( OPEN ) i don't know whether to pity you...

[unprays]

Who: sansa stark (unprays) and YOU! also various others, probably.
What: sansa deals with the yet another untimely death of her husband, is a good wolf owner and takes one step further towards a career in gunslinging. or something.
When: early february
Where: olympia, edrathe ruins, wyver & stasis
Warning(s): your standard game of thrones warnings apply...

i. edrathe ruins — the obligatory direwolf prompt

[ it is lucky for her that Lady is small enough for most people to consider her a larger, domestic dog whenever she is out and about in Wyver — yet a wolf is always a wolf, and so she heads for the ruins where Lady can run around freely, hunt for whatever wildlife she comes across.

( a. ) it's something she never had a chance to do, back home, watching Lady run around and hunt; perhaps then she'd have been horrified by the small game caught and slaughtered in front of her, but now it seems as natural as anything... as long as Lady doesn't try to bring her the food she's caught.

but should anyone happen to try and approach them when Lady has her catch of the day in front of her, they'll be met with growling and a howl — loud enough for Sansa to hear and look up to see what is going on. ]

Lady, stop that! [ she's fairly sure whoever's coming closer is not a threat...

( b. ) but a wolf requires rest, too. they sit together, Sansa on what was once a pillar, now broken and covered in moss, and Lady next to her, curled around her feet. occasionally, she leans down, runs her hand over Lady's head, whispering, ] ... good girl.

ii. wyver — a girl with a gun

[ if someone, anyone had told Sansa she would ever own what she considers a modern version of a bow and would willingly train herself to use it, she'd likely have laughed at them, told them they have mistaken her for her sister. courtesy had ever been her armor, the training she received from Littlefinger her weapon: she had never owned a real one, not in Westeros.

here, though, women were armed as often as men, and no one seemed to find it at all strange. different customs, she supposed, and ones she would have to adjust to — not least because she never again wanted to feel as helpless as she had, back home.

( a. ) she chooses Wyver, for she spends less time there, some ways off from the city, a clearing in the jungle where she can carve an x on a tree and walk to the other side, holding the gun as Ocelot had taught her to, taking aim. the sound of the gunshot is followed by the flap of wings, birds scared off from their places on the treetops.

she walks closer to her target, an unhappy frown on her lips when she sees the bullet hit nowhere near the mark. ]

Not good enough, [ she whispers, turning around, ready to try again.

( b. ) it's not a surprise that the frequent sounds of gunshots echoing in the jungle would draw attention, and yet she is so focused that when she hears the rustle of leaves and bushes, she turns around, already on edge, and calls out, ]

Who's there? [ after the recent events, it's probably not that strange for her to be on high alert, still. ]

iii. stasis unit — a widow's farewell

[ of course she goes to see him. after the body has been hidden, after all the blood has been washed off of her dress and Lady's fur, when enough time has passed — she leaves the surface and goes to the station. her mind won't rest easy until she's sure.

and so one may catch her there, standing in front of the pod of a man with dark hair and a smile on his lips, a smile that makes her feel as uneasy as ever. it isn't the smile of someone who's lost. and yet... the undeniable truth is here for all to see: he is back in his pod, sleeping... for now. hopefully for ever. ]

Sleep well, Lord Bolton. [ when she speaks, it is with the finality of a promise: should he wake, she will be here. waiting. and this time, she'd make sure he never makes it away from the station. ]

iv. wildcard — you know the drill

[ individual starters in comments for murder things; if you want something else that isn't included in the open prompts, feel free to write me something or hit me up on plurk @ celen and i'll write us something! ]

Comments

C:

[hedonistic]

Sansa-chan, huh?

[There's a little bit of an accent to his voice as he says it; Sansa's name is much more amenable to his tongue than many names around here, but the vowels are still a little off.]

That's cute, I like it. I'm Kagari.

[He...doesn't offer his first name. Mostly because he doesn't particularly want to be called Shuusei, the name his parents used to call him.]

[unprays]

[ the strange word he attaches after her name puzzles her somewhat, but she doesn't ask — it's at least her name, and she's more focused on hearing his, in turn. ]

Kagari, [ she repeats with a nod and a smile; and again, there is no question of whether it's his first or last name. not everyone had a last name, in Westeros, and so she simply assumes it to be his given name, and for him to lack a family name. ]

What were you doing, out here? There's not too many people around here, I've found. [ given how he's the first person she's run into, out here in the jungle. ]

[hedonistic]

[He shrugs, a vague rise and fall of a single shoulder.]

It's fun to explore, sometimes.

[And to a large extent, it's simply because he can. Next to seventeen years in chains, two months of freedom is nothing. There's still an exhilarating rush to the fact that he's beholden to nobody, that he can go anywhere he wants, do anything he wants; even if he has no real reason to go into the jungle, there's little reason not to, either.]

And you're here for target practice, huh? [He gives the weapon a closer look, and lets out a low whistle.] Maaaan, that thing's ancient.

[Is there actual gunpowder in there? He's never seen one up close; only ever saw the bullet holes that were left behind in that creepy underground hunting arena where that nutjob tried to hunt Kou-chan, Most Dangerous Game-style.]

[unprays]

[ she nods in understanding; without knowing, their reasons for liking to be outside on their own are rather similar. she, too, likes to be able to go wherever she wants, without being confined to one place or another, always the prisoner of those who seek to use her.

when he peers at the weapon, she laughs for the sheer contrast in their experiences with this particular subject. ]

Mm, I got this as a present, it is only fair I try. But you must know this is very advanced for me... back in Westeros, we only had swords and arrows. Nothing like this.

[hedonistic]

Whoa, seriously? Hah, that's like something right outta a medieval fantasy RPG or something! Awesome.

[K...agari, you realize she understands none of those words, right.]

Do you guys still wear chain mail and ride on horses and stuff?

[unprays]

[ medieval? fantasy? rpg? none of the words make any sense to her, but at least she's used to it: it's not the first time people she's spoken to have used words that hold no meaning to her, or their meaning is different from what she expects.

this time, she elects to answer what she can, instead of asking after the meaning. ]

Yes, men wear armor to battle, and ride horses. That is the quickest way to move from one place to another... riding a horse, or pulled by a carriage.

[hedonistic]

Man, that's wild.

[Being from such a futuristic world as he was, the thought of horse-drawn carriages sounds adorably quaint.]

Everyone uses cars in my time. Or motorcycles. An actual horse would probably be worth a fortune.

[Given how even pets are considered rare and valuable, in his era.]

[unprays]

Really? A horse would cost that much?

[ it's such a foreign concept to her, the idea that the most normal of travel methods would be so costly. but more importantly — ]

What are cars and motorcycles?

[hedonistic]

Pets are pretty rare and valuable, nowadays. Plus with a horse, you'd need somewhere to keep it and get food and equipment and stuff, right?

[Not to mention, there would be nowhere for a horse to run; rural areas have largely been abandoned to automated agriculture, with most people living in urban areas.]

A machine is way easier to maintain than a living thing.

[A pause. Jeez, Olympia doesn't have cars at all? He'd heard their level of tech was higher than Wyver's, but he's only visited infrequently, due to the whole holiday ball pin fiasco]

Uh, do you know what an engine is? Basically a car is a metal box with an engine and you steer it from inside so you can go places pretty fast.

[Not that Kagari's ever been allowed to drive for real, because life is Cruel and Unfair]

Like, way faster than on a horse. It's a less complicated version of those ships we flew from the station to El Nysa on a couple months ago.

[u kno, when sael made us play meteor dodgeball]

[unprays]

... it must have been very different, for you. We had no such technology that could have made those machines.

[ she offers him a small smile — it's interesting to her, to find out about all these differences. she wonders just what kind of a world he had come from.

when he explains about the car, her expression remains puzzled until he compares them to the ships. ] Oh! Yes, I remember those. I never steered one, I only sat there while someone else did it... it sounds very complicated. So cars have replaced horses, in your home?

[hedonistic]

Man, you'd be confused as hell in Japan. Technology's everywhere.

[People use holo-devices even to spice up their furniture.]

I tried steering one. It wasn't that hard to get the hang of, once you got used to it. The meteors were a pain in the ass, though.

[He says as if he didn't have way too much fun dodging them and didn't repeat the experience of flying down to El Nysa multiple times.]

But yeah, cars were a thing that happened like, centuries ago. That and motorcycles, like I said. Which are uh, bikes but with an engine in 'em. [...] Do you have bikes? It's kinda like a carriage, except you're your own horse.

[And he laughs at his own terrible joke, smh.]

[unprays]

I wouldn't have dared to try one of those... not just for the meteors. [ from her tone, it's clear she's impressed that he was able to pilot one of the ships. but then, it likely makes sense, if he's so used to all that technology... ]

Centuries ago? Your world must have been so much more advanced. I don't think we have the bikes either. [ a sheepish smile. ]

Did you drive those, too? Cars and motorcycles?

[hedonistic]

Nah, I wasn't allowed.

[Kogami had gotten his license long before he became an Enforcer, so he can when he's accompanied by Akane or Gino, but nobody would bother to teach a latent criminal who had never gotten the opportunity to learn. After all, if he was able to drive, what was to stop him from trying to escape? Nothing but a Dominator. Best not to give him any more tools than were absolutely necessary to the job.]

Played with a bunch of VR sims, though. [.....] Virtual reality simulations. Like the ones in Thesa.

[Thank god for Thesa Station tbh, he wouldn't know where to begin to explain VR to someone from a time where they still rode horses to get places.]

[unprays]

( sorry for the crazy delay in responding, i had to call a hiatus in late february due to health and work reasons, and i'm only just coming back from it! if this is too old to continue, i totally understand, and if you'd rather handwave the rest, let me know if you want to hash out what goes on by pm-ing me or contacting me on plurk @ ~celen! thanks for understanding ♡ )

[ a frown rests on her face, though it is not because of the talk of virtual reality — against all odds, those she has seen on Thesa, actually tried, and seen how it all works. instead, it is something else that seems to puzzle her. ]

You... weren't allowed? [ yes, that's what's sticking with her. ] Who didn't allow you to drive? [ rather than ask why, she seems almost quietly angry on his behalf, at this mystery person who stopped him from doing something that he seemed to think was fun. (is she projecting? perhaps. she knows all too well the feeling of not being allowed to do something you want, anything you want.) ]

[hedonistic]

[no worries!! i'm all good for continuing <33]

There's not really a who.

[Ah. He hadn't actually meant to get into this; it's not that it's anything he's ashamed of, but he doesn't want to invite pity into a conversation where he's having a good time.]

More like a society thing, I guess. I dunno, it's kind of a long-ass story.

[unprays]

[ instead of pity, though, he finds something like sympathy in her gaze as her mouth twists into a grimace. ]

I understand, [ she says, and the funny thing is, she does. ] Sometimes it's just about who you are.

[ who, and where, and what your name or past means. and because she understands, she doesn't really pry for anything more — if it's anything like her time in Westeros, it's not exactly fun to talk about. ]

[hedonistic]

[Sometimes it's just about who you are. There's an odd twist in his stomach at that, because it's not an inaccurate description. It was about what he was, more precisely; someone whose brain didn't match the standards of polite society, someone who could not be afforded even a chance at a future because he was simply too dangerous.

His jaw clenches, and he glances off to the side. It doesn't matter anymore, but he's still angry, as much as he tells himself he doesn't care.]

Something like that, yeah.

[One hand curls into a fist in his pocket, and he forces himself to look up at her again, forcing his mouth into a bit of a crooked grin.]

But screw 'em. We're here, right? So we get the last laugh.

[We, because he'd caught that implication of understanding in her voice, and though he can't imagine how she could, when her world was so ancient (far too ancient for cymatic scans), he's not so focused on his own misery that he can't understand that she's suffered too.]

This life is better, anyway. I get to meet a lot more cute girls~

[That one was a little forced, too. But he still winks obnoxiously, and that helps him sell it a bit more.]

[unprays]

[ it's all too easy to spot the brief sign of anger in him, because it's how she feels, too: angry at the Lannisters, angry at Littlefinger, angry at the Boltons, angry at herself. if she hadn't been so stupid, so naive...

but it doesn't matter, anymore. it shouldn't matter.

we're here, he says, and suddenly she feels a kind of kinship with him, despite their wildly differing worlds. she offers him a small smile. ] Yes... we are.

[ that smile turns into a quiet laugh after his wink — it's painfully obvious he's trying to lighten the mood, but she has no objections to that. sometimes forcing yourself to feel better is the only way to feel better. but instead of looking at him, she turns to Lady. ]

Did you hear that, Lady? He called you a cute girl!