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The Beach, Friday Morning

The raft was almost done now; just one more log to fasten securely, and it'd probably be water-worthy. Ender wasn't in any hurry to do it, though. He was hoping his friend (or close to a friend, whatever quality the word had taken on at this point his life) would show up, and so he didn't hurry, wrapping the rope around his hand to keep it all neatly together.

He had time to sit, and focus on the waves, rolling gently up the beach.

[ ender is here for one, but it's an open beach ]

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He hadn't planned to come to the beach this morning, but after morning prayers, Karal's feet - or the Firecat he followed - had simply seemed to lead him there.

When he saw Ender there, he understood why. With a small smile, he settled in the sand next to Ender, Altra taking up station before them, staring out over the ocean.

He was quiet for a moment or two, not because the situation was awkward, but just because the silence was comfortable. "It's almost done," Ender said, finally, with a small nod in the direction of the raft.

"I thought it might be," he replied, entirely comfortable in Ender's company, in silence or otherwise. "It will be time to test it, soon."

"If we don't want to get our hands frozen off," he agreed, pulling on the rope between his hands. Ender had no real reasons for it, just the thoughts in his head, and he always had too many of them anyway. "Did you see Solaris off?"

"I did. Shortly after you met her, as it happens." He pulled his cloak more tightly around him, as if Ender's mention of the cold had made it all the more real. "It was a shock when she arrived, but in the end, I'm grateful she came."

"I have to say the same about Val," Ender replied. His own coat had protected him well enough from the cold so far, and beyond the slight reddishness where his hands had strained too much, his body didn't show it. "Meddling as she always is." He said it with affection.

Karal grinned. "Parent's Weekend did us both good, even if neither of our visitors were parents. Now, what do we need to do to the raft to finish it?"

"We're missing one more," he pointed out, "In the middle." Ender pressed his hand against the sand to help himself up onto his feet. Then halted. "Do you have any siblings, Karal?"

The question took him by surprise. "I do, but I haven't seen them for many years. Older sisters and a younger brother." He pushed to his feet. "I named my horse for him." No need to mention it had been because he'd known he'd never see them again.

"I haven't seen my brother in about that long," he said, turning to walk towards where the last log laid, some significant amount of feet away. "Val tells me he's trying to take over the world." It should've sounded incredulous, but even now, all he could do was find it funny.

Edited 2008-10-31 08:23 (UTC)

"Oh." Karal followed, Altra pacing by his side. "Is there a reason he wants to take over the world? A cause, or a, a purpose? Or does he simply want power?"

"It's Peter," Ender replied, "He's always liked power. And fear."

"Oh," he said again, more softly this time. "I have met people like that in the past. Too many." Altra looked up at Ender intently. "Is it something he could do?"

"He's as good at what he does as Val is at what she does, and as I am at my thing," he answered, leaning down by that last log. "Luckily, so far his aims have just led to him saving millions of lives." There was still an irony to that Ender didn't trust his voice not to convey.

"A happy coincidence," he murmured, hearing the irony loud and clear. He stayed where he was, frowning thoughtfully, weighing it up, then decided to ask. If the question was unwelcome, he had no fear Ender would feel obliged to answer. "May I ask, what is your thing?"

He looked away from the log, and up at Karal. "Before I came here, I was a military commander," he replied, "Now I'm in between 'things'."

Edited 2008-10-31 09:54 (UTC)

It explained a great deal, pieces falling into place. Voice quiet, he asked, "The officer who came out of nowhere to guide the fleet to the Buggers' home?"

Something in Ender's back tensed. The rest of him didn't. "The ships were already there," he said, "Fifty years or more at light speed."

It was hard for Karal to grasp the distances, the times, involved in travelling through space. A light year meant very little to him. "They took their ships through space," he said, choosing his words carefully. "And then they needed a military commander." Sunlord, so young.

"They needed a lot of commanders," Ender said, his voice still calmer than he could've thought it'd kept some three years ago. "That's why they kept an eye out for the best families. They'd request more children than the limit if they needed to. And then we were sent to school, as early as they could."

He nodded at the school, up ahead, "You can see the irony in my current predicament."

Edited 2008-10-31 21:00 (UTC)

"Yes," he replied, finding uncomfortable parallels with his own history. Though at least Karse, for all its evils, had never bred children for war. Just stolen them for the priesthood. "Except from here, you'll be free to choose a future for yourself."

"Only in as far as my siblings will let me," he said, with no small amount of that irony in his voice, as well. "Are you going to help me, or are you going to keep standing there?" Ender asked, pulling on one end of the log.

"Help you," he replied, walking over to grasp the other end of the log. Altra looked up at Ender. "However you might need it."

He didn't say anything for a little while, simply lifting the log, wordlessly. He was already a few steps towards the raft before he continued, "Val wasn't the only one who showed up."

Ender wouldn't call Karal a confidant, and probably never would anybody; but here, at least, he could talk.

He couldn't shake the sense that Ender's willingness to talk about himself was fragile, but he had to ask. "Who else?"

"Bean," he answered, "He was the youngest. Eight, maybe nine, when everything happened. He came by to tell me he'd been made Strategos." One step at a time: that would have to be it. "He can't be older than twelve, now, and they put him in charge of the entire Earth's military forces. My brother is trying to take over the world. I'm in high school."

He smiled at Karal, a little crookedly, over the log. "My life seems a lot funnier, suddenly."

Karal gave him a small smile, feeling no urge to laugh. "It seems incredible that he is so young, that all of you are so young. Will they let you stay here if all of that is happening?"

"Val bought our freedom," Ender said, refraining from mentioning exactly what currency she'd used for it, "Which means my fate's in her hands, for the time being. And she wants me here."

He shifted his grip on the log, quiet for a few moments. "I know I did not speak with her for long, but I think she is a good person to trust your fate to."

"She's Valentine," he said, like that explained everything, and fell utterly silent, intending not to speak a word until they'd reached the raft.

Karal was content with silence, following Ender back to the raft. He had a great deal to think about.

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The Beach, Friday Morning

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NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!

Re: NFB from here, plz!