District Thirteen, Panem, Thursday Night, Fandom Time

[glacial_queen]

So, a few nights ago, Karla had gotten a...very interesting voicemail. Then, however, had come Anakin's distress call and hilarious voicemails had gotten ignored in favor of getting here, assessing the situation, and figuring out what to do. But now, without a wedding to distract her--it wasn't like she was paying attention to her schedule anyway--Karla figured she could use with a distraction from Thirteen's bleak...everything.

Hopefully her friends would be up for some gentle teasing. Or, well, the Karla version of that.

[For them of the drunken shenanigans, please and super SP! NFB]

Comments

[heromaniac]

"He- NO! Scully! Give that back! That's not a chew toy! Scully! Ah! No! Moshi, don't attack her when she's got the... Aha! Go! Shoo before I lock you in the bathroom and make Spock cry."

... Sigh. "Hello? ew, puppy drool?"

[glacial_queen]

"...Momoko?" Well, it certainly sounded like she was recovering from both the island and the night of over-indulgence. "Scully's playing with chew toys?"

[heromaniac]

"Ah! K... Karla!" Momoko was a bit upset that she hadn't looked at the caller ID, now. "Uhm. Well it's not supposed to be a chew toy. She turned into a puppy last night."

...

"Uhm, I'm sorry I tried to eat you. I really am. Are you okay?" She was saying that a lot this week.

[glacial_queen]

"Oh, Fandom," Karla sighed, grateful the island hadn't decided to turn her into an Arcerian kitten while it was at it.

"Forgiven." Like that was even a question, Momoko. "I'm okay. You weren't even the nastiest thing I tangled with that day." Which was...meant to be comforting? "How are you?"

[heromaniac]

"I'm still sorry. Even more if you needed help and I wasn't there." Momoko sighed. Her friends were awesome, but why did they take this so calmly? She'd been EVIL! She was supposed to be a hero not a villain. "I'm better? Totally not a monster and wanting to eat people! Although I remember all of it. I visited Dinah for a few days. That's... I just needed to get away. You know?"

[glacial_queen]

Because by the time she'd been evil, she hadn't really been Momoko anymore, had she? She might remember everything with a painful clarity, but she hadn't been in the driver's seat for most of it.

"I can understand that," Karla said, nodding in sympathy even over the phone. "That was pretty traumatic, Momoko. Getting a little distance is completely understandable." She couldn't help the teasing note that slipped into her voice when she added, "And it sounds like you two managed to forget about things for a little while anyway."

[heromaniac]

"...to forget things?" Huh?

[glacial_queen]

"I promise I wasn't ignoring you when you called me from the bar the other night," Karla said impishly. "You were talking to voicemail. At least, until that rude male stole your pretzels."

[heromaniac]

Momoko paled. Too bad Karla couldn't see it. "Oh no. We called you, too? I am sooooo sorry! Was it bad? I totally don't remember anything from that whole night! Apparently we went to more than one bar. Someone stole my pretzels?"

[glacial_queen]

And Karla was just going to crack up in answer. "It was hilarious," she assured Momoko. "Except for the part when you were really sad that I wasn't talking to you and you thought it was because I hated you. That was less funny."

But still slightly so.

[heromaniac]

Momoko covered her eyes with her free hand. "Totally never drinking again," she muttered. "Ah. Well, it's true that I'd be sad if you'd hated me after the way I acted. I'd totally understand, but it would still be horrible."

"Where are you, anyway? I haven't seen you around today? And trust me, walking Scully means I was totally all over the island." Puppy curiousity plus Scully curiousity? UGH, Momoko was exhausted!

[glacial_queen]

"If I never spoke to you again after that, I'd also have to break up with Warren, so you'll understand if I'm not exactly in a hurry to do either," Karla pointed out with a small smile. "Like I said. It wasn't you. I think I know you well enough to figure that one out."

In her own way, Momoko was gentler than either Karla or Dinah. Karla hadn't needed to see the creepy gray monster form to know that whoever was in control, it wasn't her friend.

"Darkness, I'm not about to hate you for something that wasn't your fault. Hell's fire, I'm having trouble thinking of things I would hate you for that could be your fault."

It wasn't that Karla was bad at finding reasons to hate people. But Momoko just wasn't that kind of person. At all. Ever.

"I'm visiting a friend, sort of," she said, smiling at the image of Scully as a puppy. "There's trouble here and a bunch of us are doing what we can to help."

Seriously. Worst vacation ever.

[heromaniac]

"Oh wow. Warren was a monster too?! Awww! Give him a hug from me?" Momoko smiled and sank back to sit on her bed, totally relieved. "And thank you." Really, really thank you.

"Who's having trouble? Do I know them? I'm better, so I can totally help if you need me... Only no celebrating with drinks after. I am totally giving that up."

Not that she had ever picked it up, but still.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah had just gotten in from fighting crime (Still no sign of Poison Ivy, damnit) and was now indulging in popadam and naan. She grinned at the Caller ID. "Helloooooo? How's your week going?"

[glacial_queen]

"Ohhhh, no," Karla said, laughing. "I called to talk about you. And your epic battle to get Momoko's pretzels back."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"What?" Dinah asked, trying to sound convincing. "Back from... who?" A pause. "...what else did we say?"

[glacial_queen]

"Well, then Momoko was sad because I wasn't talking to her over voicemail, and some of the rest was too slurred to make out," Karla said, still chuckling. "But surely you remember the message, don't you?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Maaaaaan," Dinah whined. "Yes. And I had a record of it. I just-- hoped we were more together than that?" She sighed. "...and okay, relieved we didn't sing at you. Tony called back handwavily just to laugh."

[glacial_queen]

"If I could play it back for you, I would," Karla said. "It's like a poem. An epic poem about love and friendship and pink drinks and pretzels. This is never getting deleted off of my phone. Ever."

She would play it at Dinah's wedding. And Momoko's. And maybe her own.

"So, who else did you call? Please. Share every detail you can actually remember."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"God. My phone records are better than my memory. Roy, who will probably also laugh. You, Francine, Tony. Priestly, because we wanted food." Dinah winced. "And Jaime. A couple times. Or three."

[glacial_queen]

"I'm sure he just loved hearing about his girlfriend and his ex-girlfriend running around drunkenly in New Gotham," Karla said, snorting. "I'm sad that Priestly didn't find some way to book a portal and bring your guys something to eat as you made your rounds."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Oh, me too, that would've been awesome," Dinah admitted. "I miss him, he's in Texas if he hasn't moved onto Mexico by now. And... I don't know on Jaime." She was quiet. "Momoko had a sucky, sucky week, and I know Jaime did too, but I was really wishing he was here so I could hit him with a pillow."

[glacial_queen]

Well, that sounded foreboding.

Karla had been aware that Momoko had come to New Gotham during her visit because she'd needed some kind of comfort. About Jaime. And now Dinah wanted to hit him with a pillow?

"He gave her the same speech, didn't he?" she asked quietly. "Aww, poor Momoko."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"She didn't tell...? Oh, of course she didn't." She hadn't told Dinah at the time, not until she showed up feeling like a monster. "Yeah. Pretty much. I love him, I do, but I swear I just-- she's so hurt, as hurt as I was, and it's for the exact same reasons, and... damnit, Karla, why did I think this was a good idea? Why did I encourage it? Damnit, damnit, damnit."

[glacial_queen]

"You encouraged it because you hoped for a better outcome," Karla said softly. "You hoped he'd learned; that all the pain you went through would at least guarantee that Momoko wouldn't. And a good bit of what you're feeling right now is the disappointment that it's not true."