The Gardens of SaDiablo Hall, Thursday Evening (Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

Karla had been packing for her move to Haven, to spend a few months being an unofficial Queen to a village full of refugee Black Widows. Had been, however, because 'packing' apparently meant 'getting chased of her chambers by Helene and several other maids while they packed because no guest leaving SaDiablo Hall would ever be seen unpacking the mess that Karla considered properly packed, which, for the record, she should be ashamed of herself for.' There had been more, but Karla had taken the better part of valour and scurried away to hide regally decamped to one of the gardens on the far side of the Hall.

Lesson learned: don't bundle up clothes and shove them into a pack. Hearth witches got testy about things like that.

She'd been hiding enjoying the sunlight for about an hour when the coven piled out of the Hall to find her. Apparently a package had arrived from Emma and if there was one thing they'd learned by now, mail from Emma meant embarrassment for some and hilarity for everyone else.

"Were you expecting anything?" "Is it from that store?" "Did she include a note?" "Open! Open it! Hurry! I want to see what she sent!" "Ten silvermarks says it's going to make the boyos blush!" "Too easy! Fifteen gold says it make ths High Lord put up an aural shield when he finds out about it." "Do you think this one runs on batteries, too? I want one like Karla has."

That last earned several scandalized gasps. "KALUSH!!!"

"What?" Kalush just laughed at them, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. "Not all of us get to enjoy a lover before the summer is out, Karla. Morghann."

At which point Karla managed to open the box before the conversation could involve any further mention of her own purchases from Dite's. There was a moment of hushed silence as they stared at the contents of the package. Karla was the first to break down into giggles, especially when she saw that Emma had made sure to include a special adornment to show that they were meant to be Kaeleeran, err, candies. Her laughter triggered the others and soon they were laughing so hard there were tears in their eyes.

"The second one is for you lot to split amongst yourselves," Karla said, wiping her face. "Who wants to borrow a knife from the boyos so you can divvy it up?"

"No, no!" Gabrielle said between gasps. "We should wait until they're around and then take bites off of it!"

"Dibs on the tip!" Morghann said.

"And look!" Kalush announced, snagging a smaller package within the box. "Emma sent batteries, too!" Which just set Karla to facepalming and the rest of them to laughing even harder. Yup. Embarrassing one, amusing to everyone else. Good show.

[NFB, open for folks in Kaeleer, phone calls, whatever! Second and third links NSFW!]

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[trigons_child]

"Because they know that mischief runs deep in your soul," Raven said, ineffectively trying to dodge Karla's elbow.

And because she was Raven, and that was how she rolled, she immediately shifted into flattery. "As deeply as your warmth and compassion. Though it is sometimes a contest as to which is stronger."

So, not entirely done teasing.

[glacial_queen]

Karla was smiling at the 'warmth and compassion' bit, which made her undignified squawk at the end probably all the sweeter for Raven.

"You are such a brat," Karla informed her friend. "Shame on you. I'm going to have to yell at Dinah for being such a bad influence."

[trigons_child]

"How do you know it was her being a bad influence?" Raven protested. To be fair, there was probably equal blame to be shared among Dinah and Karla. And possibly Jono as well. And Bobby.

There was a lot of blame to go around.

"But that reminds me I must speak to her soon," she said. "I have a letter from Gotham University, but I have not opened it."

Because reasons.

[glacial_queen]

She was more than willing to allow that Bobby and Jono might also have contributed. It was only her own influence that she doubted.

Because she was sweet and innocent, of course.

"You do?!" Karla asked. "Why haven't you opened it yet?! We need to know!"

[trigons_child]

"I am afraid to open it," Raven confessed, biting at her lip. Because she was chicken. "What if they have rejected my application?"

[glacial_queen]

"Then we'll have the time to figure out what to do instead," Karla said, offering her a comforting hug. "If you want, I can open it first? Let you know?"

[trigons_child]

Raven gratefully leaned into the hug. "I think I would appreciate that," she said, her cheeks flushing at being so worried. "I applied for late admission since I was not even thinking of college when most other students were applying, so what if there was no more room at the school?"

[glacial_queen]

"But it doesn't matter," Karla said. "They can make room for someone as great as you are. You're smart and sweet and fun. They're smart, they'll be able to tell."

[trigons_child]

"I had to be misleading in the application essay," Raven said, hands fluttering. She didn't like to lie, so she'd hated that. "I could not be fully honest about myself or the experiences that have made me who I am today."

Daughter of a demon, raised in another dimension, mystical abilities, died, walked it off?

[glacial_queen]

"That's understandable," Karla soothed. "If I were going to college in that world, I wouldn't be able to tell the full truth, either."

Witch. Queen. From another world. Hung out with unicorns and the High Lord of Hell a lot?

Raven's were still better.

"I know you don't like to be less than completely honest, but it was a necessary deception." Which didn't make it much better, she knew. "Consider it more of an indictment of what they're willing to accept, rather than your own integrity."

[trigons_child]

"At least it was just general studies and not a specific degree program I was attempting to apply for," Raven said. Because it would be just a year, after all. "And there is certainly no malice on my part. I hope my unease with being misleading did not come through in my words."

But if she took away another student's spot with her fake ID and lies then oh Azar she was going to have a guilty conscience. Because that was so Raven.

[glacial_queen]

And if that happened, Karla would pet her and hug her and remind her that that student had lots of other options that Raven did not and that the things Raven lied about hadn't made it into an unfair competition on her end.

"I'm sure lots of students come across as uneasy when they write their essays," Karla promised. "After all, it's a big deal, whether you go for a year or all four."

[trigons_child]

"I am being too fretful, I know," Raven said with a soft sigh. "I have just been so worried about this. I know I should have started making plans many months ago like everyone else, but...I suppose I have been in denial about being forced to leave and face the world outside Fandom."

It was SCARY.

[glacial_queen]

TERRIFYING.

"I don't blame you," Karla assured her. "I'm in denial, too. Both about everyone else leaving and the idea that I have less than a year to go, too."

[trigons_child]

"But at least you know your path," Raven said. "You will return here, to your world, and be Queen." She didn't have that year of uncertainty and scariness waiting.

It was possible Raven was feeling a little bit sorry for herself.

She sighed softly. "I should not be so afraid. At least if I do in fact go to Gotham University, I will know Dinah there, so I will not be entirely alone. I worry too much about fitting in and hiding what I am again."

[glacial_queen]

Karla reached down and plucked a flower from a bush to toss at Raven's head. She was feeling terribly sorry for herself, though Karla wasn't going to hold that too much against her, either.

A few years of safety and security at Fandom made for a hard adjustment.

"And if it doesn't work out, there's always here," Karla reminded. "Haven has no Healers and could use some. I understand your reluctance to stay if I'm not here, but there would be a place if you needed it."

Personally, Karla thought a year with Dinah would be a better option, but she didn't want Raven to feel like it was her only option.

[trigons_child]

"Thank you," Raven said, brushing the flower out of her hair and managing a smile. "I am grateful that I am welcomed here. It means a great deal to me, more than I could ever say."

[glacial_queen]

Karla reached for Raven's hand and entwined her fingers, letting her friend feel all the warmth and welcome she had. "Granted, that welcome comes with the threat of lessons from Lucivar..." she teased.

[trigons_child]

Raven glanced around quickly as if she expected him to be lurking nearby, stick in hand, then laughed, squeezing Karla's fingers. "I would not have my primary excuse to avoid Prince Lucivar's lessons!" she said. "'Karla is in need of me, I must go now.'"

[glacial_queen]

"Perhaps you could turn it into some kind of evasion class instead," Karla laughed. "If you can continue to avoid him for lessons now that you're out of excuses, you can probably avoid anyone."

[trigons_child]

"I am worried about being disrespectful toward him," Raven admitted. BECAUSE SHE WAS RAVEN. "I do not mean to be so, it is just that...sticks."

Sticks were for making fires. Not for hitting!