aryaunderfoot | 1st Winter [Action]

[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!]]

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[Small frown. She doesn't argue, though; she just nods.]

The worst ones are always the ones who hide. They're always around.

[Queen Cersei. The worst is at the top of the list and hasn't budged from it. And she's so good at tricking people that the girl doubts the queen will be going much of anywhere. She'd cover up this thought process more if she didn't get the feeling that Natasha here completely gets it. It's rare that anyone opens up about the negatives around a small girl.]

If they're still here, it's probably because nobody realizes yet.

{That gets an intent look, because the girl does know more than she probably should at her age, that she recognizes that so quickly, can see it so clearly.]

The worst ones are often the smart ones. They wouldn't be bad guys for very long otherwise. Especially here. There's a surprising amount of good people who wouldn't stand for it. And sometimes it's not quite so clear as 'good' and 'bad'. Not for everyone.

[She shakes her head.] I know. It's almost never that clear.

[The lions and wolves and bandits tearing apart the countryside proved that once and for all.]

It's never so black and white, is it? [Natasha's lips quirk faintly, but her gaze is steady and serious. It's unexpected, but the girl seems to know far more than she should at that age. She tilts her head to the side, eyeing her curiously.]

Is there anything else you want to know about this place that I can answer for you?

[She's silent for a moment as she thinks that over. Natasha has already given her so much information that she knows will come in handy that she's not sure there's anything particularly important left to ask about. There's a war, but it's being fought outside. There's a place to practice, a book to communicate with, and a way to make sure people she doesn't trust won't see what she writes in said book.

Which leaves her with one major question that has been nagging at her since she woke up, even though it might seem like a silly one.]

Is it really spring? Not just a false one?

[The night wolf could smell the green and things awakening in the ground, but she's not sure how much she can trust those dreams.]

A false one? [Natasha's not sure what that means. Her head cocks to the side as she regards the girl.] It's not quite spring yet, but it should be more noticeable in the next few weeks. It will be by then.

[She's silent for a moment, biting her lip absently.]

Where I come from, we sometimes have warm days in the middle of winter that trick people into thinking that spring started. Winter was only just starting before I woke up here.

[Successfully evading her first winter seems suspicious to her.]

Well, you came at the right time then. [She gives the girl a faint smile.] It's just ending here. I expect it to start feeling a bit more like spring any day now. You don't like the cold?

[She bites her lip.] No, I like the cold. But it was supposed to be a really long winter. A bad one, too.

[It was surprising, to say the least, to wake up to warmth and springtime.]

Well, it may still be there waiting for you when you get back. Just so you know. I've heard that can happen. That when you get sent back, it will seem as if no time at all has passed. And no one will realize they should have missed you.

[Natasha's not sure if that's a comforting thought or not.]

[No one would realize anyway, except possibly the kindly man. It's not much of a comforting thought. But still, she nods.]

How does that happen? That time doesn't seem to pass back there when it passes by here?

[Natasha gives a faint shrug.] I wish I had an answer for you. I'm not sure anyone knows, any more than they can explain how the Malnosso are able to pluck people out of a timeline in past, present or future without anyone else being any the wiser. There are still many things we can only speculate at. But you're welcome to ask around and get opinions from the other villagers. Everyone seems to have them. Another thing the book can occasionally be useful for.

1st Winter [Action]

Afternoon

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