Applications... Again

[luciferincarnat.livejournal.com]

The Robot Devil once again bursts into the main hall while the students and teachers are eating, "I would once again like to announce that I will be instructing Apparations this year... since all of you were too caught up in the chaos surrounding Valentine's day to hear me the first time..." He rolls his eyes and then continues, "The course is open to all, and any of you may sign up for my class at any time... just come see me after eating and sign up." The Robot Devil laughs, then leans up against the door, whistling innocently as he inspects his hands, "Oh, you can go back to eating now, I wont bother you again."

Comments

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam scoffs into his dinner. He doesn't need or want Apparation lessons, and the Robot Devil's stupid theatrics are getting old. Spearing a carrot from his vegetarian plate, he returns his attention to his dinner companions.

[kayewinnet.livejournal.com]

Kaylee sits down next to Adam. "This seat taken? I know we're supposed to stick to houses for meals, but there's hardly anyone here!"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

Adam smiles. "Nah. I always thought that havin' separate tables was silly anyway. Please have a seat. How're you doin'?"

[kayewinnet.livejournal.com]

"I'm shiny. Everyone from my boat's here now! Did you meet Shepherd Book?"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Are they? That's great!" Adam smiles a secret little smile. "Shepherd Book? That doesn't sound familiar. But I'd be glad to meet any friend of yours."

[kayewinnet.livejournal.com]

"He's just in the sorting room now, he's a preacher and he's real nice." Helps herself to some fresh fruit from the platters.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Okay, I'll go vote on him after dinner." He watches her gather the fruit. "Would you like some vegetable lasagne? The house elves make it for me special and it's real good."

[kayewinnet.livejournal.com]

"Shiny. Almost all the old crew is there. Lasagne sounds great. I can't believe how good the food here is!"

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"It really is amazin'. Famine would hate it, of course, but at least magic is good for feedin' people."

[kayewinnet.livejournal.com]

"Especially amazing compared to what we got in space. When we even got food that is."

Takes a biiiiiiig bite of lasagne and does the eyes-rolling-back food happiness thing.

[average-adam.livejournal.com]

"Oh yeah?" asks Adam curiously. "What do you really get in space? Those freeze dried things or food pills?" He'd read lots of science fiction as a child.

[arrakis-savior.livejournal.com]

Paul Muad'Dib strides into the dining room, whistling. He is pleased to have been sorted into Slytherin, mostly because its house colors are most similar to the House Atreides colors of black and green, so his wardrobe is all nicely color-coordinated. He takes a seat and begins to chow down. Prana-bindu exercises work up an appetite!

[r-tam.livejournal.com]

After sending owls to a number of her friends, (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/227279.html) and having spent quite enough time pondering the imponderable (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/223635.html) for one day, River decided that dinner was in order. For one thing, the food was better here by far than it had been on board Serenity and for another, Dr. Maturin might come to dinner and then she could corner him and straighten this nonsense out once and for all.

On arriving in the Great Hall, she didn't feel Maturin's presence; she did spot Kaylee and Adam and started to join them--- Adam would be another good person to talk to, even though she hadn't thought to owl him. However, midway there, she sensed someone else familiar (http://community.livejournal.com/hogwarts_hocus/210571.html?thread=10265995#t10265995) and decided that Paul was probably more in need of company, since he was new here. And there was something enormously comforting about how he responded to her, too, that she thought might suit her present mood.

She found him sitting at the Slytherin table. "Hello, Paul," she said quietly. "May I join you?" Hastily she added, "I know I'm not in Slytherin, but no one seems to be sitting at their house tables anyway."

[arrakis-savior.livejournal.com]

Paul looked up from his voracious eating and gave River a winning smile. This was the girl he remembered from his sorting, the one so like his sister Alia. "Please do," he invited. "Would you like some pudding? It's very good."

[r-tam.livejournal.com]

"Thank you." River sat and helped herself--- a lot of protein, a habit she'd developed at the Academy during the grueling combat training. Vegetables--- calculating vitamin content without thinking--- and, because Paul had suggested it, the pudding. She spread her napkin on her lap and smiled at him. "What's your sister like?" After all, he had mentioned her at the Sorting, and now he was thinking about her again.

[arrakis-savior.livejournal.com]

"Alia -- she's different from other people. More different even than I am." His voice took on a softness. "The Sisterhood call her an abomination. Damned hypocrites. They're the abominations. She can't help the way she was born. And she's good with a crysknife. She does House Atreides proud. But ... I worry about her."

[r-tam.livejournal.com]

River nodded. "I know about... that kind of thing. Like the Alliance. They made me and then they would have thrown me away when I got... dangerous. I didn't ask for them to do it to me--- I would have done it if they'd asked but they didn't ask and I even asked to leave---" She broke off, forcing herself to set the fork down very carefully and take slow, even breaths. When she had control of herself, she smiled up at him. "You love her very much. You try to be a good brother. I knew you reminded me of Simon." She felt calm enough to resume eating. "Do you think your sister might come here? I'd like to meet her, and I think... I think there are a lot of people who'd want to help her."

[arrakis-savior.livejournal.com]

Paul shook his head sadly. "I don't think she'll be coming here, or anywhere, for a while. River, they've built an entire cult around her, on Arrakis. There's a temple dedicated to her, and she prophesies there. Can you believe it? My family has become a religion machine." He was silent for a moment, then smiled at River. "I wish she would come here, though. I think you two would have a lot to talk about, and it'd be good for her. And it would get her away from that Duncan Idaho ghola," he added as an afterthought.

[r-tam.livejournal.com]

"A cult?" River was torn between amusement and amazement. She smothered a giggle. "I think I feel sorry for your sister. I wish I could talk to her."

She digested the last. "They... cloned... yuor best friend? Only he's not your friend anymore?" That was the most sense she could make of what was in his mind.

[arrakis-savior.livejournal.com]

"That could be a way of describing it," Paul assented. "The Bene Tleilax harvested Idaho's cells, long ago; and now they've regrown him, and given him to me as a 'gift'. That thing is hiding something. And it isn't Duncan. Alia never knew Duncan anyhow -- he died before she was born -- and the ghola ... has a way about him. A charming way. I could almost feel sorry for him, him knowing what he is. Not sure I have the luxury of pity in this case, though." He took a very large bite of pudding.

[r-tam.livejournal.com]

"A gift?" River frowned. "You shouldn't give people as gifts--- I'm not saying it's your fault," she added hastily. "Why can't you pity him?"

[arrakis-savior.livejournal.com]

"Yes. People shouldn't be given as gifts -- can't. The Tleilaxu are obscene."

"Where I come from ... you can't afford to pity someone whose entire purpose is to destroy you. No matter how much they might deserve it."

[teatimeassassin.livejournal.com]

Apparation? That could be quite useful. The idea of such instantaneous transport, of course, appeals quite a lot to Teatime's sense of usefulness - Assassins' Guild wouldn't miss him, if it were here and he was allowed back, when he went on missions.

He hadn't been eating, anyways, so he jumped up from the Hufflepuff table and walked over towards the instructor, a look of eager innocence distorted maniacally on his face.

[luciferincarnat.livejournal.com]

"Well hello, are here to sign up for my apparations course?" The Robot Devil leans back and laughs.

[teatimeassassin.livejournal.com]

"Why, yes, sir, I am," Teatime said, his poker-face *shot* (or at least his idea of one) doubling as a look of interested zeal. "I am interested in it, anyways."