fandomtownies | 43 Unicorn St. --soon to be Imperial Brim-- [Monday, June 8, Afternoon]

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43 Unicorn St. --soon to be Imperial Brim-- [Monday, June 8, Afternoon]

Irulan moved her head and studied the building she had ~~handwavily~~ purchased. After some minor reconstructions Irulan judged she can open the shop within a few days.

In fact Irulan already had a name chosen for the shop. She even had a crate of hats delivered to this address. Irulan took out one ~~hat~~ headpiece in particular. It was a replica of a headpiece she wore in her youth. She no longer wore it but it retained a special place in her heart.

((Imperial Brim is still closed and undergoing inspection but the doors are very much open!))

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She didn't mean to be 'snooping', exactly. But with the craziness that had come up last week, any change on the island was going to get her attention. She still wasn't entirely convinced that her family hadn't had something to do with the mess; thankfully, she was unaware of Sealiah's area of expertise and the exact cause or she never would have believed otherwise.

That said, the door was opan and Fiona peeked through, looking around to see if there was anything suspicious going on.

Irulan sensed a presence and turned. "Good afternoon," she greeted upon seeing the girl, headpiece in hand Irulan walked forward,"May I help you?"

She shook her head at first, a little startled, and straightened up to offer a quick, somewhat nervous smile.

The hat got a very honest quirk, on the other hand.

"I was just looking to see what was going on in here. I didn't know there was anyone in this building. I didn't mean to be rude."

Irulan noted the nervous smile an decided to put the girl at ease, after all, Irulan was at fault for leaving the door open. It was careless of her but then again, this wasn't Kaitan nor was it Arrakis.

"Please, come in," she invited, "although there isn't much else here. I've only recently purchased this building."

"Oh. So you're new, then?"

Which put her on her guard, though not obviously so. She just made sure with a pat that her yo-yo was where she'd put it as she stepped in a little farther.

"I don't want to bother you if you're busy."

Wait, introductions.

"My name is Fiona, incidentally. And you would be..."

And it wasn't obvious, that is, if one wasn't Bene Gesserit trained. Irulan was Bene Gesserit trained despite leaving the order but she did not let on, and satisfied herself by keeping a somewhat wary eye on the girl.

"I have arrived a few days ago," Irulan confirmed, "but I am not so new. I was once a student here. I am the Princes Irulan Corrino-Atreides but you may call me Irulan."

"Irulan. Leto's mentioned you," and the warmth with which she said his name was obvious.

"His step-mother, right?" And while none of the wariness went away, the smile was very nearly genuine.

"Leto is a good friend."

"You know Leto? And he's mentioned me?" The first had gained entry to Irulan's trust and curiosity. The second had stirred up feelings of warmth breaking through her Bene Gesserit poise. She placed her headpiece on the table. "Then I am glad to meet you, Fiona. Any friend of Leto's is also my friend."

"We shared stories about our parents and you were mentioned," she explained.

"And the same goes for you, whatever it might be worth. He's been very kind to me, after all."

Again, against her will Irulan was touched but did not allow how much it affected her show.

"Leto is kind," Irulan said, "even though he and his sister often gave me no end of trouble they were kind and generous children."

Kind, generous and terribly, terribly intelligent. Irulan was proud to have raised them.

"I'm taking Lady Ghanima's class," she said, "and Leto and I met... I can hardly remember. That whole week was a blur, but we sparred and I'm a part of the reserves he and Arthur run."

She grinned.

"He mentioned that, I think."

Of course he did. "I hope I did not come out worse in his stories, I am always frazzled whenever Leto and Ghanima choose to be... more creative than usual."

And that happened often.

"You've sparred with Leto?" She asked, impressed, "You must be a skilled fighter." Irulan wondered what Fiona meant by reserves then one other thing niggled her curiosity. "How is Ghanima as a teacher?"

"Lady Ghanima is a good teacher. Very 'hands on', I think."

She didn't have much reference.

"But he only spoke well of you," which was the truth.

Fiona didn't comment on the compliment, though. So much work yet to do there.

"Yes, Ghanima would be, as you said, 'hands on'," Irulan said dryly, "she's quite the Fremen that way."

Irulan noticed Fiona's non-reaction to her compliment and swept it away by turning to another subject. "Do you think this is a suitable place to open a store that sells hats?"

"I'd be the last to ask," she cautioned, "but I know I like to shop for other things and others do as well. I'd buy a hat. I've never owned one before."

"Well, then that should be rectified," Irulan said with a nod. It was practically unimaginable for Irulan. She may no longer wear hats or head pieces but to never own a hat! "I have a shipment of hats on Thursday, if you are free please come by."

"I will, then," she assured Irulan with a quick bow of her head. Then she looked around.

"Do you need help getting things set up?"

Irulan looked grateful. "If its not too much trouble? I sent my servant to bring a few things from the Arms Hotel."

"I can help. I don't have too much to do today since I finished my class. What can I do?"

"Thank you," Irulan said, "its really nothing strenuous, just dusting the shelves. I was inspecting this store yet I couldn't seem to help myself from removing the dust."

Sand no longer bothered Irulan, one couldn't when you lived in Arrakis but somehow dust still bothered her.

"I'm used to dusting shelves," she assured her as she looked around for a duster to work with.

"My home is pretty much one big bookshelf."

Irulan moved to reach for the feather dusters near her headpiece. One for her, one for Fiona.

"You like books?" She asked with a smile. Irulan liked books and she had even written a few.

She nodded.

"They were just about the only thing I was allowed. Well, certain books. Others were forbidden as well," she explained as she she took up a duster.

"Forbidden," she repeated, moving to dust a shelf. Irulan frowned she understood the concept. Censorship was needed when running an empire still she felt it was one of the more distasteful aspects of state craft. "What books were you forbidden to read?"

"'RULE 55:'" she repeated with a roll of her eyes, directed not at Irulan but her mother, ''No books, comics, films, or other media of the science fiction, fantasy, or horror genres -- especially, but not limited to, the occult or pseudosciences (alchemy, spirituality, numerology, etc.) or any ancient or urban mythology.'"

"Though there wasn't much fiction at all to be found anyway and we were discouraged from it."

Even those had had things crossed out in them. Even Shakespeare hadn't been safe.

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