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(no subject)

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Bats his very blue eyes as a response. ]

"Good" tends to be very subjective. From what I've gathered, very little is known of our audience and captors. Anything goes, so to speak.

[ He taps his chin, continuing on. ]

The data suggests that the Atroma might have magical as well as scientific capabilities. Cameras may not be what they use to watch us.

[Yeah, yeah. Rub it in.]

Yeah? Well, that's just creepy. [A pause.] What do you mean when you say magic?

As in magic. The arts to which science cannot explain or comprehend, that tends to follow an arcane or complex set of rules.

[ Leto thinks hard. From this man's tone and look . . . he seemed to be from the early years of Earth. ]

Like Merlin or Harry Potter.

[ Nailed it, wow, Leto, you really know your stuff. ]

Damn. I was afraid that's what you were going to say. [Because aliens and time travel and alternate universes aren't enough. They need to have magic too. His bucket of 'crap i can believe' is getting really full here.]

Well, at least I think a bullet still works against Merlin or Potter. Do you believe it?

I have seen many kinds of magic. So, no, I would not. Certainly, such an . . . archaic weapon would prove useful when one least expects it, but you might want to consider broadening your repertoire.

[ Leto vaguely recalls what a bullet is, much less what it can do. All he knows that he's fairly invulnerable to it. ]

Archaic? A gun? [That gets a curious arch of a brow, and honestly something he's far more interested in than magic.] What-what kind of weapons do you have, wherever you're from?

Not as many as you might think. But a shield would easily deflect a bullet.

[ His universe isn't known for having extraordinary weapons of destruction. In fact, they're pretty good at not using them. They're aware of how difficult it can be to control. ]

But we have lasguns. Laser weapons.

Well sure, if you're hauling around a shield all the time and know the bullet's coming and where it's aimed at.

Yeah, we have 'em too, kids play tag with them. Or did you manage to make them dangerous?

Ah, no. This is a body shield. It protects the entire body. I believe in your century, they would also be called a . . . force field?

[ He pauses before going on. ]

Lasguns are high-powered laser weapons. They can cut through anything.

Force fields? [And his brows go up as he considers that.] Okay. Well, yeah that would-would probably be pretty effective...against a gun. And of course, you didn't get to bring any of this tech with you?

I rarely have use for such things.

[ Being fairly . . . invulnerable. ]

Are you worried about your helplessness among all these powerful people and technologies?

Not into the whole fighting thing, huh?

[Wow. That's rude, dude.]

Uhh. Help-...no. Nonono. I don't feel helpless. Never helpless. More like naked. They didn't let me pack my suits and guns before the trip.

I fight when it's absolutely necessary.

[ He shrugs. Leto could care less about his manners. He owns his universe, in a way. ]

I'm sure that can be easily solved. If not, I suppose I can help construct a weapon for you.

[There's only the image on the screen, but at the mention of fighting, FDR can't help but size him up anyway.] You any good?

[Oh, well, that kind of offer makes up for the lack of manners.] Yeah, apparently buying things requires credits which requires the assholes watching this 'reality show' to like us. Or...something. But if you've got a way to build a weapon, man, that'd be-that'd be awesome.

[ Leto would not look like much. Lean, wiry frame, a little young to be saying such things with utmost confidence. And there's the matter of that strange brown mass crawling up his neck, like something alien and frightening . . . ]

I can hold my own easily enough.

And with the right materials, I could probably make this . . . gun.

[ Which he still considers to be a waste of time, from his tone, but hey, he'll do it. ]

[Wiry doesn't mean much, he's seen tiny guys fight. He's just looking for some sort of tell that he's one of them-and he's not really finding anything one way or another. And he's totally just calling those marks tattoos.]

That so? Been in a lot of fist fights?

We talking like one of my "archaic guns" [Yeah, air quotes.] or something with melting lasers?

In a manner of speaking. I was trained from birth to know how to fight.

[ Every heir to every noble house must be prepared to fight and survive. Their legacy depends on it. ]

I'm not handing you a melting gun. You'll have to settle for the one which shoots "bullets".

That's a little dramatic, isn't it? I'm sure you were walking before they were teaching you to block punches at least.

[And he holds up a resigned hand. Because even a gun with bullets is definitely better than nothing.] Alright. Fair enough. Don't tell me it's because we already have trust issues?

You'd be surprised. Fremen give children their first knives when they are three.

[ Not to mention Leto was literally old when he was born. Every memory, every skill, every experience his family tree ever had was poured into him the instant he was conscious of himself. ]

It is not the lack of trust. You do not have the training for it.

Fremen. That your family name? [And that's rather intense, so he's just gonna...put that to the side. He has eight year old cousins who's greatest trick is spinning around with a bucket on his head until he falls. A three-year-old with a knife just isn't even computing.]

Well, I mean, there's a grace period for any new weapon. But it can't be that different than a normal gun, can it? Aim and pull the trigger?

No. My family name is Atreides. I was raised as a Fremen though.

[ Which might sound familiar if you're a sci-fi fan. ]

In principle, yes, but you would need to know how to care for it, what to do if it over heats. I rather not provide such a weapon unless it's absolutely necessary.

[Nope. He's never gone that deep into the sci-fi world unfortunately.]

Well, now you've got me all worked up. Gun tease. [But the tone is light and he's still got a decent grin going.] You know, I am pretty proficient with most-

[Right. He's pretending to be a cruise ship captain here.] Alright. Beggars can't be choosers, right? What do you need?

Phallic metaphors already? My, you're quick to jump the gun.

[ Yeah, who is even going to buy the cruise ship thing anymore, really. ]

Parts, mostly. The firing cylinder for the gun is the main thing.

Clever. [Was that intentional? Either way, he's amused.] But it's never too early for a dick joke when talking about firearms.

[Hey. You know, there are threats. Like...pirates. Even captains have a gun, right?]

If I had all the parts, I'm pretty sure I could put it together myself.

Oh?

I wouldn't have thought you had the training. What is it you do again?

[ Now he's teasing. ]