eachdraidh | video; unseelie

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So I know a lot of people probably have a lot of training under their belts already, routines they have no interest in changing, and the last thing anyone wants to hear is a new kid asking more questions, but- [ she shrugs ] Here I am.

For whatever reason, the monarchs decided to take me from right before I was about to start my formal training. [ a beat ] Formal in the sense that I was about to be someone's second. A total bad-ass literally told me I would start my training "tomorrow", but- [ then those sTUPID IMPS HAD TO GO AND- okay, not getting mad about the imps again. moving on. ] I've learned how to use a knife, and I've learned a lot of combat movement, stealth, the basics. But I never got much time to practice. So that's what I'm asking for now - people who want to practice.

New people, probably, but people who know what's useful and what's not in a war like this would obviously be good too. People who have a lot to learn, but won't be afraid to get hurt and mess up, then get up and try it again. People who won't shove my inexperience down my throat, but won't go easy on me either. I don't need to be babied, I need to be taught. [ another pause ] No magic, not yet. I get it, we need to learn it, but I need to know my way around a blade before I try figuring out any of that crap.

Which means I need a weapon of my own. Mine, not something borrowed. I know I can't fight a war with a small blade, but I don't want a sword either. [ not yet ] I want something more like a machete. Anybody know where I can get my hands on something like that? I'll work for it. Whatever it takes.

-- And that's it. Let me know.

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You get used to it. [The ease of her tone helps him settle down, realizing she's not actually dissing his weapon of choice. Truthfully, it's nice to hear from her after their introduction at the feast. Means she found Bellamy and Clarke and got herself settled in.] Anyway, you can find all kinds of basic weapons in our armory but if you want really customized stuff you have to start asking around. I've been looking for a decent smith, too.

Anyway. I've been picking up bits and pieces from different people--[And now that he thinks about it, it's probably not a great idea to tell Octavia to learn from her own brother. This is about being independent, isn't it? He would want to be.]--but if you're starting out see if you can get in touch with Katsa. I started learning from the General of the Unseelie army last summer but Katsa's teaching me a lot more outside of the basics. You can always call Baron Archer, too. He's been talking about starting a boot camp for a while, he might know some good people, too.

There has to be somebody around here, right? Somebody could make some serious profit making weapons in a place like this. Good weapons. Next time you go looking for someone, I'll come with. Maybe we can heckle them for a better price if we work together. Or convince them to let us slay some beast for them instead. People do that here, right?

[ slay beasts. like they're living in a fairy tale. a really.. messed up fairy tale.

but hey wait ]

Baron Archer? I met an Archer at the feast. He seemed - [ hilarious, but so- much. so something. but he gave her a bottle of booze to keep so you know whatever she's not judging his so muchness ] - not like the type to start a boot camp. Not that I think I'd fit in at a boot camp, anyway. But I like having options, so thanks.

[The disbelief (or hilarity, really) gets a small laugh.] Yeah, he says he's a spy where he's from. [He's not in any place to start being incredulous of people though, but it's clear he's not entirely sold on it either.] But that's what he told me. One of my friends was asked to start training his guys, too, but he's been pretty busy. I'm not really a boot camp kinda guy either.

[On the other hand...] I mean I fought a bandersnatch last winter. The beast-slaying thing totally happens around here. You can get some massive gold if you hunt the right kind of monsters. [But he's not that great of a hunter honestly. He's leaving out the fact that he had a lot of help with that.] Technically we have a smithy, too, around the castle but I've never been down there to see what they really produce. I get most of my weapons as presents from other people.

[And, well, he might as well come clean.] Your brother's been teaching me a few things, too.

A bandersnatch. [ there's no doubt in her tone, just- repeating it. like she needs to make sure she heard him right. and that it's the same kind of monster she's thinking of. the one from books. ] I'll look into it.

[ because hey, there was a two-headed dear on her planet, so anything's possible here, right? seeing is believing, but she's not about to demand for proof on something like that. most things, sure. but eh. a bandersnatch. sure. why not? ]

Well, aren't you lucky.

[ about the getting weapons as presents thing, and having Bellamy's help, too. both. ]

Bellamy's a great teacher when he's up for it. [ he's also the best big brother in the entire cosmos, so it doesn't shock her to hear he's been helping Hiro train. he was insistent in making sure the delinquents were properly armed and ready back home. she grins. ] You should ask him about dance lessons sometime. He's good at that, too. [ woops? but what, it's true. Bellamy taught her to ballroom dance. she's pretty sure he learned himself just so he could teach her. ]

Edited 2015-06-24 21:04 (UTC)

A bandersnatch. [Yup, he's just repeating it right back because he knows it's bizarre.] There're bigger and cooler and more dangerous things out there though if you look for them. [Hiro...don't sound excited about that. Please don't.

Still, he doesn't quite know how to react to that. Is it luck? It's a little bit of luck and circumstance.] Maybe. A lot of people kinda thought I didn't know how to take care of myself out there. [Still don't, really. However...] Wait are you serious though? That's a hard one to believe. I mean he's coordinated enough but that's pretty out there.

[ her brow quirks up at "cooler" because it's a sign that they're t o t a l l y on the same page here, and that's fun. it's good to know. one day she'll question the fact that this isn't the first time she's been on the same page as a goofy dude that's a little bit younger than her, but today is not that day. ] I might just have to do that.

[ although that next bit- yeah, she gets that ]

I've been there. But that just makes it more fun to prove them wrong, yeah? [ she knows it's not ever that easy or that simple, but she grins, then both hands are moving up, all open honesty over here, yep ] Completely serious. I think he only learned because I asked him to, but it's true.

Everything's more fun when you can prove people wrong. [Casually. Oh-so-casually because Octavia doesn't have to know what's actually gone down in the last couple of months. And even with the precautions he's taken now and the things that have occurred, there's still that bit of arrogance and pride there that's hard to disable. Besides, the fact that they seem to be on the same wavelength doesn't escape him at all and that's actually fantastic.]

But...I mean, don't take this wrong, but they never made it sound like you guys had time for that stuff on the ark. [A little shrug.] But at least you'll prepared for Samhain.

[You know. If they get another Samhain. Who even knows...? This is the first year the tourney's been cancelled. He's not taking any chances.]

Really? Hm.

[ but yeah, her experience of the ark was way different than everyone else's, wasn't it. all she ever really had was time. and this is where she takes her chance to keep a little something to herself, because nah. she's not going into her story if she doesn't have to. ..ever, never ever. nope. ]

Well, I had the time. And Bell always made time for me. [ YEAH THAT COVERS IT ] Learning things just so he could teach them to me was part of his big brother duties. At the time I definitely just thought he knew everything about anything ever, but eventually I figured it out.

--Samhain?

[Really really. He doesn't push it beyond that though because he doesn't suspect anything. Clarke and Bellamy haven't told him a ton about the ark or about their world so he doesn't think Octavia's withholding anything. Instead, he's focusing on everything else.]

Pretty sure that's part of the big brother code. [There's a beat, and a slight shift in his tone following.] Mine used to do the same before I started learning faster than he did. But he still taught me a few things.

[Thank you, Tadashi. But he'll brush past that, too, because Samhain.] Anyway, Samhain. It's this big thing that happens in October every year, supposedly. I was here for it last year but everybody who's been here longer said it happened the year before, too. It's basically an excuse to have a giant party and people get dressed up and wear masks and it's dancing and drinking and whatever. It's also the Black Shuck's holiday. He's like the embodiment of Death here. People stop fighting and wear masks in order to avoid Shuck who's busy wandering around looking for spirits who've escaped death. The world changes around then...think of it like a game of hide and seek where you mingle with everybody and you can't hurt anybody else because he'll come after you. It's sort of like that. You pay your respects to what he wants and you don't go against it no matter what.

[ there's a "you have a big brother, too? is he here? why haven't I met him yet?" conversation that's almost jumped right into, but oh yeah. Samhain. the "get dressed up and wear masks and drink" makes her immediately think of the one and only party she ever went to on the ark, but it doesn't sting to think about it, not right now. ]

So- It's a holiday honoring Death? And showing respect for it. So you wear a mask to hide your identity and hide from ..Death, and you don't kill anyone. And party with them instead? [ a beat ] I think I could get behind that. Only the idea that everyone plays nice for a holiday kind of goes against everything I've heard about this place. Nobody tried to sabotage it?

[Someday he might explain a little more about Tadashi and why he's not here, but today isn't that day. Instead, today is the day to tell strangers (well, less than strangers) about the weird wonders of this world.]

That's right. Or at least respecting him, totally. Like I said it's pretty much the only time that people aren't allowed to kill other people because it'll piss him off. When Shuck tells you not to kill people, you listen. Anybody who'd try to sabotage that probably won't even have time to blink before they see the inside of his jaws. He's soooorta really huge. Really, really huge.

Otherwise I don't think there's a lot of dancing that goes on here.

[ a few weeks ago, Octavia would have said something like "well, you're clearly not hanging out at the right parties with the right people", but ..well saying she "knows better" isn't right, it's not like she feels better off having a less optimistic view of things, the freedom they have here, but yeah. she knows. ]

Are there any other spirits or whatever I should know about so I don't accidentally piss them off?

I mean there're plenty of spirits wandering around. This war's been going for thousands of years...lots of people have died. You never know what they're really like 'til you talk to them. [It's stated so matter-of-factly, like Hiro's so used to such things.] But usually they don't seek people out unless you're really doing something dumb. There are some monsters out there though that you probably shouldn't accidentally piss off unless you know how to fight them. Don't go after trolls no matter what you do. They're not as stupid as you'd think, but some of them work for our court. I've heard the selkies are bad but you're a girl so they probably wouldn't eat you unless they felt threatened.

If you think about it, I guess it's mostly based on what you think you'd do that could possibly piss things off.

[ she's just- processing all of that, but the last bit gets oooone big shrug ]

Hard to tell. I only just got here, who knows what could piss them off. When it comes to my brother, it doesn't matter what he's up against, I'll beat the crap out of it. [ a beat ] I don't want to feel like I'm not in control of my own life. I make my own path. And I know that pisses some people off, so- who knows, with spirits.

As long as you're not actively disrespecting them or defacing shrines or whatever you should be okay. [Give him a second...annnnd yeah, he notices Bellamy's on the post, too (and why wouldn't he be since this is his younger sister) and so he's just casually flipping this to a locked, private channel instead.]

...I can respect the rest of that though. Wanting to make your own path and everything? It's...really cool. But the thing about this war is that there are still pieces we can't control. But there's always loopholes, don't you think?

Always.

[ she's quick to answer, mostly because she's way too curious to try and be clever about this. she's not sure there's a point in it anyway, he obviously locked the conversation for a reason ]

You're going to have to fill me in on what exactly you're talking about, though. What's out of our control? Beyond being here in the first place. [ a beat ] Bellamy and Clarke have filled me in on a lot, the basics, you know? But I know there's still a lot I have to catch up on. [ aaanother beat ] Although maybe we shouldn't do that here. [ on the lockets ] It's up to you.

[She catches on fast, it seems, and that helps keep him focused on the subject at hand.] Well that depends on what you'd consider the basics. [A pause.]

I'm...kinda in the middle of something really important and I'm not even near where you are right now. Like, think "across the map" kind of not even near you right now. But I can fill you in on stuff in person when I get back. [He's also thinking it gives her time to learn more from others here like he had before he overloads her with information.] That's up to you.

Events, mostly. Battles won, battles lost. Different people and places to look out for, and which to avoid. Basics.

[ and more personal stuff, obviously, but nothing she's going to talk about with anyone besides Clarke and her brother. she takes a short while to think over what the smart way to go about this would be, and eventually she shakes her head ]

Let's wait. Once you're back we can talk. And go looking for monsters.

[ she quirks a grin, because hey it's some serious stuff! she totally wants to go monster hunting! but she realizes it's silly to treat it as just another day in the life here. ah yes. conversations whilst monster hunting. ]

[Hey, that is just another day in the life here. He chuckles under his breath at her suggestion but the grin suggests he's not outright saying no. He could use the practice anyway and if they start small, how bad can it be?]

We'll have to stick around La Llorona but doesn't sound like a bad plan to me. [He'll...explain why he has to stay close later. He's trying to build some credibility here and saying "my not-dad grounded me" probably won't help.] Give me a few days and I'll call you back on the lockets. Fair?

[ there's definitely a curious squint at the condition, but she doesn't question it ]

Fair.

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