driftfleet | Chapter Seven [video]

Who: Richard Castle and YOU
Broadcast: Fleetwide
Action: N/A unless Windrose crew wants it
When: June 7th

[When the feed clicks on, Castle has his feet propped up and is reading aloud from a book, although the cover is obscured from view. Also, his Scottish accent is atrocious. Bear with him. He's discovered the cheap vending machine romance novels.]

"Lass, from 500 years intae the future ye may be, but theh be things ye kannae ken." Lord McKraken then doubled over in pain, holding his stomach.

"But I love you!" Elizabeth cried out, rushing over to her Lord's side, holding his sweating form in her arms as he grimaced in agony, running her hands along his feverish pectorals. "I've promised to never leave your side no matter what comes between us."

"Ah beg ye, lass, get thee away before it be too late- AUUUUUUGH!" Elizabeth was forced to back away as McKraken's skin became slimier and slimier. "Ah'm... Ah'm..."

"What is it?"

"Ah be a were-cuttlefish!"

[Castle then has to place the book face-down on the table and lean his head back, laughing.]

Sorry, I just had to share that with someone.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Now, see, I can appreciate that. And people are much less easy to predict, aren't they?

[ Leto nods approvingly. ]

People can change at any moment. Books must have a structure.

They do. Honestly, it's hard to write something that's 100% unpredictable. Some people get taken by surprise at the end, some people scoff and say "eh, I knew what was coming all along". People, though- they can always surprise you.

I'm counting on it. I could use the surprise.

It keeps life on the fleet interesting.

Which is what we all need, at times.

I am hoping something happens soon. We need a bit of a shakeup- I'm starting to get a bit bored.

What kind of shakeup? I don't mind helping in that area.

Well... I dunno. Nothing that involved actually hurting anyone. Maybe a planet with an endless buffet... real food would be pretty great.

[ Ehhh. . . food is boring to Leto. ]

Perhaps some kind of game?

Like laser tag. Yeah... mass laser tag game.

Aren't lasers deadly?

Not the kind you use for laser tag. They call 'em lasers, but they're pretty much beams of light.

Designing that many lasers would take a fair amount of time. Not to mention money and supplies.

I'd ask the sponsors for a laser tag set, but I'm not sure I'd trust them with something like that.

I could make it. It is feasible.

Oh, I'd love having one. My daughter and I used to play laser tag together all the time.

[ Leto nods absently - as he does, when it comes to talk of families ]

Then I can make it so, if you wish it.

If we ever get to another planet, I might take you up on that. I'm a bit burnt out on nonlethal shooting after all the paintball on the toxic moon, though.