Thread: Student of Dune (DarkAngel & Sync)

A tiny smirk creased the Fremen warrior's lips as he watched her, as he listened to her. She was certainly eager to learn...to please. And that pleased him, in a way. Hearing that this red-haired girl, an off-worlder, was willing to apply herself to learning the ways of the Fremen and the desert...it sat well with him. He allowed the smirk to turn into a small, almost-knowing smile. We shall see, young Atreides, he agreed. He watched as she pulled her cloak from her shoulders and rolled it up to rest her head upon. He had to admit to himself...she filled out the stillsuit very nicely. Although her body was lush and water-fat, and not lean like a Fremen's body, there was a certain sensuality to her form that he found appealing. It was curious that he found her so he should not. It wasn't as if he had a woman waiting for him in-sietch, but he had never considered that he might feel any kind of attraction for this young woman, had never thought that he'd feel anything for her beyond annoyance and the demands of responsibility her presence would place upon him. He took a slow, deep breath into his lungs, held it for a few seconds, released the breath equally slowly. He pushed back the hood of his cloak and removed it, rolled the cloak up into a head-rest much as Helene had done. The action revealed his head and face properly short, close-cropped dark hair lean face with strong and angled features slightly-sunken cheeks the brightness of his blue-in-blue eyes a small yet pronounced nose. Like all Fremen, his skin was slightly weathered from exposure to the Arrakis deserts, and there was stubble on his face suggesting growth of maybe a week. He sipped slowly from the catch-pockets of his suit. The winds of the storm were howling around them, and the hissing of sand assaulted their ears. Talgar was confident the tent and 'thopter would protect them from the death often brought by the storms. If the tent failed to protect them...they'd only feel pain for a minute or so. This might be a small storm, but it was no less dangerous for being small once a storm had gathered momentum, the winds often reached speeds in excess of eight hundred clicks, making the sand particles they carried deadly to all except the worms...and even the worms took shelter sometimes. Talgar lay on his back and looked at the roof of the tent a scant meter above him, watched how it jerked and bustled in the wind eddies that swirled around the 'thopter. The desert is a wise but impatient teacher, young Atreides, he intoned slowly, an almost-reverent tone creeping into his voice as he spoke. The desert does not care whether you are Fremen or off-worlder. The desert does not care if you remembered to fit your stillsuit properly before stepping out. The desert will treat all people equally in the face of her lessons. If you are prepared, if you treat her with respect, the desert will let you live. If not...the animals of the desert will live another day. They are harsh lessons, but they are lessons that all people should learn. From such lessons come respect. From such lessons come survival. We Fremen learned those lessons quickly when we first came to Arrakis millennia ago. He was breathing slowly, regularly his body was relaxed, but also in a state of readiness he could leap into battle on a second's notice. He was listening to her as well, and could hear her breathing she sounded to be controlling her breathing, making sure her body was calm. Tell me, young Atreides, he ventured finally, his curiosity unable to be denied. What was it like, living in the water-rich palace? What was it like to have water whenever you wanted it? I've never pretended to understand this gift you have, this ability to see glimpses of the future, Farad'n confessed, his arms still holding Ghani to him firmly. All I can do is be there for you so you can at least lighten the burden it brings you. You don't have to tell me what you see perhaps knowing the future creates it...or maybe denies it. Maybe not knowing is easier...I don't know. He sighed quietly, his breath warm in the fine golden hair of her head, and his arms tightened around her slightly, giving her a gentle squeeze within the embrace. So...of course I forgive you, he added after a small period of quiet. But you have to forgive yourself as well, Ghani. We need to be strong together. Our children...need us to be strong. His voice caught momentarily as he uttered that last sentence...he knew it was hard speaking of their offspring when one of them had just died, and he wouldn't be human if he'd found it easy.