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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[endsthegame]

"Val is doing well," Ender said. She was napping now. He had this faint hope Kayla's antics wouldn't wake her up. "She sleeps a lot better than she used to, which is a relief."

He touched the little girl gently, just to make sure she was still doing all right. "We're good. Just touched down on a new planet, so it's been all paperwork."

A formality, since Jane was handling it all behind the scenes, but no one knew that.

[glacial_queen]

Oh, Ender. Still an optimist. Though Kayla was currently engrossed in her ice cream, so maybe there was hope?

"Which planet?" she asked. "What made you decide to go to this one?"

[endsthegame]

"Sorelledolce," Ender said. "It's an Italian planet, at least by origin. Valentine was entranced by it, and there's a large continent free of occupation by anyone."

He glanced down at Val again. "And we wanted somewhere quiet."

[glacial_queen]

"Makes sense," Karla said, following his gaze down and smiling. "Gonna stay there for awhile then, you think? There's something to be said for stability, after all. We're giving it a try right now, I can let you know how it works out for us."

[endsthegame]

Ender shook his head. "I can't justify that," he said quietly. "If the Hive Queen can't settle on this planet, we'll have to leave for the next soon enough."

[glacial_queen]

Karla nodded. That was fair. She'd been waiting for a very long time, after all. "Has she ever given you specifications for you to look for?" she asked wryly. "Or is it one of those, 'she'll know it when she sees it' kinds of things?"

She meant no disrespect to the Hive Queen. There honestly were things that Karla couldn't put into words, but knew instinctively when she came across them.

[endsthegame]

"It needs to be quiet for a considerable amount of time - no humans venturing out there," Ender said. "The humidity has to be right, the temperature, there's... something of a list. I screen the nearby systems for potentially useful planets every time we touch down, based on her parameters. Then we go, and see if it holds up."

Val made a little noise as she began to come awake.

[glacial_queen]

"At least you have something, and aren't just choosing blind," Karla said, then dropped her eyes to Val. "Hello there, Bright Eyes," she murmured. "Waking up now?"

Kayla tugged on her mother's sleeve. "Yes, darling," Karla said, nodding absently. Kayla, who really wanted her mother's attention tugged harder. "Hmm?"

Look, Kayla, you had her attention all the time! And she hadn't seen Val in months.

Apparently, however, Kayla was as impatient as her mother. "Mama," she said, pounding on the table with a chubby little fist.

That got Karla's attention fast enough. "What?" she breathed.

"Mama," Kayla said again, appeased. And shoved her emptyish bowl of ice cream at Karla. "Mama."

[endsthegame]

A smile escaped from Ender's expression wholly on its own.

"She's talking?"

Val blurbled.

[glacial_queen]

"She is now," Karla said looking amazed and joyful all at once. "As of right now. She's understood us for awhile now, but didn't seem to have any desire to talk back."

And yes, Karla was absolutely getting her a tiny bit more ice cream for that.

[endsthegame]

"It's amazing what a little jealousy can do," Ender said, largely to the baby, teasing. "Welcome to the world of the speaking, Kayla."

[glacial_queen]

"Mama," Kayla said again, snuggling close to Karla, who put her arm around her.

"I might have to see about having the three of you come for a visit once you've settled into your new home for a bit," Karla said, amused. "See what else she can do with a tiny rival around for impetus."

[endsthegame]

"At least until Val starts to talk," Ender said wryly.

The baby in his slang didn't seem to particularly care either way, though she was grabby-handing for Ender's shirt. "I'm not sure how she'll handle a rivalry."

It was usually a bad idea starting one with a Wiggin to begin with.

[glacial_queen]

Well, hopefully by the time it would become an issue, Kayla would be over it. Especially since Karla was convinced that any children of hers and theirs would be dear friends. Convinced.

"Well, she needs to learn," Karla said. "At least if the other half of the Worthington after-prom children is true. It'll do her good, either way."

[endsthegame]

"Did they argue a lot?" Ender said. "I've never met more than one at the same time, I think."

[glacial_queen]

"Not really, though Nommy did seem intent on bedeviling her most times." As a teen and a small child, really. "But if she gets a little brother, she's going to have to learn that she can't always be the center of attention." Karla waggled her fingers at Val.

"Mama."

"See?" she said, smiling at Ender, before dropping a kiss on Kayla's head. Contented by this display of affection, Kayla started trying to spoon her ice cream again.

[endsthegame]

Ender let out a soft laugh. "Or you're doomed," he teased, "She's laid a claim on you and you will never be able to show anyone else affection again."

[glacial_queen]

"She's in for a world of surprise when she realizes that I've loved a slew of people before she came into this world," Karla said, huffing a small laugh. She loved it when Ender teased. "No one as much though."

[endsthegame]

"They do have a habit of soaking up a lot of it, don't they?" Ender grasped Val's little hand as it started questing around his shirt.

For some reason it was the little squeeze she gave in return that always got him. He smiled down at her.

[glacial_queen]

"There's really no help for it, either," Kathy said, wearing a tender smile as she watched Ender and Val together. "From the minute you see their little face, you're done for."

Not that either of them would have it any other way.

[endsthegame]

Val opened one eye and squinted at Karla, curious. But she didn't want to let go of Ender's hand, either. ???????

She wasn't quite that good at refining that blast of projected curiosity yet, but she was learning.

"Nature's foolproof way of keeping us from rejecting our own offspring," said Ender, ever the romantic. "Even when they keep us up at night."

[glacial_queen]

"It would make more--oof!" Karla grunted as Kayla's head came up in shock at feeling that flare of emotion.

"Yes, that was her," Karla told her. "She's saying hi. Do you want to say hi?"

Back to Val, Karla sent over a small wisp of power. A wordless *Hello, little one* wrapped up in the feelings of warmth and care.

After a moment of doubt, Kayla looked back at the baby and sent ☀.

[endsthegame]

Val wiggled a little, impatient. ??? she repeated. ☀ ??

Sadly for Ender, the whole exchange passed him by, and so he couldn't translate her concentrated desire to find out who-what these two were. He smiled apologetically instead. "She's trying very hard to get ahead of the curve already."

[glacial_queen]

"I, for one, am shocked," Karla told him, even as she was carefully responding to Val. *Karla,* she sent, which wasn't much of an answer, so she included several very stripped down memories of Karla with her fathers over the years, choosing the brightest and happiest memories she had. She kept them to manageable chunks, enough for Val to absorb and look over, but not enough to overwhelm, hopefully.

When it came to babies' brains, Karla liked to tread carefully.

[endsthegame]

Val could probably take more than most, but Ender would appreciate the caution regardless. She fell silent, mulling it over.

"And now she's thinking," Ender said fondly.

Yes, Karla could probably tell.