Room 328 [Copacabana Palace, afternoon]

[momslilassassin]

Ben was back at the window, staring out at the ocean and trying to find some calm. He and Ender had called Karla over, and while Ben trusted her absolutely when it came to healing (he wouldn't have had her help with Ender otherwise) and he wasn't afraid of pain, he kind of...worried about her reaction when she saw exactly what the Sith Lord had inflicted on him.

Thus the truncated meditation exercise. Not because he was nervous. At all. Really.

Ben was an expert liar, after all, and had been an expert at lying to himself for years.

[OOC: For the boy and the girl! Warnings for talk of being tortured Troy Denning-ed.]

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[momslilassassin]

Ben's breath came out in little gasps as he wiped his chest off. "Thank you," he murmured.

[endsthegame]

Ender reached and took a towel himself, but didn't approach - he didn't want to throw off Karla's concentration unless he was sure she was done. Then he sat back again, unwilling to look away, feeling it was somehow important.

[glacial_queen]

Throat. Chest. Back.

So many cuts. So much blood. So much Healing.

Thread after thread went dark and crumbled into nothing. One web, then another. And another still. Karla had brought several Healing webs, unsure of the extent of the damage, but hoping for overkill. Now she was worried she had underestimated the amount of Healing necessary. So many tiny little boxes, etched into his skin.

Arms. Hands. Bottom.

She was getting tired now. Her Sapphire was still fine, still glowing with energy, even as she drained it, drop by drop. As far as Healings went, this was fairly low-impact, Craft-wise. She wouldn't end it gaunt and hollow, even if she hadn't brought so many webs along. It was just difficult. Intricate. Complicated.

She could feel a tension headache building, but it was distant. Far away. Like it was happening to someone else. Her throat was growing scratchy and raw, too. She'd focus on that later.

Cut. Soothe. Bind. Heal.

And finally...done.

Karla sagged back against the wall, covered in blood and drenched in sweat. The last Healing web lay discarded beside her, two-thirds of it blacked and used. "Tea?" she croaked, giving them both a smile. "And maybe a cookie?"

[momslilassassin]

Ben was huddled under one of the towels as a fit of trembling overtook him.

That had not been one of the highlights of his life, even if he more than appreciated the results of the healing.

[endsthegame]

Ender swiftly passed his own, only barely-touched cup of coffee on to Karla.

Then he was moving past her, sitting down next to Ben and using the towel he'd grabbed to gently wipe more of the blood from his back. The motions... were more for Ben's sake than cleanliness, per se.

[glacial_queen]

Karla sipped her cup and watched the two of them, unsure if she should say anything or do anything. Would it be an intrusion if she did? They looked so...right...together and she didn't want to trespass on that.

[momslilassassin]

Ben let out a soft sigh and dropped his head to rest on Ender's shoulder, closing his eyes.

"Thank you, Karla," he whispered.

[endsthegame]

Protectiveness radiating from his posture, Ender looked up at Karla, and gave her a little nod. "Thank you," he echoed. "And don't say 'don't thank me'."

He wasn't sure if there was anything else specific to be said that she didn't already know.

[glacial_queen]

Karla closed her mouth abruptly, swallowing the 'don't' that had sprung there practically by itself.

"I wasn't?" she tried, instead. "Because you're both welcome. You're two of my closest friends." Shifting awkwardly, she looked down at her tea as if it had become the most fascinating thing in the room. "There's not a whole lot I wouldn't do for you. I'm just really glad you asked."

She wasn't going to thank them for doing so--that would also just be awkward--but part of her almost wanted to.

"Welcome," she said again, and drank more of her tea.

[momslilassassin]

Ben's tea floated over to his hand without him opening his eyes. "Not planning on repeating this particular exercise," he said with a sad attempt to rally his sense of humor.

[endsthegame]

Ender quietly stroked his fingers over Ben's hair, working under absolutely no plan to leave, thanks. "Now this is just awkward," he commented, tossing his own sense of humor into the battle.

[glacial_queen]

"If you were planning on doing something like this again, I'd claim Healer prerogative and sit on you," Karla informed Ben sternly.

Because her weight would absolutely prove a hindrance to Ben, yes.

[momslilassassin]

Oh, when he went back out, he'd come up with an entirely new way to injure himself.

"All four pounds of you?" he said, smiling. "Terrifying."

[endsthegame]

"I don't think it's the weight you should fear," Ender said, "Just the creativity of the invectives." He dropped the towel and settled his hand on Ben's shoulder.

[glacial_queen]

"You know what I need," Karla mused, appreciating the tea's warmth as it spread through her, "a profanity lexicon. One that contains as many foreign curses as possible. It's very frustrating when you're railing at someone and begin to repeat yourself."

Or worse yet, cussing out Lucivar and having him fix your pronunciation.

[momslilassassin]

"I can give you some of the ones we use," Ben said, resting more heavily against Ender. "You want Bothan or Huttese?"

[endsthegame]

Ender adjusted accordingly, his arm slipping around Ben's waist. He kissed Ben's temple. "The Huttese does speak more to the imagination."

[glacial_queen]

"I've been a mostly good girl recently," Karla decided. "I'd like both."

She grinned at him. "Though I do already know some Huttese," she added, and used one of the phrases Ben sometimes let slip when he was unhappily surprised. And then another one that Anakin was decidedly fond of.

[momslilassassin]

Ben grinned. "That last one is Granddad. And really filthy."

[endsthegame]

"Anakin Skywalker, curse aficionado," Ender said. "I'm not surprised at all."

[glacial_queen]

"One of these days, I'm going to demand a translation," Karla informed them. "What are the odds he'll actually give me the right one?"

[momslilassassin]

"Very slim," Ben replied. "It's something that involves explaining Hutt anatomy and no one wants that."

[endsthegame]

"Scientifically speaking, it's actually quite interesting--" Ender interjected.