glacial_queen | Karla's Workroom, The Estate, Sidra, Glacia, Kaeleer

Karla sat in front of her loom, a tangled web taking shape in front of her, her eyes distant and unfocused, looking at the in between in the threads, where Craft danced and prophecy lay. An image danced in front of her, fuzzy and indistinct, but growing clearer with every thread she added. The Ebon-gray at her throat glowed with a soft inner light, illuminating her face and hands as she worked. But she didn't see it, didn't see anything other than the vision unfolding in front of her.

A cradle, festooned in streamers of blue and silver, sat in the nursery. Out the glass balcony doors, the sun rose and set, rain fell, snow flurried, leaves changed. Seasons came and went, months ticking by. As time passed, the cradle was filled with toys and blankets, some worn and well-loved, remnants of Kayla's infancy, others still new, colors bright and patterns unfaded. On the wall above the cradle, a moon waxed, never waning, growing rounder and rounder with the passage of time. And when it was full, the light coming in from the balcony was warm and gold, and flowers grew along the edge of the doors. Baby pink roses, dark blue irises, purple trailing wisteria, and thick-headed peonies nodded at Karla through the glass. Later spring then, or early summer.

For a few glorious moments, everything was lovely. And then dark clouds rolled over the sky, darkening the room. Time continued to pass now, but the cradle remained empty. Dust gathered over the crib, the toys, and the entire nursery. Neglect and disuse hung over the room, like the streamers that hung limp and tarnished now, untouched. Outside the doors, the flowers withered, turned brown, and died where they were.

Karla came back to herself slowly, spiraling up from the depths of her vision. She needed to talk to Warren. If she was reading her vision right--and she was, she knew she was, she was a fully-trained Black Widow--if Kayla didn't have a younger sibling by the summer, she never would.

Nommy.

[Open for phone calls and visits.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

momslilassassin

Ender was out for a walk, Big Val was holed up working on her manuscript, Little Val was sleeping, and Ben was bored.

Ring, ring, Karla!

From:

glacial_queen

Everyone one of Karla's friends had their own ringtones, so as soon as she heard Ben's, she was lunging for her phone.

"Ben!" she cried. "Hell's fire and Mother Night, it's good to hear from you!"

From:

momslilassassin

"Ender never greets me like that," Ben said, laughing. "I think the fire's gone out of our relationship."

From:

glacial_queen

"He never loved you the way I did," Karla told him. "When are you going to come to your senses and run away with me?"

From:

momslilassassin

"Depends," Ben said teasingly. "How good is your ice cream these days?"

From:

glacial_queen

"Dammit, I knew there was an obstacle to our happily ever after," Karla said with a tragic sigh. And then she laughed in said in a far less dramatic tone of voice, "So how are you two, darling? And Val? Both my niece and your sister-in-law."

Though Ben knew which one she was really asking after.

From:

momslilassassin

"Val is amazing and brilliant," Ben said immediately. "Ender's exploring a potential new calling and I'm making baby toys."

From:

glacial_queen

"So, did you two name Little Val after her aunt just so you could use that shorthand?" Karla teased. "Tell me more about Ender's new calling. Unless you're looking for requests for more baby toys."

From:

momslilassassin

"They might work for Kayla," Ben said. "They're for developing her Force sensitivity. And Ender's still kind of thinking about it, but I think he'll end up doing it--it's called Speaking. It's truth telling at a funeral, more or less."

Kiss Kiss

Karla's Workroom, The Estate, Sidra, Glacia, Kaeleer