(no subject)

[needlebearer]

Who| Arya Stark and YOU
What| Getting her bearings after arrival
Where| Various locations in the Training Centre
When| Shortly after the end of the last Arena
Warnings/Notes| No warnings inherent. Prose and brackets both welcome.


a) District 10 suite

Arya's initial terror on waking and finding herself in a place entirely unfamiliar, the anger and resentment she'd felt toward the peacekeepers who'd brought her here, and the dread at knowing she has to fight to the death, are all still warring within her, but she's managing, just barely, to keep them under control. She has a strong feeling that if she says the wrong thing in front of the wrong person, she won't even get as far as fighting to stay alive.

The suite the peacekeepers deposit her in is just as strange to her as the glimpses of the city beyond that she saw on the way here. The metal boxes that glide up to floors of buildings taller than she'd imagined, just at the press of a button. The bright lights overhead that certainly aren't candles, and operate with the flick of a switch. She's not sure if the whole place uses vast amounts of magic, or something else entirely that is far beyond the capabilities of builders, mages and maesters. Nevertheless, she can't help but be enchanted by it (and is more than a little irritated at herself for it, determined it's the only thing here she's going to find impressive; she wants to resent every single thing about the place she's been brought to). It doesn't occur to her that she might disturb the other occupants of the suite, or that there even are any other occupants: for the next ten minutes, at least, she just stands there flicking the lights on and off, enjoying the big change in the room she's producing with such little effort.


b) Common area

She eats ravenously, as though she's never had a hot meal before in her life; it's been months and months since she subsided on what little she could catch or forage or steal, and she's not going to turn down this opportunity, especially as she doesn't know when the next time they'll be given food is. She tries everything the Avox servant brings for her, screwing up her nose at anything that's too spicy or bitter - so many of the delicacies here are completely unfamiliar, most of the rest more similar to the rich foods of King's Landing rather than the hearty food she'd grown up with at Winterfell.

When she's full, there's still some food left over. She turns toward the Avox with a friendly smile, thinking she can make at least one friend here. "You can have some, if you want." No answer, not even so much as a blink or glance in her direction to acknowledge that she's spoken. "There's plenty." Still no response. Arya feels herself getting a little angry, knowing he can hear and understand her - he'd brought the food she'd asked for, after all. "I know you can hear me. So all you have to say is no and not just ignore me!" The Avox gives a slight shake of the head, looking very frightened. And that's the moment when Arya allows herself to look frightened again at the whole situation, too.


c) Common area

One thing she's certainly not used to is the attention. She'd tried so hard to keep a low profile after she'd escaped from King's Landing, knowing her life depended on her identity not being discovered, that the stares and whispers from the press and fans passing through feel very surreal indeed, as was everyone knowing that her name was Arya Stark, especially since the political ramifications of that, the fact that she was supposedly the daughter of a traitor, meant nothing to them. She tries her best just to ignore it, but she can't any longer when one of the women working for the media takes a camera from her pocket and attempts to take a picture. As soon as the flash goes off Arya reaches instinctively for a sword, and when she remembers she's unarmed she ducks under the table she'd been sat at. Never having seen a camera before, she assumes this must be a weapon of some kind, and she doesn't want to wait for the projectiles that may come from it.

Comments

B

[crabmunicator]

Karkat may never had been through the kind of life Arya has, but after about a month's time in the arena, he's well enjoyed the variety of food available in the Capitol. It beats subsisting off raw potatoes, cake, and increasingly towards the end dried foodstuffs that left him with an aching gut. Usually, he eats on his floor when he's in the training center, but at times it feels too stuffy to stay there.

When he hits ground floor, he's not expecting to see a kid arguing with an Avox. She must be new to not know better, and it strikes him how young she looks - a couple sweeps younger than him, he'd guess, and who knows how old in actual human years.

He knows full well his species might call attention when he goes over, but maybe that will help distract her from the Avox she's bugging.

"Let him go," he calls over as he nears. "Avoxes can't speak, so you're probably just upsetting him."

[needlebearer]

Arya turns on her heel as she hears him, set to round on him too with how irritated she is, but then she sees him, takes in the grey skin and the horns, and finds her annoyance replaced with utter confusion. This place has managed to confuse her yet again, and she hasn't even been here a day yet.

She has to bite her tongue in order to resist immediately asking all sorts of questions that Karkat would probably find rude, and she thought Septa Mordane would be proud she'd managed that much, at least, even if she was still quite openly staring. She hears the Avox shuffling nervously behind her and glances back.

"They can't speak at all?"

C

[arrogantalloy]

Tony was near enough to see the girls reaction to the camera, and yeah he does make a fairly amused noise. He comes over to the table, standing in front of where the girl disappeared under and gives the woman a charming smile.

"Uh, I don't know about you, but I heard that some of the guys from district two, are tanning their muscles down at the park."

The woman takes a quick shot of Tony which he poses a little for then she runs off to find these muscles. After she goes, Tony leans against the table and turns just enough to look at the table and pick an apple off it he shines it on his jacket lapel before giving it a contemplative look.

"You can come out now, kid. The paparazzi found a better story." He sounds a little bored as he lets her know this then bites into his apple.

[needlebearer]

She peeks above the tabletop, glancing around to make sure she really had gone, or at least stopped brandishing the small flashing box at her. When she's satisfied she pulls herself up, looking rather wary and paranoid.

"Why was she after me? I didn't do anything." Not here, anyway. Not yet.

b

[aintyourdad]

If there's one thing Joel recognizes it's the sight of someone who hasn't had a lot of food to eat suddenly faced with all the choices the Capitol has to offer. He's been there. He's definitely been there, and this girl - well, she's scrawny that's for sure. Undernourished.

It stirs his parental instincts - damn, but she could be Ellie, almost, and that sets a pang through his chest because she's not, and it's not her fault. It's not.

"You'll be sick later," he says quietly, bluntly, as he stops next to her. "Slow down a little, it'll all come back up in a few hours anyway."

He knows. Boy, does he know.

[needlebearer]

She continues to shovel in food, swallowing heavily before turning to look at him, her grip on her cutlery tightening as though she's scared he's going to take the food she has.

"I don't care. It's better than having none."

c

[revocation]

If anything, Cullen has a rather similar notion - still new here himself, still trying to work out in his mind what everything might be, he sees a small figure leaping away from something being pointed at her, and he, too, goes for a weapon that's not there. After a moment, the little box the woman is holding seems to do nothing except emit a small clicking sound, and he steps forward, putting himself between them.

"Hold," he says, glaring. "Is it customary to accost children here? I suggest you find a better use for your time, serah." The woman looks positively beside herself - probably with excitement more than fear, as she turns and runs off. Clearly, someone just gave her a juicy story for the gossip columns. Brave knight protects innocent children, not that Cullen will know.

Turning, he offers the child his hand to help her back up. "Are you hurt?"

[needlebearer]

Arya doesn't take his hand, pushing herself up from under the table and dusting off her hands, glaring suspiciously at the reporter as she makes a hasty exit. There's a part of her that wishes she'd let him pull her up, but she'd gotten used to taking care of herself, and she couldn't break that habit here.

"No. I'm fine. She couldn't get a clear shot." And she means that very literally, not in a photographic sense.

B

[alwaysshielded]

The avox were, for good or ill, hardly a strange concept to Cassandra. The extreme nature of Capital punishment was unjust, but the idea of the ruling class handing out creative punishments, of a servant class silent and bound, was hardly a novelty. Elves had served in the role for the most part in Thedas. Unjustly, immorally, but still with an unvarying constancy that meant to live in reality one had to accept the occurrence. Just as one had- even if the Seeker had significantly less experience in this particular area- to accept the violent moods and emotions of children.

"Go."

The instruction was given to the servant, allowing the wretch to flee the room and leave the child surrounded by her bounty and fear. Cassandra remained just past the doorway, arms crossed over her chest and having left enough room for the servant to slip out without yet encroaching on the space of the other tribute.

"They are not the ones deserving of your anger."

[needlebearer]

"I know," Arya snaps at her, shame tingeing her cheeks as she acknowledges her poor behaviour. But she'd been trying to be nice, a part of her objects, even as the rest knows that she'd been taking out her frustration at the Capitol when she'd reacted so poorly. She couldn't be the scared, angry child here, as hard as it was for her to rise above that sometimes. "They're even worse off than us really, aren't they?"

B

[infinitemayonnaise]

Where there is food, there is Nitou, and where there is Nitou, there is a squeeze bottle of mayonnaise. Maybe he's smelled all the food and is following the scent. Maybe he's just sensed it. Or maybe he's just gotten lucky. He's wandering into the room, squirting said bottle of mayo all over a cookie he's gotten out of a box tucked under one arm, when he just so happens to walk in on the kid yelling at the Avox. "He can't answer you, kid." Man, this is not a conversation he wants to have, not in the least, but this is just awkward.

[needlebearer]

"He's not even trying," she replies, irritated. "It's like they've been ordered not to talk to us, like we're better than them." That was something she took quite personally, something she'd experienced before as a daughter of House Stark and a supposed lady, and that she'd hated every time.

C

[smarterthanthem]

"Why are you hiding under the table?"

The voice belongs to another girl who must be close to, if not exactly, Arya's age. Clementine saw her duck underneath from the camera and while she understands that pressing urge to escape the Capitol's constant scrutiny she can't say under a table is the best way to go about it. They'd just report on that, 'New Tribute hides under tables, low hopes for her in the arena' or something stupid like that.

She crouches down next to the table and bends low enough that she's not in any danger of knocking off her hat when she speaks to the other girl, pulling a face when the camera flashes again, this time on her.

[needlebearer]

She's about to explain when the camera goes off again, the flash blinding her for a split second before she lunges toward Clementine to pull her down under the table with her, certain she's saving her from whatever weapon the woman was aiming at them. "Are you hurt? Did it get you?"

B

[tookthewheel]

"He won't answer you." a voice says, belonging to a tall man with shaggy brown hair. He's dressed down compared to a lot of people here, blue jacket with the hood tugged up over his head, hands stuffed in the pockets of his dark jeans.

Bucky regards the girl with small curiousity. There are not many children as young as she appears to be here, making her appearance notable. Furthermore, he has memorised most of the current Tributes which means she must be new, part of the recent influx of new faces. He's going to have to check the listings again if he wants to stay on top of things.

Ordinarily he's far less forthright about approaching anyone but children are easier than adults. Less threatening, which isn't to say they're less dangerous but it's an important distinction, at least in Bucky's head.

"He can't answer you."

[needlebearer]

"Can't and won't aren't the same thing," Arya replies a little obnoxiously, but then she glances back at the Avox and falters slightly, feeling a little bad for pressing the issue when she's made him feel so visibly uncomfortable anyway.

[hit_girl_mindy]

Mindy had seen a lot of things lately, but one thing she never actually thought she'd see would be someone actually ducking when the camera flash went off. Now Mindy, she usually went for the the withering look at the person taking the picture, because apparently it was a big deal when you threatened the paparazzi within an inch of their life. Still, the girl looked new enough, or at least seemed pretty freaked out by the picture taking.

"Hey, its cool," she said to her. "I don't think they'll be taking your soul with that anytime soon. You can get out from under there."

[needlebearer]

Arya doesn't entirely believe that it's safe, but she's certainly not going to cower under a table all afternoon, and the other girl seems slightly more at ease here, as though she's been here longer. Besides, she's fairly sure she's close enough to deliver a swift kick to the reporter's shins if she starts pointing the camera at them again.

"If you're sure."

She sits up slowly, propping her elbows on the table as she does so and looking over at the reporter with a scowl before focusing back on Mindy. She was surprised to find other girls around her age here, not to mention impressed; she wasn't used to any other girls being able to handle themselves.

"Did they bring you here to fight too?"

c

[shenunigans]

Oddly enough, Arya isn't the first person Dave has happened upon with a Camera Problem. Invasive reporters and under informed people from the past were something of a running theme here. He has shit to do, but he feels sorry for her. Plus, she looks kinda fiesty and he would hate to wander off and come back to her being dragged off for harassing some Capitol schmuck.

He approaches quickly, stepping in front of the table and posing like he would for his average selfie (leaned back, thumbs up). When it becomes clear he isn't going anywhere, the photographer eventually feels they have what they want and leave.

Now Dave is going to turn so he's facing her, raising a brow over his sunglasses. "Just an FYI, if you pull a non-imaginary sword on a local you'll probably regret it." He doesn't mean to sound personally threatening, but that's how it is.

[needlebearer]

"So would they," Arya argues, barely managing not to scrape herself on the edge of the table as she picks herself up from under it. But she understands his meaning, all too well. She'd spent enough time having to keep her mouth shut and her head down in order to stay alive back in her own world. Peacekeepers were simply Goldcloaks by another name, so far as she was concerned.

[pimpcanes]

Tom takes up residence in the common area of the District Suite almost out of spite these days, knowing how his presence alone forces Clara to either endure the animosity that boils the very air molecule between them or to spend most of her time outside of her assigned home. Now that Carlos is dead, Tom feels as if he has the upper hand, and he takes to an armchair in the living room like a cat might. It's more about claiming territory than it is about comfort.

An Avox putters around the room preparing breakfast and tea while Tom cracks open a book's fresh spine and Arya fiddles with the lights. For about a minute Tom tolerates the flashing, appreciating Carlos' replacement as being someone who isn't Carlos, but then it gets to be a bit much. He clears his throat and stands, putting weight through his arm to his palm to his cane to the floor and looking at the girl.

"Do you mind, lass? I would like to read without going blind."

[needlebearer]

Arya jumps a little as he stands - she hadn't realised anyone else was in here at all. She's irritated with herself for getting overexcited about the strange lighting, which really did seem like magic to her, and not checking her surroundings properly. She could almost hear Syrio whisper to her: look with your eyes, hear with your ears... She knew she'd have to heed his lessons here more than ever before.

Still, she flicks the light switch once more for good measure. Can't have them standing around in the dark, after all.

"They told me I was supposed to live here." She knows she sounds stupid as she says it, but she feels like she needs to justify being here, being a pest.

b! i know you have a ton of tags hahaha so feel free to ignore this if it's one too many <3

[tevintage]

"They're cursed by something," Dorian said, having been drawn to the commotion from the other table. He slid over, moustache twitching with a slight smile.

"Also, forbidden from eating our food, I think. We wouldn't want to get him in too much trouble, would we, hmm?

[needlebearer]

"I wasn't trying to get him in trouble, I was trying to be friendly," Arya says, somewhat sulkily. That was one skill that had become a little rusty to her, and it had always been easier for her to strike up friendships with those far lower down than her.

B.

[dying]

It is always the children that get to him. She's new, he knows. Even without the obvious mannerisms of eating like someone starved, and speaking to the Avox as if he would talk back - he had never seen her face. And Thane never forgets a face, regardless as to when he had seen it in his life. He waits for her to stop talking and for the Avox to step away before he speaks to her. His tone is calm, even, and courteous.

She may be a young child, but he isn't going to speak to her like she's one. She's a Tribute now. "He is unable to speak. He is a slave to the Capitol, so it is a serious offense to eat anything that has been given to you."

He watches her.

[needlebearer]

"Even slaves need to eat," Arya argues, feeling her stomach tighten as she says the term. She knew there were slaves in the Free Cities across the Narrow Sea, but such an institution would never take root in Westeros. She doesn't want to have to tolerate it here, but neither does she want to get the Avox in trouble by challenging things too much.