The Village of Haven, Arceria, Kaeleer, Tuesday Evening (Fandom time)

[wwiii]

So, Warren had been sitting on it now for a little while. It had only been a day, according to Fandom, since Karla had formed her Court, but in Kaeleer, it had been two. A very busy two. They were in Haven, now, making the last of their plans before the procession into Sidra and everything that that would entail. And, the entire time, there was something that Warren had been itching to scream from the rooftops, and finally, he'd found a moment edgewise in order to do it.

First, he'd left a message for Bobby. Before anyone else, Bobby.

But, after that, it was fair game. He pulled out his phone, tapped out a quick text, and sent it to everyone on his phone's contact list:

We're engaged!

Apologies to those in Kaeleer, who were getting that text at an obscene hour of the night. Warren had been a little too anxious to share it to bother weeding through his contacts. Plus he hadn't had much sleep lately. Eh, he'd apologize to anybody that had been inconvenienced by that text in the morning.

[OOC: NFB for distance, obviously! If you think you got Warren's text, you totally did! Open for return texts, phone calls, other people who have a reason to be in bed with him in Haven...]

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[brat_inslayage]

This text was probably inevitable, Warren.

Fine. Make my next gift basket challenge even harder. I see how it is, Worthington.

Approximately ten seconds later another text came in:

But seriously, though, CONGRATS.

[wwiii]

What could Warren say? He lived to make things difficult for people, clearly.

Thanks! Now accepting gift baskets in the form of provisions for people prepping for war. The actual wedding isn't going to be until we're finished with that mess, at least.

[brat_inslayage]

Kennedy's reply had to wait until after she threw the demon she was fighting into a tree hard enough to knock it unconscious for a minute. (Look, this was the kind of news that sort of demanded a quick reply, barring the end of the world. Granted, it was the right time of year for that, but...)

Right. Of course. 'cause neither of you would be my friends if your lives didn't have complications like that.

Right after that:

Hey, I'd probably get yelled at if I tried to offer the couple dozen Slayers under my command-- yes, she actually used that phrase, sigh, Kennedy-- but if you need me, just say the word.

Oh, offering to run off to get in trouble in another world again. That would go over so well with Willow, undoubtedly.

[glacial_queen]

Yes, Warren, I know. I'm also right here in bed with you. Literally within touching distance.

Which wasn't preventing Karla from texting him back. Pssht, obviously not. Though she was going to roll over and pinch his bottom.

See? Touching distance.

[wwiii]

And the undignified squawk that Warren made at that pinch to his rear? Totally warranted, here!

Totally touching distance, yep.

He rolled over, grinned, and reached to give her a nudge to the ribs with one knuckle.

"Brat."

[glacial_queen]

"You're the one who texted me," Karla pointed out. "I was falling asleep and my phone buzzed and it's a text from you."

So, yep, butt-pinchings.

[life_inshadow]

Tara was not going to text back. Tara was going to call back and squeal in Warren's ear incoherently, because people she loved were getting married and that was exciting.

She'd come up with words ... eventually.

[wwiii]

Oh, wow. Warren's ear was going to be ringing for a while, after that one.

"Well, hello to you, too," he said, once it seemed like there was going to be a momentary break in Tara's incoherent glee. "I guess you got the text, huh?"

Warren, who hadn't gotten the text?

[life_inshadow]

"I did," Tara affirmed, and finally drew a breath and remembered to speak at something more closely approximating normal human volume. "Congratulations! How did you ask her? I bet it was way romantic."

[dollpocalypse]

Topher was extremely tired, because as it turned out, having a job meant actually working, like, all the time. So his text in response was not the smartest thing to ever come out of his brain.

you and me???

To be fair, Warren hadn't specified who the 'we' was. But to be even more fair, it definitely wasn't Topher.

[wwiii]

I don't know. Are you wearing my ring?

Warren, teasing wasn't nice.

Me and Karla!

See, clarifying was better, wasn't it? Totally.

[dollpocalypse]

ohhhhHhh

That did make quite a bit more sense, Topher had to admit.

why did i get to know?

Because it was a mass text, weirdo.

[furnaceface]

I'm already wearing a feather around my cock. Might as well marry you too, sure.

Look, when Jono got a text at this hour of the night, he reserved the right to snark.

Not that he'd been sleeping. He was still up poring over maps and the like. But still. It was the principle of the matter, really.

[wwiii]

... Mental images that Warren could have lived without for a hundred, Bob.

You know, I think we might already have a case for annulment?

[furnaceface]

Good. I'll let you get to work dealing with the papers for that. I have a war to worry about winning.


...

Congratulations.

And that was all the snark that Warren was going to be getting from Jono tonight, because he was shutting off his phone.

[selfhelphero]

Really? I mean I'm not surprised because of course she'd say yes but yay!!!

See, it wasn't just drunk texts that Billy over-punctuated.

[wwiii]

Warren chuckled as he read that one, because, really, the enthusiasm was catchy. Even at stupid-o-clock at night.

Really. We haven't set a date or anything yet. Too much on the table. But I'm pretty excited!

It had taken restraint to keep his own punctuation to a sane minimum, admittedly.

[selfhelphero]

You don't need a date yet. Just knowing it's going to happen is awesome. Congrats!

Eh, sleep was for the unexcited.

[warren-jr.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, Junior was thinking about Warren and Karla when his phone beeped. Not even a full day after their dinner, and already the tabloids were abuzz about Warren's surprise public dinner with his father and the identity of his mystery date. The two of them were obviously very close and very much attached, but no one could figure out who the girl was.

Someone intensely private, apparently, because none of the tabloid writers could dig up anything about her. Someone had already made the joke 'It was like she doesn't exist'! There had been a few cynics who'd decried the whole thing to be a publicity stunt designed to get the Worthington name out there for something other than the debacle on Alcatraz and the resultant stock-plummet, but then at least one enterprising reporter had found pictures and news clips from that crazy terrible night, and there was Karla, bleeding, bruised, and exhausted, standing right there with Warren through it all and no one could mistake the tenderness in her expression as she looked at him.

Mutant rights activists were wondering if she was another mutant with the ability to 'pass'. Anti-mutant groups were already calling her a race-traitor and there were several of those disgusting websites where you could punch or shoot at a copy of her picture. The X-Men had released a statement saying that, yes, Karla had arrived with them on Alcatraz, but that she had come with Warren and they didn't know more about her than that, other than that she had been instrumental to saving lives.

It was a media blitz and a positive one. If nothing else came of the meeting and dinner, there was this.

...And as much Junior appreciated a good media blitz, if that was the only thing that came from the meeting, he would be very disappointed.

Well, the other, other thing. Since apparently something else came of it. Junior stared at the text for well over an hour before he picked up the phone to return the text.

Congratulations.

There was so much more that he wanted to say, but he figured that was the best place to start.

[wwiii]

Of all of the return texts that Warren had gotten tonight, the one from his dad that had arrived a little after the break of dawn was the one that actually managed to knock the wind out of him.

Warren chewed his lip a little as he read it, just one simple word, over and over. Just that. Just... Congratulations. From the same man who even a year ago was telling him that he was living a fantasy that would only manage to blow up in his face.

Something to wake up to, indeed.

He deliberated over how he was going to reply well into the morning, through breakfast, through a walk through the village to get reacquainted with some of the farmers that he'd helped to plant those first fields with, ages ago. He could keep his father waiting. It would be barely a heartbeat for his dad even if Warren took all day to reply.

Finally, he managed to come up with something. It was simple, but it said more than he might have managed even a week before.

Thanks, Dad.

[warren-jr.livejournal.com]

And it would be mid-afternoon before his reply returned.

Any wedding plans yet?

Warren had no idea how his father's heart was in his throat as he sent that message.

[hoorayimrich.livejournal.com]

Congrats! I knew you would make Bobby an honest man eventually.

See what kind of friends you had, Warren?

[wwiii]

It will be a spring wedding, I think. That way, the ice sculptures of you and Ben in the nude will last a little longer, without all the guests catching frostbite.

If Tony could dish it, Warren was perfectly prepared to attempt some banter right back.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And a snicker face: :)

[wwiii]

Yeah, Warren couldn't leave that one untouched.

:O :O :O :O :O :O !!!!! :D