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Dite's Decadent Delights, Monday Afternoon

Instead of a vacation, Karla had had a very long week. So rather than doing anything even remotely productive, she was curling up with a book behind the counter and nibbling on the random bits of chocolate she kept finding all over the place. Which was for the best, since it kept her from eating all the novelty lollipops she kept near the register. Though the sugar-crash was going to contribute to the odds of her maybe taking a nap in the office a little later.

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Not during her nap, though!

That would be the sound of Karla's phone ringing.

"Kiss kiss," Karla said, a smile on her face when she saw it was Ender calling. "Hey, Ender. Did you get my message?"

Karla was feeling very pleased with herself over that message. She'd been a good friend, checking in on Peter like that!

"I did get your message," Ender said. He was still considering getting them matching restraining orders, honestly. "I take it that everything's all right?"

If he was completely honest, he was mostly calling for Ben's benefit - he didn't make a habit of it.

Which was why Karla had been so pleased to get his call!

"'All right' is kind of stretching it," she admitted. "But we're recovering. Yester--no, two days ago, a bunch of us ripped the taint out of the island and shoved it back into the rock, and a few other people sent the rock hurtling into space. Now we're kind of laying low and licking our wounds--not literally, though."

That had been something they would have indulged in before the rock had been sent away.

Ender relaxed a little in his seat. He wouldn't have to bring any bad news today - that was a good thing. "And what about the people who turned grey?" he asked. "We've seen pictures."

"They're still mostly gray," Karla said. "But that seems to be fading. Warren's almost back to normal--" save that his claws didn't seem to be getting any shorter, "--and I think those who get magical Healing are also healing a little faster. But I'm pretty sure it's fading for everyone. And their minds came back as soon as we got rid of the rock. Thank the Darkness."

"Very much so," Ender said, tucking a bit of overlong hair back behind his ear. "Warren was affected? How are you doing, Karla...?"

HEY! SHE'D INCLUDED SCISSORS IN HER CARE PACKAGE! WITH A NOTE!

"I'm doing okay," she said, giving him a game smile over the phone and hoping that would mask how tired she was. "Things got a little scary there for awhile--" like when he'd been dangling by her feet hundreds of yards in the air "--but it's all going back to normal now."

And therefore, she was fine. See?

Scissors didn't make Ben or Luke anywhere near a competent alternative to a hairdresser, so Ender wasn't going to risk it. Sorry, Karla.

"Mmm," he replied, thoughtfully. "So how are you doing?"

Nice try, Di Glacia.

Now Karla was sticking her tongue out at her phone. Dammit, Ender, you were several universes away. Be less observant!

"Well, I can't say this was the vacation I'd been expecting," she admitted. "We're just killing some time now before the gray disappears enough before we head back to Kaeleer."

For more work. Yay.

The day Ender got less observant was the day someone put a bullet in his head. You didn't really want that, Karla. "But it is disappearing without your interference," he observed. "I hope you're taking the chance to rest."

"I haven't even gone back to the clinic," she promised. "I'm pretty tired. And yesterday was the first day of my moontime, so even if I wanted to help, I couldn't really."

If she hadn't expended so much Craft on Saturday, she would have been in much worse shape today.

"I couldn't even light a candle if you paid me."

"Good," Ender said, lightly. "Then I'll pass the fussing on to Ben. Or I will, once he's done doing his oh-god-am-I-getting-fat pushups."

There were certain things about close quarters that got annoying after a while. 'No-you're-not-getting-fat' conversations were one of them.

Karla groaned. "He's still doing that?" Poor Ender. "Have you tried answering, 'No, but your head is' and then whacking him once upside the back of it? Works miracles."

"I rue the day I ever made a joke about spare tires," Ender said, "But sadly, that plan of attack isn't my style. If you can find a way to do so from a distance, however, I might be eternally grateful."

"I'm working on it," Karla assured him. "It will give me something to do in Kaeleer to keep my mind off of other things."

Like Black Widows and Hobart and monsters, oh my!

"I don't suppose I can convince you to pass his head a wallop from me?"

"I think I've walloped his head enough as of late," Ender said, with a little snort. "But I can always stuff it down the toilet."

With love, Ben!

"I'll accept that," Karla said immediately. "If you can get it to fit."

"It hasn't shrunk yet," Ender sighed at her, then sobered. "How is Kaeleer faring?"

"I have a meeting with the Arcerian Queen in two weeks," Karla said. "After the first round of violence, things have been quiet, but it's nowhere near peaceful. Julian reports that Hobart is mobilizing."

Ender paused on the other end of the line. He had no interest in getting into the tactics of the situation, but he still had to ask: "Do you have enough time to move the Black Widows?"

"I hope so," Karla said. "Julian is supposed to send word if it looks like Hobart's about to move out. So long as we get the okay from the Arcerian Queen, we can start moving Black Widows, even if it's just to a bunch of tents or something."

"You've got a strategy to keep them hidden?" Ender asked, after a beat.

"In a Territory filled with angry Arcerian witches," Karla suggested wryly. "Surrounded by the strongest illusion and misdirection spells a bunch of Black Widows can weave."

Ender rubbed at his brow. "I mean while you're getting them there, Karla."

"Raven will be teleporting as many as we can," Karla said. "And if I have a Coach, I can bring them on a Wind that's too dark for anyone else to ride. Other than that..." She didn't want to admit this, but, "...We're limited to the skills of whoever is with us, secrecy, and the element of surprise."

"Either way, you'll have to move them fast," Ender noted, "I'd advise trying to stay invisible on the way in, too. You don't know who's watching, or if any of the Black Widows have any deals running with Hobart."

"I'm going to ask people to let me peek inside their shields before we pass through the wards," Karla said, aware it was a poor safety measure. There were a hundred reasons that someone might not want a teenaged girl poking through their thoughts. And what was she going to do with the ones who simply refused? Abandon them?

"And only the people I know and trust will know how to get to the villages we're setting up."

"And what if they say no to letting you root around in their heads?" Ender asked.

Of course he was going to ask.

"I guess the first thing to do would be to offer to let a kindred witch do it instead," Karla temporized. "Kindred have a much different way of looking at things and what they might balk at letting me see, they may not care if someone nonhuman does."

"And if they have trouble with the concept of letting anyone in at all?" Ender said. "Or what if they find a way to circumvent you looking? Any snitch will know you'll try that angle."

"Then we hope that guards and scouts and shields are enough to deter them," Karla said quietly. "I can't just leave them out there."

Though if Ender had any ideas, she'd be happy to listen.

"You might have to, once or twice," he replied. "You're taking big risks. Please don't overextend and compromise yourself, Karla."

He sat back. "Make sure there's enough surveillance beforehand, and always keep an exit in mind in case things go awry. And use it, if you have to."

"The first spot we found isn't too far from the Sapphire Wind," Karla said. "If worse comes to terrible, I can catch that and be far away before something happens. And I'll have Raven and Warren with me, too. They can get me out in ways that most people can't counter."

She couldn't comment on leaving people out and behind. Not yet. She knew she could, if she had to, but...she didn't want to have to admit that out loud.

"Which people would be able to counter it?" Ender asked. He had no quick solutions - didn't really want to think on it - but he could ask plenty of questions.

"I can't think of anyone who would be able to counter Raven, honestly," Karla admitted. The ability to teleport anywhere was a handy trick to have. "As for Warren--well, bows would probably work. But as long as I'm conscious, I'd be able to shield us."

"Are you sure about Raven?" Ender said. "Is there something magically or emotionally an attacker can do to keep her from teleporting, or overload her? How fast can she move?"

"If there is, I've never seen it," Karla said. "Her teleporting is nearly instantaneous and she can deflect or absorb most attacks with her Soul-Self. And since the only people who know about her empathy come from Fandom, Hobart's people won't know to attack her that way."

Of course, that would only last as long as Raven didn't go around telling people about it.

"I'm going to have to tell her to keep that quiet, though."

"And what if they do find out?" Ender murmured. "Hobart's not the sharpest tack, but you can't afford not to plan for it. In fact, you can't afford to plan this in a way that relies entirely on Raven."

"I don't know what else there is," Karla said. "I've got running, I've got flying, I've got Raven. I've got sentries and Arcerian cats and defenses only a Black Widow can create. As much as we can, we won't let people see where they're going, but if they have to make the trek overland, it's not like we can blindfold them the whole way. I just...I don't know what else I can plan for."

As you do!

Why am I so tiiiiired?

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Dite's Decadent Delights, Monday Afternoon

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