02 ❆

[needlebearer]

Who: Arya and OPEN
Where: The corridors of the mansion, then Arya's room
When: March 8
Rating: G, will update if needed
Summary: Arya disposes of too many swords, then chills in her blanket fort
The Story:

a) Corridors

It's far more likely that Arya will be heard before she's seen; a metallic clank echoes down the hallways announcing her presence. She walks slowly, trying not to overbalance, her arms bundled full of swords of all different shapes and sizes. She's clearly struggling with the weight of them but keeps going nonetheless, looking down at them as though irritated with their presence, and looking more than a little daunted with the prospect of having to drag them downstairs, though what she's ultimately going to do with them she's not sure.


b) Arya's Room

She keeps her door open today, proud of her handiwork and wanting to show it off. Her communications device is next to her, discarded in disinterest, and she's sat cross legged in the middle of the pile of blankets, turning over a coin in her hands, almost entranced by it, though she quickly shoves it into her pocket when she hears anyone approach, scared that it might be taken from her when she's only just got it back.

Comments

[needlebearer]

"That's stupid, they gave me my coin so they must be able to bring anything they want." It seemed very arbitrary so far as Arya was concerned, even though she'd got the coin from a flower rather than the closet, and knows deep down that the rules must be different. "There are a couple like it," she routes around in the pile and pulls out a lithe fencing sword, "But they're not right."

[fatherlesskind]

Alistair frowns at the blade she pulls out. He's sure it can still be plenty dangerous but part of him just feels it looks a little... small. Not even as threatening as a good dagger. But the wielder is what makes a weapon dangerous. A mage's staff doesn't look particularly threatening either but he knows full well what they can unleash.

"I think you got the whole problem right there. Anything they want. Not what we want." Otherwise he's pretty sure most of them wouldn't be here at all. "Maybe you can find a way to get it back eventually?" Somehow. If they can get other personal items back it could be possible.

[needlebearer]

"Why wouldn't they want me to have it when having all of these is fine?" Arya doesn't mind rules in principle so long as they make sense and aren't unfair, and this doesn't feel like either.

[fatherlesskind]

"You're asking me?" He snorts and spreads his hands helplessly. Nothing here seems to make any sense whatsoever not just the limits of what they are and aren't allowed. The best he can offer is a guess that anyone could make themselves. "Could be something here just doesn't want us having too much from home for whatever reason." It's the best answer he's got anyway.

[needlebearer]

She shrugs, grudgingly accepting his explanation but finding it less than adequate. "Do you want some of these? I'm trying to find a place for them."

[fatherlesskind]

No, it's not a particularly satisfying answer unfortunately but he doubts there's any that would be. As for the offer, Alistair looks down at the array before him thoughtfully. He already has his own blade and a dulled practice sword taken from the closet. He doesn't need another but it would be a shame for good steel to go to waste.

...Even if anyone can get a sword like these whenever they please. It still feels like a terrible waste for them not to be put to use. "You're just running around, hoping someone will take them off your hands?"

[needlebearer]

"I was thinking of just dumping them in an empty room, but it feels like a waste. They're meant to be used, not just sit and gather dust." So yes, essentially she was hoping that someone would come along and take a liking to them.

[fatherlesskind]

"Someone might come along and help themselves if you do." He knows enough light-fingered types back home that he doesn't much expect anything untended and even slightly valuable to stay untouched for long. So it could work. But it really does seem a waste.

"Tell you what. I'll take a couple and I can help you find a place for the rest if you like. Somewhere people might pick them up." It's the best he can offer and certainly seems better than just leaving the boy to lug them around all by himself while hoping for the best.

[needlebearer]

"All right, then." She spreads them over the floor so he can get a good look at them. "Take whichever ones you like."

[fatherlesskind]

Not the usual way of obtaining a new weapon. But it's preferable to looting corpses and battlefields.

Alistair crouches, running a gauntleted hand over the array before stopping over one of the larger blades and hefting it up for closer examination. As he does he glances back over at the current owner with a cheerful smile. "I'm Alistair. Of the Grey Wardens." The boy doesn't sound like he's from Ferelden but he looks like he could still hail from the Free Marches or somewhere else in Thedas. In which case he'll know of the Wardens.

[needlebearer]

"Arya," she replies, the title meaning nothing to her but piquing her interest nonetheless. "What's a 'Grey Warden'?"

[fatherlesskind]

Ah. Not from Thedas then. Oh well. It was worth trying and Alistair has no problems with telling others about the Wardens.

With no small amount of pride he explains, "The Wardens are an ancient order dedicated to protecting the world from the darkspawn." A term that won't mean anything if Arya hasn't heard of the Wardens. "They're monsters. Creatures that live underground and try to destroy the surface world. The Wardens are the ones who fight them and keep everyone safe."

[needlebearer]

The idea sounded admirable. Arya could imagine Jon wanting to join, and it stings her inside to think of him. But then she frowns, her brow furrowing over. "I met a monster here, who humans made live underground, and she was nice. You don't need to kill them."

[fatherlesskind]

"I- You did huh?" A nice monster who lived underground. Alright then. "Somehow I don't think that was a darkspawn. They're not nice. Ever." He'd bet even the talking one he'd heard of didn't do nice.

"We don't go hunting them for fun - they attack us. So unless your friend decides I'd look better without my head she should be safe." He wasn't going to promise not to hurt said monster at all - just in case she only liked small children and was fine with murdering adults. Anything was possible.

[needlebearer]

"I'll warn her anyway." She looks at him a little warily, before deciding that Undyne would be able to take care of herself if it came to it anyway. "Can anyone be a Grey Warden?"

[fatherlesskind]

"Your suspicion wounds me." See, just look at him clutching at his chest in agony. It's lucky he's the forgiving type. And hasn't yet seen any monsters running around the mansion to be worried about this one.

"Anyone can volunteer to join the Wardens, yes." Alistair's gaze drops back down to the blades as he answers, choosing his words carefully. Not everyone who wants to can become a Warden but even here, talking to people who have never even heard of the Grey Wardens, he has to guard their secrets.

[needlebearer]

"Even girls?" She frowns a little, knowing there must be the same arbitrary ban as the Watch and Knight Orders in her own land.

[fatherlesskind]

"Yes, of course. If they're skilled enough. There's never been many women in the Wardens but it's not unheard of." And even if fewer women joined the Wardens there were still plenty who fought in other capacities. And in his experience tended to be more terrifying than many men.

[needlebearer]

A triumphant smile flickers across Arya's face. "You sound like the Night's Watch, then, only better."

[fatherlesskind]

Well of course the Warden's are better than any other order out there, even those he's never heard of. That goes without saying. Though he's not entirely sure how Arya came to that conclusion just based on the fact that they allow women to join.

"What's the Night's Watch? And why do you care if they don't let-" Oh. Wait. Oops. That... made a bit more sense. "I mean, why did you want to join?" That was exactly what he'd meant to ask, yes.

[needlebearer]

"I never said I did." She shrugs nonchalantly, wanting to make it seem like no big deal. "I'm just curious, that's all. It really does sound like the Night's Watch, in my own world, except they don't let girls join." If they did, she'd have followed Jon north in a heartbeat.

[fatherlesskind]

"The Wardens don't really let girls join either. You'd have to wait a few years before any Warden-Commander would consider accepting you." Outside of a Blight threatening the lives of everyone it would be too cruel to take someone so young into the order and condemn them to an early death. And, being so young, there was a good chance she wouldn't survive the Joining were she to take it.

"That's if you wanted to join." Since she claimed she didn't really want to, even if he had his doubts about that. But he wasn't going to push the topic, being as it didn't really matter right now if she did or didn't. "So this Night's Watch, they fight monsters too?"

[needlebearer]

"They protect everyone from the wildlings and creatures north of the Wall." It doesn't even occur to her that that statement probably wouldn't make sense to anyone not from Westeros. "My brother joined - it's one of the only ways a bastard can become respectable, and it's the closest he can get to a knight." She looks Alistair up and down. "You sort of look like a knight."

[fatherlesskind]

It doesn't make a lot of sense, no but he can guess that this Wall she speaks of must be a mountain range or a border or something beyond which these dangerous wildlings and other creatures lie. Like the darkspawn in the Deep Roads.

But there's something far more interesting to Alistair at least. Waving aside her remark on his knightliness he asks, "Your brother is a bastard?"

[needlebearer]

"Yes." Her body language changes just a little, automatically preparing to jump to Jon's defense. "Technically he's our half-brother."