1st Winter [Action]

[aryaunderfoot]

[Early this morning, somewhere deep in the woods, there is a wolf howling.

It's a long, mournful howl, and the wolf doesn't seem to want to stop. Occasionally, she'll pause for breath, and then throw her head back again after a moment's rest. This place isn't right. Her cousins aren't here, the smaller ones of her pack. The air is too warm, too full of the smells of spring. And the more she searches, the more she howls, trying to get some sort of answer out of these unfamiliar trees.

Around mid-morning, the crumpled form of a small girl can be found on the path leading from the village to the Battle Dome. She's not hurt, just very much asleep (and scrunching up her face with each wolf howl) and very much covered in grime (and smelling faintly of fish cart). And there's also the fact that she's in a New Feather dress. As the howling reaches a higher pitch, she awakes with a start, freezes, and tries to figure out what this place is. There's a chill in the air, yes, but it isn't winter building up to full strength. It can't be the Summer Islands, and it most definitely isn't Braavos. This place...

...is less concerning than the fact that there is a journal right next to her with "Arya Stark" printed right on it. She gives it an incredulous look for a moment before deciding that this must be a test of some kind. The kindly man must be behind it. With a shake of the head, the girl stands, pushes the journal with a foot until it's tucked out of sight under a nearby bush, and then turns back to the task at hand.

And tries to ignore the mournful howling that is practically tugging her in its direction. That's not something she needs to worry about. That was Arya Stark. Not her. She's nobody.]

[With so many things glaringly wrong with this place, she figures it's time to try scoping it out. The girl very cautiously approaches the village, keeping to the trees for cover until she's sure there aren't any Lannister banners flying anywhere. When there aren't any, it isn't much consolation; the buildings are huge, and the architecture isn't anything she's ever seen before. This place may not be full of lions, but it's not exactly a safe zone, either. She's not even sure what it is.

Eventually, she finds her way into town, going around to see what exactly there is to see here. She doubts she'll spot any familiar faces, but she still makes her way through all the shops in the main square, trying to get some kind of sense of what kind of town this is. The smith shop is familiar, the fashions in the clothing shop completely outlandish, the foods in the indoor marketplace entirely alien.

And she is so, so very lost. As she makes her way through town, the old phrase starts repeating in the back of her mind: Fear cuts deeper than swords. She can do this. She has to do this.

Towards nightfall, after much exploration and poking around, the girl makes her way back to the stables she passed by at some point. The horses are horses. That much is familiar, at least. This much she can understand completely. And the familiar, earthy, horsey smells are something of a comfort when you're trying to wrap your head around what in the world happened to bring you to a place such as this.]

[[ooc: Feel free to run into her at any point!]]

Comments

[aryaunderfoot]

[A spear, really? Who arranged this?]

Castle-forged steel. The style of the hilt isn't anything all that special, it's just bound with leather. It should have the scabbard.

[It had the scabbard when she hid it, at least. She pauses, a bit distracted for a moment by a bright blue and purple blade. Just. What.]

[paladinlost]

[Ooooh, that would match his color scheme- Wait, no, bravo's blade first. He can get an extra weapon later.]

Good. Still, take a look at naked swords, too. I've not yet heard of blades and scabbards found separately, but there is always a first time for everything. Is it one of these?

[He offers five different blades, all reasonably girl-sized and possessing their scabbards.]

[aryaunderfoot]

[The girl glances over from her own search to inspect his offering. Immediately, she zeroes in on the fourth in the lineup, darting over to take it from his hands. It's unmistakable. She could never forget Needle, not even when it was asked of her. Just the sight is enough, but the familiar weight and balance seal it even before she slides it ever-so-slightly from the scabbard to make sure the blade is perfect as ever.

It's a close call, but Arya manages to fight down the smile threatening to spread across her face. She can't hide the light in her eyes, though.]

It's this one. [And she doesn't mean to let go of it now, not if she can help it. There's a slight pause before she gives him a rare token:] Thank you.

[paladinlost]

You're welcome. It's good that you could find it so quickly. Certain items take weeks or months to appear in the shops, and you never know when the Malnosso might decide to draft you.

[It's also good that finding it makes her happy, though he does not say that out loud; every little bit of familiarity helps, during the first few weeks.]

[aryaunderfoot]

[Holding on to Needle tightly, Arya considers that for a moment. Is there anything else left that could turn up here? She's sure only Needle would have turned up. It's all she had.]

What do you mean, "draft you"?

[paladinlost]

You've not been told yet? The Malnosso are at war with a group called the Third Party. They sometimes need us to fight their battles, and when they do they call everyone they can use. Even children and non-combattants. I've not heard of a single draft where everyone returned safely.

[He does not sound particularly happy as he explains that, but then again who would be?]

[aryaunderfoot]

[A war that calls in anyone. More than just Lannisters and northmen and ironborn and whoever else jumping into the fray. Arya mulls that over silently for a moment, but the realization that she's fought in the war back home (in a way) takes some of the sting off of it. Fighting on the front lines would be harder, yes, but it's not like she hasn't faced soldiers or killed a man before.]

Don't they fight at all themselves? Even kings fight on the battlefield most of the time.

[Except for Joffrey, apparently, but he hardly counts as a king.]

[paladinlost]

They do, but not on those particular battlefields. I believe they send us wherever they have no time to go.

[Or wherever they do not wish to go. The end result is the same, no matter what the reason.]

Not that they have a king, as far as I can tell. They speak of organizations and CEOs and other titles that are not familiar to me. Never kings or lords or elders.

[aryaunderfoot]

[No kings or lords? Arya wrinkles her nose, frowning. "Ceos" doesn't mean anything to her, either, so it must be some kind of word peculiar to the Malnosso.]

They must have some kind of leader. Even the wildlings have a leader, even though they call themselves "free men."

[paladinlost]

There must be one indeed, but I've no idea who it could be at the moment. There seems to be a lot of infighting within their ranks, and we are not always kept informed of the most recent developments.

[Not that they can always trust the information they do receive, either.]

Are those wildlings of yours escaped prisoners, to be so proud to call themselves free?

[aryaunderfoot]

[She shrugs.]

There might be a couple who escaped off the Wall, but not many. They might as well be prisoners. They kidnap women in the night and some of them are cannibals.

[paladinlost]

That'll not help them make friends if they ever find themselves here. There are no written laws, but they'll find that most of the villagers are quite willing and able to defend themselves. Not that most will care about their previous habits, as long as they are not taken up again.

[aryaunderfoot]

[The girl frowns thoughtfully.]

I don't think they care much about what others think of them. I don't think they'd change here... They're proud of their ways. There's a reason the Night's Watch and the northmen have been fighting them so long.

[paladinlost]

Pride is good to have, but it'll not help them much if they are taken here. At any time, they could be affected by Shifts that would make them forget their traditions and histories, or simply force them to them of their old habits as utterly repugnant. The Malnosso's powers reach far.

[He does not sound particularly happy about that, but he cannot even muster genuine anger at this point.]

[aryaunderfoot]

Are they really that good at it? Someone mentioned that they can make people forget who they are, but I didn't think it was true.

[It could be a blessing or it could be a horrible curse and she isn't sure which yet.]

[paladinlost]

They are. Not long after I first arrived, they made us all believe that we had been born in this world and had built perfectly normal families. It lasted over a week. I'd never even met my 'children' before.

[Before he'd been fond of them during that time, and he is fond of them still.]

[aryaunderfoot]

[That's. Just. Damn. Arya stares for a moment or two, dumbfounded that anyone could so effectively brainwash people. It's just wrong. There's plenty that happened back home that wasn't fair, that that's just cruel.]

If they ever stop hiding, they won't last very long around here.

[Valar morghulis. Even if she's not the one who kills them, someone is bound to.]

[paladinlost]

Indeed they will not. The last time we had an injured Malnosso in the village, I had to stop a murder from taking place. And that was dealing with one of the more sympathetic ones, mind you. Most would be killed on sight.

[The man had still died, but at least he'd tried.]

[aryaunderfoot]

[Yeah, she's just giving him a look like he's sprouted four heads.]

Why would you stop them?

[paladinlost]

Because killing an unarmed, defenseless man can do terrible things to one's soul.

[Especially a soul that already struggles with darkness.]

Besides, we had a high-ranking Malnosso in a position of weakness in our presence, and he had no way of escaping. It was a source of information we could not afford to squander for a few minutes of satisfaction.

[Moral and practical, that's the sort of decision he likes.]

[aryaunderfoot]

[Her eyes drop down to Needle at that first part, but she manages not to fidget at all. She's killed her fair share of unarmed men, after all. It's too late to turn back now, though, and she's not entirely sure she feels guilty about some of them. Not in the slightest.]

I guess that makes sense. [The information part, at least.] Did he actually tell you anything?

[Part curiosity, part being a smartass. She spent enough time around the Tickler to know that "sources of information" aren't always half as helpful as the questioner might think.]

[paladinlost]

[He shakes his head. No, and he regrets that greatly.]

Not to me personally; he was too unconscious when I saw him to say much, and the fight was distracting. But others managed to hear more before he passed away from his injuries.

[aryaunderfoot]

Then wouldn't it have been a mercy to not have stopped them in the first place?

[Not that she's one to talk about being merciful.]

[paladinlost]

Perhaps it would have been, had we not thought that his injuries could be healed. I doubt anyone imagined that magic would have no effect on them.

[Even now, he wonders what went wrong with his spells, for them to be completely useless.]

[aryaunderfoot]

[She blinks.]

Is the magic here really that powerful?