Sixth Floor Common Room, Friday Night

[glacial_queen]

By mutual agreement, Karla and her parents decided not to talk about about what was going on in Glacia and why she was here at Fandom. They still wished to know and were biding their time; Karla had pretty much decided that telling them would be a waste of time. All they could do was feel bad about it.

Instead, they had spent the afternoon handwavily wandering around the island, with Karla pointing out fun places to hang out and explore. Her father was intrigued by all the modern technology and would have been happy to spend several hours in Karla's dorm, fiddling with the lightswitch, her ipod, and her laptop. Karla's mother, however, wanted to meet more of Karla's friends. Having been on the island for over a year now, Karla knew the best way to lure people into one place.

Several orders of takeout later, the sixth floor common room was filled with dishes from Il Pollo, the Lobster Hut, Ching Tai, and, of course, Pizza Planet. She couldn't let her parents come to Fandom and not try pizza!

[Open for any night-owls!]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah was kind of exhausted. She and her parents-- okay, say it, her Mom-- were getting along. Dad was still made of awesome. Mom was-- here.

Sleep would mean missing time with them, so there was no sleep yet. Giving them a tour seemed like a better idea.

"And here we have... people. Lots of people. And food." Dinah paused, then turned to look at her parents. "Which, as you know, I'm all in favor of."

[weldedtomyspine]

Hey, it was Dinah! And Dinah's dad! And... someone else?

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Larry waved to Jaime, and Carolyn gave him a curious and yes, suspicious look.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Carolyn gave off more threat vibes than Larry did.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Mom, this is Jaime. The guy I'm seeing." The defiance underlying that statement had been completely missing when Dinah made introductions to Larry earlier. She gave Jaime a tense smile. "This is my mom. Carolyn Lance."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime mustered up a winning grin. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Lance." He stuck out his hand.

See? He could do charming!

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn's grip was as firm as Larry's, and lasted a few heartbeats longer. She stared hard at Jaime, and said, "It's good to meet you too." She shot Dinah a look, then carefully said, "I'm glad Dinah has friends here that she can trust."

Dinah twitched. Just a little.

[weldedtomyspine]

That generated a quick glance over at Dinah. Um... was he missing something here?

"Well, she's awesome. She's got tons of friends."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

"Really?" Carolyn's surprise had her glancing at Dinah again, fast, and saying, "Well, she was always friendly when she was little. People loved her." Her voice softened, and her face eased up a bit, so that the resemblance to Dinah was easier to see. "I'm glad. I was... worried."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Yes, Mom, it's possible for me to be honest with people and have friends at the same time," Dinah said, with too much patience in her voice. Trying to relax, she added, "I can take care of myself. I keep telling you that."

[weldedtomyspine]

Jaime smiled and moved to wrap an arm around Dinah's shoulders. "Dinah's good people. The best, even."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn's look was more bemused now, slightly helpless but accepting. "I see. Well. I think I see." Her experience was not Dinah's experience. She kept trying to remember that. "So. Are you two serious?"

Dinah facepalmed. "Moooooooooooooooom!"

[weldedtomyspine]

"Um... depends on your definition?"

That was, for the record, a very manly squeak. Promise!

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn's eyes narrowed scarily, but she looked at Dinah's rapidly-growing-stormier face, and simply said, "Well. As long as you're using the same definition. I guess that's okay." Her lips twitched. "But I'm watching you."

Which was when Larry put his arm around her shoulders and said, "She does this. But really she's a pussycat."

...clearly Dinah got the deathwish from his side of the family.

[glacial_queen]

"And a Karla--" Karla saw who accompanied Dinah and gave a small gasp of recognition. "Greetings," she said quietly, reaching for Dinah's hand. "I think I know who you are."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

I want a nap, Dinah thought at Karla, sounding happy and cranky and wound up and spread thin. But I can't leave them. Can't. Aloud she said, "Mom, Dad. This is one of my best friends here." She squeezed Karla's hand, and some shyness crept into her voice. "This is Larry Lance, my dad. And Carolyn. My mom. This is Karla, she's been here most of the year that I've been here." Her eyes went to the two adults who were watching Karla, and her eyes widened. Are they...?

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

The tall guy with Dinah's smile reached out for Karla's hand immediately, and said, "She told me all about you yesterday, when we got ice cream. You do magic? And you're a telepath too?" He grinned. "And there was something about flying in there, I think."

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn's reserve was stronger, and she was watching Larry for cues, then stealing glances at Dinah. "It's very nice to meet you, Karla." She gave Dinah another look though. "Flying? That's... is that safe?"

[glacial_queen]

*They are,* Karla sent, and her psychic thread was probably giving off similar emotions to Dinah.

"It is perfectly safe," Karla said, responding to Carolyn's question even as she favored Larry with a warm smile. "I am well-versed in Craft, and very strong. And the female who made them is even more skilled than I. That's not even considering Dinah's own gifts."

Her smile broadened a bit. "Dinah has been one of my closest friends in the year since I've been here. She's helped me in more ways than I can count and I am truly honored to be her friend."

With another glance backwards, she asked, "May I introduce you to my own parents as well?"

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Duh!" Dinah beamed at them, her thoughts going something along the lines of: Karla's parents! Hi! Yay you're here! Karla missed you so much! Then after a pause, Oh, I can't hear you, I'm a touch-telepath, and my parents can't hear you either, but yay! You're here! After which, she brought her shields back up, so they wouldn't have to listen to every random frustration with her mom or grief about her dad.

Aloud, she said, "It's really great to meet you, sir. Ma'am?" She paused, then looked back at Karla and confessed, "I forgot the titles again. Queen and... Prince? But not majesties?"

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"I am a Queen and he is a Prince," Ilyse said, blinking a bit at Dinah's enthusiasm. "Usually 'Lady' and 'Prince' suffice, but for this weekend we are eschewing our titles. For a friend of Karla's and her family, there's no reason for formality."

[glacial-court.livejournal.com]

"Please, call me Audric," Karla's father replied, stepping forward and giving the Lances a small bow. "And my wife, Ilyse. We're honored to meet you all."

[glacial_queen]

"Dinah has been among my very best friends in Fandom," Karla said happily. "If not the best. She's loyal, brave, and true and more a sister than a friend."

Whether she was saying that more to her parents or Dinah's, she wasn't quite sure.

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Dinah was turning a slow pink, but Larry was beaming and slinging an arm around his daughter's shoulders. "I'm glad to hear all this. Since I never got to before this weekend," he said, sobering a little bit. He smiled a little more gently at Karla, then at her parents. "Are you as grateful as I am that we get to be here?"

The royalty stuff pretty much sailed over his head; as a cop and P.I. in Gotham, he'd met enough rich people, ambassadors and politicians, to not find the concept impressive. Karla seemed very sweet though, and he was inclined to like anyone who'd produced a friend like this for Dinah.

[gothamphantoms.livejournal.com]

Carolyn shot him a tense look, and then said, "Larry. Not everyone's going to want to talk about... that." She turned back to Karla and her parents and smiled, though, studying them minutely. "I'm very, very glad that you've been there for Dinah while she was here." Her mouth crimped a tiny bit, as she added, "I thought she was going to stay in New Gothham. It's good to know she's adapted to a new place."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"I wanted to be here, Mom," Dinah said, an edge creeping back into her voice. She calmed a little, leaning into her father, and said, "Honestly, Karla's been a terrific friend to me this last year, so it goes both ways. Not just for being supportive and understanding and all that." She grinned mischievously. "But for teasing and goofing off with and shopping."