Room 218, Sunday Afternoon

[glacial_witch]

Just a few months ago, Karla would have fired off a text to a bunch of people, saying something useful like Hobart's killing all the B Widows. Going to stop him. Hugs & kisses, K and run off into the wilds of Glacia with no plan but a burning desire to stop the bastard in his tracks. But that was a few months ago--she'd learned a few lessons since

Comments

[not_a_parakeet]

Leaving again. Warren didn't much like the sound of that, and that showed on his face when he came to Karla's door. There was the slight taste of blood on his tongue- he'd been chewing the inside of his cheek to keep his anxiety from being too obvious as he headed down the hall to her room. Not like it mattered. His cheek was already healed by the time he opened his mouth to talk.

"... Hey."

And so very much talking he did.

[glacial_witch]

There was no 'hey' back.

Instead, Karla set down the box she'd been putting clothes in and walked over to Warren to wrap her arms around him and bury her face in his shoulder.

Greetings could wait. This could not.

[not_a_parakeet]

Without a word, Warren nodded, pulling her into his arms and folding his wings around her. They could stay like this for as long as she needed to. As long as he needed to. He wasn't in any hurry to let go or to speak.

[glacial_witch]

Karla clung to him tightly, just breathing in his scent, both physical and psychic. Just being in his arms centered her, strengthened her--but made everything that much harder, too.

But this--this was something she could do right. It wouldn't be like, well, any of the other times she'd flit off with hardly a word. This time, she could offer him a reason, an explanation...

A choice.

In a minute. When she was done clinging.

[lockestheway]

"Going somewhere, sis?"

Sure, call all your friends, get a bored Peter Wiggin instead. You're welcome, Karla.

[glacial_witch]

It was like Fandom hated her.

...On the other hand, she was getting a little frustrated with the desire to do something, to lash out against Hobart, and not being able to do nicely. Maybe sparring with Peter would help her feel better.

"You'll miss me terribly, won't you, little brother?" Karla asked sweetly, emphasizing little just a touch. "Do behave while I'm gone."

[lockestheway]

"Oh, I'm always on my best behavior for you," Peter said, blinking innocently. Yep. Innocent. "So what's the deal? Parents calling you home?"

Not that he cared. He was just frustrated himself, and looking for an outlet that wouldn't be too destructive or self-defeating.

[glacial_witch]

"My parents are dead," Karla said matter-of-factly, not missing a beat while she folded a shirt and placed it into a box to take home. "So, no. But people are playing some nasty political games in the capital."

So...nothing you'd be interested in, Peter. Really.

[icecoldfrost]

<> The yelling had probably started about the time Karla had placed the first call, and now Emma was storming down the hall, radiating anger and violence. <>

[glacial_witch]

Karla winced, bringing her hand up to rub her ear. Futilely.

*Indoor voice, Ems,* Karla sent back. *Giving me a nosebleed isn't going to stop me from going, you know.*

[icecoldfrost]

<> No it wasn't. <>

[glacial_witch]

*I can't not go, Emma! Karla protested. *They're killing Black Widows!*

[wesleynotponcy]

The call had come as a surprise, mainly because Wesley hadn't even noticed Karla had been gone this weekend. This summer was not exactly proving to be the most eventful time of his life.

"Hello," he said quietly as he arrived at her door. "Er -- is everything all right?"

[glacial_witch]

Karla glanced up from packing to give Wesley a kind of wobbly smile. "Not really," she said. "My home Territory is kind of awful at the best of times, right now. And the news I got when I visited this weekend suggests that this is hardly the best of times. So..." she gestured to the box of stuff. "I've got to run home and fix what I can."

[wesleynotponcy]

Ah. So she was leaving. It occured to Wesley how little he knew about Karla or where she came from. He didn't want to pry, but she seemed so upset, and his go-to reaction was to try to help.

"Do you, ah, want to... talk about it at all, before you leave?" he offered. "Sometimes in the middle of something it's difficult to, er, pause and reflect, so perhaps it might be helpful...?"

[glacial_witch]

Yeah. Karla wasn't really all that great at pausing-and-reflecting no matter what the circumstances were.

But Wesley was. He was also smart and had been able to grasp a lot of what was going on with Katniss at just a glance. Which meant he could be very useful to talk to. She shot him a measuring glance before waving him inside.

"It's kind of complicated," she cautioned. "Lots of weird cultural stuff and politics."

Which was probably the equivalent of spreading sugar on the ground to keep the ants away.

[hoorayimrich]

That was why Tony didn't let people know when he ran off to do something dumb. See, Karla? That was what you did!

...somewhere, Mr. Rogers hated him so much now.

"Hey!" Tony said, peering into the room warily. Because he had questions about Peter still, darn it.

[glacial_witch]

Except when she did, she got yelled at and everybody pouted at her and made meanieface comments! They did!

"Kiss kiss," Karla said, giving Tony a tired smile that didn't quite meet her eyes and gestured to her boxes of stuff. "So, I decided our duet was so moving, we have to run away together. Are you packed?"

All of Tony's questions about Peter could be summed up with the answer, He's kind of scum, but brilliant scum. Don't trust him.

[hoorayimrich]

"I hope you like New York," Tony replied seriously. "Because I couldn't possibly live anywhere else."

[glacial_witch]

"I know what you mean," Karla said, the banter falling away. "I couldn't live anywhere but Glacia. I guess our deathless romance is at an end."