Baltimore, Rawlings Conservatory, Saturday Afternoon

[myownface]

Oh, Sparkle was in a good mood. He'd had a place in mind in case of one of Leto's surprise visits for a while now, and it just so happened that said visit was going to coincide with his return from the ski trip (and surprise Christmas, damn him!) that he'd gone on with Atton. So Sparkle had called ahead to make certain they were even open to the public, and then had specifically asked about which areas of the conservatory had the most moisture in them, "because we've got someone here with respiratory issues."

Hey, a little white lie for the sake of Leto's comfort never hurt anyone, did it?

"Okay, so," he said, grinning as he practically skipped through the portal, "we want to avoid the Mediterranean house this time of year. They keep it wet and foggy for the benefit of the plants inside. And the tropical house is humid to the point of being misty in there. But there's a desert house which might have some plants you haven't seen, if you like, or an orchid room, which is, like, super colourful, and they make sure that everything that's on display is in bloom, or else they'll swap it out for another one. The palm house should be pretty okay, too, with big tall trees and flowers and things, but if you're not sure about it, we can skip that one."

And the outdoor public gardens, eh. They had trees in 'em, but they probably weren't quite the sight to behold in late December as they were in, like, mid-July.

[OOC: For that guy! NFB for off-islandness!]

Comments

[myownface]

Sparkle's smile went a little bit lopsided, and he laughed a bit when Leto ran his fingers through his hair.

"Nah, there's more to living than staying safe," he decided. "Just plain safe isn't any fun, anyway. Better to be smart about things, and not afraid to just go for it because of that."

[future_sandworm]

"Perhaps I was wrong about Pauline. She might need a cactus friend and be brave and adventurous." He laughed as he said that.

"Most of the desert on Arrakis is too dry even for plants like these, but we are terraforming and that is slowly changing."

[myownface]

"Oh, yeah?" Sparkle gave another thoughtful look around the room as he started to stroll along the pathway. "So this is more a sort of... something to aim for, than it is a something you've gotten so far, huh?"

[future_sandworm]

"Yes," Leto said, following beside him. "But there is always a cost. Change an ecosystem to accommodate one thing and something else must go."

He ran the palm of his hand against a thick succulent leaf as they passed it.

[myownface]

"I guess so, huh?" Sparkle chewed the inside of his cheek, thinking back to the house and how the locals in the neighbourhood had rallied against them. They hadn't taken so kindly to change. And now the house was in ashes, and the rich folks down Mapleview had gotten their way.

Not a pleasant train of thought, really, so he shook it off and leaned forward to get a better look at another cactus.

"So... what's the cost, on Arrakis?"

[future_sandworm]

"The sandworms," Leto said. "And with it the Spice. Already they are moving deeper into the desert and are rarely seen close to Arrakeen."

He glanced at Sparkle. "It will take time, of course. Centuries, at least. But they will die, and it will change the universe forever. No Spice, no space travel, unless another way is found."

[myownface]

"There are plenty of realities where people have pretty reliable space travel," Sparkle noted. "I mean, mine's not one of them, but my roommate, Atton, has his own ship. There might be some, like, element that his reality and yours have in common, maybe? I don't completely know how it works."

But at least he was trying to be helpful? He really couldn't say much about the worms themselves, unfortunately. A whole terraformed planet wouldn't be terribly kind to the creatures who preferred it the way it was before. But space travel? Maybe, sure.

[future_sandworm]

Leto knew Sparkle's comments were kindly meant, and perhaps he should have stayed away from the subject.

"There might," he said, finally. "Until then, whoever controls the Spice, controls the universe." He reached out to lock his fingers with Sparkle's, just to feel the touch. "I'm sorry, I told myself to leave matters like that behind today."

[myownface]

Sparkle gave Leto's hand a little squeeze.

"Hey, I asked," he pointed out, shrugging his shoulders dismissively. "But if you'd rather change the subject, I'm sure we can come up with something else to talk about. I'm fine with, like, pretty much whatever."

[future_sandworm]

After hesitating, Leto decided to be quite honest. "I'd rather talk about something else, not because I distrust you." He stopped, looking at Sparkle. "There is a freedom to leave things behind for a day, and I'm happy to share such a day with you."

[myownface]

Sparkle smiled a little at that, and gave an understanding nod.

"Yeah, I know how that goes. There are like a dozen things I'd rather not talk about, too. So... fun things? Like, do you want to do dinner somewhere after we're done here? If we're spending the night together, we might as well, right?"

It really was just as simple as that with Sparkle, sometimes.

[future_sandworm]

It was very simple with Sparkle a lot of the time, Leto had noticed, and in a very good way. Smiling back, he replied: "Yes, dinner. Is there something you would suggest? I have tried what's on offer on the island, and Ghani and I usually get pizza, but I would be happy to try something new."

This was a day of new experiences, after all.

[myownface]

Sparkle pursed his lips for a moment and considered that.

"I guess we have, like, every restaurant in Baltimore to pick from, don't we? The island's got an okay variety, but, like, it's not great if you want a burger that wasn't scraped off the bottom of somebody's shoe first, or Greek or Korean or something."

Earth came with a lot of variety.

"Is there anything you'd rather not eat, before I start raking my brains for restaurant options?"

[future_sandworm]

"Nothing that would be served in this time and place," Leto replied. There would be things from certain planets or certain points in history he would prefer to stay away from, but nothing of that was an option here. But for the sake of amusement, he added: "No live reptiles, though."

Yes, somewhere, in some time. Don't ask.

[myownface]

That one took Sparkle a blink and a few seconds to process, there.

"I... I think we can probably avoid live reptiles," he decided. "I think I'd have a hard time finding a place here that serves live reptiles, actually. Pretty sure the local humane society would pitch a fit about that. But I could probably handle something like Indian food. A bit spicy, a bit savory. It's not easy to find a good curry on the island, you know? I mean, Thai curries are good too, but totally different."

[future_sandworm]

Leto laughed a little at the reaction, even if it had been the one he was aiming for. Sparkle's suggestion sounded good, however.

"Let's try that," he said. "I usually enjoy spicy food."

[myownface]

"Somebody likes it hot in every possible way," Sparkle teased, giving Leto a shameless grin. "So, Indian food it is, then. When we're done here, we can just, like, hop into a cab and tell them to take us to the nearest good Indian restaurant. It'll be an adventure."

Sparkle was so adventurous, truly.

[future_sandworm]

The comment made Leto laugh, and he remembered that he really liked Sparkle's shameless grins. He had seen it before, after all. "A good adventure by the sound of it." Perhaps good rather than adventurous, but that was beside the point. "And not too hot for you, I hope," he teased back.

[myownface]

"I can handle a little hot," Sparkle laughed right back, and that shamelessness was going absolutely nowhere for the time being. "It'll keep things interesting, right? That's what we're going for, isn't it?"

[future_sandworm]

"Interesting? Yes, so I hope." Leto was fairly good at looking serious when he made an effort to, and he did, because he had to match the shamelessness somehow. "And what else do you find interesting, apart from hot... food?"

A good change of topic from the climate situation on Arrakis, Leto thought.

[myownface]

"Oh, you know. The usual. Hot weather. Hot clothing if the weather is cold. Hot people..."

Somehow, the shamelessness was just getting more and more shameful. It was a rare talent, really.

[future_sandworm]

Leto leaned closer and lowered his voice: "The usual? Is that all?"

Talents shouldn't be wasted, should they?

[myownface]

"Oh, of course it isn't all," Sparkle replied, leaning in a little himself and whispering just loudly enough for Leto to hear. "I'm also a pretty big fan of hot kisses with those hot people. I mean, can anybody blame me?"

[future_sandworm]

"I'm certainly not blaming you," Leto whispered back, with an expression on his face that gave away nothing about the conversations content to passers by. "I merely think you're not aiming high enough."

[myownface]

"Should I be aiming for hotter, then?" Well, what Leto was managing with that expression that was giving nothing away, Sparkle was probably more than making up for with his own, all trouble and amusement and maybe just a touch of curiosity. "I'd have no complaints at all if we were going for hotter, here."