#dune au3

[therapardalis]

[Things Said to my Cat Meme from @deficd for Leto.]

You’re going to keep that up until you get your way, aren’t you? ------------

"Of course I am!" Not exactly a purr, but the low, mellow sort of tone that suggested it should have been obvious. It was also rather close to his ear as she leaned past him, nearer than she should or needed to be, to pour a fragrant, gently steaming refill into the cup on his desk, "I learned from the best, after all!"

'Persuasive persistence', Gurney called it, and while Thera couldn't claim she'd only learned it from the Duke, he was no slouch at it; she was just amusing herself with a bit in return.

"So what's bothering you today?" She hadn't moved back, only turned her head to look at him side-on. "It's not usually so hard to coax you away."

[therapardalis]

[Not exactly plotted but tossed around thing for @deficd.]

Atreides! Atreides!

The air shuddered with the sound, waves crashing akin to those of the ocean on rocks a hundred feet below, the thunder that rumbled distantly above open water. A transparent dome arched over the span of the arena, a field in place to deflect the worst of the sun and the inevitable Caladan rain.

It made the packed earth crunch under her boots rather than splash and slip, kept the surface even despite the weather and the time between tournaments. Four times a year, Solstice and Equinox, the Games were held.

Once upon a time they had included bullfights, until the death of the previous Duke - now the beasts merely cropped the fields and the battles were between humans alone. Thera walked out with the other competitors, sword slung easily across her back, the shouts of the spectators ringing in her ears; the home crowd, of course, a ferocious welcome for other Houses visiting to take part.

"Ecaz!" She shouted in return, raising a defiant fist, but she doubted anyone outside the arena floor heard - she might work for House Atreides, but out here she was Ecazi first.

[therapardalis]

[Random Thing for @deficd's Leto.]

Thera's heart pounds in her ears. Deep breaths try to slow it down, to push back against the bid it's making for her throat, but it hovers in the notch at the top of her breastbone as her shoes whisper on the Castle floors.

Whisper rather than click; soft pull-on house shoes rather than uniform boots, the difference casting a lie on the Atreides-green jacket, an attempt at decorum she'd been too distracted to perfect. Soft shoes, loose pants, barely settled into her leisure time when she'd opened the letter now clutched in her hand.

Inside the Castle gossip forms both currency and fuel, and the stares that follow her won't take long to shift from concern to speculation - but for the moment, for a change, she pays them no mind. Up the stairs to the executive wing, hoping on hope that Leto's dutiful nature has kept him in his office rather than his private rooms.

The guards outside the door are men she serves with, know her well enough that a glance furrows brows, pauses questions unasked as they let her through.

"Your Grace ..." Thera knocks but goes in without waiting for permission,a rare lapse of manners. "Forgive me, but ..." A pause, a loss of words for the beat until her next breath, " ... I have a letter from home ..."

[therapardalis]

[Music Meme from @deficd for Duke Leto.]

Arcadia, This is Strategy Control You have course deviation ... ------------

Airborne, off the coast of Caladan's Southern Continent ...

"With all due respect, your Grace, that's not our assigned transit vector." There's a mix of flavours in Thera's voice, and she's not sure which one she'd prefer he takes away. First is the simple statement of fact; it's not, and runs with the suspicious undertone of 'what are you doing?' But layered in is the knowledge that he's the Duke, and if he orders her to go along with this she has no choice - though not without an amused warning note that if Gurney has absolute kittens over this, it will be his fault.

On the other hand, Gurney's known Leto a lot longer than she has, and might not be surprised in the least. He did, after all, assign them a dual-control ornithopter that either of them could fly. And a longer time frame for their excursion than was actually required for a Ducal visit to the Southern Continent. In fact, the more she thinks back about it ...

"Thank you, your Grace, for the plausible deniability." Dry, with a poor attempt at muffling a smile. Thera relaxes her hands on her control stick, so as not to interfere when Leto used his. "Are we just cruising, or did you have somewhere in mind?" ------------

[Song: I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper by Sarah Brightman - trust me this was the only part I could work with XD!]

[therapardalis]

[New Years Meme from @deficd for Leto.]

"Let's go out to celebrate." ------------

"Sounds wonderful." Thera gave a brisk, confirming nod, lifted her glass to touch against his. It definitely was not the first time that evening and possibly wouldn't be the last, and though she'd been careful to pace herself she had enough buzz running through her veins to promise at least a mild hangover in the morning. Which meant that yes, some fresh air and a bit of a walk seemed like excellent ideas.

Leto, on the other hand ... well, the Caladan wines were his family's label, and he'd probably been drinking them since his father had decided he was old enough. So here they were, pitting his familiarity against the resistance she'd learned as a soldier - and she wasn't exactly sure who was winning.

Or, for that matter, who was being the bad influence here. All she knew was that she'd given up trying to dissuade him. She finished her drink, gave a slightly over-acted sigh. "Have you always been like this, or is it just around me?"

[therapardalis]

[Tension Meme from @deficd for Leto.]

[ UNBUTTON ] : due to heat or stress or other reasons, sender unbuttons the top of their shirt to reveal their neckline. (( this feels like a leto move lmao )) ------------

At Caladan Castle, protocol demanded a dress-code. Perhaps not formality or full uniform all the time, but neatness, quiet elegance, nothing loose or untidy.

Unless, apparently, it was late after a day of seemingly endless meetings and you were Leto Atreides. Thera paused in the doorway of the royal dining room, blinking in mild surprise. His tunic was hung over the back of one of the chairs, upper tab on his shirt pulled loose as he moved around the room. Both of which had her attention.

It wasn't the first time she'd seen him like this, and it was hardly the stuff of scandal, but the lines that were most often hidden by collar and beard drew her tired eye.

"That's not fair."

Remarked with less hesitation than she'd once had - left just long enough for Leto to interpret it as he would before she went on, moving into the room and loosening her own collar as well, "you beat me to it ... is there anything left to eat?"

[therapardalis]

[While Dancing Meme from @deficd for Leto.]

I didn't know you could dance. ------------

"Didn't you?" Thera tilted her head as she approached, face slightly flushed from a turn around the floor. Behind her, the grey-haired diplomat who had bowed graciously as he escorted her from it fell into another far more formal version at the sight of the Duke. Nobody among the guests was certain what she and Leto were to each other, but there was a difference between asking his 'assistant' to dance and being seen doing so.

Thera heard the quick, deferential murmur of 'Your Grace' and half-turned, ready to make introductions, but the diplomat was already politely stepping away. Or ... 'retreating' might be a better word, and tongue pressed behind her lower lip against a smile.

"I learned most of the formal Imperium dances as a girl," She answered, with a small shrug, Looking back toward Leto. "It's one of the few things about being raised in a noble family that I enjoyed."

[therapardalis]

[While Dancing Meme from @deficd for Leto.]

That thing you just stepped on? Yeah, that was my foot.

--------

"Well perhaps," Thera suggested, eyebrows arching, "your foot should not have been there."

Was that true? Partially. Was it fair? Decidedly less so, something the amused glimmer in her eyes knew perfectly well. The look made its way down to her lips, gaze on his with that and a hint of challenge as they circled the floor. The music was recorded rather than live, the weapons table and sparring dummies moved aside to create a space in the middle of the training hall. "Maybe you should set up a shield unit to protect your toes?"

The truth was they each knew the dance perfectly well; it was growing accustomed to each other that was getting in the way. How far forward or back they stepped, how close they were during a turn - it was when either of them misjudged such a thing that accidents happened. Which was of course the reason for this practice, rather than risk such a thing in public, on the rapidly approaching Ducal ball.

Or at least that was the official reason. Thera shortened her step on the next round, staying clear of Leto's boots without having to look. "Better?"