was eating, but he wasn't.
He wasn't a fighter, nor anyone of 'special abilities'. All he had was his mind, and he fully intended to observe things as independently as he could manage. There'd be enough people getting dragged into the fury of it all without thinking.
Jack
Jack actually was eating. The food was delicious, and he had no idea when they'd get the chance for such a feast again again if things got as dire as it seemed like they might. He liked to be prepared in that way.
Otherwise, his thoughts ran much as Ender's did. He hung back a bit -- he wanted to get more of a sense of Morton and Julian before introducing himself.
"So far," he said quietly, picking up a bit of cheese, "it seems like they're trying to keep up the formalities. Do you think it will last?"
Ender
"For as long as they think it has to," Ender said, leaning over the table to reach for something, himself. He wasn't hungry. "Karla's people take their protocol seriously, which you no doubt know." His jaw set, and the edges of a frown made themselves known in his forehead. "It makes them dangerously predictable."
Ender was never a fan of rules set in stone-- at least not if the people on his side believed in them so openly.
Jack
"It does," Jack nodded, speaking softly and rapidly. He doubted anyone was paying attention in the great hall, but being quieter never hurt.
"Though it doesn't seem like they take anyone without their kind of power entirely seriously. It might make it a bit easier to go around their rules, if they can't quite figure out which ones apply to us."
Landens. Those conversations still smarted a bit.
Ender
"Jaenelle is their game-breaker," Ender noted, keeping his voice just as softly muted. Not that he didn't trust the others-- well, actually he never really trusted anyone, but Jack made a good point about their genetic arrogance. It made it worthwhile to keep an extra plan in the pocket, so to speak, for those who didn't have some power to offset their humanity. "She steps outside the rules. For Blood standards."
He pulled back with his prize, something that looked like cheese, and eyed it. "But you're right about us. We're 'Landens'. At best, everyone but Karla will treat us as something to be protected, and to be kept at a distance at the same time." He paused. "But everyone here relies heavily on their Craft. We don't have that crutch. Which leaves us a few openings to be creative."
Jack
"Have you met Jaenelle?" Jack asked. He had not, and her name had barely come up with Karla beyond the basics. A perspective on her would be -- enlightening.
"And you're right, of course," he added. "We can't add to the muscle here, physically or magically. But if we step back I think we'll find enough to do."
Ender
"I've seen her before, the last time I came here," Ender said, frankly, "But we've never spoken much. I've heard some from Karla, though-- it's a strange mix of reverence and familiarity, coming from her. She's something unusual alright."
His eyes flicked towards Jack. "How much has Val told you about me?" he asked, lightly.
Jack
A hesitation. Jack had been talking far more than he'd been prying, but he couldn't deny there'd been some point to his statement.
It went back to sizing people up, again. And, in a way, to the fact that no matter who they were at home, here they were landens and barely mattered.
"That was some time ago," he said evenly. "I believe not to underestimate you, was the gist. And that you were more important in some ways than your brother who actually rules the world. She went vague about specifics in a very Valentine way. Any of that we should expand on?"
Ender
"I'm a trained tactician," he said, not mincing words. "I'd rather not put any of that to work, if it's all the same, but it sounds like it might be hard to avoid right now." His eyes flicked to Jack briefly. "So I've noticed what's worth noticing. For the most part."
And anything else, was the insinuation, he'd like to hear from Jack.
Jack
Jack nodded slowly. He wasn't surprised; it made some sense given Ender's bearing.
"Of course," he said, answering the implied question. "Not that I have anything anyone with eyes wouldn't know at the moment. Emma might have picked up more than I have -- but I hope she's not going too deep."
Julian
"Wonderful", Julian snarled. "I find out my Queen’s gone missing, so I come on the fastest Wind from Glacia I can catch, just to discover that Morton will be spending his time babysitting one of the search parties, rather than actually looking for his cousin."
Raven
"It would be wise not to underestimate our abilities," Raven said, not a threat, just a statement of fact. Or maybe it was a tiny threat, since she was very much on edge about Karla's disappearance.
Sookie
"Agreed," Sookie said softly and without any of her voice's usual warmth, meandering over to Raven. "The last few people to make the mistake of underestimating us really kinda ended up regretting it. We want to find her too. Insulting us isn't going to do Karla any favors."
Raven
Raven gave Sookie a grateful look, glad to have support in showing this man, whoever he was, that they were well prepared to find Karla.
"And," she said, eyeing Julian, "she is to be my Queen, too. Where and when was she last seen?"
Julian
Julian had another comment at the ready, but bit it back when he spotted Raven's Red Jewel. "For that, you'll have to ask Lord Morton," he said stiffly. "I just arrived at the Hall a few hours ago. Lord Khardeen and Lord Aaron will be accompanying me back to Glacia to search for Karla there."
Raven
"Good," Raven said, gentling her tone. Hostility, including her own, would do no one any good. "We may have much ground to cover, and it will be good to know that there are those who care for Karla's welfare doing all they can, as we will be. You may be unaware of who we are, but I can assure you, we have faced much together and triumphed over it, and each of us care very dearly for your queen."
Sookie
"Our Queen," Sookie added, since Karla had mentioned adding Sookie to her Court, and it seemed like a good time to mention that. "We'll work better as allies than as suspicious of one another. Please just understand we want her back as bad as you do. None of us is helpless or a liability."
Julian
"Is she collecting a Court of landens then?!" Julian snapped, frustrated. It had been a very long day for him already, starting with a message that his Queen--well, a Queen, one that he happened to know, all previous protestations otherwise aside--and ending with his notion of the world being knocked on its ass.
Julian didn't take to such things very well.
"Just what can you do?" he asked. "Carry the picnic lunch?"
Sookie
"Excuse you," Sookie snapped, her eyes narrowing. "You'll be speaking to us as the ladies we are, thank you."
She held up a hand, her irritation sparking purple lightning that danced across her fingers. She didn't brush against his shields so much as press against them, a display of telepathic power. << We won't be carrying any goddamn lunches, and you'll do well to watch your tone, please. >>
Julian
Dammit. Julian recognized the expression he was wearing. It was the one he was privately referring to as his 'What the Hell?' face.
It was becoming a distressingly familiar expression, the more he talked to these strange people.
"I--You--How--?"
Sookie
"Ain't it fun how people can be just full of surprises?" Sookie asked cheerfully. "We're not Blood. But we aren't landens. We're a team. It's up to you if you want to be part of it."
Julian
Somewhere in the background, Lord Khardeen was chortling, and Julian was certain that he was the source of amusement.
Again.
From the minute he'd arrived at the Hall, he'd been metaphorically kicked in the balls time and time again. This was just one more instance of everything he thought he knew being merrily turned upside down.
See? This was why he hadn't wanted to serve Karla in the first place! Everything she did caused chaos!
"Perhaps you would be so good as to tell me how you could be neither Blood nor landen," he said through gritted teeth, struggling to keep his temper.
Raven
She'd tried to be nice, and Julian had continued to insult them. Therefore, Raven was going to get bitchy, for Raven values of "bitchy." "There are countless worlds beyond your own," she said, "and each of them have different systems of magic. You know nothing of the things Karla has seen that lie beyond Kaeleer. She knows us and trusts us, and you will please cease to question her judgment now. Sookie has already demonstrated her gifts. You will not want me to demonstrate mine."
Julian
Raven, at least, could easily be slotted into a category that Julian understood. She had a Jewel and it outranked his, so that meant she was a witch, even if that wasn't exactly how she was registering to his senses.
Which meant Protocol, if nothing else. "Your pardon, Lady," he said tightly, before turning around and stalking away. to piss someone else off instead
Raven
Raven exchanged a glance with Sookie. "I do not find him very pleasant," she said. "I think he has much to learn if he intends to serve Karla."
Sookie
Sookie gave Raven a little half-smile. "You and I are roughly eleventy-billion times nicer and more patient than Karla, most days, and he got that reaction. I wanna see what happens when he acts like that with her."
Raven
"I doubt it will be a mistake he makes more than once," Raven said with a tiny smile. "She will show him the error of his ways."
Sookie
"With colorful methods and language," Sookie said tactfully. "And that special Karla charm."
Jonothon
Jonothon was content, today, to hang around the sidelines with his arms crossed over his chest, observing.
He'd never been here before, and couldn't help but feel perhaps a touch out of his element. Paying attention to the goings-on of the people who already belonged here seemed like the most practical thing he could be doing.
... And it kept him from making faces at the food.
Khardeen
Khary was just going to slip up beside Jonothon and offered, "It's usually a lot less prickly and on edge here. Though there's usually more yelling."
Jono
//Really says something,// Jono mused, //when th'yelling is a good sign, doesn't it?//
The crazy thing was, he meant it. He supposed he was just getting entirely too used to spending his time around all of the loud ones.
Khary
"You've met Karla, right?" Khary checked. "I think yelling's her default." He rubbed his head a little and laughed. "At least when dealing with males, anyway."
Jono
Jono was trying to picture yelling as a default. It wasn't happening, so much. There was a lot of sly teasing, and there was some drinking here and there, but he couldn't actually remember ever being yelled at by Karla. So help him, he almost felt left out.
//Whatever keeps her happy, I suppose,// he decided. //Yer sure th'ones she yells at don't have it coming to them?//
Khary
"I have no idea what you could possibly be talking about," Khary said innocently. "Also, anything she says about dropping a wall on my head? Totally unjustified."
Jono
And that statement was met with a bit of a projected chuckle and a shake of his head.
//Yer th'very picture of innocence, mate. I believe you. Really.//
Khary
"Excellent! I'm sure we'll make great chums." Khary was nothing if not friendly. "Especially if you happen to have any fun stories of that school of yours. Stories that come with pictures would be an added bonus!"
Jono
//I make no promises,// Jono decided, lifting a finger to point at Khary. //Particularly not if sharing those stories could wind up with a wall being dropped down on me.//
Of course, before he could worry too much about falling walls, they were going to have to get Karla back. One thing at a time, he supposed. One thing at a time.
Khary
Khary's smile faded as his thoughts went in the same direction. "We'll get her back," he said, going to clap Jono on the shoulder. "We'll get them all back."
Sookie
Sookie, for her part, was looking a bit too anxious to actually want to eat, but she dutifully did grab a few things without looking at her plate too much.
Her attention, instead, was focused outside -- she could feel the strangeness of the power infusing the building, and the tension of the people within it. Add that to the fact that she was worried about Karla and she didn't know any of these men in the room, and Sookie was just going to leave her shields down to pick up whatever she could, thank you kindly. She tried to be surreptitious in her observations, keeping to the side.
Aaron
"Lady," Aaron approached Sookie and gave her a small, half-bow. "Are you all right? You look distressed."
He paused a moment with a rueful smile. "Beyond the obvious, I mean."
Sookie
Sookie smiled a little nervously, shrugging a bit. "I don't do well in unfamiliar places," was the answer she settled on. "But thanks for asking. I don't think we've met before, have we? I'm Sookie."
Aaron
"I am Prince Aaron, of Dharo," Aaron replied with another bow, reaching out to take Sookie's hand. "An honor to meet you, Lady Sookie. Kaeleer offers its thanks for your help in finding our wayward Queen."
Sookie
Sookie let him take her hand, her spirits lifting a little in spite of herself. Wasn't every day handsome men bowed to her, calling her Lady. "And a pleasure to meet you, your...highness. I hope you don't take my uneasiness as an insult to your country."
Aaron
"Highness?" Aaron said, looking confused. "I'm tall, but certainly not so tall as that. And don't worry. I'm from Dharo." He chuckled. "I'm certain that Dhemlan can handle the insult readily, if there's one to be found."
Sookie
"I'm not sure what to call a Prince," she admitted. "We say 'highness' at home. In books, anyway. But it's not meant insultingly! I, um -- honestly, I don't know the...geography of this world very well."
Way to be awkward all over a prince, Sookie.
Aaron
"From what Karla has said, your world has some very interesting and unique customs," Aaron said, showing off his fancy diplomacy skills. "But here, no such additions are necessary. Prince Aaron is fine."
Actually, even 'Aaron' would be fine, as he wasn't one to stand on formality more than necessary, but he was a little skittish around strange females. Aaron was both handsome and not particularly fond of being pursued.
"As for geography, well..." Aaron frowned. "I have a feeling you'll learn a little more, soon enough. Because we'll hunt for Karla until the ends of the earth and twice over if that's what it takes."
Sookie
"Yes, we will," Sookie said. "It's sad -- Karla's visited my world twice now, and this is my first trip here. It seems like none of us are able to go home with our friends for any happy reason. I'm sure this world is beautiful, but I won't have the opportunity to observe."
Aaron
"We'll just have to extend an invitation to you some time when Karla is not in any immediate danger," Aaron said. "Kaeleer has many happy occasions that could only be enhanced by your joining us," he added with a little bow.
And this was why Aaron got pursued all the time.
Sookie
Oh, yes. Sookie was half-tempted to send him over to give Bobby a few tips. "You're way too good for my ego," she sighed. "But I'd love to come back and visit sometime."
Aaron
"Any friend of Karla's is a welcome addition to our circle," Aaron said kindly. Then his eyes tracked to Julian. "Mostly, anyway."
He sighed and looked away. Now was not the time for snarky comments, even deserved. "I'll leave you to your meal, Lady. Please, eat your fill. There's plenty." And few enough with appetites, though he doubted Sookie was among them.
Bobby
"Sweet spread," Bobby commented, eyeing the food approvingly.
Yes, Bobby Drake could always be counted on for useful contributions to tactical discussion.
Warren
"I'm not really hungry," Warren noted, looking at the food, a worried frown on his lips. "But it's probably good. It's always good."
Also, hi, Bobby.
Bobby
"There's gonna be a fight," Bobby pointed out. Because there was always a fight, that's how these things worked. "You should eat. Keep your strength up."
Warren
"I was actually kind of hoping that fear and adrenaline would be enough," Warren decided, trying on a wry smile for size. A wry, worried smile. There really was no getting away from the fact that he was... really, really concerned, here.
There was going to be a fight. That barely registered past the knowledge that somebody had taken Karla.
Bobby
"That'll keep you going for a while, yeah," Bobby acknowledged. "But Karla's gonna make fun of you forever if the first thing she hears after you swoop in all knight-in-shining-armor-like is your stomach growling like an angry puppy." Bobby's brand of reassuring was... special.
Warren
... Damn you, Bobby, for having special logic that worked.
"I guess I should eat something first, huh?"
Not just so that Karla wouldn't have cause to make fun of him, no. Also because that notion was silly enough to get Warren to turn on his brain for a moment, so that common sense could happen.
"I'll have whatever you're having, then."
Bobby
Bobby snagged a couple of glazed fruit things and handed one Warren's way. "Now we're talkin', dude. Bobby Drake is wise and all-knowing, and you'd best remember that."
Sookie
"Eating is important," Sookie agreed. No one notice how she hadn't really touched her food. "Karla would agree."
Bobby
"That's what I told Warren," Bobby said, waving a breadstick at Sookie. "And you should eat too."
Sookie
"I did," she said, pointing to her plate. She had sort of picked at an apple. It was something. "I'm too worried to be hungry, though," she admitted softly, with a glance around. "Seems like everyone is, here."
Bobby
"Jack's eating," Bobby pointed out. Jack was, in his opinion, clearly being sensible about this whole deal. "But that right there is energy you're probably going to use if we end up with a fight on their hands." Which they would, because he kind of doubted whoever had taken Karla was just going to hand her back with a shrug and apologetic smile.
Sookie
Sookie half heartedly took a bite of a piece of bread. "I already drank coffee," she pointed out. With a sigh, she paused, closing her eyes, and pressed her shields firmly into place.
Blissful, muted quiet filled her brain, for the time being. She could do that long enough to eat -- there were enough of them there that she wouldn't worry about not being able to hear someone coming. "I'm shielding now. It's helping," she added after a moment. "It's scary that everyone here seems worried, too. I mean, their powers are like Karla's. If they're scared...."
Cassidy
Cassidy had met Karla's cousin before, so she smiled politely at him as she paid attention to what was going on. Yes, she did blush when she saw him.
Morton
Morton smiled politely in return. And offered her a little standing bow. He didn't quite blush himself, but it was close.
Cassidy
She smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Lord Morton -- even if I would have chosen other situations."
Morton
"Lady," Morton bowed again. "I wish we could have met again under different circumstances, too. Thank you for coming."
Cassidy
She shook her head. "I'm forgetting my manners, I apologize." She offered her wrists to him. "I would do anything for Karla, so I am a little worried."
Morton
"We all are," Morton said, eyes dropping slightly.
He looked up suddenly with a sheepish grin. "And it seems I'm doing the same thing."
Cassidy
"If you don't report on me, I won't report on you," she teased.
Morton
"I can't pass up a deal like that," Morton chuckled, eyes twinkling slightly.
Cassidy
She grinned. "This is how great friendships start."
Morton
"I don't suppose that means that if it came down to me and Karla, you'd side with me?" Yeah. Nice try, Morton.
Cassidy
She laughed. "We Queens have to stick together when there are snarly males around," she teased. "But as long as it's not Karla I'm siding against, you can have me on your side during most things."
Maybe making friends ahead of time would cut down on snarling and fussing at later dates?
Morton
"I'm not snarly!" That was kinda close to a snarl, Morton.
Cassidy
She just merely lifted an eyebrow and smiled at him.
Morton
Morton sighed. It was the sort of sound Cassidy was probably pretty familiar with already.
Cassidy
"My brother used to make that sound all of the time," she offered.
Morton
"That's not very reassuring," Morton pointed out. "And why 'used to'?"
Cassidy
"Used to because I haven't seen him since I went away to school," she said cheerfully.
Morton
"Did you leave him behind with any other Queens?" Morton asked. "Because if so, I suspect that he still makes it."
Cassidy
She shook her head with a bright smile. "No, I was the only Queen born in our village. There are witches and at least one Black Widow."
Morton
"Well, then he's probably still doing it." Females seemed to have that effect on poor Warlords in his experience.
Cassidy
"But at least I'm not there to be fussed at."
Her logic couldn't be denied.
Morton
"That probably only makes him sigh all the more," Morton pointed out. He knew that he did the same thing with Karla away.
Cassidy
Cassidy grinned at him. "But again, it is not me that is being fussed at."
Morton
"Maybe I should get Karla to find someone in Fandom to fuss over you. Your brother would probably appreciate it."
Cassidy
Cassidy blinked and then shook her head. "She would never do that to me," she sounded very sure of that.
Morton
"I might. Gotta stick up for your brother, right?"
Like he'd ever be able to convince Karla to help him out with this one.
Cassidy
"You barely know me," she sputtered. "I don't need someone to fuss over me in Fandom. I lost my roommate and no one has replaced him yet so I'm just fine on my own."
Yes, Cassidy. Mention the former male roommate.
Morton
"You’re Karla's friend," Morton pointed out. That told him a whole lot right there.
Cassidy
She frowned slightly at him. "She is a very good friend," she agreed, not sure what to make of that statement.
Morton
"That tells me quite a bit about you, right there."
Cassidy
"And what is that supposed to mean?"
Morton
"If you're anything like Karla, chances are you need some fussing."
Cassidy
"Powerful Queens need fussing, Morton, not someone who only wears the Tiger Eye." Her chin jutted out stubbornly because she believed she had just ended that argument.
Morton
Morton blinked. Then shook his head. "You're a Queen." That was so much more important.
Cassidy
"I can take care of myself."
Yes, which is why she was here, obviously. She heard Karla was in danger and ran to help before knowing what was happening.
Morton
"Of course you can." He meant it. But that didn't exempt her from the need for fussing.
Cassidy
"So who are all of the guests that are here?" Cassidy said, trying to change the subject from her. After all, talking about something else would make him forget the idea of getting someone to fuss over her.
Right?
Morton
"You're not any better at that than Karla is," Morton chuckled.
"But if you'd like introductions, it would be my honor to make them."
Cassidy
She turned red, and shook her head. "I would love to get introductions." She smiled. "I'm very intrigued and like meeting more people."
Morton
"I don't know everyone," Morton admitted. "Emma collected the Fandom troops. But everyone else..." He smiled and waved toward the gathered people. "Let's get started."
Cassidy
She smiled cheerfully. "I look forward to this, Morton... or do I call you Lord Morton?"
Morton
Morton flushed just a bit himself, and ducked his head. "Morton's good. 'Lord' is so... formal." Morton wasn't good at formal when he didn't have to.
[As you can all guess, NFI, NFB, what we'd love OOC commentary. So begins the saga of posts spread across multiple entries because of stupid LJ post size limits. The second half of this carries a warning for dark themes and potential trigger issues, as Saetan again explains safframate. Continued from here. Part...oh god, I've lost track. Part a billion, okay? ( I, II, III, IV, V, and VI)]