[action]

[swiftasadeer]

[ From a distance it's genuinely hard to tell whether the child wandering through Garden Park is a boy or a girl; their clothing is baggy, their hair ragged, chopped off at odd lengths.

Upon closer inspection--it's definitely a young girl, roughly 12 years old. Her expression is hollow, and her grey eyes seem full without ever spilling over into tears.

She walks slowly through the grass, occasionally jabbing a long, slender sword into the dirt. Ever thrust has a name. ]

Joffrey. [ Jab. ] Cersei. [ Jab. ] Walder Frey. [ Three rapid, angry stabs into the dirt as her blank face crumples for a moment, then smooths with a sniffle. ] Meryn Trant. [ Jab. ] Tywin Lannister. [ Jab. ] The Red Woman. [ Jab. ] Beric Dondarrion. [ Jab. ] Thoros. [ Jab. ] Ser Ilyn Payne. [ Jab. ] The Mountain. [ Jab. ] The Hound. [ Jab. She swallows hard and pulls the skinny blade out of the dirt, lower lip trembling as she uses the tail of her shirt to scrub the mud from the tip. ]

Valar Morghulis.

Comments

[fondofapples]

Like Evie, Regina finds the rooms in the commons confining, but she has yet to assemble enough money or enough family to acquire the house in Attleton or the castle in Fayren she has been considering. She has been to work in the Everglades and now she is resisting returning to her room and her ex-girlfriend in lizard form, walking the gardens instead. That she could contact certain dragon mage to fill up her time shouldn't even be a consideration, yet it is.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the Author or whatever controls destinies here in this world presents her with a distraction in the form of a child, a child who is very gifted with a blade. Her clothing looks more like what was worn in the forest, so before Regina comes into view, she flips her wrists to change into something hopefully more familiar than a suit: leather pants and boots, a tunic top, and a wine-colored cloak.

She approaches quietly and calmly, with a queen's poise and a mother's compassion, and hopes the child--girl she sees now--doesn't elect to stab her at first sight. "Hello."

[swiftasadeer]

With Arya's mind full of the faces of those she intends to give to the Stranger, the cloak gives her pause, but other than that one splash of the color the woman looks nothing like the one in red who took Gendry away. She has the coloring of a Dornish woman, or maybe someone from across the sea, and the bearing of a Lady. Sansa would have done a perfect pretty curtsey, but Arya can only stare, wounded and mistrustful of kindness. Not that she was ever much a lady to begin with.

"Hello," she replied quietly after a moment, carefully threading Needle back into her belt. "Who are you?"

[fondofapples]

Regina held her poise, waiting for the little girl to choose whether to put the sword away or between them. Never a patient woman, she could be a very still woman when it suited her. If she'd learned anything from the past year with Henry and her time with Roland, there was very little she wouldn't do not to frighten a child.

And when the sword was tucked back into her belt, Regina let out her breath and eased herself into a gentler stance. She wouldn't crouch and insult a proud little girl, but she did offer a kind smile. "My name's Regina. I'm new here. Are you?"

[swiftasadeer]

Something about being spoken to kindly by a proper lady made Arya's throat feel tight in spite of her wariness. She swallowed past it, and nodded slightly. "Yes. I'm Arry."

Which was a lie. Did it matter that she was a daughter of Winterfell when Winterfell and Lannister bannerman were so far away now?

She wasn't sure, but maybe it was better to be safe, and Arry was close enough.

[immortalrose]

[The faint footsteps captures Augustine's attention followed by the whispered names. It takes a moment for him to spot the youth's silhouette but once he does, Augustine indeed swore it was a boy. An angry, unkempt little boy who definitely looked as if he seen better days. It comes as no surprise that all manner of people find themselves stranded in this odd world. However, something about the child's behavior really strikes a cord with Augustine.

He has seen his fair share of horrors back in his world, enough to sometimes keep him up at night but the memories grow distant with each passing day. However, this child reminds him of a past he wishes to forget. While he knows nothing about the little boy---no, wait. That's a girl. His eyes widen with some surprise once he gets a better look. This would be the first time that he ever seen anyone arrive here in such a state. The girl almost looks sickly to him, far too gaunt for his liking. She looks distraught, her eyes brimming with tears as she keeps stabbing angrily at the dirt.

Augustine is almost afraid to approach. Only God knows what happened to this child and who caused it. His unusual appearance is sometimes a bit much for others to take, especially his peculiar gaze. Nevertheless, he's no coward. The dhampir approaches silently across the uneven lawn.]

Excuse me? [He calls out hesitantly to the girl in a soft tone.] Are you...lost?

[Best not to assume too much here but he can tell she's more than just lost right now.]

[swiftasadeer]

Yes.

[ Which is an honest answer to a loaded question. She's been lost, Arya thinks, since the day they took her father's head.

Swallowing, she discreetly wipes her smudged, damp face on the shoulder of her tunic, while she threads Needle carefully through a loop on her belt. ]

We all are, aren't we? This isn't our home.

[immortalrose]

Well, yes. [He answers honestly after some thought.] But even when lost, we can be found.

[Augustine is somewhat relieved that the girl isn't frightened by him. She doesn't seem the type to scare easily but the poor dear looks so gloomy.]

This world isn't perfect but you could easily find a place to call your own. You can make a home.

[swiftasadeer]

[ It takes a lot to scare her. Arya Stark has seen some shit. ]

I don't want to make a new home. I want my home. I want Winterfell.

[ Her jaw trembles a little before she sets it firmly. ]

It's gone though. My family is gone. Father said the lone wolf dies, but the pack survives, but he was wrong. We didn't survive.

[deaths_head]

Bit young to handle a sword so well, ain't you?

[The voice comes from a nearby bench that wasn't occupied a few moments before. The man on it is massive compared to her, even seated, with hair red as blood hanging around his shoulders, and a voice as deep as the grave. Cloaked in his black leather duster, wide brimmed hat tipped low on his head, even his face is hard to see save for the occasional flicker of light where his eyes should be.]

Not to mention the names of corpses waiting to lie still.

[swiftasadeer]

[ Arya's only ever seen one other man that large, and his was one of the names she had just finished jabbing into the dirt. Needle's slender point lifts as Arya falls back into a water dancer's stance, though it relaxes after a few beats of tense silence.

This man is not The Mountain. She won't be giving anyone to the Stranger today. Still, though Needle tips back down towards the ground, she doesn't yet put her sword away, and studies the man with wary, curious eyes. ]

My brothers started training with swords even younger...

[ Those sharp grey eyes narrow, showing far too much age for one so young. ]

What do you know about my list?

[deaths_head]

I heard you. Each name marked for death--ripe for the picking.

[The Shade shifts to stand, just long enough for his size to register--a healthy seven feet--before he crouches with surprising grace to get on her level.]

But there's more than bloodshed on your tongue, little swashbuckler. There's grief...you carve the mark of death, and death has carved its mark on you.

[swiftasadeer]

[ Arya's eyes burn, the tip of her nose stinging with the urge to shed tears, but she tightens the jaw that wants to tremble. She wants to yell and scream what do you know about it, you don't know anything, she wants to curl up and be a child her parents' arms and cry until she can't breathe...instead, she reaches into her pocket, fingers curling tight around a single, strange coin, given to her by a man who changes his very face the way men change their tunics. ]

How do you know that?

Who are you?

[intothelens]

[One didn't need to be an empath to discern the pain emanating from the girl's heart.]

[For that reason alone, Hikari opted to give her some space. At first. She overheard the muttering of words. Names, perhaps. None she recognized. But were clearly of significance, judging by the ferocity of those jabs.]

What does that mean?

[Standing beneath one of the nearby trees, she waited for opportunity to present itself before daring to ask.]

[swiftasadeer]

[ The truth: Arya doesn't know. She thinks it's High Valyrian, but Jaqen H'ghar didn't tell her what it meant.

It's not something she wants to admit to, though. ]

It's a prayer. [ She checks Needle for any remnants of dirt, then carefully threads the blade through a loop on her belt. ] For revenge.

[intothelens]

[Hikari accepted the explanation without question. Having no reason to think the other girl was lying to her. The fact that she was admitting notions of revenge outright was further evidence of her sincerity.]

Revenge...on people who've hurt you?

[Though her voice was soft, even hesitant, there was a hint of empathy in her tone. She knew what it meant to fight. To have been wronged. To want...to want to get back at the person who wronged her and her most precious people. Even if those urges were fleeting at best.]

[swiftasadeer]

People who've hurt my family.

[ And, yes, her too, but the most common thread between nearly every name is the hand that they had in the Starks' downfall. ]

[action]

[prideofhoshido]

Are you alright, little one?

[Ryoma had been searching for his younger sisters, and it seems just from that clarification, that he's been meeting unattended children in this place, everywhere.

Thankfully this wasn't Everglade this time. The Prince looked stern, but interested in why they had a dagger]

[action]

[swiftasadeer]

[ Arya made a face--why did everyone always want to emphasize her size--and carefully sheathed needle through a loop on her belt. Discreetly, or as discreetly as she could manage, she wiped her dirty, tear smudged face against the shoulder of her tunic. ]

I'm fine. I'm just a little lost.

Re: [action]

[prideofhoshido]

[Ryoma narrowed his eyes in concern]

Me too. All of us, really. But perhaps I can be of assistance to you.

[he offered a hand to help Arya up, giving her a small polite bow of his head] I am Ryoma of Hoshido.

[the more he was in this place, the more it probably didn't matter he was a prince anymore]

[allforthem]

[Sayaka was just practicing her swords practice when she saw this little boy stabbing the grass. Blinking, she laughed, and approached]

What did that grass do to you? Those are very creative names you've given to each blade...

[swiftasadeer]

[ Arya didn't quite smile, but it was the closest she'd come to one in a while. Definitely the closest thing since she'd arrived here. ]

I'm not stabbing the grass, I'm stabbing the dirt. The names are a prayer.

[allforthem]

A prayer, huh..

to the dirt? Hm..

[Sayak looked at the dirt, then to the other] Well, whatever floats your boat. Do you need any help with the stabbing?

[summoning her sword, she gave the first stab, grinning]

[quick_clean_pure]

[Graverobbe's off to the side, just watching, curious. There doesn't seem to be any concern about a kid using a weapon, just curiosity.]

Got some folks you've got issue with?

[swiftasadeer]

Yes.

[ Like--to put it mildly. Arya moodily threads the skinny blade through a makeshift sheath on her belt, little more than a knotted loop that catches at the hilt. ]

They hurt my family. I'm going to kill them all.

[quick_clean_pure]

Pretty good reason to want to kill people, sounds like. How you planning on doing it?