Ninth Hell Campfire, Monday evening

[future_sandworm]

Clearly he had chosen completely the wrong workshops this time. The one he had thought was about art had turned out to be about stealing art (and why would he do that?) and the other one (Leto wondered if he had accidentally got it wrong) made even less sense. Clearly he would have to find some other means to further his education during the rest of the summer.

While contemplating this, Leto watched the flames of the fire, his hands wrapped around a mug of spice coffee. Perhaps he should attempt to make some of those s'mores that were so popular here.

[Open, of course]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"That would be very useful," Karla said, happily. "Consider it a trade."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"So, um, what have you been up to? Recently. If you don't mind me asking?"

[glacial_queen]

"I just came back from a weekend in Kaeleer!" Karla said happily. "I got to see my best friend and meet a bunch of her other friends. It was tons of fun."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"That's cool," she agreed, settling on the log a little more, "is she doing well? I'm glad you had a good time."

[glacial_queen]

"Much better than she was," Karla said, almost hugging herself. "And the party was wonderful."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"What were you celebrating?"

[glacial_queen]

"Jaenelle," Karla said. "She got...really badly hurt, a few years ago," Karla was choosing her words carefully. "Her body lived, but her mind was far, far away. Now she's better."

As an explanation, it left something to be desired, but it was accurate as far as things went.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona thought of some of the things she'd read about in her mythology books. Then she thought of her father, her mother. Even a little about herself.

And she nodded.

"I'm glad she's better."

[glacial_queen]

"Me too," Karla said fervently. "I mean, I would even if Jaenelle were just my best friend, but she's so much more than that. She's--" Karla cut herself off, flushing. "Sorry, I tend to ramble when I talk about Kaeleer and such."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

She shook her head.

"If you don't want to tell, don't. But if it's for me, don't worry about it."

[glacial_queen]

"Oh, no, it's not a secret or anything," Karla assured Fiona. "It's just...it comes with a lot of backstory, I guess. Jaenelle is Witch. When she makes the Offering to the Darkness and forms her Court, she'll rule all the Blood, human and kindred, from the Dark Court of Ebon Askavi."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

"Witch," she repeated thoughtfully, "and she'll... rule everyone when she gets old enough?"

[glacial_queen]

"Yup," Karla nodded. "All the Blood in all the Realms. No one's ever ruled the kindred before I don't think, but she will. She's dreams made flesh, the living myth. Though, usually I just think of her as Jaenelle. It's not good to be too much in awe of your best friend."

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona sort of nodded, wondering things she probably shouldn't wonder.

"How'd you meet her? She sounds kind of..." Fiona waved a hand absently, unsure of the word she wanted.

[glacial_queen]

"We were seven when we met. I was playing in the woods near the family estate when suddenly there was this giant wolf chasing me," Karla grinned. "He was Prince Smoke, a kindred wolf, who was playing hide-and-seek with Jaenelle. He got confused for a moment--he was barely more than a pup at the time, though I of course thought he was at least ten feet tall--and thought I was her. I went running, screaming for my life, and he chased me, thinking it was all in good fun, and Jaenelle found us right when he had me cornered."

Ahh, the good old days.

[cutsthestrings.livejournal.com]

Fiona looked a little boggled at this, but she would have looked almost as boggled had they met at a banquet or a shop or any other number of things. Fiona had mostly made friends here by aggressively talking to everyone.

"I... suppose you got things cleared up quickly."

[glacial_queen]

"Pretty much," Karla said, "though there might have been some hysterical crying first. But finally Jaenelle taught me how to speak to the kindred, so I could hear Prince Smoke actually apologizing and promising not to eat me. He said I was too bony for his liking," Karla grumped a bit.

On a distaff thread she sent, Talking to kindred is much like talking to anyone else, once you get the hand of it. Only it takesa small...step to the side, I guess. Jaenelle says you have to 'shuck the human trappings' which doesn't actually help much. I think of it as speaking to humans on a parallel thread, while speaking to kindred is on a perpendicular one.