Cara's Apartment, Saturday Evening

[wrongkindofsith]

Chaperoning that dance last night had been a waste of her time in Cara's opinion, but given she hadn't been expected to do anything but watch, she was willing to concede it hadn't been entirely terrible. Now, having spend the day without any unwelcome interruptions, she sat sprawled out on the couch, flicking idly thorough take-out menus.

[For she that knows who she is]

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[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

It hadn't taken Lily long to track down her mother, but she didn't have a key to get in the building or into Cara's private apartments. Not that that was a problem, mind you, when you carried this many knives, but the window proved a much simpler solution.

There wasn't any knocking before she opened it from the outside and let herself in. "I don't see why you two never let me go through portals, everyone here is boring. There's no danger."

[wrongkindofsith]

Denial being a wonderful thing, Cara refused to consider the implications of a strange girl showing up today and saying something like that.

"If you'd like danger I can dangle you over the balcony headfirst," she said. "Would that be interesting enough for you?"

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"You say that like you haven't made that threat before," she replied, rolling her eyes. "A million times. What next, offering to let Sadi 'babysit' if I don't wash my face before dinner?"

[wrongkindofsith]

That would make Sadi useful instead of annoying for once.

"That implies I'm going to feed you." Though the girl really did need to scrub that muck off.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

Lily pointed at Cara's stack of menus. "That says you will. No one said you were going to cook."

[wrongkindofsith]

Keep up that attitude and Cara was going to cook.

"I'm not seeing why I should feed anyone who breaks in just because she tell me to." She was going to stick with that denial as long as she could.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"Because I didn't break the lock instead?" Lily tried. "And because Mama will call us both names if we don't eat something more than chocolate for dinner."

[wrongkindofsith]

Swimming in denial or not, Cara suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. "And Mama is?"

This fucking island.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

Lily just stared at Cara. A long, hard stare, that was probably very familiar to Cara's narration.

"Tall," she deadpanned, holding up a hand. "Dark hair, green eyes, catches prey with honey, more knives than sense most of the time."

[wrongkindofsith]

"This fucking island," Cara repeated, out loud this time, standing and shoving the menus towards the girl, aiming a swat at the back of her head for good measure. "Decide what you want to eat and don't insult your mother's intelligence."

She was so very happy to met her, really she was.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"You say it," Lily protested, but she took the menus and started flipping through them. "I like curries. Or burgers. Real burgers, not Moobyland stuff."

[wrongkindofsith]

"That's different." Since usually when Cara said things like that it involved flirting or being worried. Or both.

"Do you see a Moobyland menu there?" The answer was no, even Cara had standards beyond 'is it edible'.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"Not yet, but it could be lurking. Waiting," she pointed out. "I don't see Richard or Kahlan either, but that doesn't mean they aren't usually waiting with a 'mission' to make me go be nice to people."

[wrongkindofsith]

Because fast-food menus set traps. Yes.

"If Richard or Kahlan were here I'd have already passed you onto them," Cara immediately retorted. "They like surly teenagers." Or surly not-teenagers as the case may be.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"Never underestimate a Priestess," Lily replied tranquilly. "She probably knew I was coming and isn't here to make you face the consequences of your parenting."

"Where's Mama, anyway?"

[wrongkindofsith]

Kahlan wasn't that cruel. Instead she'd frame it as 'spend quality time together'.

"Not here, more's the pity." Not just because she could use a hand child-wrangling. "Do you actually have a name?" Or a father, she didn't ask, because the island was that cruel.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"Lily," she answered, making a face. "Why did you name me after a flower, anyway?"

[wrongkindofsith]

The first thing that sprang to Cara's mind was that time she'd asked Kahlan about the flowers in the nightwisps' grotto. "No idea," she lied. "Clearly at least one of us was delirious."

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"You always say that, she always smirks and says you'll tell me when I'm older," Lily whined complained. "UGH. It's not right."

[wrongkindofsith]

That's because Lily was clearly asking the wrong two people. Her version of Kahlan probably thought the whole thing was adorable.

Not that Cara was going to point that out.

"It also wouldn't be right to let you have the nutcakes I was saving for her while we wait for food," she said instead. "I'll doubt you'd complain about that." If Surreal really wanted them, she'd be here to share the trauma. Besides they were only from J,GoB, Cara wasn't that stupid.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"Or I could call her and she can come here and we'll all have cakes before dinner," Lily pointed out, pulling a phone from out of her jacket. What? Like she didn't have two over-protective mothers who had drilled into her carrying the phone at all times (but keeping it on silent or vibrate). "She at work? Or on assignment?"

[wrongkindofsith]

"Training, I don't even know if she's got a phone with her." Which went some way towards explain why future her was so insistent on Lily carrying one. "Try anyway. Put it on speaker."

If this call managed to get through, Cara wanted to hear it.

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

Lily punched in a number from memory and let the sound ring through the room.

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

It rang three, four times, before cutting off abruptly.

"I know this area-code, not the number. Who is this?" Surreal sounded distinctly unimpressed, but Surreal also hated phones.

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara knew the feeling. Cara shared the feeling.

She mouthed 'your idea' at Lily before drawling "We have a visitor."

[harpy-daughter.livejournal.com]

"Visitor?" Surreal sounded rather puzzled by the concept. "Oh DARKNESS tell me Tersa didn't decide to up and go mother you. I'm living at the Apprentice House now, if she got bored..." Or distracted.... "Just drink the milk to make her happy and I can be there by the end of the day."

[wrongkindofsith]

Cara's lips twitched despite herself.

"No, it's not Tersa." Though Cara suspected she'd be thrilled if she was here, and there'd be better nutcakes. She look across to Lily. "Go on, then."

[kinda-surprise.livejournal.com]

"Mama, you want the green curry with lamb or yellow and chicken?" Lily asked, having already gone back to her take-out menus. "Mom says we can have nutcakes before dinner if you hurry up and get here."

[wrongkindofsith]

"See, not Tersa," Cara deadpanned. "I'm getting grilled pork and those fried fishcakes if that'll help make up your mind."