The deck of the Cape Rouge, Port of Fandom, Friday afternoon

[betterthanaplan]

So. Duke had been in Fandom for two weeks now. And while he'd absolutely never say out loud that he felt like he had a handle on things . . . he felt a bit like he had a handle on things.

Case in point: he was lounging on the deck of his boat, sipping bourbon and pondering whether or not he could sail to 2008 Baltimore, stash an inexpensive bottle somewhere, then walk across the causeway to 2019 Baltimore, pick it up, and sell it all nicely aged. He was pretty sure he could get away with something like that without breaking time. So long as he didn't manage to run into his older self or something. But wouldn't his older self know to just avoid Baltimore in 2019?

He was not so lost in such thoughts as to not notice the small green thing creeping around his crates, though. He dropped his hand down to the butt of the gun taped under his chair.

"Pretty sure biting your subjects is a big reporter no-no."

The gremlin made a sort of grumbling, snarling noise, and scuttled off. Duke nodded to himself and sipped his bourbon.

Yeah. He was getting a handle on things.

[open boat deck is open!]

Comments

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando was taking a brief walk before he caught the portal to Toronto for his evening lecture at the University. The boat was new and he smiled to see it, finally a boat in the port. There was someone up there, so he called up, "Hello, the boat."

[He hasn't met all three of my nerds yet.]

[betterthanaplan]

"Finally, someone who understands etiquette." Duke waved back. "Ahoy. Permission to come aboard or whatever."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando made his way up to the deck. "I've no idea of boat etiquette," he admitted with a smile, "There didn't seem to be a good way to knock from the dock. Welcome to the island," Hernando extended a hand, "Hernando Fuentes, I run the tea shop down on the lighthouse side of the island."

[betterthanaplan]

"Calling works fine," Duke said. "I'll usually see you coming if I'm on deck, though." It tended to behoove a smuggler to stay aware of his surroundings, after all. "Duke Crocker. Tea shop, huh? Wouldn't have thought a town this size would support something like that."

On the other hand, he had already offered to supply tea to two different people since getting here, so.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando laughed a little, "You'd be surprised. There's my tea shop and the Perk, a coffee shop. While I sell coffee, I couldn't in good conscience recommend anyone drink it. The shop tries but I don't think it understands coffee. The Perk is terrific for people watching and their coffee is very good. My shop has a much better selection, and quality of,tea and is a nice place to enjoy a view of the beach." He smiled, "I am also an art professor and the tea shop has a gallery wall, usually curated fine arts but sometimes local photography or paintings."

He glanced around curious, "A shipping vessel, no? Will you be supplying the island with anything in specific?"

[betterthanaplan]

"You mean other than my charm and good looks?" Duke shrugged. "I work more based on demand. There something in particular you're looking for?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"This island is certainly blessed with a population of good-looking people," Hernando agreed readily, "I've only met one ugly one though that is more a cancer of the soul than appearance. At the moment, I have no current needs, although that could change if someone wanted a particular import of tea or treat that I don't currently stock. Do you have a quantity requirement?"

He was more making conversation than anything. The shop supplied anything people asked for in a manner that still surprised Hernando. It was a very good shop and he adored it.

[betterthanaplan]

"Wow." Duke nodded. "'Cancer of the soul.' Judgey." He shrugged. "No quantity requirements, so long as the price is right. We'd have to work around my class schedule, though."

Which was weird. Duke had never been the type of person who worried about showing up on time for school.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando inclined his head a little, accepting the - heh - judgment. "In this particular instance, yes; my charity for the person is very small. Though it also says something of the general population of the place that there has been only one person to be even the slightest bit unpleasant. For the most part, people here are pleasant."

He lifted a palm in a shrug, "I have no requirements at this time nor would any likely be immediate. The only demand I've had lately has been from my partner demanding Canadian junk food, which I can readily supply him with." Smiling, he tilted his head a little, "Ah, one of the new teachers? How are you finding it? I've considered submitting a proposal for an art class but it will have to wait until my lecture series is over."

Until Sparkle's legal issues were settled, one way or the other.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke smiled at the 'partner' comment, and let it grow a bit when the pronouns were mentioned. It was good to know that was something people felt comfortable just casually tossing around to strangers on the island.

"Teaching's not bad. There's some good kids around here. Still not sure how being a pirate fits into a high school curriculum, though."

[hernando_fuentes]

Technically it was 'partners' and that pronoun was subject to change. Right now, that wasn't something Hernando would discuss openly with anyone.

"I've had very little interaction with the students," Hernando told him, "Usually only if they come in for tea. I've heard them talking about their classes at the welcome picnic for a few terms now and the class rosters seem to be a little more eclectic than I am accustomed to." He smiled wryly and gestured with a hand, "It's one reason I haven't submitted a class proposal, to be honest. It's almost intimidating to consider a simple art class against something like being a pirate. I would probably have chosen the art class as a child but by the time I reached high school I was already heavily invested in art."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke chuckled. "I didn't actually choose any of it. You'd probably end up with at least a few students just because the Moose decided they should be there. I should swing by your shop sometime, though. I like to collect a piece or two wherever I go. It'll be interesting to see what kinds of things people around here make."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando examined the sky for a moment. "The shop is on a classics kick lately. It hasn't presented anything local but it has come up with some quite good works by Titian, Rembrandt, and Lotto, though. If they are reproductions, they are quite good."

He wasn't certain. Though he hadn't heard of any galleries reporting a theft or even a missing exhibit. Not in this reality, anyway.

[betterthanaplan]

"Right, sorry, your curator is the shop itself?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"Oh no, not always. Sometimes it allows me to curate but it definitely has opinions," Hernando answered with a soft laugh, "It doesn't care for modern art any more than I do, which is nice. I don't know what I'd do if Pollack showed up one day. Twitch, quite probably."

[betterthanaplan]

Okay, but the shop still seemed to have opinions. Which was weird.

"Sell it and use the money to buy something better?" Duke suggested. "I tend more towards folk art, myself." The number of masks this man had below decks. . . .

[hernando_fuentes]

"Who'd buy it?" Hernando shrugged, "Though I suppose there must be people out there who find his work interesting. He didn't get famous in a vacuum." Though one could wish. "Folk art? Any specific medium?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Wood, metal, shells. . . . Whatever the local folk are using. Well, the stuff that'll hold up to damp, anyway. I don't go for papier mache much."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Metal," Hernando mused, "There's a blacksmith in town. She might do some. I wouldn't imagine paper mache would survive well on a boat environment, no. Sparkle takes quite nice photographs but getting him to show them off depends on his mood. Though his mood is usually quite good." Except lately when he was doing a limpet impression. "I don't know if we have any residents who show their work to be quite honest. Peter Octavian admitted to painting but I haven't seen his art."

[betterthanaplan]

"Right, the uh. 'Shadow' guy. I met him. Haven't had the pleasure of the blacksmith yet. I'll have to see if I can find her."

If nothing else, a blacksmith seemed like a very useful person to know.

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando's smile went a little strained and fixed. He had no idea that was what Peter was called but 'the Shadow guy' was a valid reference for him and brought to mind the awful moment at the shadow wall. Watching Peter hurl magic at it, speaking words that chilled the blood and shook the mind in a language that didn't sound like it should have been spoken by a human throat. Watching the wall simply.. eat everything poured into it.

The snap-hiss of Kanan's lightsaber coming to life, stabbing the shadow, burning a hole in it that simply oozed closed behind the glowing blade as it was withdrawn. The look on Kanan's face. The concentration, determination, and anger.

He swallowed through a throat gone suddenly tight, trying not to show the way he was - very silently - panicking. Concentrating on his breathing. Reminding himself that it was over. It was over and his friend was safe and the terrifying way he was introduced to the island's power-throwers had simply been unfortunate. Peter and Kanan were good men. He knew that now, he'd gotten to know them.

But he couldn't forget the way Peter had bounced a glowing magic light from hand to hand like some sort of eldritch Slinky. Peter had meant it to be reassuring.

It had been terrifying.

It took him a moment to get past the adrenaline response. Until he could breathe freely again even though his chest still felt a little too tight. He nodded and then said quietly, "Peter is a good man. Whatever else he may be."

[betterthanaplan]

Well. That was interesting.

Duke made sure to look away while Hernando put himself back together -- no one needed an audience for that sort of thing -- but was careful not to make any sort of deal about it.

"Good to know," he said, then held up the bourbon bottle. "Can I get you a drink or something?"

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando smiled and shook his head, "No, but thank you for the offer. I'm giving a lecture tonight on the history of art in the Renaissance and will save my drinking for after. I have quite a nice bottle of wine waiting. For some reason, the Renaissance discussions always bring out the most terrible questions from students."

[betterthanaplan]

"As opposed to the simply amazing ones about, say, Fauvism?" Duke asked, teasing. "Can't say I've ever been to an art lecture. Always been more of a 'learn on the go' kind of guy." And yet, he could casually toss out the term 'Fauvism'.

[hernando_fuentes]

"Ah, but for all that is modern art, without Fauvism you have no Van Gogh," Hernando smiled - pronouncing the name correctly, "He is the modern artist many students are most familiar with thanks to the internet and the popularity of Starry Night. He and Edvard Munch are two artists whom can be drawn upon to engage a class that might otherwise feel no way to relate to art at all, when Matisse and his movement may have been previously unknown to them. Once the connection is made and the class is more engaged, they're more receptive to learning about art through the ages to see where they can make other such connections. A working knowledge of art is seen, improperly, as a bastion of a higher class, though art appreciation is available to everyone if they can be enticed to take an interest."

And then he laughed and shook his head, casting Duke a mildly rueful look, "And now you can never again say you haven't been to an art lecture before. My apologies. You can take the professor out of the classroom but never the reverse."

[betterthanaplan]

"Eh, my own fault for encouraging you," Duke said easily. Getting people to talk about what they were passionate about was pretty much how 'learning on the go' tended to work, after all. "So who's your favorite artist, then?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"Any of the Dutch Masters really," Hernando answered with a smile, "If I had to pick one, I couldn't. It would be a tie between Vermeer and van der Weyden. Their use of light is enrapturing."

Yes he really said that word with his own mouth.

[betterthanaplan]

"Vermeer's the Pearl Earring guy, right?" Duke asked. "Yeah, I like his stuff. Lots of regular people. I could never get into the church-y stuff."

The Reverend Driscoll back in Haven had rather put Duke off "church-y" stuff.

[hernando_fuentes]

"That is, as you say, the 'Pearl Earring' guy," Hernando chuckled, "Though personally I like 'Study of a Young Woman' more. She too wears a pearl drop earring but her face is more real, less studied. She seems more warm somehow. Perhaps it is simply the softening of the light between the two portraits. van der Weyden did many portraits also, though of course he is most known for his religious iconography. His use of bright pigments, though.." Hernando pinched his fingers together, kissed his fingertips and released it skyward as though setting the kiss free to the world. "Stunning."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'll have to look that up," Duke said. "I do love good use of color. So do you specialize in Western art, then?"

[hernando_fuentes]

"Specialize? No. It was the first art I fell in love with and the reason I pursued a degree in art history, but it cannot really be said I have a specialty," Hernando mused, "I've taught art from all areas of the world as well as the history of expression and art appreciation. My understanding of Western art might be better than Pan-Asian arts or African or Russian but that would be like saying my understanding of Aztec and Mayan art is better than my understanding of European art." He laughed softly, "I love beauty in most forms, though this, of course, is subjective to my own definition of 'beautiful'."

Which was.. broad.

[betterthanaplan]

"I was about to say. Some of my favorite art in the world comes from the same place your accent does. And Frida Kahlo gets as much from Mexican traditions as she does the European masters. Arguably more."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Mm," Hernando nodded, "I have an entire lecture series about her alone. Self expression and rebellion through art. She was a rebel in her own time and I rather love her for it. Of course it helps that her art is beautifully stylistic."

[betterthanaplan]

"She'd be a rebel in my time too," Duke said. "Her suits? That unibrow?" Duke gave a finger kiss of his own. "Her work is part of why I decided I needed to see the world."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando blinked a little and then asked hesitantly, "When.. is your time, if I may ask?"

[betterthanaplan]

"2008. You'll see plenty of women in suits and the occasional unibrow, but both at once?" Duke shook his head. "Not so much."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando blinked slowly. "No, not so much back then. You might see more of them now. Frida has come back into fashion in a way." He was a little bemused. "Eleven years ago, I was starting my first year of college."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "It's kind of a trip. I should be forty-four, by Fandom's count. Somewhere out there, I guess I am."

Somewhere out there, he'd been dead for years.

[hernando_fuentes]

"It's so strange to be one of the few people for whom the other side of the causeway is perfectly normal with no such alterations to the timeline or world," Hernando shook his head, "One would think after a year of this I would have become accustomed to it but no."

[betterthanaplan]

"Haven't been across the causeway much," Duke said. "But if I sail out on the Rouge, I'm back in 2008. Haven't worked out exactly where the shift is, yet, but it's nice knowing I can get home if I need to."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando chuckled, "It would be tempting to look up the lottery numbers for the last decade and compare them to see if the realities matched up to that degree."

Hernando meant it as a thought exercise.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke laughed. "I was thinking more along the lines of seeing if I could stash a bottle of something in 2008 and pick it up ten minutes later in 2019 to sell at a profit."

[hernando_fuentes]

"That would be interesting, to see if it worked," he mused, "Is the difference in price between a ten year and a twenty year Scotch such that it would be worth it?" In a word, yes, Hernando.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke spread his hands. "When it comes to alcohol, age is money. Kind of a lot of it."

[hernando_fuentes]

"The same is true of certain tea," Hernando noted, and then laughed a little, "Now I shall need to go look at the market for a 2008 pu'ehr just to know."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke leaned back in his seat, giving Hernando a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "If it's any good, you should let me know. Perhaps we can make a deal."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando smiled, "I admit to being curious. It would be after the pu'ehr bust of 2007, so prices in 2008 would have been incredibly low but unfortunately, the commercialization that had lead to the 2006 boom and 2007 bust would have affected the general available quality.." Humming a moment, he pulled out his phone and tapped away. His brows went up, "A minimum factor of ten for even low brands with some like the Dayi peacocks going for a factor of 30. Yunnan Longrun 826 has appreciated quite a bit as well. Hm. Well. If you wanted to spend some money on tea, spending $5 or $10 per cake in 2008 and assuming a case of ten per would net you a minimum of $450 and $900 per case after the original investment was deducted. More, if you negotiated a bulk discount."

A shake of his head and a palm shrug, "I have no market for it here. You would have to find a specialty tea distributor or sell it on Ebay or Amazon though.. " Another tap, "The Yunnan 826 is currently selling for roughly $160 per cake on Amazon." Hernando chuckled, "I admit, I'd like to try it and see if it is truly worth that cost or if it is an inflated market due to the number and the year."

[betterthanaplan]

"If there's a market out there, I can find it." Duke thought it over and nodded slowly. "It's worth a shot. What kind of storage does it need? I can pick some up this weekend, and we can see if this whole scheme even works."

[hernando_fuentes]

"You'd want a humidor," Hernando said, thinking it over, "Though not one made of Spanish cedar or any other strongly scented or resinous wood. Pu ehr is in a state of constant fermentation, that's what gives it the flavor and makes older tea more expensive. A stable temperature range would be 20-30C, humidity between 50-75% - higher temp, lower humidity and vice versa. A fan or air exchange would be necessary to keep mold from forming and to keep the fermentation from stopping. You'd want to separate Shou and Sheng blends, and keep all of the tea away from anything with a strong odor."

More thinking. "8 is an auspicious number in the Chinese calendar. That may play a factor for the price of the tea now. I don't know." Frowning a little, he noted, "I do know 2019 is going to be a terrible year for pu ehr tea of any sort. The climate change has done so much damage this year alone."

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Might take more than a weekend to set all of that up," Duke confessed. "Not quite as simple as finding a decent wine cellar."

[hernando_fuentes]

Hernando laughed quietly, "Little more difficult, yes. Wine ages in an airtight environment. Tea will simply decompose if there is no airflow."

[betterthanaplan]

"Sounds like it could use a decent caretaker, too. That's a pretty big increase in overhead." Duke shook his head and clicked his tongue. "Not quite the sort of time travel scheme I'm looking for at the moment, I'm afraid."

[hernando_fuentes]

"With a chest-sized humidor? No," Hernando shrugged, "They're all computerized now. Though it would not be a sustainable market, it's true. There is only so many you could bring back before the value depreciated."

[betterthanaplan]

"And if the power goes out in 2011 and no one's there to plug in into a generator? You are not thinking this time travel thing all the way through, my friend."

[hernando_fuentes]

"Mm, it would do better in a warehouse," Hernando admitted, "Somewhere already set up for such things. I admit I wouldn't know where. For me it is all simply speculation."

[betterthanaplan]

"Spoken like a man who doesn't have to worry about what, uh, 'time zone' he ends up in if he leaves the island in the wrong direction.'

[hernando_fuentes]

"That is also very true," Hernando agreed, "but that is also why I would look at nontangible items. It would be quite a chore to make sure things like the dates on my dollars and coins matched up with pre-2008. Especially considering the currency changeover in the US."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke snapped his fingers. "Now you're thinking. All the more reason to keep things simple. And in a business I already know."

[hernando_fuentes]

He laughed again, "Well then, I wish you luck on your endeavors. Stop by the tea shop sometime. We're open on Thursdays. I'd like to hear how it all works out." A glance at his watch, "For now I must be going. I have a portal to Toronto to catch. It has been nice meeting you, Duke."

[betterthanaplan]

The tea shop was open once a week. Of course it was.

"You too, Hernando. See you around."

[thatwaslucky]

Rey was just passing by after the park, but she did have to slow down to see if he was there to say hi.

[*stalks stalks stalks*]

[betterthanaplan]

"Rey," Duke greeted. "How's it going?"

[thatwaslucky]

"About the usual." Which wasn't a complaint. "I see you're incredibly busy."

[betterthanaplan]

"Oh, absolutely." Duke spread his hands with a grin. "Relaxation is a chore that's best handled daily."

[thatwaslucky]

"Especially in a town without much to do?"

Seriously, Fandom, you were tiny.

[betterthanaplan]

"Been noticing that. I'm actually surprised there aren't more bars around here."

[thatwaslucky]

"Two aren't enough?"

She only went to one, and that was because of the Wednesday bartender. Once Summer left, that'd probably be it.

[betterthanaplan]

"People tend to want to get drunk when they're bored," Duke said. ". . . Hence the 'Drunk and Bored Club', I guess." He shook his head. "The type of drunk they want to get tends to vary, though. So you've got Caritas, with its lounge-y, cocktail vibe, and Devil's Nest for those who want something darker and more exclusive, but there is not a single dive bar to be seen. Where do people go when they want to drink in a place as messy as their own lives? Or pretend they know how to hustle pool?"

[thatwaslucky]

"I think there's supposed to be pool at the bowling alley?" Rey tried.

[betterthanaplan]

"But is there booze?" Duke asked, then shrugged. "Actually, either way, 'bowling alley' still isn't the same as 'dive bar'. I guess maybe folks have to aim for the mainland for that."

[thatwaslucky]

"Probably. I'm afraid I'm not much help there," Rey admitted. "I did not get out much before."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head sadly. "All work and no play, Rey. You should learn to cut loose a little."

[thatwaslucky]

"Cut loose how?" she had to ask.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, that's entirely up to you," Duke said. "Personally, I'm a fan of liquor." He raised his glass. "Or swimming. Not big on mixing the two though. That's just asking to drown. Which is not relaxing."

[thatwaslucky]

"That would be the exact opposite of relaxing," she agreed, and thought about it. "Training is relaxing. Sort of."

Oh honey.

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Wow. We are definitely going to have to work on that." Oh honey indeed. "Pretty sure I saw an onsen on the island, you ever try going there?"

[thatwaslucky]

Rey shook her head. "I'm not actually sure what it is."

[betterthanaplan]

"In my world, at least, it's a Japanese term referring to a hot spring. Sort of like a big cozy bath. Which . . . I gather if you're from a desert planet you maybe haven't enjoyed a lot of?"

[thatwaslucky]

"Not really. It does sound interesting." The girl loved showers, but baths were new.

Of course, with that description, she had to check, "...There's clothes involved in this, right?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Depends on the management," Duke said. "Most of the traditional places in Japan are strictly nude, but unless the owner's a real stickler, they've probably made allowances for, uh, local modesty standards."

[thatwaslucky]

"Good," she said. "If he's a stickler that won't be relaxing,"

[betterthanaplan]

"It could be," Duke said. He wasn't particularly modest, himself. "But it'd probably take practice. I'm guessing a place with this many teenagers running around is probably pretty careful about potential public nudity, though."

Oh Duke. You could tell he was new.

[thatwaslucky]

Oh Duke.

"You would think," said Rey, who hadn't been immune to the public nudity herself, no matter how much she wanted to be.

And she could have elaborated more, and chose not to, because that sort of discovery really was a Fandom rite of passage.

"All right, I'll try the onsen, then."

[betterthanaplan]

"Tell me how you like it. Then maybe I can suggest other relaxation methods as well."

[thatwaslucky]

"I don't know, between this and the yoga, that sounds like quite a bit."

This, honestly, was only half a joke.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "Fair enough. Just means I'll have to make sure to focus on relaxing yoga, then."

[thatwaslucky]

"We do still have that," she said. "When did you want to do that?"

[betterthanaplan]

"I'm free . . . basically any time that's not my class on Wednesdays," Duke said. "There really isn't that much to do around here."

[thatwaslucky]

"And I have work on Sunday and work with Kanan on Fridays," she said. "Pick a day, I'll be there."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "How about Tuesdays? Where's a good spot for it? The deck here's a little, uh. Cluttered for a beginner's class."

[thatwaslucky]

"Tuesdays work. As for where, that depends on how many people you're willing to have around." That was up to him, since she didn't exactly know how this went yet. "There's places like the park, or maybe somewhere at the gym. My place is... the exact opposite of this."

She did not have furniture. But she did have three extra rooms.

[betterthanaplan]

"I don't mind other people if you don't," Duke said. ". . . Maybe not the park, though."

He wasn't going to add any more similarities between him and Kanan unless absolutely necessary.

[thatwaslucky]

"Oh! The beach! Is that okay?" she asked.

[betterthanaplan]

"Sand's a little unstable," Duke said. "But yeah, we can probably do it there. I can bring some pallets or something, if nothing else."

[thatwaslucky]

"We can try it, and it it doesn't work, we can always move," she said.

[betterthanaplan]

"Very true. And an excellent attitude to have starting a yoga practice."

[thatwaslucky]

"That's good to know," Rey said with a smile. "All right, I'll see you then."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'll see you," Duke confirmed. "Remember to hydrate."

[magnusrushesin]

"Hey, man. Nice boat!" Look, Magnus found the place. Eventually.

[betterthanaplan]

Better late than never?

"Magnus," Duke greeted. "Glad you approve."

[magnusrushesin]

"I mean. I know a thing or two about boats," Magnus said proudly. "I've got vehicle proficiency."

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Yeah, I got no idea what that means, man. But I'm going to guess you haven't seen one quite like the Cape Rouge before."

[magnusrushesin]

No, his was named the Starblaster because you just gotta fuck with the DM when the DM was your little brother.

"It's cool," Magnus said, looking the ship over with the weirdest bit of deja vu going on. "Hey, if you sail this a mile off shore, does that mean you can do whatever you want because of international waters?"

[betterthanaplan]

"You need to go a hell of a lot farther than a mile," Duke said. "It does seem to be 2008 out there, though. At least when I go."

[magnusrushesin]

"Is that a good thing?" Magnus asked.

[betterthanaplan]

"Makes it easier to get in touch with my contacts. And means I haven't actually completely lost eleven years of my life, so yeah. I'll call it a win."

[magnusrushesin]

Magnus loyally offered up a hand to high-five for that. Because of course he did.

[betterthanaplan]

And Duke might shake his head at the silliness of that, but he did not leave Magnus hanging.

"So how's your class going?"

[magnusrushesin]

Aw yeah.

"We taught kids how to deal with clowns this week," Magnus replied. Because it was a normal thing on this island. Sure.

[betterthanaplan]

"Interesting. And how, exactly, does one deal with clowns in Fandom?"

[magnusrushesin]

"Oh, you punch 'em. Real, real hard."

[betterthanaplan]

"Uh huh. Alright." Duke nodded. "Are there things around here you don't handle by punching really hard?"

Magnus just kind of seemed the type.

[magnusrushesin]

Now that was typecasting! Accurately, but still.

"Well," Magnus said, really thinking about it. Really, really, really thinking about it. "I don't punch things when I'm woodworking."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke chuckled. "That's good to know. I should probably hit you up if I need something properly punched, huh?"

[magnusrushesin]

"Or you need a lock picked!" Magnus added. Because it was still new and constantly forgotten that he could do that.

Multi-classing, man.

[betterthanaplan]

"That I can actually do myself."

He was also no slouch at punching people, let's be real.

[magnusrushesin]

"Oh, cool! Rogue bros." He needed more rogue bros now that he was away from Carey.

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Sure. Rogue bros."

[magnusrushesin]

"We could do a heist! I never got a successful one outside of the live shows!" What?

[betterthanaplan]

". . . Please tell me you don't try to pull heists in front of a live audience."

[magnusrushesin]

"I mean. We were getting paid to." Gotta make that green, Duke.

[betterthanaplan]

"Okay." Duke had so many questions. "You know part of the point of a heist is that people don't know about it, right?"

[magnusrushesin]

"Yeah, but that's the twist, you see." Nope. No one saw. No one, Maggie.

[betterthanaplan]

"It really kind of sounds like you just got brought into someone's kink," Duke said. "Just, uh, so you know."

[magnusrushesin]

"Lup, no," Magnus said real quiet and broken.

He didn't need to know what she and Barry got up to. Not again.

[betterthanaplan]

"Sorry, buddy." Duke held out his bourbon bottle. "Need a drink?"

[magnusrushesin]

"I think I do," Magnus said, accepting the bottle. He totally made a face when he took a swig, but pretended like he was a straight liquor tuff boi anyway. "I've seen some shit there, believe you me."

[betterthanaplan]

"I guessed by that thousand yard stare a moment ago."

[magnusrushesin]

"I never want to see plant foreplay again," Magnus said with another wincing swig before giving the bottle back.

[betterthanaplan]

"You know, intellectually I know I probably really don't want to know, but I gotta ask: is that foreplay with plants, or are the plants themselves engaging in the foreplay?"

[magnusrushesin]

"Both? Both," Magnus said slowly. "Admittedly they were magic plants. And the guy involved could talk to them. And I'm gonna need more bourbon or a very hard blow to the head now."

[betterthanaplan]

"Bourbon I can do. I mean, I could also hit you over the head, but I feel like that's more of a 'third time we hang out' kind of thing."

[magnusrushesin]

"Or surviving a cool battle together thing," Magnus agreed, perking right back up.

[betterthanaplan]

"Or if you suddenly turned against me, mid-caper." Duke felt he was starting to get the hang of Magnus's conversational style.

[magnusrushesin]

Once you got there... you were there. Stuck there.

"Oh my God, that sounds like so much fun," Magnus whispered.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke was never doing a serious job with Magnus. It was official.

"So anyway. What else do, uh, 'rogue bros' do?"

[magnusrushesin]

Hey, he wasn't even the one who fucked up plans! Most of the time.

"I dunno, Carey usually just does things like steal my wallet to keep my skills fresh."

[betterthanaplan]

"If you promise not to press charges, I will happily steal your wallet on occasion."

[magnusrushesin]

"As long as you return the favor, I'm in." Of course he was in.

[betterthanaplan]

"You mean me not pressing charges, or you trying to steal my wallet?" Duke shook his head. "I don't talk to cops, so you're gold on the first one. The second brings us back into me hitting you on the head territory."

[magnusrushesin]

"Yeah, fuck the police," Magnus agreed. "I mean, the hitting thing is just training stuff. A little tougher than smoke bombs or pockets full of pudding, but..."

He had a pretty good AC these days.

[betterthanaplan]

"Y'all have really weird ideas about training," Duke said. "Pudding is for eating, not pockets."

[hashtag_chocobro]

When you jogged around the island and was constantly looking for good new photo ops as much as Prompto did, you definitely noticed when something new like BOATS showed up. But this was definitely the first time he'd been by the port and noticed someone on that boat, and so he figured he should say hello.

"Hey, there, Boat Guy!" He called out, waving his hand at him first and then, just a little, his camera. "Mind if I get a few shots?"

Of course, he'd already taken a ton since it first showed up. You didn't get something new to the scenery here and not want to go hog wild on the shutter. But since the dude was right there now, it seemed polite to ask.

[betterthanaplan]

"That's 'Mr. Boat-Guy', kid," Duke said with a smirk. "Nah, go nuts. She's probably hard to avoid."

The Cape Rouge was not a small boat, after all.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Yeah," Prompto agreed with a faint chuckle, lifting his camera to frame a shot, then sort of hop-side-stepping over a foot or so to the left for a different angle before taking it, "you can say that again! But it's nice to have something new to look at on this island! Something that I asummed isn't going to, like, transform and turn into something that'll try to kill us all, anyway!"

There...were other reasons other than aesthetic ones that Prompto may have taken a particular interest in a boat just randomly showing up, but it had been pretty much two weeks now, there was sort of a time-limit that these things ran on, so he was figuring it was pretty safe by now.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke cast a wary look at his own boat. ". . . Wow, I really hope not. Does that, uh, happen a lot?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"If it's not one thing," said Prompto, who was now side-stepping dangerously close to the water's edge with the camera still lifted, though once he got there, he knelt down and tilted it up a little for a really dramatic tilt, "it's the other, dude. This has been the quietest few weeks this place has had in a long time."

One more shot and he lowered the camera, squinting up at the sky to guage some of the lighting. "Not gonna lie, man," he added, straighting up again as he looked down to check the viewscreen, "I totally changed my jogging route for a few days after it showed up, just to avoid it to be on the safe side."

Not that he had, like, trauma, or anything, pfsshh.

[betterthanaplan]

"Well, better safe than sorry, I guess." He tapped the gunwale with his boot a few times. "She's been the same solid shape for at least twelve years now, though."

[hashtag_chocobro]

Prompto sort of bit down on his lower lip for a little, wondering if he should say anything about how twelve years was probably a pretty good run, but now that that boat was sitting in this port....gooooood luuuuuck. But he didn't really see the point in dwelling on stuff like that, especially when he really should be just enjoying that everything was pretty normal right now and, shifting his weight a little awkwardly, tilted his head thoughtfully instead.

"Hey, can I, like, come on board for a few shots, too?" he asked. "Just for a bit. I don't get a lot of opportunities to shoot the island from the water."

Not unless Sidon got involved, and the camera was presumably waterproof, but Prompto had never wanted to risk it, even if those would be some crazy good shots.

[betterthanaplan]

"Sure, kid, come on board." Duke waved him over, giving the deck a quick look to make sure nothing too . . . inappropriate . . . was sitting out. "You want something to drink? I've got --" probably shouldn't offer the teenager bourbon. Or rum, or scotch, or vodka. "-- water, basically."

Crap, he was going to have to start stocking more kid-friendly stuff, wasn't he.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Naww, man, thanks!" said Prompto, chuckling a little as he headed....bounce, really, like a renewed ball of energy...on board, waving off the offer while being maybe a little less than subtle about scoping the deck out because, hey! It was something new and differnt and therefor automatically cool. It would be a good thing if there wasn't anything too...inappropriate....hanging around, though, because he was not going to be able to keep that shutter finger going. "I'm good! This is a pretty sweet set-up you got here, though!"

And now his lense was pointed toward the island, trying to find the best shots. "I bet you take this thing all over the place!"

[betterthanaplan]

He did try to keep the more illicit materials tucked away, so Prompto shouldn't manage to photograph anything incriminating, at least.

Duke was very glad it wasn't laundry day, though.

"Anywhere the water's deep enough," Duke agreed. "You do much sailing?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"If by 'much,' you mean 'none at all,'" said Prompto with a chuckle, "then yes. I'm pretty sure if I spend ten minutes here today, that's about the most I've ever even been on a boat."

And he was totally digging it.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shook his head sadly. "You all live on an island. How are there not more boat people around here?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"I mean, I'm sure there's some," Prompto offered, his grin taking on an apologetic sort of bent. "In my defense, though, I'm am shamelessly a city boy. I'd never even been out of the city before coming here, and this is the first boat I've ever seen in this port, but I've also only been here a year, so..." He trailed off, shrugging, taking another quick shot, one that he thought was at a very artsy angle, but it mostly just wound up looking like the camera went off as someone dropped it.

[betterthanaplan]

"A year." Duke tried to picture Haven going a year without any boats coming in.

It was a strange and desolate mental image.

"You know, I think out of everything, that's probably the weirdest part of this place for me. The ocean's right there."

. . . Admittedly there was a sea monster out there.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Yeah, but, like..." Prompto tilted his head, trailing off as he thought about it, "this place is just weird, man."

And, yeah. That really did seem to be the only explaination that was needed.

"Like, some people end up here without even knowing about it. Some people can't even get back to where they came from. I wouldn't be surprised if there were boats trying to get in, but they just never, like, make it. Or they wind up in some different dimension of Fandom. There's probably a dimension of this place that, like, has so many boats in the port they can't even get out of it."

He snorted, sending a wry grin over his shoulder. "Guess you're one of the lucky ones who finally managed to get through to this one, dude."

[betterthanaplan]

"'This place is just weird, man'," Duke repeated. "Should be the town motto. On some sort of crest." He spread his hands as thought framing each word on a sign. "'Welcome to Fandom: this place is just weird, man'."

He looked out to sea, shaking his head. "Makes me glad I know how to repair this sucker myself. It's gonna be a bitch to get parts, though."

[hashtag_chocobro]

"This Place is Just Weird, Man," Prompto repeated again, in a deeply thoughtful tone as he looked up a little and nodded as if picturing it, and then he laughed.

"Perfect," he decided. "But, hey, it shouldn't be that hard. If you can't find anything at the repair shop or scavenging in the scrapyard, they can pretty much special order a ton of stuff at Turtle & Canary and there's a town blacksmith who's really good at making stuff. She was my shop teacher. And, hey, if it's anything electronic, there's a ton of us on island who know a lot about stuff like that, too. I'm a pretty good hand at modifying a lot of weapons and stuff, myself. Nothing like boats, though, but another thing you'll probably find about this place is that pretty much no one ever backs away from a challenge."

[betterthanaplan]

"Fair enough." Duke wasn't really sure he wanted 'fix the boat, which is the symbol of my freedom and also where I live' to be considered a fun challenge. "So. Weapons modifying. That sounds --" absurdly dangerous for a teenager. "-- neat."

[hashtag_chocobro]

A bright smile instantly blossomed on Prompto's face, lighting it up with excitement, which may have transferred a little to a few bouncing steps. "Oh, man, it's great!" he said. "Especially around here. People've got guns here that you wouldn't believe! I still definitely prefer my good old fashion bullet-slinging pistols, they just feel the best, they feel right, you know, but there's some plasma guns that are just amazing. One of these days, I'm really going ot have to sit down and think about how to make a sweet hybrid between the two or something!"

Of course, the real trick there was getting Prompto to actually sit down long enough to do it. Sure, once he got started on something, it could captivate him for hours, but getting there could be a challenge in its own right.

[betterthanaplan]

". . . How old are you?"

Sure, Duke had learned to shoot a gun by the time he was eight, but that didn't mean most kids did. Certainly not and then learn how to modify them.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Seventeen," Prompto offered with a faint grin, a little shrug. "Eighteen next month. I'm actually a senior now. And then it's off to be a prince's bodyguard!"

Which, to be fair, even still sounded weird to Prompto, so he chuckled and wouldn't blame Mr. Boat Guy at all if that sounded a bit like a non sequitor.

"So those sweet gun mods might come in handy," he offered, "but, you know, it'd be much better if they never did."

[betterthanaplan]

"It's pretty much always going to be better when guns don't have to come in handy," Duke said. "Prince's body guard. How'd you land that gig?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Heh."

Cameras? Were really great for hiding blushing faces and stupid grins, apparently, because Prompto was definitely contending with both those things and so, all of a sudden, that teal deer making a cautious emergance from behind a tree suddenly really needed to have its picture taken.

"Well," he said, and laughed again, shaking his head. "That's kind of a crazy story, but I guess...I guess it's....well, I saved this dog...." The smile somehow got even stupider as his shoulders squared a little in pride, and he snapped another picture somewhere else. "One thing led to another, and now I'm gonna be the bodyguard to the crown freakin' prince! So, you know, moral of the story? Dogs are awesome."

Especially when they're the dog of a displaced princess turned Oracle.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke chuckled. He could totally see the edges of that grin around the camera. "Dogs are, in fact, very cool. That all back home, or around here?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Back home," Prompto said, nodding slightly, and that grin really wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "About a year before I got shipped off here." Then he snorted. "They figured it would be a good experience, you know, since I've never really left home before I came here, and....oof." He shook his head. "They were not wrong. It has...definitely been...an experience."

[betterthanaplan]

"That's what I hear. How long have you been here, then?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"A year," Prompto said with a conclusive nod, "almost exactly. I came in with the fall semester last year. And it has been...a roller coaster, like you wouldn't believe. Some of the most amazing things ever has happened here for me, but also..." He caught his lip between his teeth for a moment, hesitated, "...some of the absolute worst, man. It's been one hell of a year."

And he had a whole 'nother one to go through. He was almost a little afraid of what might still be ahead.

[betterthanaplan]

Duke nodded. "Mind if I ask why you stick around? Does the good end up outweighing the bad?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"It...does," said Prompto, after a significant hesitation, and a little bit of uncomfortable shifting here he stood; his thumb started to fiddle with lens focus on his camera. "But it's...more complicated that. I, uh...." Chewed on his lower lip again, lifted his camera for more shots of the shore even though he'd gotten plenty already. "It's just where I need to be right now."

[betterthanaplan]

"Alright." Duke wasn't about to push. He nodded to the camera. "Bet it gives you lots of subjects for your photography, too."

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Yeah," said Prompto, chuckling a little. "Definitely no lack of material there.

"I'm Prompto, by the way," he added, tilting a smile back at Mr. Boat Dude. "I don't think we ever got around to names."

[betterthanaplan]

"You know, I don't think we did. Duke Crocker. Recently recruited to teach piracy."

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Oh, hey!" said Prompto, eager to leap as far away from reasons why he was still on this damn island as possible. "Then you've got Sidon and Vette in your class! They're two of my best friends!"

Because of course Sidon had told him about Pirate Class. And Movie Class. And Dating Class that Then Became Cooking Class....

....and that guy liked to talk...hoo.

[betterthanaplan]

He really, really could.

"I do. He even brought her in while she was a bird."

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Awww," said Prompto with a faint grin. "Was she, like, a little super floofy ball of birdy anger the whole time, too?"

He was also going to try to not think about the last time he saw Vette as a little super floofy ball of bidry anger, because that had been when she'd changed back while sitting on his head.

"My girlfriend brought me to one of our classes when I was a puppy once, so I got to hike Machu Picchu on four legs. It was great! Exhausting, but great."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke shrugged. "She was a bird. He gave her a hat."

Look, birds weren't really his thing.

"You were a puppy?"

[hashtag_chocobro]

"...he totally would give her a hat," Prompto noted, after a long moment of imagining and snickering a little.

"And, yeah, I was a puppy, for about...two weeks, I think? Or, like, a week and a half. It was a long one. My friend Nina turned into a flying snake thing once. It's just a thing that happens sometimes. Kind of weird, but also kind of cool. And it doesn't happen to everyone. It took Nina forever to get an animal transformation, and I'm pretty sure Sidon never has and he's been here longer than all of us."

[betterthanaplan]

"People just kind of turn into animals," Duke said. He shook his head. "I shouldn't even be surprised. I was just telling off a bipedal lizard thing about journalistic ethics."

[sharp_man]

After his class, Hannibal headed over to the port and walked up to the boat. "Hello." He smiled and nodded at Duke. "May I come aboard?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Sure thing, man." Duke waved him over. "Can I get you a drink or something?"

[sharp_man]

"That would be lovely, thank you." Hannibal stepped onto the deck, looking around. "How have you found your first week on Fandom?"

[betterthanaplan]

Duke held up two fingers in a V. "Two weeks." He shrugged, grabbing a glass. "It's been . . . interesting. Can't say I've ever been anywhere else quite like it. Bourbon or rum? Or scotch, I've got some of that too." A beat. "Or coffee, if you don't mind waiting for water to boil."

[sharp_man]

Ahahahaha I can't count.

"First week of actual classes, then," Hannibal amended. "Whatever you have the best of, please. And that will go with wild boar, scallop, and mushroom kebabs." He swung his bag around and unpacked them. "I've come directly from class."

[betterthanaplan]

"Rum," Duke decided. "Just picked up a 12 year old bottle of Appleton that should be able to take on that boar. Let me just grab some glasses." He looked over the deck. "And a table. Unless you're cool with eating at a crate."

[sharp_man]

"You do know your rum," Hannibal said, pleased. "There is only so much presentation one can accomplish with paleolithic methods; a crate will be fine."

[betterthanaplan]

"That's probably why they've got me teaching a pirate class," Duke agreed.
He cleared off a couple crates and dug up a couple glasses and the rum in question. "Paleolithic, huh? Isn't that that fad diet where you pretend agriculture isn't a thing?"

[sharp_man]

"There is more to piracy than rum, but I suppose it couldn't hurt," Hannibal said.

He moved to set out the skewers on plates on top of the crates, then set the acorn bread next to them. "Perish the thought. My class is on the history of cooking; we simply began with some of the earliest recipes research has given us. I eschewed the nettle pudding and went with the kebabs and acorn bread. We will continue working our way through time in later classes."

[betterthanaplan]

"I covered 'don't fuck with pirates, they will murder you' the first week. From there, I'm perfectly happy sticking to Hollywood cliches." Duke poured the rum and gestured for Hannibal to grab a seat. "Probably a good choice. I have no idea what liquor would go with nettle pudding."

He'd only decided on rum because he knew it went with pork. Well, and because this bottle promised to be very good.

"Tell you what, I wish they'd had something like 'History of Cooking' at my high school growing up. I might have actually gone to class."

[sharp_man]

"When I first came to Fandom," Hannibal said as he sat, "I worried that the students here might not be adequately educated, given the usual classes we offer. The more I hear of the American education system, the less I'm inclined to worry."

He picked up his glass of rum and toasted Duke. "Bon apetit."

[betterthanaplan]

"As a product of that education system, I'd be offended. If it weren't totally true." Duke raised his glass in return and took a sip. "I'm pretty sure all the schools back home wanted to teach us was how to sit down and shut up."

Neither of which had been in Duke's wheelhouse as a teen.

[sharp_man]

"Neither of which you excel at, I'm guessing," Hannibal said approvingly.

He sipped his own rum, taking a moment to savor it properly. It really was very good.

"So have you always been interested in cooking?"

[betterthanaplan]

"Oh, I'm great at them now. But meditation wasn't really part of the Haven curriculum." Though in retrospect, it really probably should have been. "Not always, no. Grew up -- let's call it 'food insecure'. Now that I've got access, I find I prefer the finer things in life." He swirled his own rum, and gave Hannibal a tilt of his head. "You?"

[sharp_man]

Hannibal raised an eyebrow. "Much the same, actually. Soviet orphanages aren't known for their luxuries. When I was adopted in my teens by my uncle, I started by hoarding food, and ended by learning to cook, and I have never looked back." He smiled. "When I lived in Baltimore, my dinner parties were legendary."

They still were, really, though not exactly for the same reasons.

[betterthanaplan]

"I believe it. I'm more of a backyard barbecue kind of guy. Or one of those locals-only beach shacks with shrimp to die for. So what brought you stateside? Fleeing the red menace?"

[sharp_man]

"Curiosity, for the most part," Hannibal said. "Also a full scholarship to Johns Hopkins to complete my US residency."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke whistled. "That'll do it. I don't know if anyone's ever offered me a full ride to anywhere but the pokey."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal chuckled. "Well, at least that's someplace. Probably not recommended, though." He took another moment to savor his rum.

"So, I came to the US, and then I came to Fandom, and I have never regretted it." He shrugged. "It is rarely boring here, I've met people of species and types I never would have believed existed in my world, and I also met my husband. Fandom does have its oddities, but it gives more than it takes, I think."

[betterthanaplan]

"Ah, see." Duke pointed to Hannibal, bouncing his finger in the air. "I suspect you're a bit biased. What with the husband thing." He sat back, nursing his rum, and looked out along the boardwalk. "Still, I can see where it has its charms. Even if it doesn't seem to know how to be a proper island town."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal chuckled. "I am indeed biased. My husband is also one of those types of people I would never have imagined to exist. Not least because he was willing to marry me."

He sat back and looked around. "Even with that aside, though, Fandom does have its charms, yes. And perhaps you can help it to be more island-like."

[betterthanaplan]

“I might just.” Duke shrugged. “Or the novelty of ‘oh my god a real boat’ will wear off and I’ll be just another guy ranting about gremlins and squirrels.”

[sharp_man]

"Or that," Hannibal agreed. "But you will then be in good company, if I say so myself."

[betterthanaplan]

"I'd say you should work on that speech, man, but I'm not actually sure how you would go about it that sound any better This place really does have to be experienced to be believed."

[sharp_man]

Hannibal grinned. "There, you see? I said you would better believe me for having experienced the island somewhat first. There are few people who believe it all at first."

[betterthanaplan]

"And I'm pretty sure anyone who does has spent way too much time in Delirium's realm," Duke said. "I can see why that welcome picnic at the school is so popular. How many betting pools are there about how and when the new kids' brains break?"

[sharp_man]

"Some people are from worlds almost as interesting as this one," Hannibal said. "My husband, Jonothon, is from a world that has seen magic, people with diverse powers, and aliens; Fandom would have been much less of a shock for him. There are several here from his world or ones like it." He shrugged. And he hadn't been thrown for much of a loop himself, but then he'd met an alien first, and had no reason to doubt his senses; he was practical that way.

"As to the betting, that depends upon which teachers are in attendance."

[betterthanaplan]

"He from the galaxy far far away?" Duke asked. It seemed like at least half the people he'd met so far had been. "Which teachers are the betting sort, then? They're probably way more fun."

[sharp_man]

"He's from Earth, but a different version of it," Hannibal said. "And most of us are; it depends on our moods, I suppose."

[betterthanaplan]

"So what you're saying is, this town needs a bookie."

This town did not need a bookie.

[sharp_man]

Hannibal smirked. "There would certainly be a market for one."

Of course it did.

[betterthanaplan]

"That's good to know. 'Cause I gotta say, this 'only working one day a week' thing? Might be one of the weirdest things about this island."

He had a very long list of "one of the weirdest things".

[sharp_man]

"It is fairly unique," Hannibal agreed. "I have my teaching job, and my practice, and I work with the students at Jono's school, and I have my hobbies. Hobbies are useful."

[betterthanaplan]

"Hobbies are good." Duke shrugged. "I've spent enough time at sea to be pretty good at entertaining myself."

[sharp_man]

"Another point in your favor for dealing with this place," Hannibal said. "Perhaps we should start a chess club."

[betterthanaplan]

Duke laughed. "I'm more of a poker guy."

[sharp_man]

"I'm certain you could find enough people for a game or two," Hannibal said. "Put up a sign at one of the bars, or at the community center." He smirked. "I could see if my husband could be tempted back for that."

Hannibal, no.

[betterthanaplan]

"The more the merrier, man." Duke was going to be so annoyed when he found out Hannibal's husband was psychic. "I'll figure out how the hell to play poker in a journal-based online RPG a good time to host it."

[sharp_man]

A nicer man would probably have informed him, but this was Hannibal.

Besides, it'd be good practice for playing against psychics later.

"Let me know, and I'll see if he can get the time. And I'm certain there are other adults who would also be interested, though I won't speak for them."

[betterthanaplan]

"I should hope not," Duke said. "That would be creepy."

[sharp_man]

It wouldn't be the first time Hannibal had been called that.

"Nevertheless, I'm certain you will have no problem finding players."