The Garage [afternoon]

[momslilassassin]

Ben was pretty sure that even Ender would draw the line at Ben trying to reconstruct a junk in their room, so he was down in the garage going through the spare parts Jaina had told him about and consulting the schematics he'd drawn up.

Most Earth-based boats wouldn't move as quickly as Ben was planning to try, for one.

He was certainly making enough racket to be heard from quite a distance away. Getting his attention might take a bit of work.

[OOC: Open!]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

It had taken Karla awhile to hunt down Ben, but she'd thought she'd had a good enough reason to make the effort. She lounged in the doorway of the garage and decided that trying to yell over the noise would just hurt her throat.

So she nudged him on a psychic thread instead. *We may have a problem,* she sent, dryly.

[momslilassassin]

Ben immediately reached into the Force to make sure Ender was still on the island. "What problem?"

[glacial_queen]

How ironically appropriate.

"We have another doppleganger on the island," Karla said. "Only this newbie looks just like Peter. He's in my Anatomy of a Trial class."

[momslilassassin]

Ben's eyes went wide. "Please be kidding."

[glacial_queen]

Karla just gave him a look and shook her head. "If I were kidding, I'd've arranged a Bean lookalike to visit your dorm. This? Not so much."

She came further into the garage, sitting on a bit of air high enough to keep looking at Ben in the eyes. "His name is Vance. He doesn't feel like Peter, but Ender won't know that."

[momslilassassin]

"Blast," Ben murmured. "This is bad."

[glacial_queen]

"I know," Karla said, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Believe me, I know. That's why I'm here. I figured that between the two of us, we can figure out the best way to handle it."

She gave Ben her best unsure-but-game smile. "So, figure out something, okay? I did my part."

[momslilassassin]

"I don't suppose we can just hope that if he hasn't seen him yet, he won't ever," Ben said with a sigh. "We should warn him."

[glacial_queen]

"Yeah, somehow I don't think we can count on a week's worth of luck to hold for however many years they'll both be on the island," Karla pointed out wryly. "But we also have to be careful about how we warn him, because if we make it seem like we're overly concerned, he's just going to shut us out."

[momslilassassin]

Ben nodded. "Of course. Just drop into conversation casually and then try not to watch him too carefully."

[glacial_queen]

"Blah blah blah Vance, that guy who looks just like Peter, blah blah let's get ice cream?" Karla asked, raising an eyebrow a bit. "I mean, there's no way to work it into the conversation without being obvious there's a reason we're bringing it up."

[momslilassassin]

"Well, there is a reason," Ben said. "Pretending there isn't insults his intelligence and our friendship with him. And then he can say there was no reason why we should have worried about telling him and he'll spend time rationalizing away whatever he's feeling and it will be a thousand times less uncomfortable than if he just bumps into Vance in the hallway or out at the cabins."

[glacial_queen]

"Because of course he knows it's not Peter and of course he'll judge the new male on his own merits and if we're really lucky, he might admit to the smallest bit of discomfort about meeting Vance, but that's about it," Karla said, slumping a little in her invisible seat.

[momslilassassin]

"Which is better than him showing the least bit of vulnerability to a student he doesn't know," Ben replied.

[glacial_queen]

Karla made a face, but couldn't disagree with that. Besides, that's the reason she'd come running to Ben, was it not?

"I just wish--" Karla paused, head cocked to the side, as a familiar dark power washed over the island. "Hell's fire, Mother Night, and may the Darkness be merciful," she muttered. "What the Hell?"

[momslilassassin]

"What?" Ben asked, looking worried.

[glacial_queen]

"You didn't just feel that?" Karla asked, a little surprised. Sometimes she forgot the Ben was a Jedi and not Blood. "We--or rather I--have company."

*Oh, Karla...*

Yeah. She recognized the identity behind that mental summons. "Uncle Saetan is on the island," she said, trying to sound bitchy and not surprised. "I don't know why, but he's here."

The eye-roll was a nice touch. Saved her from looking too off-kilter.

[momslilassassin]

"You weren't expecting him," Ben observed.

Annoying Jedi.

[glacial_queen]

"And the winner of the Obvious Award goes to Ben Skywalker," Karla grumbled. "He's looking for me. Ugh. Maybe I should just have him traipse across the island looking for me instead."

[momslilassassin]

"Asking random strangers for information about you and calling himself Saetan?" Ben laughed. "Do you really want that?"

[glacial_queen]

And there was more facepalming, yes. "What the Hell was he thinking?" Karla half-snarled. "Just showing up without warning? Bad plan!"

Ordinarily, Karla would be worried that his presence heralded something bad, but he'd sounded far too amused for that.

[momslilassassin]

"Is he in the habit of consulting with you on his plans?" Ben asked.

[glacial_queen]

"When he comes here? Damn right he is," Karla growled. "I know he's just here to check up on me and make sure I'm behaving or some such nonsense. I'm just surprised that Morton's not with him."

[momslilassassin]

"Telling him you're getting your naps and your snacks and only made a couple of people cry this week and he should go away," Ben teased.

[glacial_queen]

"I don't know if he'll be happier that I'm napping or that I've cut back to making only a couple cry a week," Karla laughed.

[momslilassassin]

"I can cry on command if you need that," Ben replied.

[glacial_queen]

"Nah," Karla said, grinning. "It's more fun when it's the real thing. On the other hand, you wanna come meet my Uncle? You didn't get a proper introduction the last time."

It was possible Karla was looking a little too hopeful for that.

[momslilassassin]

"Maybe tomorrow?" Ben stalled. "I don't want to interrupt your reunion."

[glacial_queen]

"You're a mean male," Karla sulked.

[momslilassassin]

"But you've known that for a very long time," Ben said with a grin. A mean, mean grin.

[mania-endless.livejournal.com]

Del's head appeared on the garage entrance, followed by the rest of her; she was no Cheshire cat you know?

"Are you killing a boat? What did she do to you?" She almost sounded as if she were accusing him or boat murder, which was serious stuff on Del's scale of crime.

[momslilassassin]

"No, I'm making a boat," Ben said. "It's in pieces temporarily."

[mania-endless.livejournal.com]

Del came closer, examining the parts of said boat, poking here and there delicately. "What happened to the old one?"

[momslilassassin]

"I'm not sure," Ben admitted. "My cousin gave these parts to me. I'm Ben. Are you new?"

[mania-endless.livejournal.com]

"", whispered as she looked at the poor remnants of the ship.

"I'm not new, I'm veryveryveryvery....very old, but I just arrived. Oh, and I'm Delirium." She turned to give Ben a somewhat normal smile. "Nice to meet you Ben, compared to others you feel pretty normal."

[momslilassassin]

Ben burst out laughing. "Who have you been meeting?"

He was very rarely described as normal at home.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda decided the best way to unwind after her first aid class was to do some first aid on her bike.

"Hi!" she shouted to Ben over the din as she made her way to her steed.

[momslilassassin]

Ben gave her a distracted wave as he glanced up from his plans.

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Whatcha workin' on?"

[momslilassassin]

"I'm making a boat," Ben said. "Is that your speeder?"

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"When I'm not being yelled at to slow down it is." she grinned. "Building a boat sounds pretty cool."

[momslilassassin]

"It's something to do," Ben said with a shrug. "Four year old me put me back a year on my normal project and I can't quite face redoing it jut yet."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda winced. "I'm just glad 8 year old me wasn't so freaked out she pulled her knife on anyone."

She began going over her bike with the proverbial fine toothed comb. "What's your normal project?"

[momslilassassin]

"Astromech droid," Ben replied. "The navigational programming has been a pain."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"That's...a robot?" she guessed.

[momslilassassin]

"A really complicated robot," Ben said, nodding. "It will be able to calculate jumps through hyperspace and not shoot me through the middle of a black hole to die."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

Leda was proud of herself for understanding that. Yay Fandom education!

"Yeah that'd be bad. It does sound complicated too." She'd forgotten a tool, and levitated it to her. "Is that a common problem where you're from?"

[momslilassassin]

"Jumping through black holes?" Ben shook his head. "Not for a few thousand years."

[anarchist-queen.livejournal.com]

"Wow so you've that that kind of technology for that long? This place must have seemed uber-primitive."