Room 218, Laaaaate Friday Night

[glacial_queen]

Karla looked around, giving one last check to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind that she might need. Granted, if she was, she could always pop back to the island and grab it, but she wanted to keep those emergency visits to a minimum if she could. She'd be incredibly busy this summer and any time off she got to take, she wanted to be able to keep it for fun things, like trips and visits and not wasting an afternoon searching for her...well, whatever it was she couldn't think of right now.

A summer back in Kaeleer, then back to the island for her last full year here. That seemed crazy to think of, especially since it didn't really seem possible that she was going on her fourth year here. But calendars didn't lie--unless Fandom was being wonky again, anyway--and it was time to start making sure she had some real, practical experience being a Queen, rather than just relying of birth-caste and strength of Jewel to back her claim when she finally did graduate.

Okay. All packed. Now just to find the boyfriend she'd been avoiding for almost a week now, say any last minute goodbyes, and get going.

...Oooor maybe she could go back to making sure she'd packed everything. Of all her other options, that one seemed the least intimidating.

[Meant to post this earlier, but illness and Avengers beckoned! Post & door opened for visits, phone calls, and texts]

Comments

[endsthegame]

"Trying to sneak out under the cover of night, miss Di Glacia?" Ender asked, leaning in the doorway with a slight smile on his face.

[glacial_queen]

Karla turned and gave Ender a lopsided grin back. "I thought it a fitting beginning to my plan to spend the summer training to be an undercover operative," she teased. "How do you think I'll do?"

[endsthegame]

"Next time, keep the door shut and leave through the window," Ender instructed. He took that as his cue to cross the threshold into Karla's room. "And pack lighter."

[glacial_queen]

Karla sighed, shooting a mournful look at her frog tank sitting on top of the rest of her stuff. "I'm going to need the full summer to learn, aren't I?" she asked. "And you never know! I might need that fifth bathing suit!"

[endsthegame]

"Just in case you lose the other four in a sulfuric hot spring," Ender filled in. "I know, but the life of a spy involves sacrifices."

[glacial_queen]

"Fortunately, I am used to a life of hardship and sacrifice already," Karla assured him. "I'll be able to manage."

Because yes. Karla was the poster child for hardship. Truly.

She smiled again, but her heart wasn't really in the banter. Not that she thought Ender would mind, since his commitment to banter was usually surface at best. "I'm hoping I'll get a chance to see you two sometime this summer. If there are any public trips to Naboo and I'm not invited, I'm going to sulk. You know that, right?"

[endsthegame]

"I know," Ender said. He had absolutely no trouble with discarding that banter; it was a practice he was decent at these days, but his heart really was rarely in it.

He sat down on one of the beds. "Ben and I will be going to Eros next week," he said. "After that, we've got a trip planned - he's invited Tahiri already."

[glacial_queen]

With most other couples, that might be a little awkward. Karla doubted it would be for them, though. Ender wouldn't let it and neither would Tahiri.

"Trip where?" she asked. "Somewhere fun? I hope so...I heard about what's going on in his galaxy. A bit of fun might do him good."

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

It was late by the time Gabrielle got back to the room, but she wasn't so tired that she didn't notice the state of the other side of the room.

"Oh, no, you are not sneaking off on me," she warned lightly -- but a touch sternly. So maybe she was a bit adamant about making sure proper goodbyes were said, but after what had happened last time she had snuck off. Well.

[OOC: And I am crashing now, but I had to, if you'll indulge the SP?]

[endsthegame]

"To Naboo, I mean," Ender said. "Far enough away from the rest of his civilization that he won't have to deal with that. Talking to Luke took a lot out of him last weekend."

[glacial_queen]

"No sneaking!" Karla said, holding up her hands to show Gabrielle she had only the best of intentions. "If you hadn't shown up when you did, I was going to call for you. I couldn't leave the best roomie in the world with only a note."

That was a lesson they had both learned, wasn't it?


[I am also crashing soon, so SP is ALL THE WIN. I was gonna poke you tomorrow anyway for a Gabs thread, so YAY!]

[glacial_queen]

"I can only imagine," Karla murmured. "It was that way for a lot of families, I guess."

She sat down on her bed, newly denuded of stuffed animals and the comforter that Dinah had given her, and patted a spot nearby for Ender to sit if he chose.

"Did Luke put up much of a fuss about Ben leaving with you?"

[endsthegame]

"I think he's struggling to understand," Ender said. He moved over to join her, sinking down on the bed. "But I wouldn't call it a 'fuss', no. We talked candidly."

[glacial_queen]

"Oh?" Karla asked. "I don't suppose you managed to call him out on being stupid that last time Ben went home? That was why I didn't go over to say hello."

Plus, she'd been juggling her own not-quite-family drama.

[endsthegame]

"I think he's finally processing the idea that maybe getting his son hurt, maimed, and tortured every time he visits might not be a normal thing," Ender said. Dryly. Very, very dryly. "Mostly we talked about Ben's need to figure himself out."

[wwiii]

"You've been avoiding me."

And lo, out from the cover of night appeared Warren, his few non-replaceable possessions in a bag slung over his shoulder, and a mildly concerned look on his face. Not that he'd been waiting here most of the evening for her in the hopes that she hadn't already left without him or something, mind.

Hell, not that he'd been scared out of his wits that she wanted nothing to do with him all of a sudden. Honest.

"We've spoken once in the past week. You want to tell me what's up with that?" Because he kind of could have used her when he'd realised that his dad had turned up for graduation. And stuff. Was the thing. Sorta.

[glacial_queen]

"I have no--" Karla's instinctive protest died away because, let's face it, she had been avoiding him. Even now, she had to fight not to turn away and pretend to be busy packing and repacking the things she was bringing home.

She also had to bite back several handy excuses as for why she'd been avoiding them, citing business, or the need to say goodbye to the friends she wouldn't be spending the summer with, or the desire to let him say goodbye to the friends he'd made, too. So tempting just to say that, So easy.

"Wasn't sure you'd want to see me after all that," she mumbled, looking down at her hands. "Figured maybe I'd give you some time to cool off."

[wwiii]

"By just completely vanishing into the ether and not even finding out if that was what I wanted?" See Warren's unconvinced face, Karla? See it? "We're about to spend a summer together in Kaeleer, and I had no idea if you even wanted me along anymore. I still don't."

It had been... kind of worrisome. He didn't doubt his ability to find a job in town, if his girlfriend suddenly decided that she wasn't his girlfriend and decided to let him know by just keeping away from him until he got tired of trying to hunt him down, but it would have been nice to know.

"If you were that mortified after dinner, you could have at least told me I'd overstepped somewhere, you know."

Yeah. Warren still had no clue why she'd been avoiding him.

[life_inshadow]

Tara pouted as she wandered by the room. "I can't tie you to the island all summer, can I?" she wondered. "Probably next time I see you will be move day for me and Warren. That's, like, forever from now."

[ancientbschamp.livejournal.com]

"That rarely ends well," Gabrielle replied, coming over to sit on the edge of her own bed. "But if you'd had no other choice, I'd have forgiven you for it."

[glacial_queen]

"Go figure," Karla mumbled. Sure, Luke didn't have the most normal father-son experiences himself, but did he really have to pass that along to Ben?

"He will never not be a Jedi," Karla said softly. "But that doesn't mean he has to be a Jedi the way his father is. Or the way his cousin was."

Or should that be 'is' with Anakin being here, right now?

[glacial_queen]

"Fortunately, there is a choice," Karla assured her. "Which means I have plenty of time for goodbyes. And don't get any ideas about renting out my side of the room or anything. I'll be back to visit from time to time."

[endsthegame]

"Or the way any of them are," Ender agreed. "The problem is that Ben - and his cousins - never got a real fighting chance to figure that out. But you know that."

[glacial_queen]

"You can try?" Karla offered. "But Lucivar's expecting us, so if we don't show up, he's going to come back to the island and be a giant pain in the ass until we're found."

She chuckled at that, and waved Tara inside. "We'll be back to the island a few times before that, I promise. And the invite is always open if you want to come visit us, too."

[glacial_queen]

"Of course I want you!" Karla protested. "I will always, always want you to be with me! But I wasn't sure if you wanted to come home with me!"

And avoiding him was an excellent way to avoid hearing that if it were true, see? Because he couldn't decide to stay here if he didn't tell her, right?

"But..." she paused now, utterly confused. "How was dinner your fault? If anyone overstepped anywhere, it was me."