(no subject)

[precedented]

Who: Leto Atreides the II
Broadcast: Video
Action: Hospitality Deck, Marsiva
When: Feb 4th

[ The video activates itself to reveal a young man staring into space. His eyes are probably the most startling thing about him. Bright, eerily blue eyes that seem to pierce the fabric of reality. You may also see brown flecks of creatures embedded into his skin, near the neck and face.

And suddenly his gaze snaps back to the camera and he is all smiles and good intentions, as if a switch had been turned on. He sits on one of the many beds on the Marsiva Deck and kicks his legs, caught between the impression of a boy and a man.

( or something much older and far more dangerous ) ]

I do not need the spiel and I'm sure you are all quite thankful for that, but I am curious to know what qualifies as entertainment for our most benevolent hosts?

Comments

action;

[shockput]

Indeed, keeping us here unoccupied seems... lazy.

[ He's standing off to the side, clad in armour and cape, having waited for Leto to finish his broadcast before speaking. ]

Re: action;

[precedented]

[ He pushes himself off the bed in a sharp, sudden moment. Thor. But not the Thor he knew. Not Loki's Thor and Dune's shield-brother. A different Thor, a tired one, who did not know his story and was still trying to find his way.

So young ]

Waiting for your next challenge? Be careful what you ask for.

[shockput]

I will meet whatever they bring.

[ This he says with certainty, for surrender is not in his nature. ]

What of you?

[precedented]

So long as you don't run headlong into it.

[ This is still Thor. Loki would be upset if Leto let anything happen to Thor. ]

Me? I'm a little too old to be gallivanting for challenges. No, I'm here to help shape the future and the promise it will bring.

[shockput]

[ He laughs softly. Once he would have and be far more likely to crush it than the other way around. Now he's more inclined to listen. ]

Where is your kingdom?

[precedented]

[ Ah, now that's a tricky question. Thor wouldn't like the real answer, so Leto tailors it delicately. ]

Somewhere in the future, I imagine. It hardly exists here so speaking of it has no meaning.

[shockput]

[ It's a trickster's answer, an able dodge. Thor's expression blanks briefly. ]

I would not say it has no meaning.

[ But pursuing this line of questioning might not be the best idea. Instead, he nods. ]

I am Thor, of Asgard. Well-met.

[precedented]

I know.

I am Leto the II of the House Atreides. There are other titles, but I shall not bore you with them.

I was a shield-brother to a Thor and a companion to a Loki.

[shockput]

[ It's impossible to disguise the shock, but it smooths over quickly enough. This stranger is not merely being familiar for the sake of it. ]

Tell me of Loki.

[ Anyone can claim Thor's friendship, and rightly so, but precious few can claim to be so loved of his brother. ]

[precedented]

[ Thor really doesn't know what he's asking. Though, Leto has a clue. Tell me of this brother I once knew. Loki and Thor had a better relationship in Aather . . . for a variety of reasons. ]

I do not think my words will bring you hope. Loki is Loki. He is chaos and mischief and he knows it and accepts it. He seeks to break the rules so that the rules are not unfair. His compassion knows little bounds. His love has none.

[shockput]

It is not hope I ask for.

[ Just the truth. It sounds like this Loki is kind, but Thor's memory has always been kinder to him than the world. ]

Loki is Loki indeed.

[precedented]

Well, this Loki was a child. A reincarnation of the Old Loki . . . in his attempt to change.

[ And more. He purses his lips. That truth would mean nothing to this Thor. ]

[shockput]

Reborn?

[ This is not his Loki then, not the specific mischief he's familiar with. ]

And what of the other me?

[precedented]

The same.

[ Though his lips curve into a wicked smile. ]

Though he smiles more.

[shockput]

[ It startles him into a laugh, deep and booming. ]

You say we are shield-brothers; I cannot replace the one you have lost, but I will not break his promise.

[precedented]

I have not lost him.

[ He has not lost any of them. Not yet. It's not his time to lose those tiny handfuls of hope and love he carries within him. It is not yet time to lose feeling, to watch emotion slip into the abyss of his own sacrifice.

It is not yet time ]

If there is to be a promise between us, I would rather it be yours and mine than mine and his. You are Thor but you are also yourself.

Carry your legacy.

[shockput]

[ He nods, steadily, an apology. ]

Then, if a time for that promise comes, it will be yours, and not before.

[precedented]

[ He bows lowly, a twinkle in his eyes. ]

Oh, I'll be expecting it.

[shockput]

[ He smiles, widely, guileless. Oh, he's beginning to like this one already. ]

Will you share a meal with me?

[precedented]

I would be honoured. Though I doubt they will have anything fit for a king.

[ The need to eat or drink is rarely there, but he can still force it down, thankfully. Anything to pretend he is more human than he actually is. ]

[shockput]

We will make do, and I am told there are wonders on the station.

[precedented]

What constitutes as a wonder? Is it one for the wonder in their eyes or the wonder that lingers in the soul?

[shockput]

Can it not be both?

[precedented]

[ He laughs, a soft whimsical sound, old as bells. ]

If we walked around with starstruck eyes, we would not see much in front of us.

[shockput]

Then I will simply carry you.