The Roof, Monday Afternoon

[glacial_queen]

Sunglasses?

Check.

Sunscreen?

Check.

Blanket to lounge on? Trashy novels to read? An assortment of beverages?

Check, check, and double-check.

Karla was having a lazy day. The roof provided an excellent combination of sun, garden, and an excellent view of the dorms, all without the bother of having to trek very far to get there. What better way to start her vacation week?

[Roof is open!]

Comments

[nyotauhura101.livejournal.com]

"Hey, Karla! Mind if I join you?" Uhura appeared on the roof with a blanket, and wearing a fetching (if she may say so herself) one-piece bathing suit and shorts.

[glacial_queen]

"Kiss kiss," Karla replied with a wave. "Feel free. There's plenty of roof for sharing."

For her part, Karla was wearing a bikini and a sarong. A full year here hadn't inured her to the discomfort of showing off that much leg. "No sun hat?" she asked with a wink. "Irulan will be so disappointed."

[nyotauhura101.livejournal.com]

Uhura spread her blanket out next to Karla's, then shimmied out of her shorts.

"Irulan isn't trying to get most of her skin tone to match," she said with a smile. She laid down on her blanket and closed her eyes. "How are things with you?"

[glacial_queen]

Karla thought back to the past few weeks--stopping a serial killer, battling an evil witch, fighting with an angry goddess--and gave Uhura a wry smile. "Not anywhere near as restful as I would like," she said. "Very glad to be on vacation."

She propped herself up to reach for drink. "How about you?" she asked. "Won't be a newbie anymore next weekend. Oh! There's water and juice here if you get thirsty. Help yourself."

[nyotauhura101.livejournal.com]

"Thanks." Uhura grabbed a water. She thought back on her first few weeks. Homesickness, a boy for a roommate, her first job, running with Ben every morning, gremlins, run-ins with Vulcans.

"Okay, overall. Still getting used to things. And people. I'm glad it's vacation, too. No homework!"

[glacial_queen]

"How have you done with the occasional bouts of craziness?" Karla asked. "Have you gotten hit by any of it?"

[nyotauhura101.livejournal.com]

Uhura squirmed. She didn't want to admit to being too intimidated to get out much.

"Uhm, not really. Not in the right place at the right time?"

[glacial_queen]

"Heh. Usually for island-wide insanity, the place is pretty much anywhere," Karla said, settling back onto her blanket. "Sometimes, though, some people just get skipped. Like how I didn't turn into plastic on this weekend, thank the Darkness. Maybe you're just lucky," she added with a grin.

[nyotauhura101.livejournal.com]

"Plastic? Gross. Especially in this weather." Uhura rolled over, settling on her stomach. "The insanity looks like fun sometimes, though. What's your most fun story of insanity?"

[endsthegame]

Ender didn't get to the roof until well into the afternoon: he did have a Stark's shift to finish up on, of course. When he got there, though, he had to allow himself a moment to chuckle softly, offering Karla's shape an amused look.

"You're really getting native now."

[glacial_queen]

"It's true," Karla said lazily. "In a moment, I shall go downstairs and turn on one of those really loud shows where people yell about the paternity of their children."

She sat up and gave Ender a bright smile, very pleased to see him. "Kiss kiss. You know, I don't think I saw you at all in the cabins. Did you just move out to the beach in the shuffle?"

[endsthegame]

The edges of his lips quirked with a little edge of amusement. "No," Ender replied. "I've just been-- busy." Busy with his mind somewhere not-here, but he didn't feel like saying more unless he was asked.

Instead, he walked further onto the roof, picking a spot a foot or so away from her to sit down on. "Or you could ask Ben and get all the conspiracy theories out," he said, with a gentle blend of amusement and exasperation. "Either way-- how have you been?"

[glacial_queen]

"I'll have you know, that last time Ben and I talked about you, it was simply to complain about how smelly your socks are. I, of course, stood up for you and demanded Ben not disparage you so," Karla admonished with a toss of her hair.

Liiiiiiiiies.

"In all seriousness, though, I have missed you. Perhaps I'll stop by the shop next week for a visit--assuming I won't interfere?" Karla knew Ben stopped by on Mondays as well, and wasn't sure how much time Ender was willing to lose from a day, dancing attendance on his friends. "As for me, things have been...eventful. Ben's had to fuss at me several times already this past week."

[endsthegame]

"I'm glad I can count on you to stand up for me," Ender said, with a wry note to his voice. Clearly, clearly it was all lies. "And the worst that could happen is that you could walk in on Hiccup attempting to enact some decree by Stark or another." He realised that wasn't what she was getting at, but the joke was fairly easy - and distracting - to make. "So feel free."

He leaned backwards on his hands, and shot her a glance. "Go ahead and tell me. You know fussing isn't my strong suit."

[glacial_queen]

Karla outlined some of the adventures she'd had recently, freely admitting that her plan had been badly flawed. She kept her voice light and cheerful, though an observant Ender (and, really, was there any other kind?) would be able to pick up on her guilt.

"So I have decided that this week is for relaxing. I'm going to be social and silly and avoid anything with even a vague hint of heroics involved."

Because that would last, sure.

[endsthegame]

Ender smiled a little - wryly, again, because yes, he'd picked up on just that note. "You'll last for about five minutes," he predicted. "You can't sit still."

[glacial_queen]

"Can too!" Karla protested, with a bit of wryness of her own. "Ben is your friend who throws himself at danger on a moment's notice. Not me."

No, Karla stood on the sidelines, fling Craft at said danger for a minute or two before tossing herself into the ring. Very different.

[noearsyet.livejournal.com]

Admittedly George was coming up to the roof solely to drop things of it, but he also completely lost the idea of dropping things off of it when he saw the bikini people there.

"It's like yer on th' beach," he commented, giving a dorky little wave.

[glacial_queen]

Karla propped herself up on her elbows and gave George a lazy smile. "Kiss kiss," she replied. "I'm kind of pretending that I am. I decided I didn't want to walk that far today."

[noearsyet.livejournal.com]

"Tis a long walk indeed," he teased, wandering over to sit down beside her. "Lazy lass."

[glacial_queen]

"I've had a trying few weeks," Karla said, mock-pouting at him. "I've decided I can afford to be lazy for an afternoon."

[noearsyet.livejournal.com]

"But if ye were at th'beach, y'could be swimmin'," George pointed out. "What happened? Or, y'know, I could try t'distract you so ye don' have t'talk about it."

[glacial_queen]

"I've got plenty of swimming time ahead of me, just this week alone," Karla pointed out, laughing.

"As for the last few weeks?" She wrinkled her nose. "I've gone up against a serial killer, a mob of beggars, an evil witch, and an angry goddess. A lot for just a few day's time, honestly. So, I'm treating myself to a lazy day."

[noearsyet.livejournal.com]

He raised an eyebrow, half-amused at the random list of stuff. "Aye, well, as ye do."

[glacial_queen]

"Only for here is that even kind of normal," Karla said, shaking her head. She grabbed a bottle of juice for herself and offered another for George if he wanted. "And, of course, I was part of a group for all of those, so it's not like it's just me fighting everything ever. Thank the Darkness. But I was thinking it might be nice to relax for a week and pretend like that isn't a normal kind of week for Fandom."

She took a sip. "How about you? What have you been up to?"