(third lemon cake) voice ✧ open to both courts

[steeledskin]

( VOICE: OPEN TO BOTH COURTS )

Fellow [ ... ] shardholders. Seven blessings upon you all.

[ sansa is back in caer glaem, but there is no visual recording to accompany this address. (perhaps foolishly) she believes she may be somewhat protected from joffrey's attention. she would avoid an address altogether, but she feels there are those in the opposing court who ought to be quietly warned against the evil presence in their midst. trouble is, she doesn't know their names. and so here is a quiet attempt to draw out some of those people she'd spoken with at the very outset of using these lockets. ]

These lands are impressive. I have spent the larger part of two turns of this moon travelling them. Their roads are hard, perhaps, but I find myself oddly...pleased that I made any progress at all. [ there is a quiet (and honest) reverence in her voice. improvement and daring is not a thing she expects of herself, and so the mere understanding that she can now build a fire or ride a horse for days? it kindles something in her heart. a spark of pride. ] Seelie. Unseelie. Both territories boast beautiful landscapes -- I should like to see them painted, perhaps. Are there any artists in either court? Painters? Sculptors? [ ... ] Have we any musicians? These kingdoms must have their own songs. I would fain learn them.

From what played at the first feast, I imagine fairy music must always be a delight.

[ a protracted conversations, perhaps. but she hopes to catch the ear of wary allies and would-be friends. and as for her public behaviour? ah, well. she will be alayne stone a little longer. she is not ready to reclaim herself in one headlong rush. small steps and little leaps must be made. ]

(ooc: this post comes on the evening of june 27th. if your character is in caer glaem and is more apt to find here somewhere around the castle, go ahead and hit me with an action thread instead. i'm good with it. )

Comments

[rube]

[sansa you are asking the wrong person for opinions. he doesn't answer at first, just looks a tad confused that she's asking him of all people. his opinion shouldn't matter.]

No, it ain't ugly.

[that's all he needs to say, right?]

It worked. I didn't recognize you just now until I got a closer look.

[steeledskin]

[ ...good. his questions may yet be stemmed, and her identity safe-guarded. sansa smiles. ]

I'm sorry, Ben. Perhaps I should have warned you while yet at a distance.

[rube]

[ben gives a curt shake of his head.]

Good to see you back safe.

[and he's hoping she won't disappear again so soon, and there's a moment where he's staring at her, a small memory peeking into his mind. a father searching for his daughter with red hair, and how close alayne's description had been to the man's own daughter's.

maybe it's a coincidence.]

Don't be doin' that again, you hear? Got enough to worry about.

[steeledskin]

[ her smile stays firm, though it stops short of her blue eyes. ]

...And so instead I apologize for ever making you worry. [ but is that a slight glimmer of relief? that he had worried. she doesn't care to cause undue strain, but it's a strangely comforting feeling to be the focus of someone's concern. ] Please. Forgive me.

[rube]

Ain't got nothin' to apologize for. You gotta stop doin' that.

[apologizing for things that aren't in any way her fault, he means. there's no use to it, and he doesn't see the point.]

[steeledskin]

I'm--

[ sorry for bothering you with my sorrys. but the very mix-up of that sentiment doesn't sit well with her, and she has to stop a moment. reconsider. but in the end, she always tends towards the obedient: ] As you wish, Ben. I'll stop if you want me to stop.

[rube]

[sansa sometimes ben has no idea what to do or say with you, it's a little ridiculous.]

Apologize when you've done somethin' wrong. You ain't done nothin' wrong, Alayne. Everything ain't always your fault.

[steeledskin]

[ robb's victories had never been her fault, and yet she'd been punished for them all the same. every bruise a battle. sansa draws a deep breath through her nose and nods -- sheepish, still. ]

I want nothing more than to be polite, Ben. That's all.

[rube]

[he seems to relent, shoulders sagging. she's so delicate, in some ways..]

Good to have you back, Alayne. [then, with a small smile:] Don't be foolin' people with that hair of yours no more.

[as he moves past her to continue on with his day, he gives her a gentle, quick squeeze on her shoulder as a goodbye.]

[steeledskin]

[ she doesn't want him to leave. but she doesn't want to reach for him, either. she doesn't want to grab on and impress her will upon anyone. his hand on her shoulder makes her freeze! she endures it.

but she does try and grab his attention a moment more with talking: ] It was the other colour that was meant to fool -- [ she confesses in a desperate rush. ] This is me. Honest.

[rube]

[now he's the one doing the freezing. he stops in his tracks, turning only halfway to face her. a part of him is confused, while the other feels a strange sense of betrayal. she told him one thing just now, and now she's taking it back?]

What?

[he sounds ... disappointed.]

Anythin' else you wanna tell me?

[steeledskin]

Yes -- no.

[ she frowns. perhaps this is too impossible. too difficult. too painful. and too foolish! but every other stark walks these halls with pride...and sansa wants to sip at that pride for a moment. she wants to taste it. test it. ]

It isn't easy to say. [ she worries her hands. wrings them. ] I'm sorry.

[rube]

[yes and then no. ben presses his lips together sadly, giving a small nod of his head. it's not his business. he doesn't like it when people press in on his life, so he understands all too well what sansa is going through.]

Alright.

[he waits patiently now, wondering if she's truly finished talking.]

[steeledskin]

My name. It...it isn't Alayne. [ a muscle along her jaw twitches. everyone else has found out through other means: through accidents. but ben has been a constant non-threatening presence. and she wants to sing his praises to her father... ] But I think perhaps I'm not ready to say the real name. My first name.

So perhaps I do have reason to apologize. [ her voice quavers. ]

[rube]

[oh. ben wasn't expecting anything, or maybe he expected something bigger-- a grand confession. instead, it's just a fake name. there's no denying he does, indeed, feel a little betrayed, but he can't control someone's need to protect themselves in any way they can. she has her reasons, he's sure.]

[he makes a small motion with his hands, an accepting sort of movement.] Okay.

What should I call you?

[steeledskin]

[ her eyes are big. baleful. and she resists the sudden ache to look over her shoulder, scared to think it might appear as though she feels how the fear creeps up from her toes -- honing in on her heart. ]

Would you mind if I asked you to call me Alayne -- still? Those who knew me...before I was her -- they call me by that name as well. [ a frown. ]

[rube]

Sure thing.

[it dawns on him how little they know about each other, other than names of the worlds they come from. he's overall okay with that, he doesn't need to know everything about the people that he meets, especially here. there's no telling how quickly he'll be able to go home.]

That it?

[steeledskin]

No. [ a short shake of her head. ] There are some in these two courts who should be handled with care. Dangerous sorts. The worst is in the other castle -- but I would be unfair if I did not warn you against them, Ben.

[rube]

[now this certainly catches his attention. not that he wasn't already incredibly attentive-- he just didn't expect any sort of warning coming from her.]

You got names?

[steeledskin]

Joffrey Baratheon. Jaime Lannister.

[ oh, she has names a-plenty. she starts with those in the other court: their evils are more certain and supported. ]

[rube]

[he gives a small nod, wondering if he should write the names down in case he forgets, but he figures he can just ask her again if it comes to that.]

I'll keep an eye out.

[he shifts his weight from one foot to the other,]

It don't sound like you're finished namin' names.

[steeledskin]

And the Dragon Queen. She who would fashion herself a queen. Daenerys, whose family lost the throne before I was even born. I...I worry about her. About the chaos her being here could cause.

[rube]

[daenerys. his brows quirk up slightly in disappointment. sure, he trusts sansa's judgement (up to a point) but he liked the girl, at least what he saw of her when they spoke. she had been nice to him.]

She seems nice enough to me. What's she done to you?

[steeledskin]

Nothing to me. But -- [ can she be delicate in this answer? no. she has known ben long enough that she knows on instinct that he does not appreciate the same ducking and dodging sansa employs with others. ] As I said, her family was once made of kings and queens. My Lord Father served in the court that replaced them.

I worry.

[rube]

[ben is only ... half understanding.]

Ain't nothin' she got against you, far as I see. Long as she don't bring her problems here, you ain't gotta worry.