Dite's Suite, Arms Hotel, Monday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

Anytime there was an overnight trip to the island these days, it was traditional for people who'd been given a key stayed over in Dite's Suite. During reunion weekend, there were several such people--and all their friends--but while that meant that sleeping quarters were a bit cramped, it reminded Karla of the giant slumber parties she used to

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[trigons_child]

Raven was there, of course, current lounging on pillows that were scattered all over the floor in an attempt to make some sort of sleeping nest for everyone who was staying there. It had been a good weekend so far, and she had been pleased to see so many familiar faces. Still, there were a few she wished she'd seen.

[glacial_queen]

There were those, of course, but Karla's sorrow at not seeing them was overwhelmed by her joy at seing faces she hadn't expected to ever see again. Triela. Drake. Some few others.

"Laaaazy," Karla said, pointing at Raven and laughing. Not that she could talk. She hadn't even put real clothes on yet.

Room service did not require real clothes. Room service loved her in her pjs.

[trigons_child]

Raven made a contented sigh and stretched out on the pillows. "Yes, I am," she agreed. "Deliciously so."

[glacial_queen]

"I'm glad you remembered in time to appreciate this weekend," Karla said softly, leaning over to take Raven's hand for a moment. "I would have missed you terribly. And I know I'm not alone in that. Have you seen Anakin yet?"

[sorella_vecchia]

Triela didn't have a key, of course, but she did have an invite. She knocked firmly on the door, the stepped back, waiting in a sort of at-attention stance for someone to let her in.

She rather suspected that she wouldn't get much more time, and despite her uncaring attitude, she did want to spend it with her friends.

[glacial_queen]

Karla opened the door and gave Triela a messy salute. Then laughed and gave her a hug instead. "Get in here," she said. "Raven stole my spot on the cushions, I need help getting it back."

[sorella_vecchia]

That hug got returned, and when Triela let go she was smiling slightly. "Somehow I suspect that you were hogging space for three people."

[glacial_queen]

"Rude," Karla sniffed, which was not actually a denial. "I was taking up as much space as I needed to for all of my awesomeness."

So, yeah, three people was right.

[anarchist_queen]

The brief vacation was almost over, and Leda was already feeling somewhat nostalgic for High School. Odd how one could gloss over the bad parts of their past.

But she wanted one last hang out with old friends, so naturally she was here.

With coffee ice-cream. Because of course.

[glacial_queen]

Karla had started the weekend off being nostalgic for high school. By the end of the weekend, she was probably going to be sobbing her eyes out with all the goodbyes.

"Still haven't imported milkshakes into Faerie yet?" Karla asked, shaking her head. "You've had--what? Forty years to do so?"

[anarchist_queen]

"Hey for most of that time we didn't have access to other realms and their tech." Leda said defensively. "Though it's entirely possible there's some mystically recorded footage of my early attempts to mimic a blender using magic. It got messy."

[glacial_queen]

"You can't buy one of those little battery powered ones and use that?" Karla suggested. "Nutella milkshakes and Jono's steak and fried potatoes are literally the only way I survived pregnancy."

[furnaceface]

So, Jono had known that Karla was on the island. And Jono had spent... a large chunk of the weekend well aware that there was a baby on the island, too. And if he hadn't spent yesterday worried that one of his friends was slowly wasting away due to radiation poisoning and hadn't worked the day before, he might have come looking sooner.

As it stood, he had his class out of the way for the day, and had been sending Kayla little warm-fuzzy thoughts for a good portion of the morning, since getting back to the island afterwards. Because, shockingly, watching a cataclysmic volcanic eruption that had killed tens of thousands of people kind of required a pick-me-up to follow.

Better life choices next time. Better ones, please.

Anyway...

He was knocking on the door. And sending more tickly thoughts Kayla's way. Because that was about his speed, right then.

[glacial_queen]

Please. Jono had decided to substitute 'terrible life choices' for 'oxygen' as his method of survival as soon as he realized he no longer needed to breathe.

The door opened under her knuckles, because Karla was eating chicken wings and that absolutely took precedence over answering the door like a normal person. But there was a link tapping on his shields to share them if he wanted, so, really, could he complain?

As for Kayla, she was standing up in her playpen as soon as Jono entered the suite and yelling, "MAMA!"

"That had better not be what she's calling you now," Karla warned, "or I'll be sending Hannibal a box of apology-slash-sympathy chocolates."

[furnaceface]

//I'd make a terrible mama,// Jono decided loftily, though there was a weird little pang of pride mixed with bittersweet, knowing... this was probably not her first word.

Lord, he'd missed a lot.

//Uncle, luv, Uncle will do just fine. I don't look half as good in a dress. Usually.//

[glacial_queen]

"Mama." Kayla said stubbornly, while filling his mind with pastel sunbursts and zooming clouds and a constant thread of music.

"Well, we'll never know, will me, since Julian was the one who had to wear it," Karla asked, laughing. "Did you know Morton had me blow up the picture I took of him in it, so he could get it framed and give it to Julian as a Winsol gift?"

[blondecanary]

Dinah was flopped over a couch, looking tired but smug.

Look, you TK evil gremlins through a window to protect a baby, you'll be smug too.

"Are you guys staying tonight as well?"

[glacial_queen]

"It depends on whether I get the all-clear from the Healers," Karla said, grinning at Dinah's smugness. She deserved every inch of it, even if she hadn't let Karla just roast all the gremlins alive. "I can't bring her home until Cora and Nyles are no longer contagious. Why, are you?"

[blondecanary]

"I think so. Yes, unless Portalocity gives me a reason not to... We should have Roy bring Lian over, so she and Kayla can have someone their own ages to play with." Dinah grinned a little, floating a chiming ball over to her niece. "How are you feeling, anyway?"

[glacial_queen]

"Roy's here?" Karla asked. "Absolutely, call him!" she ordered. "Oh my goodness, I haven't seen him in forever. Probably not since the last time I kissed him, whenever that was."

Karla had a weakness for Foster brothers