Potions Office Hours: Valentine Feels Bored and Scholarly

[degeneratewolfe]

Valentine had some time back returned from his year away, scouring the world for new and interesting substances and experiences. And oh, what a year it had been. But he was here now, back to the large, odd castle and the house elves who cowered justifiably every time he walked by, and life had regained a pace of a sort.

Valentine hated monotony

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[i_am_harkonnen]

The Baron's fashion sense, although lavish, only tended to enter the realm of 'appalling' once he became comfortable around people, and then mainly due to the lack of clothing. He was known to wear nothing but his suspensor harness and a cape while sitting around his own rooms, but he at least tended to get fully dressed before venturing out.

As always, the Baron was quite pleased to meet another noble- even when they were from disparate worlds and times, they were more familiar than most types around Hogwarts. He returned Valentine's bow, also keeping it to the courtly medium that wasn't likely to insult, and also wasn't likely to imply a lower rank. Although he couldn't be certain about the arrangement of Valentine's system, he felt it likely that a Baron ranked higher than a Lord, but, he knew much better than to presume anything, educated as he was in the games of the Imperium. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Wolfe. It is always refreshing to meet another noble at Hogwarts. And it appears that not only are we both serving as faculty at this unusual school, we are both assigned to the same House." Vladimir looked over Valentine with a lingering smile- attractive, well-spoken, and noble. A good combination.

[degeneratewolfe]

Valentine's long-fingered hands fluttered excitedly. It had been so long since someone had bowed to him. If it hadn't been for some concoction or other that perfected his recall, he would have said he'd almost forgotten how it felt. "And might I say that the pleasure is mutual. I'm afraid that I've been surrounded by commoners here, and while the nobility of my time were a lot of dull, inbred little shits I do miss being surrounded by my peers from time to time." Not that they were truly his peers, not when it was questionable how far he had taken himself from baseline human, but that went without saying.

"So, Muggle Studies," he said, drawing out the words, tasting them and delighting in the color and sound that they produced. "I'm afraid I'm not familiar with what that particular class entails. And oh dear, I've been remiss." He waved lazily at the platter of muffins, now somewhat depleted after a previous meeting. "Would you care for a muffin? Something to take the edge off? I baked them myself." The overly-wide smile and overly-aware black eyes hinted that this would likely be a poor course of action if one wished to remain clear-headed.

[i_am_harkonnen]

Vladimir was pleased with Valentine's reception- for once, here was someone with culture, rank, and a sense of wit, difficult to find at Hogwarts. He chuckled at Valentine's comments on nobility, which he could empathize with. "I entirely understand the sentiment- although the Imperium of my day is best described as a tedious bunch of pricks, I do miss the games. They made things interesting, and were a good reminder of exactly why to play." Imperial games of course consisted of the cordial, diplomatic smile in public, and the poisoned drink or assassin's knife in the dark. "I always enjoyed bending the rules, myself- nothing quite like the unexpected surprise to spice things up." Vladimir believed in playing dirty- after all, it was what everyone else did when they got the chance. He just took the chances more often, with excellent results. As he spoke, he looked around for a comfortable chair, not too far from Valentine, naturally. The man was intriguing, and one decadent could sense such tendencies well enough in another. A kindred spirit, perhaps- thus, the Baron was hesitant to refuse any offers of hospitality, but also sensibly wary.

It was easy enough for Vladimir to interpret Valentine's hint about the muffins, and he appreciated that the potions master was relatively forthcoming about what he'd already presumed regarding any food to be found in the department. "Your culinary creations do appear delectable- and I'd presume they contain a touch of your department's specialties. I'd be quite vexed to find myself turned into a frog or a woman or something equally unpleasant- but something to take the edge of might not be unwelcome. You seem to be in pleasant spirits, Lord Wolfe- are any of these muffins likely to improve mine as well?" Not that they weren't already somewhat improved by this meeting. He felt confident that what he was being offered was drugs, and not anything 'magical', and was of course interested to try some unusual new substances.

He waved over the most spacious chair he could find with the accio spell, and pressed on something beneath his robes, which reduced his suspensors' effect and allowed him to sit down. "Muggle Studies isn't about magic or mixology- it's sociology. It's the study of everyone on this planet who isn't considered a 'wizard'- thus, the majority. And I'm sure you know how important it is to keep an eye on them. They're actually delightfully amusing, and produce some splendid weapons and entertainment. So what does potions mastery consist of? I'm presuming a few things I'd need to try myself to truly appreciate, and a wide range of things that are far better to try on others." Given his Imperial experience, he figured that poison-making was an intrinsic part of the profession.

[degeneratewolfe]

((Reposted for the entire reply this time.))

"The Imperium? How familiar. We had one of those in my time, as well. Empress Lionstone XIV was presumably its last ruler, since I doubt the competency of anyone who attempted a coup after me, especially after Shub decided to open its robotic little heart to humanity." He sniffed in disgust. Really, Shub had been such a wonderful ally to have, all cold unfeeling desire for genocide. "I do miss the challenge," he added wistfully.

"Well, some of them do," he said, shrugging fluidly in a "you got me" sort of way. "I believe I included some mild opiates in one or two... the blueberry ones, I believe." He picked one, pinched off a corner, and chewed it thoughtfully. "Yes, that's the one. It's nothing too taxing for even a novice's system." He left the one that he'd touched to the side of the platter. There really was no use in finishing it for him. He'd barely notice any effects, and he much preferred raspberry.

"How interesting." His tone was unreadable. Common folk were common by definition and therefore theoretically below his notice, but knowing one's tools was always a valuable asset. "My particular brand of potions mastery entails less learning how to make shrinking potions and more... enlightened pursuits. Learning the pathways of the mind, learning how to most effectively combine them with 'traditional' potion-making." In other words? Watch his students drop acid and laugh himself hysterical over their reactions. It was a good job, as far as jobs went.

[i_am_harkonnen]

"I've heard of a couple of other Imperiums since my arrival- yet, they all appear to have their similarities. A female in the seat of power would have been unheard of in mine, however- unfortunately, most Houses don't understand that they need to be kept in their place, which for our women, is well away from all things political." Especially the bedroom, since that was where they usually plied their schemes. "We also had banished all computers- we turned humans into them instead. With the right training and drugs it was quite effective." He sighed rather wistfully at the thought of coups, which he'd been plotting himself before he ended up at Hogwarts. "I can only hope that I'll reappear where I left off, or that my heir's carrying on better than I anticipate- if all goes as planned, there shall be an Emperor Harkonnen on the throne soon enough." Little did he know that a combination of scheming women and unanticipated religious movements would severely screw up his extremely well-made plans.

He cracked a smile at Valentine's admission about the muffins, and accepted one of the blueberry ones, commenting, "I'll start with this then- I don't believe I'd qualify as a novice, but, it's wise to see how new things mix with the Spice." Vladimir was typically on a low dosage of Spice, not enough to cause its negative effects, but enough to stimulate his mind and senses while achieving the positive physical effects. "And believe it or not, Muggle Studies is interesting- they have technologies that could crush the wizarding population with the touch of a button." He evidently approved of this. "The Imperium in my day is a federation of worlds- my own House will rule three planets." Nevermind that he'd temporarily given up control of the most important one- it was merely a step in a long and extravagant plan. "Somehow, these 'Muggles' manage to exist on a single planet, despite multiple disparate civilizations with conflicting ideologies. It's a wonder that they haven't killed themselves off already, but they appear to be putting forth a good effort." He took a bite of the muffin, and nodded his approval at the taste.

Valentine's explanation of potion-making confirmed Vladimir's suspicions- the man was more interested in drugs than silly cantrips. Which he approved of- drugs were a useful thing. A pleasant diversion at times, and also a remarkable control mechanism over others. "It sounds as if you enjoy your position, and are making good use of it. The mind's a fascinating thing, such a complex and delicate structure- and one can learn so much more about it by altering its function for a time. Have you ever heard of the Spice, Lord Wolfe?"

[degeneratewolfe]

"What a shame," he said wistfully. "Strong women can be... intriguing. I was engaged to one, though she tried to have me killed, punched me during the ceremony, and claimed sanctuary with an order of nuns. Such a pity that dear Saint Bea didn't go through with it... she still owes my Family for the wedding, you know." He sighed heavily and theatrically. "And I doubt that anyone collected on that debt after my departure. And it would have been such a beautiful wedding. I look exquisite in white."

An assistant to the couturier who had been put in charge of his wardrobe for the affair had put forth--ever so delicately--that if even a tenth of the rumors were true about Valentine's varied predilections and hobbies, he might have been better off wearing his usual black in place of the traditional virginal white. Pieces of said assistant had been found weeks later, but nothing could be pinned on Valentine himself.

His attention was naturally piqued with mentions of drugs--particularly ones that he had never heard of before. "Why no, Baron Harkonnen, I have not. It has either not been discovered in my time or never existed at all for that reality. Either is just as likely." He leaned forward, letting just enough rapt attention show through his face and posture to seem interested and not suddenly fixated. Despite everything, Valentine was a junkie at heart. One with more class than the garden-variety, but his life still revolved around his next fix and finding newer and better ways to find it. "Please, enlighten me."

[i_am_harkonnen]

Vladimir listened to Valentine's tale as he finished off the muffin, starting to feel a pleasantly relaxed buzz- it would take more than an opiated muffin to do much to a man of his size. "Your women don't sound too far off from ours, if attempted murder, public embarassment, and running off with Sisterhood-type orders are their way- problem with ours is, the Sisterhood's gotten far too powerful, and is able to play the Imperial game while breaking all the rules with near-impunity." He shrugged, and chuckled slightly, explaining, "It's an ingenious ploy. There's a powerful organization of women that have set themselves up as something of a school, and something of a religious order, and they sell themselves out to the Imperial houses as trained concubines, advisors, truthsayers and the like. But their foremost loyalty's of course to their Sisterhood, and, they can then use the Houses they manipulate from the bedroom to get their order's agenda accomplished."

He cracked a slight grin at Valentine, a trace of lechery apparent as he added, "Fortunately, they were never much of a temptation, as I have more exotic tastes. And I do expect you'd look remarkable in while." Or in black and red, he thought, particularly that of his bedsheets. Vladimir still wasn't so sure about the lipstick, but other than that, Valentine was proving one of the more alluring men he'd encountered at Hogwarts. He was lovely, and his demeanor was generally charming. Had he known about the wardrobe assistant's fate, he'd have found him even more intriguing. Such a thing was nearly a Harkonnen reaction- only a Harkonnen would have been outspoken about the assistant's unpleasant fate, possibly even made a public spectacle out of it. It tended to be a good reminder for the rest.

He was pleased that Valentine's interest seemed caught by the mention of the Spice, as he'd hoped. "I've yet to meet anyone here who knows of the Spice- where I come from, it is the most valuable commodity in the universe. It's a drug, which in small doses, promotes health, general well-being, and helps to open subtler pathways of the mind. It's a very pleasant experience. In large doses, it's potentially lethal and incredibly addictive- withdrawal invariably means death. Spice is the foundation for our form of space travel, without it, the Guild Navigators would be unable to bend space. They've taken enough they are no longer technically human. It's found on only one planet, smells like cinnamon, and tastes a bit different every time." He reached into his robes and drew out a small, ornately-crafted silver cylinder, and a cinnamon-like fragrance immediately permeated the air. "Perhaps you'd care to try it?"

[degeneratewolfe]

"Hm." He pinched off another bit of blueberry muffin, more for something to do with his hands than anything. "Sounds like a monogendered Blue Block, except out in the open. How very odd." Blue Block, close-guarded secret of the Families, thought for generations to be a rumor until very recently before Valentine's death. It had taken children from certain families and brainwashed them to be loyal beyond reason to Blue Block, sending others to shadow organizations like the Hundred Hands to undergo treatments and become sleeper agents. Their entire purpose was to bend the Families, and therefore the politics of the Imperium, to their benefit.

He met the Baron's grin with an equally lecherous one of his own. "I'm quite... flexible in my tastes. It's been said in certain circles that I've never met a taboo I didn't enjoy shattering--and said correctly. There was a drug I once stumbled upon, something of a byproduct of the body shops meant for adventurous lovers, that allowed flesh to become malleable at will. You'd be surprised what possibilities that opens up." He stared dreamily as he spoke, enjoying the memories of killing a wannabe-assassin while under the effects of said drug every bit as much as the memories of what it had been intended for. There was something so incredibly wonderful about smothering someone to death like that.

"That sounds incredibly interesting." He was deadly serious now. Drugs were likely the only thing he was ever serious about. His nostrils flared at the scent, and his eyes stared at the vial hungrily. "I would indeed."

[i_am_harkonnen]

((My apologies for the slow reply, and Vlad's frequent TL;DRing!))

"I'd be interested to hear more of your native Imperium, if it would please you to speak of it at some point. There's little to do at Hogwarts besides seeking ways to relieve boredom, but it is and interesting place for comparative sociology, which can be useful. It's always intriguing to learn exactly how things work." Especially people. It helped to pull puppet's strings- people who thought they were making a choice, no matter how constrained and unpleasant, could be amazingly effective. The right well-phrased words and motivations could sway anyone- he took particular pride in having used this to suborn the supposedly unbreakable loyalty of a Suk doctor.

But, there were more immediately interesting topics at hand- namely Valentine himself. He was he lovely in an unusually evocative way, and to all appearances, a dedicated hedonist, which he could appreciate. the Baron leaned towards Valentine as he listened to him, finding his grin and words exceptionally evocative, and wondering just how flexible he might prove in his taboo-shattering tastes. Vladimir's hedonistic interests were ordered somewhat different than Valentine's, with sex and violence topping the list, but he could appreciate any substances that could make these things more enjoyable. His slightly crooked grin lingered, the lechery blatant, undisguised, and unquestionably directed at Valentine himself. "I can always appreciate a man who enjoys the exploring possibilities and potentials, and shattering taboos. They exist to be broken, to add some color and spice to existence. And such a drug sounds fascinating, certain to drive away at least a few hours of ennui." The Baron thought Valentine's pale body naked across his bed would work very well for this, and potentially for more than just a few hours- he was proving engaging company even with his clothes on.

Vladimir smiled slightly at Valentine's rapt interest in the Spice, and called for his house-elf, telling her to bring a bottle of red wine and glasses, quickly. She seemingly popped out of existence, and returned seconds later with the requested items before vanishing again. Vladimir uncorked the bottle, a high quality vintage he'd had stored in his room, with a simple accio spell, and filled the glasses, explaining, "The Spice is often mixed with something else, food or drink- one needs take very little of it for an effect. It's extremely potent- I find it complements red wines very well." He carefully tapped out some bluish granules from his spice container, somewhat more than a standard medicinal dose, enough to produce an obvious physical and mental effect. He offered a glass to Valentine, letting him choose which, not that either glass was tainted.

[degeneratewolfe]

((Arg, browser crashed and ate the reply where I said basically no problem since I'm not a lightning-tagger myself lately and I rather like reading the TL;DR :-P Making it not so much DR.))

"Perhaps, at some point." Some time not now. The past was exactly that, and in no danger of going anywhere. The Spice, however was right here. He watched the Baron's actions and listened to his description of the substance, eying the granules greedily.

He took the offered glass, indifferent to the possibility of being poisoned. For one, there was no danger of being killed here. And secondly, he outright welcomed finding a new substance that could have an effect--any effect--on his tremendously changed physiology. He swirled the glass, taking a whiff as would a normal person drinking a normal glass of wine. Above the scent of grapes and alcohol, he could smell that cinnamon scent that the Baron had mentioned. "Cheers." He held up the glass in a brief toast and took a long sip.

That was... interesting. Valentine had taken more drugs in his lifetime than anyone would care to count, but this was rather different and distinct from just about any of them. The closest analogue he could think of would be the esper drug. There was that same exhilarating sense of expanding outside of mere skin, but in different ways, and vital in a way that the esper drug hadn't been. It was like a slow blossoming of consciousness, and the next sip was even better. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. "Baron Harkonnen," he said slowly, enjoying the sound of the words, "I do believe I owe you for this. And that's not something I admit to anyone. Ever."

[i_am_harkonnen]

The Baron had no interest at all in poisoning Valentine, but in his Imperium, poison was a daily concern, as it was an exceptionally popular method of assassination. It was just standard politeness to let someone choose their cup, and, Vladimir still stuck to many of the habits that living in the Imperium had conditioned. He lifted his own glass to Valentine and took a deep draught of the familiar substance, which never actually did seem to become boring, and a faint smile lingered on his lips as he enjoyed the sensation of the Spice atop the pleasant relaxation already induced by the opiated muffin.

Vladimir's smile grew more apparent at Valentine's words- he too rather enjoyed the sound of his name, when it was spoken by this unique and intriguing noble, although he couldn't help but think that he'd prefer to hear it with Valentine stripped on his bed. But, although the temptation was there, he didn't tell Valentine exactly how he could repay him- there was something extra-interesting about him. Vladimir was finding that at the moment, he simply wanted to know more about Valentine, and not just about how he'd react in the bedroom. There was something almost Harkonnen about him, made more pronounced by the awareness-enhancement of the Spice. Something in his demeanor. The Baron could easily envision Valentine as having been part of his household, which was filled with rather 'colorful' characters. In fact, he did keep an effeminate drug fiend around the house, his mentat. Who he often insisted he hated, but he hadn't gotten rid of him, and didn't really want to, although it was inevitable that he'd have to.

"I'm so pleased that you're enjoying the Spice, Lord Wolfe." He swallowed another deep drink of the Spiced wine, relaxing visibly in his seat. "One of the things that's extremely intriguing about is that it never gets old. Just as its taste is always subtly different, so is the experience- it's an ever-changing thing like existence itself." He didn't know why this was, since no one in the Imperium except the Fremen and a few very high-ranking Spacing Guild and Sisterhood members had any idea as to exactly how the Spice was produced, and they were all involved in a complicated conspiracy to cover it up. The Houses who held Arrakis just mined the stuff. "No one's ever been able to synthesize it, and it's never been found anywhere except for on the planet called Arrakis. Fortunately, I arrived here with a great deal of it." A Great House's ransom worth, which was only sensible to carry around, as it was easily transportable wealth. "It's so good to meet someone who can properly appreciate the Spice- there's too few to share it with who truly seem to understand how remarkable it is."

[degeneratewolfe]

((Aaaand I fail at anything resembling punctual tagging.))

Any other time and Valentine would have been more aware of the Baron's feelings. Their banter moments previously would certainly give him an inkling, later on. For now, he was too wrapped up in the sensations give to him by the Spice to look too deeply into anyone else's affairs, even if they did deal with him personally. New drugs were, naturally, priority.

"Ever? What a pity." He opened his eyes, staring dreamily into the glass and taking another sip. "It's divine. It almost reminds me of one of my pre-death projects, the esper drug. Almost, because this is... well, as incredible as that was, this is... indescribable. The esper drug was incredibly addictive, highly lethal, and--" he smiled, oh so proudly-- "it was made from large quantities of human brain tissue. I destroyed a planet to mass-produce it." He sighed happily. "To good times," he said, raising his glass again.

[i_am_harkonnen]

((No worries! RL comes first. =D))

Valentine's fascination was a lovely thing- he was plainly a man who sought to extract as much from an experience as possible, a trait that the Baron could appreciate. It added to his overall qualities, which to all appearances, were profound- Vladimir was growing ever more curious about the man's history, and listened intently as he lauded the Spice and described his esper drug. His oh-so-proud smile was incredibly charming, especially when followed with the explanation about its production- there were few things that Valentine could have said that would have cemented the Baron's attraction further. He chuckled lightly, and smiled at Valentine as he raised his own glass, "To good times indeed! That sounds like a simply splendid endeavor." He clearly meant it, as there wasn't a trace of sarcasm in his tone, only admiration- this was clearly a man after his own heart. It was somewhat unfortunate that in Vladimir's time, synthesizing Spice was still believed to be impossible- a few millenia later, the Tleilaxu would figure out how to create it- incidentally, using live humans as the production vats.

He took another drink from his glass, and asked, "Do you think it's possible to re-create the esper drug here, or would the necessary equipment be lacking?" This idea seemed like a very entertaining diversion, not to mention something to do in Valentine's company. The anti-death spell only covered the campus grounds- if Muggle unfortunates were obtained, and hauled off to some shack in the forest or something, it would presumably be possible to harvest their brain tissue. And what had Valentine called his project- a 'pre-death' one? Did this mean he was dead?

"A 'pre-death' project, you called it- does this mean that you are undead? Or one of those who came here after death, as I've heard happens- although, I suppose that this might aesthetically equate to undeath." The way he spoke of it, it was obvious that Vladimir wasn't at all revolted by the idea of undeath- rather, he found it mesmerizing. His dear, lovely assistant Jasper was undead, after all. It was a beautiful quality, and even if Valentine wasn't, his pale skin, emphasized by his dark hair and the lipstick, definitely propped up the aesthetic.

[degeneratewolfe]

"Oh, it was," he said, beaming. "It was wonderful, being in the control center, enacting and watching the deaths of billions as my beautiful war machines made their way across the fields. Virimonde was a farm world, the type of agrarian beauty that some people cherish. It was glorious to watch it burn." He shrugged. "Of course, there were Empire-wide problems with food imports after that, but it was hardly my idea to use that particular world as an example. No, credit the Iron Bitch, mad dear that she was, with that bright idea. She had to get her revenge on a Lord from that world who hadn't even been there in some time, and so she sent me." He giggled. "Not that I'm complaining, mind."

He frowned. "I won't say I haven't tried. I've been here for a couple of years now, and I've tried to the best of my ability to recreate it. Unfortunately, I'm limited while here at Hogwarts by the no-kill spell. I need massive amounts of freshly-killed human brain tissue, you see, and there's somewhat of a dearth of it here. I've made some... attempts... in my past travels outside of Hogwarts, but I've been repeatedly stymied by technology problems. You see, this century's technology is laughable compared with what I'm used to. And while I've been able to work my way around certain aspects with magic and ordinary jury-rigging..." Another helpless shrug. "Well, let's just say I haven't given up yet."

He took another sip, lounging, and smiled blithely at the Baron. "Yes, I died. The experience was rather unpleasant." The memory of dozens of wounds opening all at once as Shub deactivated the nanotech in his system, while interesting from a certain perspective, was most decidedly not a good one. "Betrayed by those I considered my allies," he said dramatically. "On the very threshold of victory. When your time comes, Baron, try to avoid being hacked to death by murderous idealists."

[i_am_harkonnen]

The Baron sipped at his Spiced wine and listened to Valentine intently- he was a pleasure simply to listen to. His evident pride in his deeds and the joy he'd obtained from them were both evident. It sounded to Vladimir as if Valentine had even been in a similar functional position to himself, selected to do the Imperial dirty work, which was a job with an immense amount of opportunity. "I expect that it was indeed a wonderful experience- and that it wasn't just a delightful source of amusement, but provided an important lesson to your Imperium that were able to leverage in the way most profitable for you. People are always so focused on what effects them immediately that they so often fail to notice that the hand behind their destruction and their supposed 'salvation' is one in the same." Vladimir wouldn't have been at all surprised if Valentine had used the economic chaos that would ensue after the destruction of a primary resource to elevate his own power, as that was what he'd have done in such a situation. When an intergalactic megacorporation really had the final say of who sat on the Imperial throne, these things were very possible.

He nodded his understanding at Valentine's difficulties in reproducing the esper drug. "The no-kill spell has to be the single most vexing thing at Hogwarts. It's so difficult to solve any problems in a truly satisfying way when you can't put an end to them once and for all. Although. . .I'd suppose that the no-kill spell might have its little bonuses in the realm of 'advanced interrogation'- aside from the problem of disposing with them when they're finished. And although the 'Muggle' technology is rather entertaining and quaint, and destructive enough where a single planet is concerned, I can see how it would thwart your efforts. They're entirely obsessed with exploding things, and, although you could easily kill a whole city's worth of people with the touch of a button using their technology, their brains would be shredded into tiny little scraps and plastered all over the rubble. If anything's left at all. And I'm not sure that -any- population here would count as 'massive amounts'. Still, when there's enough of a will, a way tends to be found."

Vladimir listened to Valentine's admission of his death with absolutely fascination. There was something incredibly alluring about lovely dead men, although he was pretty sure that Valentine wasn't 'undead' in the way that Jasper was. He'd heard that there were quite a few who arrived at Hogwarts after their death, and so he expected that Valentine would still feel human to the touch, and not like cold, smooth marble. But this didn't reduce his allure any, it merely preserved Jasper's uniqueness. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind- if I had to bet on it, I'd lay my wager on my dear nephew's knife in my back when he becomes impatient." It didn't sound like held this against his nephew, and he didn't- ambition was a family trait. "But, it's always impossible to truly predict these circumstances." Had he known what the circumstances of his death would be, however- stabbed by the poison gom jabbar of a little granddaughter who wasn't even supposed to exist- he'd have preferred being hacked to death by a mob of Fremen. At least his last thought wouldn't have been the realization that his ancestral enemies had somehow managed to live through their perfectly orchestrated doom.

[degeneratewolfe]

((I apologize for being crappily slow.))

"Hardly," he said with a moue of distaste. "It became that sort of rallying point that certain rebellions decide on. Dreadful business." He sniffed in derision. "But, the hive mind does as the hive mind wants. Quite literally in certain cases." The esper gestalt came to mind.

"I do so love it when someone else appreciates the difficulties I'm encountering! It does make certain things fun--for instance, house elves make excellent guinea pigs for my testing of things that even I'm not sure I want to try yet, which is saying something. And they know now never to cross me, at their own peril." He nodded along with the Baron's assessment of current Humanity. "While explosives are fun--and they are--they're so impersonal. There's an entire lack of finesse to their approach at murder and mayhem, I've found. Sure, you find the occasional artist, but they tend to be lone madmen as a rule. It's such a shame. They could do so much better if only they truly applied themselves."

Valentine couldn't help but giggle at that last bit. That was how his own father had gone out, stabbed by Valentine's own blade in the heat of battle where he could place the blame on one of the Campbells and assume control of his Family with no complications at all. "It sounds like your family and my Family would have a lot to talk about--at least your family and myself. My siblings and lesser relations are from a somewhat watered down and pruned branch of the Family tree."