Second Floor Common Room, Tuesday Afternoon

[endsthegame]

To say that Ender was Not Amused when he came home from classes to find all of Karla's books (as well as his copy of the Complete Works of Shakespeare, his books by Nietzsche and Kant and other philosophers, and any number of biology texts) reduced to romantic drivel would be a severe understatement. His laptop was not a credible alternative because he was still trying to come up with a good way to deal with Jane, and so the only option left to Ender was to head into the common room, and at least hope there were some good documentaries on.

"Oh, you have to be kidding me," he said, when the 111th channel also turned out to be playing... something by Jane Austen? No, even that was too much to hope.

This was not his week.

[[ open! ]]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

After an exciting "weekend" away (okay, she'd been in Camelot for longer than a weekend, but Karla had learned to consider things in Fandom time to cut down confusion), Karla was ready for something a little more relaxing.

Namely, baking cookies for Wesley, which was why she was lugging several grocery bags into the common room kitchen area. "Kiss kiss," she called to Ender when she saw him. "Having fun watching--" she glanced at the teevee. Nope, that definitely wasn't Austen. "What the Hell are you watching?"

Just wait till she realized what happened to her cookbook.

[endsthegame]

"I don't know, and I don't care," said Ender, rubbing at his temples. "All of my books have been changed into romantic pulp of the worst order, and I can't find anything on television beyond--" Vague gesture. "If I was the paranoid kind, I'd say the island is messing with me in particular."

[glacial_queen]

Karla hadn't noticed anything askance yet--though she had just woken up, her sleep schedule still a bit wonky from helping Eric--so she bit back a small smile and offered Ender a companionable shrug. "It's not really paranoia on this island," she pointed out. "Maybe it's trying to send you a message?"

If Ender needed help decoding said message, Karla would be happy to assist in the translation.

Pulling everything out of the bags, she offered, "If you're not attached to the teevee, you can always help me bake cookies?"

Or flee for the hills, Ender. Fleeing was always an option.

[endsthegame]

"If it's trying to send me a message, then one, I'm not buying, and two, it can stop trying," Ender said, irritably. Sorry, Karla, but he really wasn't interested in getting bustled into anything by an island that had probably long since lost its mind with all the teenage hormones running around on it.

It was possible Ender was in a slightly less than charitable mood.

"And I'm not sure that's wise," he added. Diplomatically.

[glacial_queen]

"Because the island is so often concerned with how we feel about its bouts of whimsy," Karla said wryly, not opening cupboards to get a truly impressive number of mixing bowls and measuring spoons out. Wesley was going to get a lot of cookies.

"And if you're worried about not having a lot of baking experience, that's okay," she continued. "You can still help pass me things and crack eggs and whatnot. Sometimes I have trouble with that part."

Yep. That part. Singular.

[endsthegame]

Ender shot a glance after her as she went. "Sometimes, even I like to rage against the dying of light," he said, dryly. "And it's not me I'm worried about. Karla, don't you think maybe it's time to take cooking lessons...?"

Look at him, taking one for the team.

[glacial_queen]

"I have!" Karla said happily, opening up a bag of flour and adding three heaping cups to the largest mixing bowl. "I'm taking Home Ec this semester and Magic of Baking a few semesters ago, and possibly another cooking class, but I'm not sure."

Therefore, she was almost an expert.

"Hmmm...should I add another cup, you think?" she asked, looking at the mixing bowl closely. "Or should I move onto sugar? Or--oooh, I should decide what kind of cookies I'm making first."

[endsthegame]

In other words, the universe seemed to be telling Ender, suit up and get in there or bear responsibility for the consequences.

Well, it's not like there's anything on TV at the moment, he told himself, and got up. "I think a recipe would be a good place to start."

On the bright side, at least Ben wasn't helping her?

[glacial_queen]

Ender's universe was a pessimist. The only possible consequences of Karla's attempts at baking would be Wesley getting a delicious thank you for his help.

It was possible that Karla's universe had several gaping blind spots.

"You can pick one while I start cracking eggs?" Karla suggested, using her chin to point to the book resting on the counter. A convenient paper bag was resting on the top of it, obscuring the cover from view. "Sometimes I need a little practice before it works."

[momslilassassin]

Ben gave Karla a little wave. "Hi!"

[glacial_queen]

"Kiss kiss!" Karla said, waving a mixing spoon at Ben--and getting mess everywhere. "I'm baking!"

Darkness help the school

[momslilassassin]

"What are you baking?" Ben asked.

You know, so he could at least have an estimate of what it was supposed to taste like.

[glacial_queen]

"Cookies!" Karla said cheerfully. "But Ender broke my recipe book, so I'm mostly improvising. But I'm sure they'll be delicious!"

Watch her paddle up that river there...

[momslilassassin]

"Ender broke your recipe book?" Ben repeated. That seemed...remarkably self-defeating, even for Ender.

[glacial_queen]

"He picked it up and it turned into a romance novel," Karla said, tactfully not mentioning what kind of romance novel it was. "So now, if I want to make anything according to that book, I'm going to need a lot more glistening chests and heaving bosoms and the like."

Okay, the book didn't call for any, but if someone was handing them out, Karla wasn't going to turn one down.

[momslilassassin]

"I can't imagine heaving bosoms would be all that hygienic," Ben mused as the point whizzed right over his head.

[glacial_queen]

Oh, Ben.

"Which is why I'm ignoring the book and coming up with everything all on my own," Karla said, trying not to sigh at his obliviousness. "They're mostly chocolate chip!"

Mostly.

[momslilassassin]

After Ben's book of Islam had been replaced by something decidedly unreligious (and a quick glance at Ender's bookshelf had shown that his roommate's tastes had changed wildly overnight or the island was being insane again), Ben stomped into the common room.

"Ho, Ender," he said with a little smile. "...what are you watching?"

He'd been expecting History Channel.

[endsthegame]

"I don't know, and I don't want to know," Ender told him, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Every channel shows the same kind of thing."

[momslilassassin]

"Normally it's game shows," Ben said, frowning.

[endsthegame]

"Now, it's bad romance movies," Ender said, flatly, "Much like what's happened to my entire bookcase."

Notice the common garden variety Ender in his very rare state of 'annoyed to the brink of sanity'.

[momslilassassin]

"I noticed that," Ben said sympathetically, for once choosing discretion instead of hair ruffling. "At least the flowers are gone?"

[endsthegame]

"I could live with the flowers," Ender muttered, "At least they weren't depriving me of something to do."

Maybe he should go into Fixer-Uppers and just ask whoever was on duty if they needed any help...

[momslilassassin]

Ben flopped down next to him. "Want to borrow some droid parts?"

[endsthegame]

"As long as they don't turn into sugar candies or something equally inane," Ender muttered, burrowing his face in his hands, "I'll take it."