Room 528 [Tuesday afternoon]

[sorella_vecchia]

Triela looked around the room. She was pretty sure she'd managed to pack everything. Her closet and drawers were empty, and she'd cleaned out her desk and even packed her collection of bears. She wasn't sure that she wasn't coming back, of course, but it was a distinct possibility. With the Conditioning beginning to deteriorate, it was entirely

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[future_sandworm]

There were things happening on Arrakis that could have taken up all of his attention, but perhaps calling Fandom friends was a needed distraction.

The palace in Arrakeen offered the privacy of locked doors. Alone in his room, Leto picked up the phone and dialled Triela's number.

[sorella_vecchia]

Triela set down her bag and picked up her phone, frowning at the caller ID. (Okay, so it was really more of a scowl, but the expression was more a habit than anything else by now.)

"What?" she demanded as she held the phone to her ear.

[future_sandworm]

"Hello, Triela." The amused smile might possibly be almost audible. "Am I interrupting anything?"

[sorella_vecchia]

"I'm packing."

So, no. Not really.

[future_sandworm]

"Packing?" Leto replied. "Are you leaving?"

[sorella_vecchia]

"The semester's over." That wasn't what he was asking, and she knew it.

[future_sandworm]

"So where are you spending the holidays?" he asked.

[sorella_vecchia]

"Rome." Duh.

"I have a job, you know."

[future_sandworm]

"So, no rest for you." He didn't particularly like her employers. He was an Atreides, after all. They didn't treat those loyal to them like that.

[sorella_vecchia]

"I can rest when I'm dead." Hey, look who's been learning pop culture references!

[future_sandworm]

Leto did not pick up that reference, however. "Hopefully," he said. "How have you been?"

[sorella_vecchia]

"As well as can be expected." Considering that she probably had less than six months before she was permanently in a hospital bed.

[future_sandworm]

He hadn't expected a reply that actually contained any information. "Missed me?" he added lightly, just to turn the conversation into less of an interrogation. He suspected he knew what response he would get too.

[sorella_vecchia]

Well, of course. Triela was, after all, predictable.

"Why would I miss you?" she asked, voice just a little too... something to be entirely casual.

[future_sandworm]

"Because I'm your friend," he replied neutrally.

[sorella_vecchia]

She was silent for a long moment.

"You are?" Did he really mean that?