The Garden, Friday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

This was going to be a bad one; Karla could tell.

Everything had a price. Pain balanced the power she could wield during the rest of the month. No witch could use her Jeweled strength during the first three days of her moontime without agony. For darker-Jeweled witches, that agony extended further, making even basic Craft a chore to be suffered through. Some months were better than others, when basic Craft was painful but doable. Other months, like this one, Karla woke with a taloned fist wrapped around her insides. That meant that any Craft, even something as basic as vanishing a book or floating a glass of water, would be accompanied by intense pain, gasping, and probably tears.

However, there was a way to ease a bit of the pain, and that's what Karla was doing now. Queens were able to siphon their power into the land. They called it the Queen's gift; a bit of blood or power into the land made it richer and more healthy, made the plants stronger and harvests better. And by pouring her Jeweled strength into the land, she would hurt less tomorrow when her moon-time actually started. There wouldn't be the reservoir of power within her to turn into twisting pain. Craft would still be beyond her her capabilities, but she'd be able to walk and move and interact with people, instead of being huddled up in bed, wishing that Ben had programmed Mini-Morton with the rules about fussing.

All of which led to Karla being outside, on her hands and knees, mucking about in the garden. What had started as a plan to siphon off a little power had turned into a decision to start prepping some of the garden for spring--it was still early yet, but Karla could feel the land readying itself and wanted to lend a hand. Her hands were chapped and red (the earth was still half-frozen), her clothing was ruined, and she had streaks of dirt on her face and in her hair.

All of which added up to one happy witchling.

[Establishing stuff for the weekend, but open!]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

"I'll agree, but only if you promise 'weird' doesn't mean 'nice,'" Karla teased. She brought a hand up to brush her hair away from her face, oblivious to the fact that she left a smear of dirt behind. "Though I have enjoyed being able to talk to non-Ben people about topics that don't involve babies and while using full sentences."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, if you miss it, knock on the door," Ben said. "I'm sure Ender will love to be cryptic at you. Nothing about babies, though. Hopefully ever."

[glacial_queen]

Karla laughed, tossing a clod of dirt Ben's way. She winced a bit at the motion, then tried to cover it up with another chuckle. "I'm sure he'd love it, too. But I've had enough of cryptic half-sentences to last me a lifetime, thanks. Brat."

[momslilassassin]

Ben noticed the motion, of course. "What's wrong?"

[glacial_queen]

"Just a little sore this morning," Karla said. "That's why I'm out here. Getting rid of some excess power."

It was a measure of how much she'd come to trust Fandom, that she didn't plan on hiding in her room all weekend instead.

[momslilassassin]

"Do you need mini-Morton to get you stuff the next few days?" Ben asked shrewdly.

They'd been together for months, after all.

[glacial_queen]

And had spent the last several months being the only person Karla trusted in an entire world. Yeah, Ben was probably well-aware of the warning signs.

"Probably wise," she said, a bit rueful. "Though that's why I'm out here. Making it so I don't need him to, if it comes down to it." She ducked her head and muttered, "I'm going to take it easy this weekend, too."

Oh, how the fates did laugh.

[momslilassassin]

"Good," Ben said with a smile. "I'll stop by with ice cream."

[glacial_queen]

"I don't know if I can handle more ice cream after the Vermonster..." Karla teased.

Which was a blatant lie, really.

"I guess we'll just have to see. In the name of science, of course."

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned. "In the name of science," he agreed. "You settling back in okay?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla nodded. "I got a job," she said, fighting back a grin. "On Mondays. Do you think you might visit me like you visit Ender?" She tried to sound innocent and hopeful. And not like she was secretly hiding something.

Like where she worked. La.

[momslilassassin]

"Sure," Ben said. "Where are you working?"

Silly boy.

[glacial_queen]

Bwahahaha.

"Dite's!" Karla said, giving Ben an enthusiastic grin. "She just offered me a job the last time I stopped in to visit. Isn't that astral? I've never had a job before! Well, not like that, anyway."

[momslilassassin]

"The shop with the stuff in it?" Ben gaped.

Beat.

"You aren't sending any of it to Petra, are you?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla just gave him a horrified look. "NO! Because then I'd have to think of them--well, maybe a lot of my contraceptive brew," she said, abruptly reconsidering her previous stance. Because, really, if she could do her part to ensure no more Bean-babies...

"But, yes, 'Dite's, the one with the 'stuff' in it," she added, dimpling.

[momslilassassin]

"And I'd have to go in?" he checked. "I couldn't just talk from the doorway?"

Wimp.

[glacial_queen]

"Are you scared to come in, Ben?" Karla asked, smirking a bit. "Really?"

[momslilassassin]

"There are things in there," Ben said eloquently. "And...stuff!"

[glacial_queen]

"Things? Stuff?" Karla raised an eyebrow. "Use your words, Ben."

[momslilassassin]

"Like I really know the names for them," he hissed.

[glacial_queen]

"All the more reason for you to come all the way inside on Monday," Karla teased. "You can point to what you're unsure of and I can explain things."

[momslilassassin]

Ben turned bright red. "No thank you."

[glacial_queen]

"Does that mean you won't be visiting?" Karla asked, looking hurt.

[momslilassassin]

Oh, now he felt bad. "I'll visit," he said.

[glacial_queen]

"You won't even notice where you are." Karla grinned up at Ben. "It won't be so bad, I promise."