SaDiablo Hall, Dhemlan Kaeleer (Monday Morning Fandom Time)

[glacial_queen]

Saetan Daemon SaDiablo, Warlord Prince of Dhemlan, High Priest of the Hourglass, and High Lord of Hell, was having a good day. Mrs. Beale had made his favorite lunch today, he had a new book from Halaway, a Winsol gift from Sylvia, and there had been no cringing tutors or fretting merchants come to beg audience about something one of the boyos, or--worse yet--one of the coven had done. It was a good day to be Saetan.

It was about to get precipitously worse.

*High Lord?* Beale's psychic thread sounded oddly...odd. Saetan couldn't quite place his tone. *You have a...guest.*

*Who?* Most of his attention was still on the book, it was true. *Send them in.*

*...She's on her way already, Prince,* Beale sent. It was impossible to wince over a psychic thread and yet Saetan had the distinct impression that he did. But he didn't get a chance to probe further before there was a sharp rap on the door and Karla slipped in.

"Prince SaDiablo," she said, coming a few steps into his study. She then gave a precise curtsy, Queen to ranking Warlord Prince. Saetan said nothing for a moment, regarding her. There were many reasons Karla might choose to use his titles; they hadn't spoken much since the disaster in Agio and she could still be harboring ill-feelings towards him. But her curtsy, now, that told him much. Karla was adhering to Protocol.

Which meant that he wasn't dealing with his adopted niece, or even his daughter's best friend. He was dealing with the incipient Territory Queen of Glacia.

He could be forgiven his slight trepidation, right? Especially if he didn't tell anyone about it?

"Lady," Saetan murmured, rising from his chair and bowing back to her. "What brings you to my study?"

Karla tilted her chin up the slightest bit, even as her psychic scent swirled with apprehension, and said, "I thought it best to inform you that I will be having my Virgin Night in three days' time."

Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful.

[Continued in comments. NFI, NFB, Karla will be back in plenty of time for NYE festivities. Conversation has veered into discussion of sexual abuse. Trigger warning in effect.]

Comments

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan was just going to take a few minutes to wrap his tattered dignity around him like a cape. Pouring himself a glass of brandy would cover for that nicely.

Dammit. He knew he should have gone for the whiskey when her had a chance.

"Urnf..?" Still not actually words, but he was improving!

[glacial_queen]

As fun as it would be to just wait until Saetan could form a coherent question, Karla was well-aware that her little bombshell would actually work against her until she explained why Raven was present.

Besides the hot.

"I don't think you ever got a clear understanding of Raven's powers," she explained into the silence broken only by Saetan's attempts at proto-words. "She's am empath and a Healer and very powerful to boot. Not only can she take away the pain and injury others are experiencing, she can replace them with emotions of her own choosing. Trading joy for sorrow, for example, or tranquility for temper."

[changeable-eyes.livejournal.com]

"Or pleasure for pain," Jaenelle added. "She removed the residual safframate from my system with a touch, and dispelled it from herself with no ill-effects."

[glacial_queen]

That wasn't quite true, as Warren could attest, but Karla wasn't going to bring that up now. Or maybe ever.

"A Blood male could keep the pain of joining to himself, and possibly even shield me if his Jewels outranked mine." Not that there many who did so, even in their own circle. "Raven can do the same, even increasing the pleasure that I experience. And while she can't shield me in quite the same way a Jeweled male can, she has her own protections she can weave."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"That is...a lot to ask," Saetan said finally, recovering his tongue after a glass and a half of brandy. He'd pay for it later with a headache, which differed from now in no ways at all.

He was thinking of calling this particular dull throb in his left temple 'Karla.' It would match the one in his right he called 'Lucivar' and the pain in the middle of his forehead he'd named 'Jaenelle.'

Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful. Were all fathers so beleaguered?

[glacial_queen]

Karla sighed and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Did everyone have to say that? Like she hadn't figured that out on her own?

"It is," she agreed with the tiniest hint of a sigh. "But she has agreed to it anyway. She knows what it means to me. I believe she thinks of it as her first and possibly most important duty to her future Queen."

There was a challenge in the way she said that, yes.

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan, having fifty-thousand years and more of Protocol under his belt, noticed.

"You've offered her a contract?" he asked sharply.

[glacial_queen]

"Not yet," Karla replied. "But I will. As soon as my Offering is made, Raven will be invited to join my First Circle. She will be the first to sign."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"And Warren?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla faltered a bit. "I don't know," she admitted honestly. "If it were only up to me, then yes. I would offer him a contract and the Consort's ring."

And figure out how to make it so neither her Consort nor her First Escort felt redundant.

"But it isn't solely my decisions. And we haven't discussed so far in the future yet."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"And should he choose to stay in his own world?" Saetan pressed, a fist of ice around his heart at the possibilities of Karla's answer.

[glacial_queen]

"Then I will miss him terribly," Karla answered immediately, her eyes lock on Saetan's. "And would hope to see him from time to time when I visit Fandom. My duties as Territory Queen won't keep me from an annual visit or two."

[changeable-eyes.livejournal.com]

*I could have told you that.* Jaenelle's psychic thread tingled with wry amusement and exasperation.

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan ignored her, concentrating instead on keeping his sigh of relief completely internal. He knew Karla wouldn't like having her sense of duty questioned, but she was a young girl in the throes of her first love. It was enough to blind anybody.

Hell fire's it had been enough to blind him. Hekatah had been able to play him for a fool again and again because of that.

Still, though. He supposed he couldn't keep thinking of Karla as a child, no matter how much he wanted to bundle her up and keep her safe. She was so much more vulnerable than the rest of the coven, even as she exhibited this brand of steely determination and strength.

"You're sure you wish to do this?" He wasn't talking about her future Court any more.

[glacial_queen]

"I am," Karla said, gaze steady. "I must. So much more than my own safety depends on it."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

He closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "In that case...you do not need it, but you have my blessing."

[glacial_queen]

There was another moment of grave courtesy and Karla dropped another precise curtsy, Queen to Warlord Prince. "My thanks, High Lord. While I don't need it...it's nice to have."

[changeable-eyes.livejournal.com]

It was Jaenelle, oddly enough, that broke the moment, grinning at Karla and pulling her best friend into a hug. "Good luck," she said, squeezing Karla tightly. "I hope it's wonderful for you."

[glacial_queen]

"Oh, I'm sure it will be. Warren does this thing--ahem," Karla said, glancing at Saetan's bland expression and clearing her throat. "Yes. I'm certain everything will go smoothly."

Then, sotto voce, she added, "You know I'll tell you everything."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

Saetan was just going to pretend he hadn't heard any of that, and be thankful he probably wouldn't be around for the gossip-fest that would result. He loved Karla dearly, but there were plenty of things he didn't need to know about his niece. Anything beyond 'it was a successful Virgin Night' was among them.

"Karla, you will return and inform us of the results as quickly as you can," he added, his tone making it clear this was not a suggestion. "Three days for you is already almost a week for us. And we will be concerned for your well-being."

[glacial_queen]

Karla pulled away from Jaenelle a bit to bob a respectful nod at him. "Of course, High Lord," she promised. "You have my word."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

With that promise, Saetan gave her a reluctant grin. "In that case, witchling, go harass Mrs. Beale for some nutcakes while Jaenelle finishes your brew. Let an old man drink in peace. I think I've earned it."

[glacial_queen]

Karla smiled at him, braving the detritus of torn paper and shattered glass to buss a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, Uncle Saetan. For everything."

[hells-highlord.livejournal.com]

"You're welcome," he replied fondly. "If for no other reason than you didn't stomp on my toes this time."

Her smile warmed him as she slipped out the study door, as did Jaenelle's gentle pulse of approval as she followed.

Of course, with both girls gone, Saetan was left with one very important question: how in Hell was he going to explain the state of his study to Helene?