Third floor common room, Wednesday Morning

[future_sandworm]

In this weather Leto was thankful for the hooded cloak, made for cold desert nights, that he had brought with him. Apart from that, he didn't mind the weather - he remembered snow of course, but he hadn't actually experienced it, and now he had made himself comfortable on the common room couch, looking out the window and letting the fireplace and a large cup of spice coffee warm him.

In front of him was a chess board and he moved the pieces quickly, playing both sides. He missed Ghani, but when she wasn't here he could at least try to emulate one of her games.

[open!]

Comments

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah had no classes, and thus no reason to have to get up until she absolutely had to... but she was awake anyway, and considering going down to the gym for a work-out, partly to keep warm. Breakfast first, though. She stumbled down the hall, bundled up in layers and slippers, and started rummaging for snacks in the kitchen without looking around.

She'll notice Leto and the fireplace in a minute. Really.

[future_sandworm]

Leto looked up and watched her in silence for a while, then smiled to himself. "Good morning, Dinah."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah jumped and whirled, eyes widening, then smiled happily, if very sleepily. "Leto! Morning." She shivered, rubbing her arms, and then stared at the fireplace. "Um. Okay. How...?"

[future_sandworm]

"Perhaps the island is being generous," he said. "I think I am learning to expect strangeness." He gestured at the couch, offering Dinah to take a seat if she wanted to. "I fear what Arthur's reaction will be though. He might start talking about magic again."

He moved another chess piece.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Grabbing a few granola bars out of the cabinet, Dinah shuffled over to the couch and sat down, still blinking at the fireplace in puzzlement before shaking her head. "Just when I'm sure the whole point of the magic here it to make us adjust or challenge everything we know, it does something nice." She smiled, unwrapping one granola bar. "He probably will. But, I mean. It's still a good thing. How much can he object?"

[future_sandworm]

"I have yet to see a limit to how much," Leto replied, reaching out for his cup and sipping the contents. "But I too appreciate the fireplace." He wore the hood of the cloak over his head for warmth and peered at her from under its rim.

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

Dinah giggled at that comment on Arthur, taking a bite of her granola and chewing. "He needs to lighten up. A lot." She peered back at Leto, hoping any blushing on her part would be taken as a reaction to the fire's heat. "Cool cloak. I didn't think you'd be ready for this kind of weather."

[robinthefrog.livejournal.com]

"Hi Dinah." Robin said from near the fire. It might be a while before he got the motivation to leave that spot. "I hope the power won't be off for long."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"Hi Robin," Dinah said, smiling back at him. "Me too. Waaaay too chilly. And I'm not even amphibious." She shivered.

[robinthefrog.livejournal.com]

"And I'm from Florida too." Robin added. "You know what would go over really well right now? Hot cocoa."

[blondecanary.livejournal.com]

"It would! With whipped cream," Dinah said wistfully. "I wish I had some idea how to make it over a fire."

[robinthefrog.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah. Robin had momentarily forgotten the power outage. "Uhm, we could, try to boil some water in a pot over it?"

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

Perhaps chess boards had a magnetic pull, towards Alice. The knights had a special homing beacon only she could understand. Or perhaps she was looking in through the doors of common rooms, hoping to find something or someone entertaining.

Whatever the reason, she lingered in the doorway, intrigued.

"Are you winning, or losing?"

[future_sandworm]

He looked up and smiled at her. "I don't know yet," he said. "Good morning, Alice."

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"Good morning," she smiled. "It's quite difficult to play a proper chess game against one's self, you know. I leave my rook unguarded, to be taken, so I can trap my queen, but I never seem to fall for it."

[future_sandworm]

"It is difficult," he agreed, his gaze on the chess board. "You have to make assumptions about what you would have done had you not known your opponent's next move." He smiled. "Of course, that often happens when I play against my sister anyway, and it doesn't take away the enjoyment." Gesturing to the opposite side of the board, Leto continued: "But I would rather play with you, if you want."

[sorry for disappearing, needed sleep]

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

"I should love to," she agreed, taking the seat opposite and glancing over the board. "Starting from here, or should we reset the board? I should hate to interrupt a conflict already in progress."

(That is okay, the same happened to me, zomg. I am up for mega-SP if you are?)

[future_sandworm]

"You are welcome to pick up from here if you want," Leto said, eyes on the board. "Your move."

[yay mega-sp. I can pick up tomorrow]

[notyourpawn.livejournal.com]

She eyed the scattered arrangement carefully, as if searching for all angles and avenues of attack, and what hidden traps might lay in wait.

"There's something very soothing about chess," she said, her fingers selecting a bishop. "The logic is quite rigid, but the outcome tends to chaos. So many variations, and possibilities."

She moved the bishop three squares diagonally, letting her fingers stay on the tip of the figure for a few moments while she looked once more for drawbacks to his new location. Finally, she let go with a determined nod.

[robinthefrog.livejournal.com]

Robin was wrapped up in his blanket as he came in. as much as he had wrapped around him, he was still trailing a lot of it, and tripped when he entered.

[future_sandworm]

There was a frog entering the room wrapped in blankets. Leto looked confused.

[robinthefrog.livejournal.com]

"Hi, I don't think I've met you yet. I'm Robin."

[future_sandworm]

The frog talked. Clearly he was some kind of genetic experiment. "And I am Leto Atreides," he replied. "And I believe I would have remembered if we had met."

[robinthefrog.livejournal.com]

"Pleased to meet you Leto. Yeah I guess I am kind of memorable. Somehow even here people think I'm weird."

[future_sandworm]

"That is a matter of definition." Leto assumed he was a genetic experiment of some kind, which didn't necessarily equal 'weird'.