The Hall, Dhemlan, Kaeleer, Monday Evening (Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

The Coach arrived on the landing web with a slight thump. Lucivar frowned a moment and then sighed. "So, I'm not a professional Coachman."

Karla looked up innocently. "I didn't say anything."

"But you were thinking it, witchling. I could tell." He hopped out of the Coach and opened the door for them, helping Karla out first. "Ready for your first view of SaDiablo Hall?" he rumbled at Warren.

From the landing web, only a side of the Hall could be seen, towering over acres of thick, lush lawns, gardens in a riot of colors, and even the hint of some not-so-distant woods.

"Show-off," Karla muttered, though she couldn't deny a bit of pride, either. "Let's go inside. They're probably waiting on us, I'm sure."

[Up late, but for SP goodness! Still for one, and nfb. Karla and Warren will be back on the island tonight.]

Comments

[wwiii]

Hey, the chin-jerk really was the universal nod of tough males. Warren inclined his own chin in turn, much the same way. If this was going to turn into one of those contests of machismo, then he was game, sure.

"Hey," he returned, and then found himself smiling again, in spite of himself. "I can see she wasn't kidding, when she mentioned her family who so thoroughly looks out for her well-being."

[glacial_queen]

If it turned into some kind of contest, Karla could cheerfully smack the both of them in the head.

Males.

"That's a lovely spin on it," she said. "I called it fussing. Possibly even mother henning. Who nags about sun hats?"

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"I do," Saetan, Lucivar, and Morton all said in unison.

"Well, as amusing as this has been," Saetan said mildly as Karla just threw up her hands, "why don't we sit down and pretend to be civilized for Karla's guest. It will be good practice, if nothing else."

[changeable-eyes.livejournal.com]

There were six chairs around the table; Jaenelle already sat at the foot and the head was clearly reserved for Saetan. Lucivar took the seat to Jaenelle's right and Morton sat next to him. Normally, Karla would take the seat to Jaenelle's left, but after a brief second of wordless communication between the two of them, Jaenelle turned towards Warren and gestured to the chair next to her.

"Please, come sit next to me and tell all sorts of stories about school that Karla would prefer you didn't," she offered. "Besides, I'm certain that Lucivar's been looking forward to grilling to about flying since you met."

[wwiii]

Warren hesitated for a moment, looking at the seat, and then looking across the table at Lucivar, and then at Janelle, and then, shrugging, he did sit down. Between the two girls, he realized, which would make for a very welcome buffer in the face of awkwardness that he could only hope wasn't radiating from him, at this point.

"Thank you," he replied, taking the offered spot with a nod. "Though I would hate to disappoint. I can't think of anything especially exciting about Fandom that she wouldn't feel comfortable sharing herself, I'm sure."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"I highly doubt that," Saetan said dryly. "I often have the most interesting conversations with her friends at times. For example, we so very rarely hear about any of the adventures she has directly from her. Or any of the invasions I have been informed your school occasionally undergoes."

[glacial_queen]

"I tell you things!" Karla said, slipping into the chair next to Warren. "Don't look at me like that," she added, glaring at Morton. "I was a stuffed animal for most of the last one. Wasn't in any danger at all."

The footmen carrying in trays of food made for a welcome distraction.

[wwiii]

"Right, no real danger," Warren said, glancing at Karla again, and then once again shrugging. "There hasn't been anything like that in a while. Mostly, it's just the weird little things. Squirrels, new students, the Vice Principal..."

Deadpool was in a category all his own.

"That sort of thing."

Hey, look! Trays of food!

[glacial_queen]

Karla gave him a grateful smile. "Things have been very quiet this summer anyway. Mostly parties and celebrations. Warren and I share our birthdays, actually. So that day had two parties, a surprise party for me and another for him."

[changeable-eyes.livejournal.com]

"I remember that," Jaenelle said, smiling. "You'd gotten him the coat from Aldric just a little before that, right?"

She paused as yet another footman filled the glasses in front of her, one with wine and another with water, then took a sip of the water. "Lucivar had given her the idea, after he'd spent all morning growling about none of his shirts fitting right."

[wwiii]

"It's hard, finding clothing that fits around wings," Warren pointed out, stretching his wing just slightly. "The coat is easily the gift that I got this year that's being put to the most use."

It beat cramming himself under that coat and harness, by a long shot.

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

"Tell me about it, boyo." Lucivar snorted. He also flexed his wings a bit; reflex against the thought of having them confined under anything, even fabric.

If Warren told him about the harness, Lucivar would probably spend the next three days shuddering.

"Unless you're in Askavi, the Territory where most Eyriens make their homes, finding proper clothing is a right pain in the ass. Aldric might cost me a quart of blood every time I visit his shop, but it's worth it." Helping himself to the bowl of fluffy mashed potatoes that Holt had just set between them, he added, "What did your family do, all this time? At-home alterations?"

That's what Lucivar called his habit of 'cutting long slits in his shirts and calling it good.'

[wwiii]

And here was where Warren went from stalwart to awkward in two seconds flat.

"Actually," he hedged, "I'm the only one in my family with wings. So clothing has been kind of hit-and-miss."

My, that corn there looked fascinating. Maybe he'd just make a reach for that. Yes.

"Loose-fitting things and a pair of scissors, for things that I'm not planning on wearing outside, mostly."

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

"How?" Lucivar asked, setting down his glass of wine to peer at Warren. "I know some Eyriens are born without wings, but I've never heard of it happening in reverse."

Lucivar and diplomacy. Not the best of friends.

[glacial_queen]

"Lucivar. Drop it," Karla ordered.

She didn't need the ability to read psychic scents to notice Warren's sudden tensing.

[wwiii]

"No, it's fine. I come from a small family," Warren replied, simply. This was the balls part of dinner, apparently. He'd warm up to sass, eventually. "Just me and my dad."

Which didn't answer anything at all, no. And so, a moment later, he relented and offered a little more. "Where I'm from, sometimes people are just... different. You're actually the first person I've ever met with a pair of natural wings."

[glacial_queen]

Karla gave Warren a concerned look, but didn't gainsay him. "It's like Emma's telepathy and Dinah's ability to throw things around with her mind. It's not Craft, it's something different. Part of who they are, but not necessarily passed down from parent to child."

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

"Must have been difficult," Lucivar drawled, ignoring Karla to focus on Warren. It was like being back at Aldric's again. "Growing up different from everyone else. I spent most of my youth being called a 'half-breed bastard' because my bloodline's not pure."

Saetan made a noise from his end of the table, a slight growl, but did not speak. "Trick is, don't ever let them make you something less than yourself. That's when the bastards win."

[wwiii]

Mutant. Corruption. Disease. Not you.

Warren's smile was tense, but he didn't let it waver. Now, he decided, would be a bad time to waver.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Laughter came from both ends of the table. Jaenelle was giggling slightly into her napkin and Saetan was chuckling and shaking his head.

"How very diplomatically said, boyo," Saetan replied. "Much better than the response I get from Lucivar when giving out platitudes."

[offers-choices.livejournal.com]

Lucivar gave his father a sour smile and tossed a few kernels of corn at his sister. "Wasn't platitudes," he rumbled, looking a little abashed. "You lot didn't see him at Aldric's, with his wings pressed flat against his back."

[glacial_queen]

Karla was just going to sink down into her chair. Maybe try to hide behind a napkin.

If that didn't work, she'd try drinking a lot of wine very, very quickly.

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

Morton grinned over the table at her. "It could be worse," he offered. "Khary could be here to help!"

[wwiii]

And it was sheer force of will that kept Warren from just tucking his head under his wings and never coming out again.

"I shouldn't want to ask, but, help with what?"

Besides the whole awkward dinner, let's grill the new kid... thing.

[glacial-warlord.livejournal.com]

"Making dinner even more awkward," Morton said, switching his grin over to Warren.

He was so very, very bad at this whole 'aloof, tough guy' thing, he really was.

"Khary and Karla don't always get along--"

"That's because he thinks he's funny!" Karla interrupted.

"--and once she dropped a wall on his head," Morton continued easily. "Having him here would just be that much more fun."