The roof, Sunday late morning

[future_sandworm]

Perhaps moving into these cabins would be a good thing, Leto thought. Things had been a little too tense between him and his roommate lately, and as to not make it worse, Leto had decided that music practise was better done elsewhere unless he had the room to himself. Playing the baliset still had the ability to soothe his mind, as well as some of the memories within him; especially his father. And while sitting on the edge of the roof wasn't quite like staring out across the desert looking for worms from one of the rocks above Sietch Tabr, the clear view still gave a sense of freedom.

He played a slow melody, his mind wandering between the notes and memories of Dune.

[Open roof, of course.]

Comments

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

It didn't make a lot of sense to get settled into her room when there'd be a shift to cabins anyway, so Valentine, short of just getting her stuff in, resolved instead for a little bit of quiet exploration. She thought she heard the music on her way up toward the roof, and, of course, it was confirmed as soon as she stepped outside. Her head tilted a little at the interesting instrument, but, not wanting to interrupt, she drifted over toward a good spot to sit down, drawing up her legs and listening a little. If the boy playing it didn't want an audience, she figured he shouldn't be playing in a...how had Jaina put it? Non-dorm room public spot.

[future_sandworm]

Leto didn't mind an audience, no. He continued playing and it wasn't until the song was finished that he acknowledged the presence of the girl. With a small smile, he leaned the instrument against his shoulder and said: "Are you one of the new students or have I just failed to notice you before?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"I'm new," Valentine confirmed, her head tilting a little. "That was...interesting." Part of her had felt that pretty might have been a better word, or nice, but she didn't feel enough certainty about either of those things to stick with them. Interesting, at least, was far less objective, and she had no doubt in its applicability.

[future_sandworm]

"Interesting can mean many things," Leto replied, raising an eyebrow. "And welcome to Fandom. I am Leto Atreides."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"It can," Valentine agreed. "That's why I chose it. And thanks. I'm Valentine Wiggin."

[future_sandworm]

The smile widened into a grin. "Deliberately vague? Should I interpret that as an insult in disguise, uncertainty of your opinion or merely caution?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine shrugged. "However you interpret it now says more about you than it does me," she said. "So the pressure's off me now." She laced her fingers together, stretching them out in front of them, and then above her head, before settling back in a relaxed, careless way.

[future_sandworm]

"Is it?" Leto looked quite amused. "But then I will have to choose a particular interpretation and stop enquiring for your reason."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Still no pressure to give anything up," Valentine pointed out. "Although I might feel a little more confident in avoiding all this vagueness if I had something more to go off of."

[future_sandworm]

"Why would pressure be needed? That is a rather obvious method, after all." He struck a chord on the baliset. "So, Valentine, where are you from?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"Greensboro, North Carolina," Valentine said, with a simplicity that emphasized how she didn't expect excitement or even recognition, for the most part. "How about yourself, Leto? You and that oversized guitar?"

[future_sandworm]

"It's not a guitar, it's a baliset. And you forgot one piece of information. In Fandom 'where?' is a question for time as well as place." He added: "I'm from the planet of Arrakis, in the year of 21,294 of your chronology."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"If I felt the when was important," Valentine shrugged, "I'd have included it. I'm not even entirely sure I feel the where is important, since it doesn't seem like people will recognize most of what the other answers. Arrakis means nothing to me, and won't, as I'll probably be dead by the time it's significant. If it even winds up being significant where I'm from."

[future_sandworm]

"I didn't say you should feel its need for mentioning," Leto pointed out. "I stated that it was. And neither did I ask what the name Arrakis meant to you. Tell me, is this habit of not answering questions a game or just laziness? Or something else entirely?"

No, he didn't expect her to answer that directly either. "Why don't you come closer? I don't bite."

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"It's efficiency," Valentine said. "And maybe I'm afraid of heights."

[future_sandworm]

"No," he said. "It's not. So either you are lying or you are deceived." He smiled at her. "I assume fear of heights is a possibility, or a reasonable excuse." He got to his feet and walked over to her, carrying the baliset in one hand.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"A fear of heights would also suggest that I'm stupid, coming up to a roof," Valentine added, tilting her head a little and forcing away any allowance of an indication that she felt awkward having someone actually come nearer to her to associate with her. If she started feeling awkward about that, then she'd feel awkward about the association in general, and be reminded of just how unused to it she was.

[future_sandworm]

"Or that you were brave," Leto observed, taking a seat next to her, his arm nearly touching hers. "When you aren't avoiding questions, what do you do?" He plucked the strings without a plan.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine thought about mentioning how bravery and stupidity were sometimes the same thing, but she held it back. For now. It wasn't like he hadn't figured out she held stuff back; in a way, that made her realize she should hold back even more. She shrugged, an action that risked brushing his arm, since he insisted on sitting so close. "Nothing interesting," she said. "I write. Read a lot. Too much, probably."

[future_sandworm]

"Define too much." He smirked, glancing at her.

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

"You like specifics, don't you?" Valentine noted, glancing back. The polarity in such close quarters was astounding, really.

[future_sandworm]

"Only if I have a framework to put them in. Attention to detail is important, as long as it doesn't blind you." He met her eyes. What game were they playing?

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine looked back stolidly. "Those eyes could just about blind someone. Jesus. Those natural?"

[future_sandworm]

He laughed. "No, they couldn't blind you." It would have been ironic if they could. "And natural requires a definition too. Addiction to Spice gives them the colour. Would you consider that natural?"

[a-demosthenes.livejournal.com]

Valentine shook her head a little. "An addiction suggests a dependency beyond a natural state."