fandomhighdorms | The Garden, Thursday Afternoon

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The Garden, Thursday Afternoon

After a class, Karla went back to her room and changed into Morton's old cast-offs. Between the heavy content of today's discussion, the rapidly fading memories of the previous weekend, and the radio's reports that 'Dite was leaving--which would explain her message asking Karla to meet her at the store later--she had a lot to ~~brood over~~ think about. And now that the ground was thawed enough, Karla decided to skip the roof in favor of spending some quality time in the gardens. She could be useful and thoughtful at the same time with the guarantee that she'd feel better when she was done.

Ten minutes later, she was muddy, with dirt under her fingernails and over her face and already feeling a little better about everything.

[Open!]

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Dinah was silent for a long minute, trying to remember her-- Other Her's-- feelings about him, then had to give up. "Maybe? I guess. She was touching him a lot." She rubbed at the blush trying to rise on her cheeks. "I mean, I do that, but it's not-- it's a best-friend thing, I swear, not..." She paused, frowning. "She was reading him," she realized. "All weekend."

She. Her. Not Dinah. "Little stuff, his mood, not his real thoughts, she wouldn't do that, but... Sunday night, it was way more."

Edited 2011-04-15 21:03 (UTC)

"She was probably picking up on a lot of stuff from him, then, too," Karla said. "Getting caught up in the feedback, maybe? And, well, Priestly was sad. And lonely. And the two of you have been friends for so long. It's not surprising that you would turn to one another for...connection and comfort."

She hesitated and added, "I remember being sad around you. Maybe for you. I don't know why, but I was, I think."

"She was messed up," Dinah said, a bit more subdued. "Post traumatic stress, from something, man, five years earlier. You, older you, had helped, I remember. She nearly died. And, uh, then killed some bad guys. Guilt. Anxiety. I think she went crazy, I think you helped... And you were poking her to get out and talk to people, not just you and Roy. Those were the only Fandom people she'd seen for ages." She kind of wished she were in Fandom to hug Karla for that, now, for being so firm but caring with wounded, wary Dinah.

And put like that, it made even more sense of what had happened with Older Her and Older Hot Priestly. Somebody she trusted, even after time away. "So not me."

"Of course not," Karla retorted, unable to deny a little bit of warmth that spread through her, knowing she'd helped that other Dinah. "You're much to smart to cut out the people in your life who love you after something like that." Her tone suggested that Dinah had better be, anyway.

"So, we have two people, friends forever, who have been lonely and isolated for years. And they fell into bed with one another, probably in no small part for the comfort of skin on skin. And you're surprised by this?"

"Never gonna do that," Dinah vowed. Then grinned. "You would kick my ass."

"And it's Priestly!" Which was not an answer in any sane way, but. "No, no, I get it, it's not... It wasn't me. Or it won't be. I believe that, I do. But I remember all the stuff we did, and it's... the next morning, it was like double-vision, seeing him, and, and. Knowing." Dinah groaned. Stuff she usually made a point of not even thinking about as connected to Priestly, thank you very much. "I'm not making any sense. But I still want to bitch-slap his soon-to-be ex-wife. Even if he never marries her. And." Jealous? Or just possessive. Maybe? A little? Just a confusing echo of mine, no touch! against-- herself? "... Look, I just, I don't think about him as hot, most of the time, and it's messing with me. And I don't even want to, and it's.... Gahh!"

"So, mostly, it sounds like you're worried about what those two did messing up what you and Priestly have," Karla said thoughtfully. "Why? I mean, why do you think it could mess things up, not why don't you want it to."

Of course, Karla might be just the tiiiiiiiiiniest bit biased in the shipping Dinah and Priestly direction.

[Damn you, LJ]

Put like that, Dinah actually had to turn around and think about it. She bit her lip, and then slowly said, "There's Tish who he likes, and Kyle who I really really like, and..." No, that wasn't it. "That's part of it. Not all of it. It's ..." She looked over at the tower, where someone was happily dive-bombing into the mattresses, and said, "I want him to be my best friend and make me sandwiches forever, and goof around tell me to be careful. He's too important to have sex with." Look, that was the best she could do. She didn't have words for the instinctive belief that anything romantic for them right now would be doomed to crash and burn. "But I didn't, I guess. I had sex with--" She paused. "She had sex with a guy who doesn't exist."

[curses LJ with you!]

"I think you're selling your relationship with Priestly a little short," Karla said, drawing up her knees. "I think it will only be awkward for as long as you both let it be awkward, and that the foundation that the two of you have built is far too strong for something like this to shake."

At least, the sex between their future selves. Karla wasn't sure about a romantic relationship between them now. Though she'd like to see them try.

"I think... I think you're right," Dinah said as something slowly became clear to her. She, as well as older Her, had liked that Older Priestly, or could have, that way. But ... that guy was maybe never going to even happen now. And he was old, forty, so it wasn't like she wanted to date him while she was almost-nineteen.

"I think I had a little crush on the older Priestly," Dinah admitted, sounding embarrassed. "Me, I mean. Not just Her. But he's gone. I mean, really gone."

"Priestly was wandering around wearing a suit and tie," Karla said with a snort. "Everyone probably had a crush on him. And of course you did. He was vulnerable and in need of saving. He needed you. Why wouldn't you crush on that? This Priestly doesn't need you in the same way, so he probably doesn't draw at you the same way, either."

"I'm so glad you're sane," Dinah said gratefully. "'Cause it makes up for how crazy I sound after weekends like this, you know?" Smart, smart Karla. The last of the panic-weird went away and Dinah flopped back into the grass.

Karla snickered. "I'm only sane because I barely remember anything from this weekend," she said with a grin. "Otherwise, I'd probably be just as upset and panicky as you sounded. Besides, I'm not as close to the situation as you are. I can see the forest and the trees, you know?"

"Heh. Yeah." Dinah finally got back to her feet, feeling a ten-ton weight lift. "I'm going to Santa Cruz next week. And I'm not telling Kyle *any* of this for... well. 'Til he's seen how weird the island can get." And had enough 'alone time' to trust Dinah's interest in him. "Although-- 'Dite suggested that maybe, we could visit Kaeleer?" she said, hesitant. "You know Fandom is never weird enough on command. I have to show Kyle *something* weird, to get him used to the idea." Yes, she just called Kaeleer weird. She was grinning and waiting for a response.

"I don't blame you for that," Karla said, nodding. "He's just not going to get it. And, sure, I'll be happy to arrange a visit. I've been waiting for a chance to explain to Kyle what I really am." That wasn't an evil cackle right there, Dinah, perish the thought.

"Maybe we can set up a trip to--HEY!"

Guess whose brain finally caught up.

"Oh God," Dinah said, having fear. Great fear. And amusement. Then cackling as Karla reacted. "To us New Gotham people! Really! That's all! I mean, come on." She waited a beat, grinning. "A world without baseball? Without a metro? Without rigged councilman elections? Crazy world!"

"I miiiiight be willing to grant you baseball," Karla said, fan that she was. "But my world is awesome and you know it. What do you think? A trip to the Fyreborn Islands'll make a believer out of him? Maybe make a group outing? See if he can disbelieve Warren's wings, Jono's flame, Raven's Healing and dragons, all at the same time?"

"Break the normal?" Dinah offered, snorting, then considering a little. "The Islands would have to convinced him, and... well. You, and Raven, and... why not include the guys?" Or he'll be feeling testosterone threatened or something, maybe. "I'd-- really appreciate it," she admitted, sheepish. "I think that would have to work, right?"

"It's a really fun game and I hear the damage is rarely permanent," Karla teased. "Besides, don't you want a few more people around to act as a buffer for Lucivar?"

Yeah. Bet you hadn't thought of that, had you, Lance?

The implications hadn't quite sunk in yet. "Well, it's not like Kyle would know anything about weapons, or fighting..." A tiny thought was trying to form. Dinah's subconscious stomped on it for the moment. "And hey! Lucivar likes me! He even apologized, while he was here last time, about his part in all the yelling in October."

--so why would that be a problem? Why was she having this uneasy feeling?

Because Dinah's subconscious had a message it was trying to deliver, no matter how much Dinah tried to ignore it?

"He's Lucivar, Dinah," Karla pointed out, oh-so-reasonably. "You make it sound like he needs an excuse to be a pain in the ass. And Kyle will be a shiny new toy he hasn't managed to piss off yet."

"Oh crap," Dinah mumbled, at least part of the message getting through. She bounced with anxiety as scenarios formed in her head. "We don't have to introduce them! Really! I mean, you know, we can visit when Lucivar's... in some other territory?" She paused, and had a vision of Helena's cat-and-mouse attitude dialed up to 11, because Kyle was a guy. And Lucivar was a guy. Who was, well. Lucivar. "Oh god."

"Riiiiiiiiiight," Karla said, very amused by the whole idea. "We'll just go to a completely different Territory with Jaenelle while Lucivar's somewhere else. Out of curiosity, who was going to explain to Lucivar why we thought that was a good idea when he comes back?"

"Unh." Dinah was trying not to whine. "We could leave him a note?"

Ahaha, no. Oh god, he'd be worse than Arthur about this. Just because he could. And because Arthur didn't want to know, and that was part of why she still loved him as a big-brother type. Lucivar didn't have as much reason--

"It's not really his business who I date!"

Yeeeah, there you go, there's that thought, front and center.

"And you can tell him that!" Karla said, voice filled with badly-suppressed laughter. "Just let me know in advance so I can be there with a bowl of pickleberries."

Another whine of protest, and Dinah started walking in little circles. "You gotta help! Or..." No, it was still a good plan to take Kyle there. There had to be a way around the antler-butting, though. "I'll tell him. I will! And. He'll..." Laugh. Or yell. "Maybe it won't be so bad."

Ah, there's that insane optimism.

"Anyway. That's. For the future." Dinah blew out a breath. "Kyle and I, things are progressing... nicely." She smirked a little. "And that's what's important right now."

The Garden, Thursday Afternoon

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