The Park, Saturday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

Karla had danced this dance before. After spending the last few days dreaming about her parents, she knew to pack up Kayla and Warren and head to the island this weekend. She'd also invited Cora and Nyles to come along, but neither had seen the appeal of visiting her insane island to meet more adults. Well, that wasn't entirely true; Cora was intrigued by the idea of seeing the place they had met, but as soon as Karla had mentioned that her parents would likely be there, Cora had demurred. She was still very reticent about meeting new members of the Blood. And Nyles had no intentions of going anywhere without Cora, especially if it meant rubbing elbows with yet more aristos, so it was only Warren, Karla, and Kayla who stepped through the portal and into the park.

When she arrived, she sent a small pulse through the Ebon-gray, a kind of announcement of her arrival for anyone who could feel it. Yes, if she wanted to, she could search for her parents' Jewels and go to them, but...it was a beautiful day with her daughter in the park. Karla's parents could come to them. She set out a blanket while Warren cuddled Kayla and prepared to relax. Even if it took them awhile to arrive--as it so often did--Karla was going to enjoy the day with her family.

[Open for other visitors as well!]

Comments

[wwiii]

Warren was only the slightest bit antsy today, but he at least managed to hide that well. He'd met Karla's parents before, after all, and that had gone...

Well, it had gone. But maybe this time would be different. He could certainly hope. After all, if nothing else, he had a fair bit more backbone than he had when he'd seen them last. And hey, if he was really lucky, they'd get lost on the way.

What? He could think these things, just so long as he wasn't thinking them aloud.

"It really is a nice day, huh?"

[glacial_queen]

It probably helped that this time they weren't completely naked? And Warren's hands were not inching anywhere they wouldn't want her parents to see?

"Gorgeous," she agreed, patting a spot on the blanket for him. "A nice change of pace from how hot and sticky everything is back home."

August humidity in Glacia was not a thing to be trifled with.

"What do you say we stick around the island a bit, hmm? Appreciate their spring and early summer without you having to molt through it."

[wwiii]

Warren chuckled as he took a seat.

"You know, that's probably one of the best ideas I've heard in a while. All I really want to do when the snow melts is fly, and instead I spend the whole time itching."

And bleeding. Thanks again, evil alien mutagen disease. Those claws continued to make life a joy.

"And I think most of the really weird stuff is probably out of the way until summer properly hits, now."

Really weird. As opposed to waiting in the park for some dead people to stop by.

[glacial_queen]

Pffft, that barely rated an eyebrow raise around here.

"The next time the island is scheduled to go super-crazy is the end of summer, really," Karla pointed out, prying a twig out of Kayla's chubby fist before she could put it in her mouth. Where'd she even get that thing? "That gives us plenty of time to enjoy the weather before we have to clear out."

[wwiii]

"So you want to just stick around here until just before the end of summer?" Warren sounded wistful at that, before he laughed. "I'm certain Julian and Mallory would be thrilled with us."

They'd come to the island to throttle them, more like.

[glacial_queen]

"Well, we'd have to go home to get Nyles and Cora, of course," Karla AS IT ALWAYS SAID said, because she was absolutely not abandoning their older children just for some gorgeous weather. "Maybe we can...leave a note or something. 'Gone to Fandom for their summer. BIAB AS IT ALSO ALWAYS SAID?' They can't come and murder us if we leave a note, right?"

Her smile faltered and she tilted her head a bit to the side. "They're almost here," she said. "I can sense them."

[nuclear_snide]

Largely oblivious to any of the shenanigans the island had gotten up to, Bob was out enjoying the lovely day, strolling through the park and smiling.

[glacial_queen]

Karla would recognize that ghost anywhere! And it would be good to make an impression that didn't involve her freaking out over a missing Jewel and a close-call with her daughter.

"Bob!" she called, waving at him. "Well, hello, darling! Enjoying the sunlight and a park that's not on its last legs?"

[nuclear_snide]

"Hello there." Bob smiled and waved back. "Yes, very much. It's so good to get out sometimes." He nodded to Warren and waggled his fingers at Kayla. "Family outing?"

[glacial_queen]

"Waiting for guests," Karla said wryly. "So, yes. Extended family outing. Being outdoors on a nice day is the easiest way to keep Queens happy and at ease."

And considering the three generations of Queens about to happen, the more they had in the 'happy and at ease' column, the better.

[nuclear_snide]

"Easiest way to keep most folks at ease, I think," Bob answered with a smile. "Unless you're allergic, I suppose."

[glacial_queen]

"On top of that, Queens from my world have a special bond with the land," Karla explained. "We can feel it. Communicate with it, after a fashion. The land influences our moods even as we exert power over it."

Which was yet another reason Karla had been so fretful and Kayla so fussy during the Gaunt debacle. They'd been feeling the land dying by inches in the back of her skull.

[wontcallhimbob.livejournal.com]

"Well, finally!" Winifred crossed her arms and looked him over. "Hrothbert of Bainbridge, what have you been doing to yourself?"

[nuclear_snide]

Bob blinked. "W-" He took a shaky breath he didn't need and tried again. "Winifred? What -"

[wontcallhimbob.livejournal.com]

"You're a hard man to find." She frowned at him, because it was clearly his fault. "My locator didn't even work." She looked him over; despite the odd clothing, he looked good, and she finally smiled. "Hello."

[nuclear_snide]

"Your -" Bob shook his head, then managed an uncertain smile. "You're alive, then?"

[wontcallhimbob.livejournal.com]

"For the weekend only." She smiled and reached for his hand, then blinked when it went straight through him. "Hrothbert? What's -?"

[life_inshadow]

Tara wasn't quite attached to Kennedy at the hip this weekend, though it was a near thing. But she was on her own when she came into the park,admiring this familiar tree and that new bush, and -- oh, hey, she knew those people!

"Hi," she said, almost tripping over the hem of her long skirt as she went over to meet them. "It's so amazing to see -- wow. Is that your baby?"

[glacial_queen]

Bob had gotten a hello. So had her parents. For Tara, however, Karla was flinging herself to her feet and rushing over to give her a giant hug.

"Tara!" she cried, "Oh my god, Tara! I haven't seen you in--"

Karla stopped, mind putting pieces together while she clung. Tara. Who no one had heard from in a long time. Who hadn't heard about Kayla. Showing up on the island today.

Say it wasn't so.

[life_inshadow]

Tara squeezed back. "In way too long," she finished, feeling her eyes going moist. "Way, way, way too long."

It seemed like the 'so, I died' update could wait until they'd stopped hugging.

[glacial_queen]

Yeah. Yeah it could. Maybe also for forever, if they could find some way to keep her. Karla was willing to spend the weekend working on that.

Beat out talking to her parents, that was for damn sure.

"I've missed you," she said. "But, you've noticed I kept myself busy."

[life_inshadow]

"Sleep with girls and that won't happen," Tara teased, squeezing one last time and then letting go. "But I have to say,that is one cute way to stay busy."

[glacial_queen]

"I try, but the island always turns him back," Karla said with a much put-upon sigh that turned into a laugh. "But isn't she adorable? I think she looks like me, but no one else sees it unless she's being a terror."

Shocking, that.

"So...I want to ask you how've you been, but--" Mother Night, what did you say?

[wwiii]

"Way, way, way too long," Warren agreed softly from where he was sitting, minding the baby. It took him a moment to gather Kayla up in his arms, but he was walking over to join them both a moment later. And then they were both getting hugged, because what use were giant wings if not for hugging? "Missed you."

And he didn't completely want to accept just why that was.

[life_inshadow]

"Missed you more," Tara told him, snuggling into those wings. "Y'know, you got out of Sunnydale at exactly the right time. After you left things got super-crazy."