The Arms Hotel, Room 618, Monday lunchtime

[future_sandworm]

Leto balanced the pizza box in his lap as he offered a slice to his twin. He didn't need to eat as much as he had used to before the transformation began, and possibly this wasn't the best kind of food for him, but he ignored that.

But the shared lunch wasn't what he was thinking about. Since Friday he had been staying in Ghanima's room, which she

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[atreideslioness]

"I did not," she agreed, taking the offered pizza. "Alice needed time to come to terms with the concept on her own, without you hovering."

[future_sandworm]

"And you were sure I would 'hover'? And be of no help?"

He might have hovered, yes. But he still felt he could have calmed Alice.

[atreideslioness]

Ghanima just shot him an amused glance. "Of course you'd hover," she chided, flicking a pepperoni at him. "But Alice wanted time to herself, without you, and so I respected her wishes until I could not continue to do so in good conscience."

"Besides, given your tastes, I thought that perhaps you might enjoy the surprise." Which was what he got for wishing for infinite surprises.

[future_sandworm]

He caught the pepperoni easily, and tossed it back at her. "And you felt that the surprise would increase by delaying my being informed?" But he couldn't, and wouldn't, object to Ghani honouring Alice's wishes.

"Was there no way to persuade her? Has she been this fearful all the time?" That bothered him more than not having been told earlier.