01 ❆

[needlebearer]

Who: Arya and YOU
Where: Around Gravity Falls
When: February 8-9th
Rating: G, though will update if this changes
Summary: Arya realises she's not in Westeros any more
The Story:

a) Forest
One minute she'd been on horseback, clinging to Sandor Clegane to stay mounted as they plodded toward the Eyrie. The next she found herself quite alone, in the middle of thick woodland. To say Arya was confused was an understatement, but she'd put that to one side for now as the relief and wariness of being on her own warred in her - she wasn't exactly sorry to be away from the Hound, but she couldn't be sure what was lurking in the trees. As if on cue a twig snaps loudly a little way away, and Arya missed having Needle at her side more than ever.

She makes her way over cautiously, expecting at worst a gang of raiders and at best a small animal she can kill and eat, and is bewildered instead to find a blond teen with the whitest teeth she's ever seen, frolicking about the forest floor like an oversized rabbit. She stares for a long moment, unsure if she's hallucinating, but then the boy locks eyes with her and gives a relaxed, friendly smile before calling to what Arya can only assume are the other members of his pack.

Soon Arya's storming through the trees at quite a speed, looking thoroughly irritated and casting looks over her shoulder to the boy band that's singing and clicking and bopping in time.

"I said stop following me!"


b) Gift Shop
When she comes across the oversized Mystery Shack, Arya darts inside and slams the door behind her, leaning back against the wall while she tries to get her breath back. As she does so, she glances around and takes in the assortment of oddities on display. A jar of eyes stare unblinkingly at her, and it takes her a moment to break her gaze from them, feeling a little unnerved. When she turns away she distracts herself with some of the other curios, turning over plastic tchotchkes in her hands, giggling as she pokes at a bobblehead and watches it wiggle about, staring in confusion at a fish nailed to the wall dressed in bright, odd clothes.

When she hears footsteps she jumps, throwing everything back on the shelf quickly, afraid she'll be accused of trying to steal them.

Comments

[needlebearer]

"I'm Arya, of House Stark." She'd not gone spreading her full name around too much, it was too easy not to after so long having to hide her identity, but she supposed one noble introduction deserved another. Then, because she can't resist, she quickly adds, "You certainly look like a Princess." Being bright pink all over only added to that, and she was sure Sansa would have been just a little jealous when they were very small.

[monosaccharide]

That gets a smile from Bubblegum. "Thank you! I'm afraid I don't know of House Stark, but that's not surprising. As far as I've been able to ascertain, no one is from my world, or at least, from my time period in my world." The sheer amount of humans make that clear, but also the way no one's heard of the Candy Kingdom until she talks about it. "It's nice to meet you, Arya."

[needlebearer]

"You, too," Arya replies. At the very least it was nice to meet someone who wasn't trying to kill her, or saw her as the daughter of a traitor. One advantage to being in a different world - and she was still trying to get her head around that concept - was that she could choose what people knew about her, and that in itself felt freeing. "It's normal, then? For people to come here from all over the place?"

[monosaccharide]

"I don't know if normal is the word I'd use." Really, the amount of people in Wonderland was barely a fraction of a fraction of all the people in the multiverse. "But yes, it's the reason everyone is here."

[needlebearer]

"Why bother?" Especially if they're only taking a couple of people from each world -- whoever 'they' are. It seems like a lot of effort to go to. "Aren't there people here?"

[monosaccharide]

"Sure, but very few initially from here." Bubblegum isn't entirely sure why Wonderland is bothering either. She's mostly just angry about it. "Seems to want our memories, though, so that might have something to do with it."

[needlebearer]

"What do you mean, our memories?" It must be some very powerful magic to let the people here have access to those.

[monosaccharide]

"That's what people say happens. The land leeches away your memories, one word at a time." She waves her hand around at the forest. "Whoever comes from this world's just lost one."

[needlebearer]

"So if I stay here long enough, I'll have no memories left?" That idea was even more appalling than being trapped here in the first place.

[monosaccharide]

Bubblegum shakes her head, giving Arya a smile. "Long enough is a very long time, centuries, perhaps. Much longer than the human lifespan, though you also won't age or die while you're here, so you could live that long." She gives a shrug. "I wouldn't worry, though, most people leave long before that."

[needlebearer]

Arya's face falls even further. "You mean I'll be stuck at twelve name days forever while I'm here?" She wants so desperately to grow up, to become big and strong and take her enemies out in one fell swoop rather than remain too small to be effective.

[monosaccharide]

"Well... yes." Bubblegum tilts her head. "Well... maybe. Apparently people sometimes go home temporarily. You might age that way!"

[needlebearer]

Her ears prick up at that. "How do they get back?"

[monosaccharide]

"Oh... not intentionally, I'm afraid." Bonnie gives her a sympathetic look. "Wonderland sends people home, but so far no one's figured out how to make it happen on our terms. I'm working on it, though."

[needlebearer]

The flicker of hope leaves her as fast as it had appeared. "I'll help, if you want me to. I need to get out of here, there are things I need to do back where I came from."

[monosaccharide]

"I'll let you know if there's anything you can do, but unless you're crazy good at science, there's probably not much you can do." She smiles sympathetically nonetheless. "But if it helps, time won't pass in the world where you're from. This world will eventually send you back, whether I find a way to do it intentionally or not, and you'll be able to pick up right where you left off."

[needlebearer]

"Will I remember anything that's happened here, when I do get back?"

[monosaccharide]

"Not if things go the way people claim they do." But if Bubblegum figures out a way out on her own, things will be different.