Chilly Boulder, Saturday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

So, originally, the plan had been for Karla, Warren, and all three children to show up at Fandom this weekend and do the whole reunion thing. They'd see old friends, show Nyles and Cora the island, and take a ridiculous number of pictures commemorating things that really didn't need to be commemorated. And then, last night, Cora had come into Karla's parlor before bedtime complaining that she didn't feel good. And then had promptly thrown up. Nyles, who had been a footstep behind her, managed to keep down his dinner, but was flushed and feverish.

Long story short, Cora and Nyles had come down with chicken pox. And as much as Karla would have liked to simply Heal them and be done with it, getting chicken pox now meant they wouldn't get worse illnesses later, and so Warren and Karla reluctantly agreed to let them stick it out. And that clearly meant that at least one parent needed to stay with them. But Kayla, being far too young, needed to be kept away. And so, after a spirited game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, (best two out of three, and no, Warren, she didn't cheat), Karla had ended up being the one who got to take Kayla away to the island for the weekend, while Warren and his healing factor took care of two thoroughly miserable children.

On the other hand, now Karla at least had a good excuse to take a million pictures? Like the ones she was taking now, of Kayla smearing vanilla ice cream all over her face as she attempted to spoon it into her mouth. Thank the Darkness for data plans.

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[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda had actually meant to go to the Perk for coffee. But then somewhat randomly decided to go for coffee ice-cream instead. Possibly in some sort of drink form. Because somehow milkshakes hadn't made it to Faerie yet. Possibly because no one had invented a magical blender yet.

She didn't know if the coffee ice cream here actually had caffeine in it, but even a placebo effect would be okay.

Oh and there was Karla.

Double take. Hey! There was Karla!

"Hi!"

[glacial_queen]

With the island full of strangers, Karla was delighted to hear a voice she recognized. "Leda!" she said, waving furiously. "Mother Night, I didn't know you'd be coming to this! Come in and say hello!"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"It was a close thing. Everyone back home is still really freaked by what happened last time I came to Earth so they didn't want to let me go." Ooh, the little one!

"And you have a mini-you!"

[intraspective]

Ino had ditched Zack almost the moment they'd gotten to the island. He wasn't going to run and she needed some space.

Someone to talk to that wasn't him, too, maybe. Ino was pretty out of practice with that. The island was buzzing with minds that she recognized, and those that she didn't, and it didn't take her long to sort through them and find someone that she'd known well enough to call them something like a friend, from way back when.

Ino sauntered into Chilly Boulder like she had no idea Karla was there and headed over to look at the ice cream options. Ino was dressed in a suit--like all Turks wore--and her long, long blonde hair was longer than ever and unbound, fluttering down nearly to her feet. She looked a few years older, was a bit too thin, but the biggest change was the way her blue eyes glowed.

[glacial_queen]

Karla had glanced up sharply when Ino had come in, though not exactly due to old remembrances. The mind that had come in felt familiar enough, but there was something strange about it, too, something that had her Black Widow senses itching to get a closer look.

It was the black suit that gave her away. Karla had known many Turks during her tenure on the island. Even before she saw the glowing eyes that had once belonged to the girl she'd known and recognized the sheen of Mako energy, Karla knew.

"Ino?" she said, almost in disbelief. "Hell's fire and Mother Night, is it really you?"

[intraspective]

Ino glanced over from paying for her chocolate-with-more-chocolate-and-the-whipped-cream monstrosity.

Her sweet tooth had never died.

She smiled. "Yo," Ino said lightly. "Hey, Karla."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

It took Leda a while to recognize Ino. It had been a little over two decades since she'd seen the girl last. Shoot, what was her name?

"Amy, hey. Long time no see." She knew that wasn't it. But she was relatively certain that was what she used to call her.

[intraspective]

Frankly, Ino was okay with being referred to as Amy.

"Hey," she said, a smile lighting up her too-thin face. "I haven't heard that in ages! How have you been?"

[notmyownage]

Giant portal had come swooping in and kidnapped Claudia out of the middle of working on tweaking the programming in the gooery, swooping her back to the weirdo town where she'd gone to high school and had been, for instance, possessed by eldritch monsters and eaten raw teal deer?

Time for ice cream.

"Biggest ice cream you got," she ordered, holding up her hands to demonstrate something about the diameter of a hubcap. "With all the toppings."

[glacial_queen]

"She wants a Skywalker!" Karla called helpfully. "Though you should make it with the gross flavors, like Tutti-Frutti or whatever, since she just walked right by her big sister without even saying hello."

Rude, Claudia. So rude!

[notmyownage]

"Sorry." Claudia did not look terribly sorry. "I'm just not fully aware until I've had my daily gallon of ice cream." She looked back at the server. "Make it with all the chocolate flavors. And tutti-frutti." She would accept her punishment gracefully, yes. "Hi Karla. Hi -- mini-Karla."

There was no mistaking that little girl for anyone's but Karla's.

[endsthegame]

Ender had gotten their hotel room handwavily set up while Ben wandered the island, which meant he was going looking for him now-- or at least swinging by Ben's favorite place to pick up some take-out ice cream if he wasn't there already.

He was carrying Val in a sling around his chest; he had to stop and smile faintly for a moment when he spotted Karla.

He waited patiently for the scene to settle down before he bothered saying anything.

[glacial_queen]

Ender was gravely mistaken if he thought it was going to settle down. Because as soon as Karla felt his calming, still-pool presence, she was turning sharply in his direction and giving him a bright and happy smile just as soon as she spotted him. Then her eyes dropped to the bundle at his chest and her grin grew impossibly wider.

"Ender." She didn't yell his name. Not anymore, not with the both of them with children right now. But there was so much emotion there, she didn't have to.

[endsthegame]

"Karla," Ender echoed.

Less dramatic. Certainly less loud. But certainly no less pleased to see her. "Don't let me disturb you."

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

Triela didn't really have a sweet tooth. In fact, she wasn't a huge fan of most ice cream on general principle.

But she remembered the people she had known on the island, and if they were back, she knew there was a good chance that she'd find a good percentage of them in one place.

So: to Chilly Boulder.

[intraspective]

And, look, there was an old friend eating a truly ridiculous amount of chocolate and whipped cream.

Ino waved her spoon in Triela's direction, honestly delighted to see her.

"Come sit!" she ordered.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

It took a couple of moments for Triela to add up all the physical changes, then she quirked an eyebrow. "Hello, Ino," she said, her boots clicking across the floor.

She glanced down at the ice cream. "Some things never change, I see."

Like Triela, who looked exactly the same as always.

[glacial_queen]

Wow. And Karla had thought she'd felt an overabundance of emotion when Ender had shown up. When she looked up and say Triela, her jaw dropped, along with her spoon, and she found herself with literally nothing to say. Tears welled and she balled up her hands and pressed them to her mouth.

[sorella-vecchia.livejournal.com]

The sound of a clattering silverware snatched Triela's attention around.

A tight knot seemed to form in the middle of her chest, and Triela frowned slightly at the sensation. Her mouth was suddenly, and uncharacteristically, dry. She licked her lips, some part of her mind wondering if she'd come back without the conditioning drugs.

"Hello," she said softly, turning to face her friend. "Karla."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Holy shit, no way. Leda didn't realize it was gonna be that kind of reunion.

"Triela?" Hey it could be a doppleganger.

[heromaniac]

Well, here was one she'd known and who was back! And who was aiming to be ON Triela's back in half a glomp-second.

"Triela!!!! They let you come this weekend! Or are you pre-you?"

[heromaniac]

Momoko had left Jaime. It was amicable, but after all she could only stand to listen to so much excited babble about some sports thingy that it was plain she needed to leave him.

So here she was getting ice cream (and later, maybe some shopping!!) while he geeked out with some long lost old NPC town friend. They'd meet back up at the dance later and he'd promised a nice dinner, too.

Well, she'd said it and he'd nodded, so teeeechnically...

"Ah Karla!!!!! You maaaade it!!!"

[glacial_queen]

YOU BRAT!

"So did you!" Karla said, excitedly waving Momoko over to the table. "And guess what?" She turned back to Kayla. "Do it, Kayla honey. You can do it! Show Auntie Momo what a good and smart girl you are!"

Kayla glanced up at her mother and went back to eating ice cream. Wretched child.

[asgardcreated.livejournal.com]

Jon hadn't requested time off, it had been forced on him. Along with a card requesting his presence at the reunion and the information regarding his room reservations. Oh, and a portal reservation and the knowledge that if he didn't go, he was going to end up on the beta site for a month.

So Jon was in Fandom. Getting ice cream. And grinning at the sight of Karla, Warren, and kids, and trying not to laugh at them.

[glacial_queen]

Well, no Warren, but definitely a Karla, trying to explain to a one year old that napkins went over mouths, not into them. While picking paper off of her daughter's tongue, yes.

The sound of a familiar voice ordering ice cream had her turning around with a big grin. "Jon!" she said, palmful of spit-soaked napkin in her hand forgotten. "Welcome back!"