fandomhigh | Discovering Earth, Friday, Period 2

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Discovering Earth, Friday, Period 2

When class met today, Hannibal had a sketchpad under one arm, and was dressed in a jaunty and very Italian suit and hat. Not that the students could probably tell the difference. He was also in a very good mood for a number of reasons, only one of which was their destination.

"Good day, class. Today, we will be visiting Rome. Specifically, the Colosseum. The building is roughly two thousand years old, and is the largest amphitheater built on Earth. It is considered a World Heritage Site, and for good reason - it's one of Italy's most identifiable symbols. It was recently cleaned and renovated, and now the public can even visit the tunnels underneath that were used to house and bring in scenery, beasts, and gladiators."

"Sounds like something some of the more infamous Hutts from my galaxy would love," Kanan mused, scratching his beard and smirking faintly. "And two thousand years old? That's kind of cute. Earth, you're cute."

And Kanan, you were an ass.

Hannibal was used to it by now; he simply gave Kanan a slightly exasperated look.

"In its heyday, the Colosseum was used for everything from dramas, to gladiatorial combat, to sea battles - they would flood the entire floor and bring in boats. There are currently plans to complete the renovations and open it to hosting cultural events, although it may be some time until that happens."

"I'm guessing they aren't planning on flooding the place again," Kanan noted. "Now there's something I'd love to see."

What? He'd seen plenty of space battles. But boats? On the water? Not so much.

"It does sound fascinating, doesn't it? So." Hannibal waved them through the portal. "Enjoy the history and the architecture, or if you prefer, the shopping and food of Rome. I'll be staying a bit longer to take it all in myself, so there will be a later portal as well."

Maybe he'd call Jono and see if he wanted to join him.

"We'll see if I stick around," Kanan added, looking thoughtful. "Old ruins like this always kind of creeped me out."

He'd been raised a Jedi. This was patently untrue.

And Hannibal, who wasn't fooled, gave him a curious look for that, but decided not to bring it up in front of the students.

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"Well, they erode into any number of interesting forms," Hannibal said. "Though this is built from concrete. A slight step up from rocks. What do they build from in your galaxy these days?"

"Well, durasteel's used in pretty much everything," Kanan replied with a shrug. "Transparasteel is good for windows, but sure, we use glass sometimes, too. We've been using both for ages."

Longer than the Colosseum had been around, for a start. Why mess with a good thing?

"You have to go way back or to some backwater primitive planet to find buildings made of stone. Concrete is... hell, it's basically prehistoric."

"Not even used in flourishes?" Hannibal asked. "I find that a little disheartening; it can be lovely. Can your durasteel have different textures?"

"Flourishes are something different," Kanan pointed out. "I'm talking purely structural, here. But yeah, you can get a lot of variety out of durasteel. Not just starship hull flat or rusted armor gray. And sure, there are planets where you do still see stone used more if only because it's the most simple material to find at hand. Probably..."

He waved a hand around.

"You know. Deserts. It's a big galaxy, you know? Get around it as much as I do, and you'll see buildings made of basically anything. Durasteel, stone, wood."

"Next we visit your galaxy," Hannibal said, though he smiled a little, knowing it likely wasn't possible. "I would very much like to see that. We use steel, wood, and glass, as well as concrete and stone. The variations are more in style than in structure."

"Hey, maybe someday," Kanan replied, shrugging. "It'd be an easier trip now that Portalocity is behaving itself for me. But I'd have to shove you behind the pilot's seat in the Escape, unless Hera's willing to take on another passenger."

Which... hey, maybe, if Hannibal was willing to pull his weight, but the Ghost wasn't really meant for tourism.

"Or unless you can get a direct portal somewhere, I guess."

Which he balked at. He liked having a ship around, just in case.

"We could try the portal," Hannibal said. "It would be more direct, if nothing else."

He didn't share Kanan's preference, not being able to fly anyway.

"But I wouldn't want to ask you to bring me to a place where you're clearly uncomfortable."

Well, not unless it served some other purpose.

"Like I said," Kanan replied with a shrug, "big galaxy. I'm still more comfortable in most of it than I am here. At least for the most part."

Milk was the right color! Vehicles flew! Holos were a thing!

"Trick is figuring out where you'd like to go."

Not Coruscant.

"It's a big galaxy," Hannibal returned with a smile. "Where would you take a tourist interested in culture, food, and people?"

Probably Coruscant, right?

Anybody but Kanan would take a tourist to Coruscant if they were interested in those things, yes.

...

...

"Alderaan, maybe? They've got a bit of an obsession with culture, there."

"That's the planet that bears some resemblance to Canada, isn't it?" Hannibal asked.

He'd love Alderaan. For the next few years.

Anakin Skywalker: the reason we can't have nice things.

"I, uh..." Kanan paused. "That's the place with the mountains where we went to see the lights, right?"

Kanan was not immediately familiar with Canada, no.

And he was so rude!

"It is," Hannibal said. "As well as covering a good amount of the continent."

Canada was Really Big.

Edited 2017-03-24 20:03 (UTC)

"Is it all snow-capped mountains?"

You know, like Alderaan?

"No," Hannibal said. "There are islands, prairies, and tundra. It covers a number of climates."

Because that was how planets worked, Kanan.

Kanan's running theory was that if all sentient life in this galaxy was from Earth, this planet had to overcompensate by being everything to account for it.

"Huh. Weird."

Look, they weren't talking about ruins anymore. Kanan was going to just linger on conversation about Earth Alderaan for as long as he was able. Or at least until the class period was over and he could make a break for the island.

Hannibal knew what he needed to about the ruins; he was perfectly happy to discuss Space Canada.

"What is Alderaan like?" He grinned. "How is the food?"

"The food is fine," Kanan replied, grinning faintly. "I mean, that shouldn't be too surprising. There's a lot of focus on education and the arts there, so I'm guessing the whole place would be right up your alley."

Right up until someone blew it up. That would put a bit of a damper on it.

"I think I'd enjoy that, then," Hannibal said.

If they left before the boom.

Hey, they had nearly a decade before that, anyway!

"Well, then maybe someday," Kanan replied, shrugging. "I mean, if nothing else it'll be another good excuse to stock up on fresh nerf."

One could never have too much nerf.

"I look forward to trying nerf," Hannibal said. "And maybe you can introduce me to some of your galaxy's melons. Return the favor."

"Oh, definitely," Kanan chuckled. "If I'd been thinking, I would've brought over some of the fruit that Hera and I brought back, when we came back from Gorse."

Which... was a whole other thing that he'd been merrily Not Dealing With, so he was going to just continue right along.

"I picked up a bunch of jogan fruit- think of a purple, striped... not quite apple. It's hard to come up with an Earth flavor that compares. And Hera stocked up on meiloorun. Just crazy about the things, I guess."

"And what is that one?" Hannibal asked. "And can I tempt you to bring them to my house if I offer you both dinner in return?"

"That one's the melon," Kanan offered. "I can't quite put a finger on anything really close to that, either, but I imagine Hera could be persuaded to part with one in exchange for a decent meal."

Not that Kanan's cooking wasn't decent. But... comparatively.

"I'll look forward to it, then." Hannibal eyed Kanan. "Do you have a phone yet?"

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