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Second Floor Common Room, Saturday Afternoon

Tony put the DVD for the Roman Polanski version of The Scottish Play into the player and went to make popcorn while the FBI warning came up on the screen. He plopped down on the couch with his popcorn and pop and waited for a few people to arrive before starting the movie itself.

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Ender wasn't that fond of the idea of going out at all today, but the vid might make it easier for him to focus on what he was supposed to do for the role. On some theoretical level, at least - it came down to text interpretation most of all.

But he made his way down to the common room and took a seat none the less.

"Hey Ender!" Dinah said while she was getting stuff ready to cook. "Congrats on being in the play." She knew Valentine a lot better despite being in the same cabin as Ender for a week, but figured she'd see more of him with the play.

"Thanks," Ender returned, tilting his head to get a better look at her. "You're Dinah." He was just establishing a fact. "I heard you had the big part in the last one."

"Yup! Harry, in Harry V. Lots of fun but totally nerve-wracking," Dinah said, getting out the pots and pans. Not looking at Ender, 'cause he was way too young, and if she got any hormone flash for him that would hurt her brain. "I'm glad to have a smaller part this time. I've got a lot more going on this summer. Have you acted before?"

He had, but only in one sense. "Not really," Ender said, ruefully. "Plays have mostly been relayed to holos when I'm from."

"Val was telling me a little about your future last week. She said your big brother was going into politics, and you were doing engineering stuff?" Dinah asked, glancing over for a moment. "So what made you try out? Impulse?"

"Time," Ender corrected, slanting a look at her. "There's not that much to do during the summer sessions." The classes were like cotton candy.

Dinah considered that, and then grinned. "I guess if you're not into fighty stuff, there isn't, yeah. I'm doing weapons training as well as the Reserves, plus four classes, so..." She shook her head. "Not a guy to lie out on the beach and goof off?"

"No," he said, with a shake of his head, "And I'm not much for the 'fighty stuff' anymore. So it's the play for me."

"Yay play!" Dinah said, putting the chicken in the microwave to defrost it, then walking over the counter, curious. "Any more? You used to do it?" Valentine's mention of Battle Academy, and her not being in it, or Peter, came to mind.

"I used to be in military school."

Ender didn't know how much Dinah knew, but he was willing to go with a safe gamble - that explanation tended to work.

He cast a look at her back.

"Hunh. They'd take kids that young?" Dinah asked, thinking about it. "Valentine said there was a Battle Academy, and she was glad not to be in it, but-- you've been here longer than either of us." And you're way younger, she thought but didn't say.

"I joined Battle School when I was six," Ender said, conversationally. "Culture tends to change under a threat of war."

"Wow. That's... intense." Dinah blinked, and shook her head. "Valentine said Earth was in really serious danger. From the, um?" She frowned? "Bugger Queens?" Which still sounded funny. "I'm glad it's over for you guys now, though."

"You can say Formic Queens, if it helps."

It was a little easier, considering what the word bugger still meant, down here. "But the war's over. So I'm, as it stands, resigned from duty."

"Formics, right, I couldn't remember the word," Dinah said. "Wait, you were actually in the military. Not just training for it?" Holy crap. And she thought Tahiri and Ben had started young.

"I never made it past training," he said, dryly. "That never kept them from assigning rank. I never saw combat, or anything, so don't worry. I'm boring."

"Whew." She laughed. "Okay, I'm pretty obvious, hunh? I just get all weirded out at how young people are around here, the ones who go off and fight wars. It still seems just wrong, to me."

"Like I said," Ender said, easily. He hadn't lied. He hadn't seen combat. Not on the front lines, not like Ben or Tahiri. "It's a cultural thing. If you wind up under threat for a few decades, the values change."

"Makes sense," Dinah said, nodding. "Still. I'm glad it's just one possible future, and all." She grinned, then sobered. "Playing out wars on stage is a lot more fun than the real thing. Stupid zombies."

"I'm going to have to agree with you on that." Equally easy. Not that Ender could imagine a life without it, if there would've even been one - he had been requested for a single reason only. "So how are you dealing with the step back in terms of the size of your role? Less pain learning the lines?"

"Hugely easier. Plus, having done this before, there's a lot less stage fright, plus a lot more of my friends are in this production," Dinah said, shooting him a grin. "Totally different. I loved being Harry, I really did, and I kind of wish we'd had a few more performances, but that was more because it was Harry. This'll be just as fun, and a lot less frightening."

"So you'll enjoy it more," he surmised, nodding along. "Any tips for a complete rookie?"

"Have fun with it," Dinah said promptly. "I mean, don't get too hung up on the details. It's not like the audience knows the play. And everybody on stage is in the same boat, right?" She grinned, and quoted, "We few, we happy few. We band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me, shall be my brother. Kinda like that. Only without the real bloodshed."

The edge of Ender's mouth quirked into a wry smile, although probably not for whatever reason she might think it was. "I think I like my 'band of brothers' better without, at that," he said.

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Second Floor Common Room, Saturday Afternoon

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