Hannibal's house (in which Jono is probably still on Cloud 9), Sunday evening

[sharp_as_knives]

It really had been a lovely trip, but it had brought up a few questions. Now that they were back home, Hannibal had some phone calls to make. (Jono did, too, but he was still what passed for "giddy" for him, so Hannibal had a feeling his calls would be waiting till later.)

So, he retired to the study with the list of off-island people they'd sent announcements to, prepared to call as many as he could to verify they'd actually gotten them.



[OOC: Open post! If you want Hannibal to have called you, he will!]

Comments

[glacial_queen]

Karla was putting the last few touches on Kayla's new room. It had taken a lot of convincing to explain that the new baby would need the nursery now and that Kayla was old enough to move into a big girl bedroom, like Cora and Nyles both had. It was only after reassuring her that, yes, she could take all her toys with her and, yes, Dujae would come and paint her a new pretty wall that she could help design, too, that the topic was able to be broached without any tears at all.

Parenthood was exhausting. Why had she signed up for this again?

So having her phone ring was practically a gift from the Darkness. "Hannibal!" Karla said fondly as she answered her phone. "Kiss kiss, darling. Are your psychiatric powers so good you could sense I was cracking from Fandom?"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal chuckled. "That sounds serious. What sort of cracking have I saved you from?"

[glacial_queen]

"The kind where we've allowed Kayla some limited choices in her new room's decoration and she somehow found those hideous ponies of Raven's from a few years back," Karla said with a shudder. "Warren and I keep trying to talk her out of them, but she's convinced they're 'booful'."

Her child might be possessed, Hannibal. Was that something you could help with?

[sharp_as_knives]

"Oh, dear. The ones she painted when we were children?" That was both adorable and horrifying. "Perhaps you could offer her something better to replace them."

[glacial_queen]

"I'm about to offer her a real pony if she just lets me have the ones she's found," Kathy grumbled. "They have little dead eyes and they're hideous."

Let's no one ever discuss Karla's own taste in things at two and a half. Jono could attest to her fashion sense at six and it was still terrible.

[sharp_as_knives]

"If that doesn't work, she's certain to grow out of it," Hannibal said. "You can only offer her an example of good taste to grow into."

[glacial_queen]

Which was much easier without the boyos in Naboo explaining to her the concept of turnips and veganism, just to be spiteful.

"Darkness knows, I try," Karla said. "Perhaps I'll ship her off to her uncles for summers to get an idea as well. From one of you, anyway."

Because, yes, she'd met Jono.

"So if not to advise me on my incipient pony-related breakdown, what can I do for you, darling?"

[sharp_as_knives]

"It is in fact about those uncles, who would be delighted to see her," Hannibal said. "We sent out announcements several weeks ago, but as it turns out, nobody seems to have gotten them. Did you receive one?"

They hadn't heard the squealing, so Jono seemed to think not.

[glacial_queen]

"Wait, Jono didn't tell you?" Karla asked. "He asked Dinah about it, who confirmed she and Priestly had never gotten them. Then Dinah asked me and I hadn't heard anything from anybody! And then I was going to call after I got home, but..." She trailed off. Why hadn't she called?

"Right! The bloody Little Terreille trade negotiations fell into my lap and I completely forgot! Hell's Fire and Mother Night, Hannibal, I'm sorry! My mind is like a sieve these days unless I write everything down!" Beat. "...The important thing to take away from this though was that Jono was told weeks ago that the announcements never arrived."

That thump that could be felt was the bus driving merrily over Jono as Karla waved out the window.

[sharp_as_knives]

"He said he had told Dinah; I wasn't aware she'd mentioned anything to you," Hannibal said. "But you have heard, then; I worried you hadn't."

[glacial_queen]

"I hadn't heard anything officially by either parties involved," Karla sniffed. "Which means it barely doesn't count. I think I should be informed properly."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal smiled. "Karla, my dear," he said, "you probably haven't heard, but Jono and I are engaged to be married."

[glacial_queen]

Jono had warned Hannibal to take the phone away from his ear after telling her that, right? If he hadn't, it was his fault that Hannibal's eardrum was now bleeding down his head, not Karla's. Because her reaction was entirely as expected.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!!!"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal pulled it away quickly enough to only get a little ringing in that ear, luckily.

He laughed and waited for her to finish. "I take it you're pleased?"

[glacial_queen]

"Are you kidding?!" Karla demanded. "I'm thrilled! Where's your idiot partner that I can squee at him, too!"

"Mama, why you so loud?" Kayla's voice was faint, but still managed to convey imperiousness.

"Because your Uncle Hannibal and Uncle Jono are getting married!"

"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" Kayla said, clapping her hands. "...What's that?"

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal chuckled at Kayla. "Jono is in the other room; we went hang-gliding today, and I'm fairly certain he's still floating. But you must tell me if there are dates we cannot use for the wedding. We very much hope to have you there."

[glacial_queen]

"That's right you do," Karla sniffed. "I've read your Earth fairytales about what happens when the witch isn't invited to the grand event. I'm not saying I'd show up and start cursing everyone, but I've met me and the possibility is there."

Kayla was prancing about singing "Married! Married! Married!" Her wings fluttering in rhythm. Karla was just going to have to take a moment and snap a picture, sending it to Jono and Hannibal both.

"And--anytime that's not in the next few weeks, probably. Kayla's little brother is due in about six weeks for me, so the end of...March? For you? And I'd prefer not to have to travel with an absolute newborn if I don't have to."

Let her lose the babyweight, Hannibal, so she could look amazing in her dress and make up for the last few months of swelling and stretch marks.

[sharp_as_knives]

"We've barely begun to plan yet, so that shouldn't be a problem." Hannibal took a moment to look at the photo she'd sent. "I see Kayla is growing and finally taking after her father as well."

[glacial_queen]

"You can say finally," Karla objected. "I say she could have waited a little longer so they weren't molting at the same goddamn time. Actually, if you were really in tune with my sanity levels, you would have called then. I eventually took Kayla to another planet entirely."

[sharp_as_knives]

"I am psychiatric, not psychic," Hannibal teased. "You can always call, though. She made it through well enough, I take it?"

[glacial_queen]

"Oh yes," Karla said with an aggrieved sigh. "Apart from some crying and a bit of a fever, she came through it fine. It was like teething all over again. Her father, on the other hand..."

Molt had never been Warren's best time. Molting while his daughter was fledging had been an...experience.

"Kayla got to accompany me to Naboo, because of the two of them, I wanted to travel with the one who whined less."

[sharp_as_knives]

Hannibal made a sympathetic noise. "You should bring her for a visit. Summer or earlier. We would love to see you both."

[glacial_queen]

"Once the little one is settled in, that sounds like an excellent idea," Karla said warmly. "I'm a little wary of sending her too soon? I don't want her to feel like he was born and she had to go away, but perhaps when she's adjusted a bit and wants a break from being a big sister."

[sharp_as_knives]

"We're not keeping her until she's grown," Hannibal said, laughing. He'd seen Kayla and Nommy together. "But if you bring her and yourself both, I can feed you both. Or I might even be persuaded to let Jono use my kitchen to cook for you."

[glacial_queen]

"If you don't think Jono won't find a way to wrangle keeping her for at least a week, then you don't know your fiance as well as you think you do," Karla laughed.