Room 528, Thursday Morning

[icecoldfrost]

Emma had skipped class yesterday, preferring instead to cocoon herself in a pile of blankets and try to sleep-off her powers hangover. She didn't need to give herself a worse migraine by listening to Professor Dèmon prattle on, no matter how entertaining and well-intentioned he was.

She was feeling a bit better today, however, and was bored with sleeping. She'd ventured out of her room long enough for a shower and to steal a movie from the common room, and was now curled up on her bed again, happily humming along.

Hopefully her furred roommate wouldn't mind her choice of entertainment.

[Door and post are open! ETA: Now on SP as I go to the internet-less job.]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"Kiss kiss, darling," Karla called from Emma's doorway. "I come bearing headache powder and tea. Not the most glamorous of gifts, I know, but useful."

[icecoldfrost]

"I'm happy to accept either," Emma replied, giving Karla a tired smile. "Kiss kiss, darling. I didn't break you, did I?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla scoffed. "Bah! Takes more than a relay race through a few minds to break me," she said, coming inside and to sit on Emma's bed. "Though I'll admit to sleeping through most of yesterday. Though that might have been my body refusing to remain conscious while I had that headache. Shall I make you some tea now, Emma?" The smile she gave Emma was also tired, but very fond. "While I check to make sure you didn't break something."

[icecoldfrost]

"Nothing is broken," Emma protested. "Maybe a bit sprained, but nothing that a few naps won't fix." Hopefully.

[glacial_queen]

"Of course not," Karla said innocently. "But surely you don't mind me checking just to make sure? This way I can get a more accurate idea of how many naps you're looking at."

She was putting together the tea as she spoke, figuring the promise of painkillers might help her case.

"And wouldn't you rather have my okay to wave at people who barge in here convinced by Deadpool that we found you half-dead?"

[icecoldfrost]

"You aren't going to let me have my tea until you check, are you?" Emma sighed. "Suit yourself."

[glacial_queen]

"Poor Emma," Karla sighed, turning around and letting the tea simmer. "Surrounded by friends who like to fuss."

She reached out delicate hands towards Emma's temples, giving an approving nod at Emma's earrings. "Can you lower your shields for me?" she asked. "Just a bit. Not far at all. I can put up a shield around the room so nothing else can get it while I am."

[icecoldfrost]

"I have a Jack that likes to fuss. That's about the equivalent of six regular people," Emma grumbled, although she didn't look too put out by the idea. Yet.

Still, she nodded, leaning back and closing her eyes as she let her own outer mental barriers drop for the other girl. "Just no leaving any graffiti of 'Karla Was Here' in my brain, or I'll put frogs in your bed for a week."

[glacial_queen]

"I like frogs," Karla teased. "And I'd just retaliate by tying knots in your clothes anyway. Ask Morton. Or better yet--don't."

Karla also closed her eyes and pressed her fingers against Emma's head. First she probed on the physical level, making sure Emma hadn't sustained any physical injuries in her brain. It had been doubtful, but Karla wasn't about to take that chance. Then she sent her Craft in deeper, checking the contours of Emma's mind.

The magic telepathy, Karla reminded herself channels here were all red and inflamed, much like muscles that had been pulled. Emma's comment of 'spraining her brain' was fairly apt as it went. Fortunately, Emma hadn't done herself any permanent injury, though there were a few places she'd come close. Karla made sure those places weren't in any danger of tearing before she moved on.

"There we go," Karla murmured, opening her eyes and sitting back. "You look pretty good. Not that that is meant as an invitation to do that again."

[icecoldfrost]

"Yes mother, I promise to be good, mother," she retorted, opening her eyes. "You're as bad as Jack. I told you I was fine."

"May I have my tea now, please?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla stuck out her tongue. "It isn't wise to sass your Healer," she reminded. "None of the healing draughts I make actually have to taste good, you know."

Though the tea she handed over at least smelled appetizing. And Karla didn't hesitate before taking a sip from her own mug.

"So, you said Jack is fussing, too?" Karla asked, deliberately not informing Emma about most of the rules about fussing. "You do realize that once you've given permission, you don't really get to bitch when he does, right?"

[icecoldfrost]

"You take too much pride in your skills as a Healer to make your potions taste nasty out of spite," Emma pointed out cheerfully, taking the tea without reservation.

"And Jack is Jack. I did not give permission. I knew he'd do it anyway, so I tried to make some rules."

[glacial_queen]

"Quiet you," Karla said immediately, though with a grin. "Don't you tale away my illusions that I'm dreadfully devious and spiteful. I might cry."

"So what rules did you make?" she asked. "And, more important, did Jack agree to them?"

[icecoldfrost]

"The basics," Emma answered. "He can fuss, within limits, and I won't do anything besides my basic shields for a few days, but if I need some quiet time without any boys, he has to go away and find other ways to amuse himself for at least an hour. In return, I will have quiet, inside fun that does not include picking fights or using my powers."

Not telling Karla that she had promised not to move past basic powers without a Healer's permission. Because Karla had already said she was fine, so that part of the rules had already been met.

Rules made it easier to get away with things.

[glacial_queen]

Fine did not equate to permission, Emma!

"Those sound like decent rules," Karla said, making a mental note to have Morton fill Jack in on the proper rules of fussing. She hadn't yet realized why that introduction might not go all that well. "Usually you can get the rules to include that he has to bring chocolate and delicious things to eat while he's fussing, by the way."

That didn't count as telling Emma rules!

"What kind of quiet, inside, maleless fun did you have in mind?" Karla asked. Somewhere, 'Dite was facepalming at the lack of innuendo in that question.

[icecoldfrost]

Emma shook her head and sighed. "Someday, Karla, you will learn how to use innuendo," she promised, getting comfortable against her pillows and making room for Karla to stretch out too.

"Reading, mostly. Naps without him hovering, or doing homework or watching a movie. Perhaps plotting my revenge for when I'm up and mobile again. Nothing sordid."

[glacial_queen]

"Revenge?" Karla asked, amused, and taking up Emma's wordless offer to stretch out. "Revenge against who, exactly? Or were you going to take your vendetta out against the fog?"

[icecoldfrost]

"For every time someone brings me tea and no chocolate, revenge shall be had," Emma announced grandly, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "A woman can only drink so many teas."

[glacial_queen]

"Mine are special teas," Karla said loftily. "Brewed with the finest water--" from the fountains in the hall, "with only the most aromatic leaves, all skillfully tended by lovely virgin hands." Hers. "With Craft specifically woven to make grumpy telepaths have fewer headaches. I an clearly an exception to your rule."

[icecoldfrost]

"I'll float away with all these fluids," she whined. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"

[glacial_queen]

"Poor Emma, getting fussed over," Karla teased, quite unsympathetic to Emma's plight. "Well, I hope you've neither floated away nor died from boredom in about a week or so. I'd be sad if you missed out...."

[icecoldfrost]

"Tease," she accused, swatting at Karla. "It will not take a whole week, you'll see. I won't miss out on anything worth doing."

"What has your devious little brain been devising?"

[glacial_queen]

"I asked Uncle Saetan if I could bring people back to Kaeleer for a visit," Karla said, now sounding almost shy. "I'd really like it if you would come. I'd like you to meet Jaenelle and Lucivar and the unicorns and see my world."

And see something other than Briarwood, really.

[icecoldfrost]

"I'd love to, darling," Emma assured her, reaching to give Karla's hand a quick squeeze. "I've got the one dress you gave me, but you'll have to take me shopping so that I don't give your cousin or your Uncle Saetan a heart-attack."

[glacial_queen]

"Uncle Saetan already said that we could go to Amdarh the first night and he'll put my Queen's Gift towards the tithes instead!"

Then Karla realized that she had probably just made no sense at all.

"Okay, so Amdarh is the capitol city of Dhemlan. Every person who lives in Amdarh owes a tithe to the District Queen, who in turn owes a tithe to the Province Queen--though I think Zhara, Amdarh's Queen, is both Province and Disctrict but anyway--and they all, in turn, owe tithes to Saetan because he's the Warlord Prince of Dhemlan. So, if he wants, Saetan can go shopping in Dhemlan and anything he buys, the shopkeep will subtract from his tithe to Zhara and she'll subtract that amount from her tithes to Saetan. Uncle Saetan says that if I do have this trip, he'll put the amount of money he usually sends me as the Queen's Gift towards credit in Amdarh, so people can go shopping there and I don't go through all of his tithes!"

Because the SaDiablos were so concerned about funds, really.

"Did that make any more sense?" Karla asked a beat later.