fandomhighdorms | The Second Floor Common Room, Thursday Evening

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The Second Floor Common Room, Thursday Evening

Karla was nervous. Well, that wasn't much of a surprise. Karla had been nervous all day. But this was a new and different kind of nervous. Now, she was about to host a party, which she had never done, in a world that was still foreign to her, and for many girls she did not know very well. It was enough to unsettle even the strongest nerves.

Still, she though she was ready. Dinah had promised to provide her laptop for movies. Karla and Gabrielle had gone to Turtle's and purchased lots of ~~moddable~~ snacks, sodas, and lots of candy and chocolates. She'd bought make-up, since Dinah had mentioned it's importance in such matters, plenty of blankets and pillows to share, and several other sundries because she wasn't entirely certain what else would be needed, and wished to be prepared. Also, lots of booze, from her private Kaeleeran stash.

Most importantly, there was a small, neatly lettered sign on the door that said 'No Males Please.'

Well, she was as ready as she was ever going to be. "Kiss kiss," she muttered.

[~~Give me a second for the OCD, please.~~ OCD is ready to party! Sorry for the repost! Wrong LJ.]

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~~Does one have to be psychic to hear this? Or can Karla project into people she wants to communicate with?"~~

~~She can project, but people need to know how to listen. Normally I'd say 'have to be psychic,' but having magic may be enough to let you hear it anyway.~~

~~For the sake of the story, I'll agree with you.~~

Leda's eyes widened. "Uh, what was that? Did you..."

"Can't you speak on psychic threads?" Karla asked, a little confused. "I kinda assumed...maybe because of the whole Dea al Mon screw up on the shuttle and I just never thought about it further. Sorry."

"No no, it's okay. I've just never...so you did, just, speak to me inside my head?"

"In a manner of speaking. I sent a human distaff psychic thread to you. Human, because you are close to a human than to a kindred, and distaff, because you're a female. The thread only goes as far as the first of your inner barriers, though."

"You think I could...talk back?"

Karla shrugged. "I don't know how your magic works. But I think you should try, anyway."

*It makes it easier to talk to you, for one thing. With psychic threads, you can speak across distances that span hundreds of miles, if you're powerful enough. Or connected enough.*

Without knowing really how it worked, Leda tried anyway. Focusing her mind on Karla and trying to think very clearly. *Okay, can you hear me now?*

*You did it!* Karla cheered over the psychic threads.

"Yee!" Leda cheered out loud. "Oh! I mean;"

*Yee!*

Karla laughed. *Is this not a common ability amongst your people?*

*I've honestly never heard of it before.*

*Then you may praise me to your people when next you see them, for teaching you such a neat bit of Craft,* Karla teased.

*If I don't decide to keep this for myself, I'll do that. So, what did you want to talk to me about?*

All amusement fled. *Right. That. Do you know what it feels like to be surrounded by a hundred potential enemies and know yourself to be almost completely helpless?*

Once, long ago Leda had felt exactly like that. Lost, confused, scared and lonely. Actually, twice long ago. She ~~drank~~ worked hard to forget those times. *Yeah.*

*Then you'll understand why I'm...so jumpy. The first three days of a witch's moon time is one of extreme vulnerability. I can't do much more than basic Craft, and even that hurts. Even witches who are perfectly safe and happy in the bosoms of their families are on edge at this time, because no matter how strong they are normally, they're weak and defenseless right now. I...came from a very dangerous situation at home, to Fandom which is still a scary and foreign place. I have very few people I can trust and lots of potential enemies. I won't be able to fend off any male who wants to break me. Which means that all males are a threat.*

*Anyone tried to break you they'll get broken.* Leda thought, with uncharacteristic fierceness.

*That might be true, but it won't do me much good if I can't hold them off long enough for help to arrive, will it?* Karla sent. *And even my knives and my serpent's tooth,* an image of a small tooth under a ring finger nail flashed down the link, *won't be much help against a strong male, if he waits for the right time and has help.* There was another image, one of a bedroom door opening and three grown men lounging on the other side of it, but Karla quickly slammed down her mental barriers.

After a moment they rose again. *Sorry. Sometimes my control goes to Hell, too. But anyway, that's why I'm throwing the party. I don't think I could have handled my first night here, by myself. Not like this. But I also needed to tell someone. I mean, technically, I've just given you a huge weapon you could use against me, but you're one of the few people I trust with it. And if I do need help, I need to know that there are people I can trust to come running.*

How ironic this statement will be in about twelve hours.

Leda impulsively put a comforting hand on Karla's shoulder, even as she muttered. The men where you come from are kinda evil I take it?"

"NO! Well, that is...not all of them," she amended. Continuing silently, she sent, *Most of the males I know are good, kind males who understand Protocol and are fiercely protective of females. So much so that they can be giant pains in the ass. But...the Blood have what we call the 'inner web.'*

An image was sent down the link of a column of thirteen sparkling webs. The top web was a brilliant white, and the last web was a deep glittering black. The ninth was a bright blue. *Each web represents a level of power. White is the weakest, Black the strongest. I wear the Sapphire, and will wear the Ebon-gray after my Offering to the Darkness.* The blue web glowed momentarily when Karla mentioned her Sapphire, and at the mention of the Ebon-Gray, the second-to-last web glowed as well. A small spider began slowly clibing down a thread from one web to the next. *To reach our full power, we descend to our inner web; if I concentrate for a few moments, I can actually bring to bear the full power of my Sapphire in concentrated bursts of power. But it's a slow, inner communion, and nothing is disturbed. But sometimes, we don't descend, we fall.*

The image changed to the spider plummetting down, smashing through the webs, and leaving them battered and broken in its wake. *This is what we call 'being broken.' Any member of the Blood whose inner web is smashed like that loses their ability to do more than basic Craft. It's like an eternity made up only of the first three days of a moon time. Any kind of sufficient trauma can do that, but it's easier with females. Our power hangs by our hymenal thread, and if our Virgin Night isn't gentle like it should be, then we will break. Sometimes, it even happens by accident.

Females rule in Kaeleer. Males serve and protect. That is how it's always been. But some males want more than that. And so they've begun breaking young witches. A broken witch is a complacent witch, willing to do as she's told, not make a fuss, not be a bother. That's what's happening in Glacia. My Uncle Hobart is in power now; he's set up a ruling council of males, at least until I'm old enough to make the Offering and become Glacia's Territory Queen. But if I'm broken before then...well, what's to stop him from ruling in my stead. And if most of the young witches are broken, or at least, the ones who pose a threat to him and his Council, then there will be nothing to stop him at all.

No, Leda. Most of the males are good and kind. But for the past year or so, other than Morton, those aren't the ones I've been exposed to.*

Leda winced. *Okay, yeah I can see how that could get you on edge.*

It all sounded needlessly complicated to Leda. She preferred the (mostly) civil anarchy that ruled Bordertown.

Karla just looked tired. *Yeah. It makes trusting people...especially males...really hard.* She looked around. "I need a drink," she muttered aloud.

"Me too." Leda agreed whole heartedly.

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