Raven

It was mid-spring now, the air warming and the earth waking up, so Karla was spending a great deal of time outside in the gardens, Nemit perched on her shoulder and trilling a bit in her ear while Karla worked the land, or else just sat somewhere and focused on it.

"Kiss kiss," she said quietly, coming up on Raven and Philia. Philia got a quick scritch behind the ears and Nemit bumbled down to play with her--mostly by doing an impression of a drunken bumblebee around Philia's head. Raven got a smile and a nod towards the bench. Would Raven mind if Karla sat? Or would she prefer to be left to meditate?

[In a cabin in Tenneesee, so it will be the most slowest of slowplays!]

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Karla was one of the people Philia had put firmly into her "trusted" category, so she happily allowed the scritch and then barked and began to chase playfully after Nemit.

Raven patted the bench next to her. "Hello, Karla," she said with a warm smile. "Please, sit with me if you wish, unless you are on your way to do something."

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"Nope," Karla said, sitting down next to Raven and immediately leaning to rest her head on her friend's shoulder. "My moontime's coming, so I was just out releasing some excess energy from my Jewel into the ground. You know, taking the glorious opportunity to do nothing."

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Raven slipped her arm around Karla. "If you had known how busy being Queen would make you, would you have taken another path?" she said teasingly.

Her tone was a little more serious, though, when she asked, "Have you heard from Warren?" The time difference between Glacia and Warren's world meant they shouldn't be alarmed that he'd been gone for so long, she knew, but a little assurance would be nice.

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"Can you imagine? We'd all be in college right now. Could you picture us taking courses and exams for four years? Trying to figure out what we wanted to be when we 'grew up'?"

Imagining it, she just shook her head. What would she have been, had she been a normal girl?

"He's been texting me off and on since he got there," Karla confirmed. "More off than on, but that's the time difference for you."

Things in his world weren't going so well, but Karla saw no reason to worry Raven with those details. It didn't matter much, right? He'd be leaving his New York in just a few Kaeleeran days and they wouldn't have to worry about it any more.

"Maybe when he gets home, we'll throw a party or something. Our birthdays are in a few days, Jono's Fandom birthday wasn't that long ago, and I bet Cora and Nyles would love some time in Fandom."

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"I think that is a wonderful idea," Raven said. "We have been threatening Jono with a birthday party."

And speaking of Fandom.... "I had been thinking of going to Fandom for a few days anyway," she said. "Just to take some time before I begin to tour the orphanages. I could ask Dr. Lecter if he would still like to host a party if you wish to have it on the island so Cora and Nyles may visit."

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"I was thinking maybe more Fast Eddie's?" Karla said. "Imagine their faces when they see an arcade."

Though if Hannibal wanted to cater, Karla would be only too happy to let him. Out of the kindness of her heart, of course.

"So, which should I ask you about? How your meetings with him are going, or an update on the orphanages?"

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"I have only had one meeting with him thus far," Raven said, ducking her head. What she'd learned about herself wasn't exactly completely unobvious, but it still didn't make it easy to talk about.

"As for the orphanages, I have been preparing a schedule to visit each and everyone for inspection," she said. "I intend most to be unannounced so I can be certain they have not tidied up just for me."

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"My favorite part of that is how you literally will just show up in a puff of smoke and demand to be given a tour," Karla said, her smile not particularly nice. But then, if there were places taking care of children that weren't up to snuff, they deserved what they got.

And for all of Raven's sweet demeanor and gentle exterior, if she found signs that not all was well, she'd have no problem tearing into them. It would be glorious.

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Maybe Jono would do the favor of recording it for Karla if he was going to go along to help her.

"My greatest priority is making certain the children are healthy and safe," Raven said. Woe be to anyone who let the children live in filth and abuse, or hired them out as child labor and pocketed the profits. "After that I would like to do something to help them find family that would be able to take them in, or failing that, people willing to foster children not born their own. Food and shelter may sustain life, but it is love that will allow the children to thrive, and that is my goal."

She wasn't going to do this small. It was quite possible this project was stirring up some residual feelings about how she had been raised, sheltered and fed, but without a mother's love. Without anyone's love.

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*Ringtone of Dinah's home and bored now*

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"Hello, Dinah," Raven said, smiling as she answered the phone. "How are you?"

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"Enh, not too bad." Dinah grinned and rolled a superball for Camille. "Just hanging out, killing time until a surveillance job. What's up in Glacia?"

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"Warren has gone home to see his father," Raven said. "He has been gone for quite some time, but that is normal apparently. Time in his world moves much more slowly than it does in Glacia. Oh, and Karla has put me in charge of all of Glacia's orphanages. That will keep me busy for some time."

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"You are? That's so awesome!" Dinah patted Camille and asked, "So what's that going to involve? And jeez, huge job, I'm thinking."

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Raven glanced over to Philia to make sure she was still in sight, not that she expected her to wander too far.

"I am making plans to visit each and every one," she said. "I will inspect them and see if any improvements need to be made, and make sure they have the resources to do so. And I will speak to the children to make certain they are treated well. If I learn they have not been, then I will replace those responsible with people I can trust."

And woe to anyone who abused their position or the children they were to care for.

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"You'll be good at that," Dinah decided. She hummed absently. "Does Glacia even have an adoption program, for all those kids who lost their parents during the war?"

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"If there is not one, that will be the next step," Raven said. Her first priority was making certain the children were cared for now, and then trying to find them homes.

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"Cool." Dinah got up to get a snack, and said, "You let me know if you need anything on that, okay? Momoko's been talking about maybe taking a trip back to see you guys, and Glacia, in a few weeks."

Edited Date: 2014-08-11 02:00 am (UTC)

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"I will, and yes, you should," Raven said. "It has been twice as long for us since we have seen you than it has been for you."

Another sentence that only made sense to people who'd lived in Fandom.

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"Awww, you miss me?" Dinah grinned. "Maybe we'll drag Priestly along too, it's been a while since he visited, and he's living in New Gotham now, so. Well, assuming he's not having to do something for school."

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"Of course I miss you," Raven said. Then she mused, "We have been threatening Jono with a late birthday party. Perhaps we can make arrangements for that then."

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"That sounds like a fabulous idea. With extra cake. Different cake for each of us, and sharing the taste with him." Dinah grinned. "So when's Warren due back, and how's everything else there?"

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Raven had to do some calculations in her head. "A week or so, I think?" she said. "He was only to be in his world for a few days, which would be four weeks here."

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"Okay, then when you guys have the party, gimme a call. I'll grab other people and drag them there too. Oh hey, how old *is* Jono now?"

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