Karla's Voicemail

[glacial_witch]

According to the explanation I have received, you will now leave your voice on this machine. Maybe I'll even give it back when I'm done listening.

Kiss kiss.

Or you can just contact me on a distaff thread which will be much quicker than this bloody thing.

Comments

[blondecanary]

At some point on Christmas day, Karla might notice a phone message.

"Merry Christmas, Karla! I already got an awesome gift. I'll have to tell you about it when I get back... in the meantime? Do you know any spells to send someone across dimensions? Just... to anyone you want to see?

Gimme a call! And see you on Tuesday night, I think."

[glacial_witch]

Not too long after Karla got the call, she called Dinah back.

"Merry Christmas! I'm glad you got your gift. Can't wait to see it. As for spells like you were asking about...no, I'm sorry, not really. I know how to do the spell that opens up the Gates between the Realms, but I don't think it's the same thing. Why Dinah? What's up? Gimme a call."

[blondecanary]

Calling back although her mun was insane and would crash soon, Dinah took a breath when Karla picked up, and said, "Jak's in trouble. And Portalocity is being no help at all. Also, hi."

[glacial_witch]

"What kind of trouble?" Karla asked immediately, brushing aside the 'hi' with a wave of her hand, even if Dinah couldn't see it. "Portalocity isn't being helpful? How? Is it not getting you a portal somewhere? Here? Or Sand...something?"

Karla'd barely met Jak. She couldn't be help accountable for not remembering the name of his world.

[blondecanary]

"Sandover," Dinah said, pacing back and forth across the balcony. "And no, they say they can't. And I'm not even sure he's there now, I saw him and Mr. Samos and Dax and I think Keira go into something like a portal in one of my dreams. And now they're somewhere else, and Jak's..." Dinah didn't even know where to start, there. "He's in the middle of a kind of underground war, and I want to go there and help, but they *won't* even try to get to him."

[glacial_witch]

Karla knew that Dinah dreamed true dreams sometimes and so didn't even bother asking Dinah if she was sure. "Stop a moment," Karla said. Dinah wasn't going to like the argument she was about to make any more than Karla wanted to make it, but, well, it was what a good friend would do.

"You want to plunge yourself into a situation that you don't fully understand but you know is dangerous, in a world not your own, where you can't read the language. Dinah, I know you want to help, but there has to be a better way."

[blondecanary]

Dinah had actually forgotten about the literacy problem. Damnit. "I could take a copy of the alphabet with me," she said, knowing it wasn't enough. Especially since the only copy she had was in Fandom, which meant a trip there first, then one to wherever Jak was. "And, and... I understand some of the situation, from what I've seen! I know who to avoid." Sort of. Metal-Heads. If that was really possible; Jak and Daxter got nabbed within seconds of landing. "How else can I help? I can't do anything from here. I phoned Jak in case his phone still works, so he knows I know he's in trouble, but. Well. He hasn't called back, I don't even know if he has a phone with him...."

[glacial_witch]

"He might not, which may be why he can't call, or he may not have service there," Karla reminded. "And while you can't do anything from here, it's a lot better then you going over there and getting in trouble. Sometimes, as much as it sucks, you have to accept that there's nothing you can do."

If Karla sounded a little bitter, well, yeah...

[blondecanary]

"I can't accept it. It's only been a week! Here. I think maybe it's been longer there." Think, heck, she was 99% sure of it. "The city he's stuck in is ruled by this horrible guy who's got death squads on the streets, and Jak's joined the Resistance, and I just-- I'm scared for him, Karla. You have no idea how scared." Dinah gulped, hoping that crack in her voice hadn't carried down the phone lines. "He's my boyfriend, he's my friend, I can't just leave him there, I can't."

[glacial_witch]

"Dinah, listen to me: I know exactly how you feel. If there's one thing I can empathize with, it's knowing that someone you care for is in danger and that there's nothing that you can do for him." Or her. Or them. "You're scared, you're angry, you're frustrated and feeling helpless. But what can you really do? Dinah, if you got a portal to Sandoval right now, where would you go? Ask directions to the nearest scary, horrible city? And even if you get there, what next? Wander the streets, avoiding death squads, hoping to find a place that familiar from a dream? And if you get caught? You'll put Jak in more danger trying to rescue you!"

Karla paused for a moment, realizing that getting emotional wasn't going to help Dinah any. "If you were in trouble in some random foreign country in this world, would you really want me rushing in to save you? If you can tell me, honestly and truly, that the answer to that question is yes, then I will cease objecting immediately."

[blondecanary]

Damnit, Karla. Don't make Dinah cry with your sense-making!

"...I'd want you to keep in touch," she said, her voice dragging on a breath. "Or try. Look for embassies..." Okay. Were there any embassies in Evil-Ville? No, really not. "I'd..." Dinah hugged herself, feeling sick. "He's in danger every night, Karla, every night I dream him taking chances and getting shot at and getting hurt and being angry and alone except for Daxter and what is the fucking point of me dreaming all this if I can't help him?"

And that would be Dinah going to pieces, there.

[glacial_witch]

It would only be fair. They'd had this conversation before, after all. And it had been Dinah on the side of the sense-making.

"To stand witness," Karla said softly. "To be the person who can say to him 'I understand, at least a bit, what you went through.' Even if you can't help him where he is, you can do your part to make it easier for him when he returns here. Is it the answer you want to hear? Of course not. But does it make it less true?"

She didn't say it, but there was the obvious addition: To be the one who tells us if he dies.

"It sucks," she said bluntly. "It's lousy and it's utter crap. But sometimes bearing witness is all we can do."

[blondecanary]

In her head, Dinah could see the similarities. In her gut, she just couldn't believe it yet. Even though Karla's words hit her like a punch, and jolted her hard enough to stop the crying for a minute.

Breathe. Just ... breathe.

Okay, so, what would Jak want? To be home. To be out of there... but he also wanted his revenge, wanted to stop Praxis. A lot. And if Dinah went there, maybe she could help with that-- but probably not.

"I can't quit trying." She took a breath. "But. I won't go without a real plan. I have to take the chance, Karla, if it gets him home. But not if it won't."

[glacial_witch]

"I know you won't stop trying," Karla said gently. "You wouldn't be the Dinah I know if you did. But I will ask you for a promise. If you do find a way to go there, you'll run your plan by someone else first. Let them point out things you might not have thought of. And, if they think your plan isn't feasible, that you won't go. Not if you're just going to put yourself and Jak into more danger."

Again, words that probably sounded fairly familiar to Dinah, if backwards.

[blondecanary]

A long few minutes, while Dinah got her breath back. "Helena said she'd go with me. If I went." She swallowed. "Barbara was insisting we have a plan, though. And a target. A goal, even if we can't find Jak," she said, very relucantantly. "I guess... okay. Okay. I promise."

Yes, the irony was there, but Dinah still thought there was a huge difference between 15-year-old Karla wanting to save everyone in her world, and herself wanting to save two guys. But realistically, both things were probably equally, insanely difficult.

[glacial_witch]

Karla would argue that she had Craft, allies, and a profound understanding of the land and people she was trying to save, whereas Dinah had TK and determination. But, in the end, equally and insanely difficult was probably the best approximation for both, yes.

"Thank you, Dinah," Karla said quietly. "I know that wasn't an easy promise to make." She was also silent for a few moments before asking, "Do you want to tell me what you've dreamt so far? See if we can't brainstorm a bit so you do have a plan?"

Which was an offer to help and an apology all in one.