fandomhigh | Destiny & Free Will, Week V [Monday, Period 4]

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destiny and free will

Destiny & Free Will, Week V [Monday, Period 4]

As the students came in today, they'd probably all be pleased to notice the lack of desks. Instead, there were huge piles of pillows and blankets heaped around, and the television set up in front of the room. Ghanima was showing affection in the best way she knew how, with pastries from JGoB and carafes of coffee and juice from the Perk.

"We'll delay the discussion of the 'omnis' until next week," she said cheerfully, once everyone had picked a spot. "Today, we're watching a movie that involves destiny."

[ocd up!]

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She's around, both before and after class.

Irulan took a brief respite from her shop to deliver another present (http://www.lockhatters.co.uk/Autumn_Winter-Boudoir-P306.aspx) to Ghani, she also had one for Leto.

"So, this is your class," Irulan mused as she entered.

"For another few weeks, at least," Ghanima laughed. "How does it feel to walk the halls of the school as an adult, Irulan?"

"It's very strange," Irulan remarked, "then again, waking in another world is stranger. I am very relieved to be back home."

"You made it there and back again," she agreed, not bothering to hide her relief at having Irulan back with them. "For which I am glad."

Irulan smiled at Ghani, "I am too, I learned a few things in that other world, and I find that I'm in awe of all of the people who managed to live that long. My counterpart was surprisingly resilient." Irulan looked around the classroom and felt a little nostalgic, she was so young back then.

Irulan returned her attention to Ghani, raising the hatbox, "I thought I'd stop by to give you this and look at my stepdaughter the professor."

"Considering I was raised by a historian, is it really that surprising?" Ghanima laughed, getting up from her desk and moving over to Irulan. "And don't sell yourself short, stepmother. There are no weaklings in House Atreides."

"A little, yes," Irulan admitted and then added with a smile, paraphrased the Atreides adage, "The power of the Atreides are in its people?"

"Something like that," she agreed. "That, and you never would have survived my mother otherwise."

Or Jessica, or Alia, or Harah...

"Yes, I think I'd rather face a horde of vampires than your mother," Irulan said. Or Jessica, or Alia or Harah. "I've heard you run a 'Fight Club' in town, would you mind if I went and observed?"

Ghanima snorted in amusement. "She'd be very honored to hear that," she said. "And you are always welcome, Irulan. It's not an exclusive membership, we just ask that everyone abides by the rules, and give their best to each match."

"I'm sure she would," Irulan laughed. "You're club isn't exclusive to students?"

The battle with the vampires made Irulan aware that perhaps she needed to keep up with her training. Her counterpart's body was almost a weapon in itself and it was an experience moving in it.

She shook her head. "Goodness no. We've got a number of adults, including Professor Skywalker, Vice-Principal Deadpool, and Detective Constable Day."

"Hmmm..." Irulan was really considering it. "And if I were interested in joining?"

"Come on Sunday, watch, and then show up the next week!" Oh, Ghanima should not be this cheery about the idea of getting her stepmother on the mats.

Irulan laughed. Of course her stepdaughter would find the idea amusing.

"Alright, I shall attend," Irulan said. "Do you think Stil might be speechless in shock or grumble how long it took me to voluntarily practice?"

"Grumble about how long it took," she replied. "And how very disappointed he is in Leto and I in how long we let you get away with not practicing."

"Yes, that would certainly be Stilgar's reaction," Irulan agreed. Then she clasped her hands together, there was the matter of Leto. She started with a little hesitancy, "Did you know about the Leto of the other world?"

"There was a Leto? Next you'll tell me there was a Ghanima," she said lightly.

She'd had a traumatized Dinah, and a Liir that she was rather sure was suffering from mild shock. Ghanima had not wanted to press for details when faced with children needing care.

"No, Ghani," Irulan said softly. She shifted her gaze slightly so her attention was on the space above Ghani's head. Mother, but this was hard.

"Irulan." Ghanima wasn't using the Voice, not yet, but her tone wavered on the edge of the command. "What. Happened."

Irulan took a deep breath.

"I hadn't met him, at least, not me," a pause. "He arrived in January and in the rush..." Irulan faltered, it was cowardly to back away now. "He was turned."

"Well now. That was careless of him, wasn't it?" Leto had gone and gotten himself turned into... whatever demon it was the children and Irulan had faced. "Knowing Leto, he was trying to protect other students and got in over his head. Am I correct?"

"It would be the most likely scenario," Irulan said, "Events happened there so quickly I hadn't had a time to investigate properly. I do remember from a vague dream that the other Leto had sought out my counterpart and wished to turn her. She didn't know him but she managed to escape that fate."

She reached out for Ghani's hand. "He is at peace now, I was told."

Leto had become a true abomination in that world and 'abomination' was not a word she threw around lightly like the Reverend Mother.

"Of course he tried, it would appeal to his sense of humor," she said darkly.

Ghanima was the lioness of Atreides, and she hadn't been there to protect him, or any of her students. The idea that somewhere, somewhen she had failed in her duty was sickening.

Re: Talk to Ghanima

irulan-atreides.livejournal.com - 2009-08-04 03:35 (UTC) - Expand

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