The Estate, Sidra, Glacia, Thursday (Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

Winsol had been going on now for several days. The family had just decamped from SaDiablo Hall in Dhemlan back home to Glacia to continue the festivities in their own home. There would be several more days of formal events, but this evening was just for family and close friends (specifically friends close enough to be family). The children were tumbling around like puppies, a mix of Earth and Kaeleeran carols were playing from floating music spheres scattered throughout the suite, fires crackled in the large hearths, and food and punch and hot spiced rum were piled high on the sideboards throughout. "Happy Winsol!" Karla said, holding up her cup in a toast.

"Happy Winsol!" the room chorused back to her.

[Open to residents of Glacia, dear friends, and anyone who thinks they'd have gotten an invite]

Comments

[future_sandworm]

"And you want to teach this to Alice and Hania?"

The 'What have I done to deserve this?' needn't be said aloud, did it?

[glacial_queen]

She was just keeping your life exciting, Leto!

"Don't you think they'll like it?"

Karla, nobody was believing that face. Nobody at all.

[future_sandworm]

Nobody.

"A game where you can adapt the rules to your liking? Of course not."

It wasn't lying if the lie was obvious, was it?

[glacial_queen]

"I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree," Karla said brightly, amused by Leto's lie. "I'll bring a spare cradle board on our visit and see if I can't get your ladies to play with me." She fluttered her eyelashes at him like a coquette. "What a lovely family activity you can enjoy together."

Warren muttered something dour under his breath.

[future_sandworm]

"And is this supposed to be a gift to the whole family?" Leto asked, now quite certain he wasn't going to enjoy it as much as the rest of the family.

Oh! He could get Farad'n to play! He would probably be really bad at it.

"How many players are there in this game?"

[glacial_queen]

No. No he wouldn't. Not until someone invented variation twenty-seven that gave males an advantage.

"Well, it's mostly a gift for the ladies, but the whole family can play it!" Karla said merrily. "I don't think I've played beyond six people, but with an extra deck of cards and more discs, you could include more."

[future_sandworm]

He'd get Farad'n to play. And maybe Duncan Idaho. Even with Karla giving the message that he was going to lose, he would at least win over those two.

Occasionally Leto could be childish. And a brat, apparently.

"I'm sure Alice and Hania will be very grateful." And possibly make their own adaptions.

[glacial_queen]

Karla was counting on it! More adaptations the better.

"I'm so glad my gifts will be appreciated by everyone in Arrakeen. I'm a giver that way!" Karla was a brat, too. Probably why they got along so well.

[future_sandworm]

They could be brats together. Poor Sparkle if he ever met the two of them at the same time.

"I know you are always very generous, which is why I love you." The expression on Leto's face might be hard to read.

[glacial_queen]

Well, he was quite used to them being brats separately. But their brattiness tended to multiply when they were together, instead of simply adding.

Karla reached up, intending to brush her knuckles over his cheekbone before cupping his face. "I know you do, dear one. I quite love you, too."

[future_sandworm]

That was what inspiring each other meant. Leto reached up to squeeze Karla's hand, then kissed her palm lightly.

"And I'm so happy I've found the perfect gift for you."

[glacial_queen]

"Harassing my aristos is always a delight," Karla agreed, brushing her thumb across Leto's lips before letting her hand fall back to her side. "And I'm sure you'll enjoy at least one of my presents. I can see you taking to my version of chess well."

[future_sandworm]

"I'm going to trust you there," he said with a laugh. "Apart from presents, are there any other news you haven't told me yet?"

[glacial_queen]

"Nothing leaps to mind," Karla said after a moment's thought. "The children are doing well, though neither Nyles nor Cora appreciate being called 'the children' much anymore. Things are quiet in Glacia and while I was in Fandom for their most recent spot of trouble, I was trapped in an alternate-Raven's Netherverse, so I missed most of it."

She was still grumpy about that, though.

"Apparently the alternate me was an evil spider-Queen and I didn't even get to see!"

[future_sandworm]

"Evil spider-Queen?" Yes, this was funny. "But do you remember that time I didn't get to meet the alternate evil vampire version of myself?" That had been disappointing too, as that version had made a strong impression on Karla, ans Dinah and Kate as well.

"Last time I visited Fandom I ended up in a depressing world with thinking machines and drugs, where it rained. I wasn't too different from myself though."

He took a sip of rum.

[glacial_queen]

"Okay, but that evil version of you was terrifying," Karla said. "And he and that other Ender had, like, a bet going over who could make me go crazy first or something."

Which was horrifying and kind of awesome in equal measure. And also so very them.

"But I think I missed that exciting bit of Fandom whimsy, thank the Darkness. Sounds unpleasant."

[future_sandworm]

"So I understood, from the way you and Dinah reacted afterwards," he said. "But didn't you bring me ice cream afterwards? As an apology for killing him? At least there was an apology, I think." That had made him realize how much it had affected them.

"Yes. I ended up in a reality where it rained, and that version of myself was still sensitive to water. Added to that I declared my love for Sparkle, which got a little awkward."

[glacial_queen]

"Eeesh," Karla said with a wince. "Sparkle's been around long enough to know that things said during those weekends don't count, right?" She peered at him more closely. "Wait...are you in love with Sparkle?"

Loving him was one thing. Being in love would be something entirely different.

[future_sandworm]

"I wasn't going go tell him. It has made things complicated, although possibly less than I expected."

Karla knew him well enough that he wouldn't take offence if she reacted similarly go Ghanima.

[glacial_queen]

"Oh." Karla blinked several times. She knew Leto'd had several light-of-loves, but this was the first time she'd heard of him falling in love with one. At least since Alice. "How did he take it? How did Alice?"

She assumed he'd told her, of course. And she knew Alice's position was unassailable--she was the mother of his daughter. Though that didn't mean that Alice would be pleased with the development.

Though, she was Alice. She certainly might have been.

[future_sandworm]

Leto took another sip of rum.

"Sparkle seems less worried than I expected him to. We agreed not go let things change much, although I pointed out that it already had."

He smiled a little. "Alice pointed it out go me a while ago." Yes, Alice was being Alice. She also no longer worried about her place and importance in Leto's life. "I just think Sparkle should be the most important one for someone, but he doesn't seem to understand that."

[glacial_queen]

Karla shared that smile. "She always has been insightful," she agreed with a nod. "I get what you mean, though. Sparkle deserves someone who can put him first and you can't."

Not with Alice and Hania, not to mention Ghanima, Arrakis, and the whole Golden Path thing.

"Whereas Sparkle has had little enough love in his life that any at all is 'enough' for him." She put air quotes around enough so that Leto would know she didn't agree.

[future_sandworm]

Leto gave a nod. "Exactly. Which was why I didn't plan on telling him. But as you're guessing, he doesn't see it that way. I can't take what I said back though, but I have tried to tell him he needs more than this."

He reached for Karla's hand. "I suppose this is what I get for wishing for surprises."