(first lemon cake) voice ✧ seelie & unseelie

[steeledskin]

I offer my gratitude to those fighting the worms. [ here is a voice both measured and composed, albeit young. ] And gratitude is all I can give, barring my prayers. And they are given whole-heartedly for all of us. May the Warrior give you the strength and courage required for your victories. And may the Mother bless us all.

[ sansa stark has long come to doubt the efficacy of the seven new gods. she isn't entirely certain the old gods listen, either -- but their rustling leaves and independent ways give her more peace of late than anything the seven offer: incense and rituals. however! she has resigned herself to being alayne stone to those who are not immediately known to her or trusted by her. and alayne stone worships the new gods, not the old. she is meant to be exactly as petyr baelish described her: a pious bleater, whose ardent faith discourages unwanted questions. so she speaks of blessing of the seven, but holds the old gods in her heart. she only hopes that arya and her allies will forgive her this identity fraud across the lockets.

most of all, sansa doesn't want to disappoint the people to whom she'd promised her help. like in maegor's holdfast during the blackwater, sansa hopes to lift spirits and rouse bravery. perhaps if she voices her thankfulness, others will follow in kind.

before she ends, she has only one question -- the paranoid fugitive in her needs to know: ] These pendants are truly remarkable. Magic, is it? But more efficient by far than any raven. [ ... ] Can they be used to talk only to one person, and privately? If anyone has managed it, I would thank you to tell me how.

Comments

[steeledskin]

I can't help but think poetry must be suited to some instruction. Like that of poetry itself. Or dance. Or--

[ she shouldn't let the subject get away from her. ] Thank you, though. I appreciate it.

[gordianknots]

Unfortunately, the subject matter definitely wasn't poetry. It was chemistry.

Don't mention it, I'm glad to help. If you need clarification, or have other questions in the future, you can address whatever method of locket communication you'd prefer to Waver Velvet or else Lord El-Melloi II. Either name will work.

[steeledskin]

My lord -- I did not know --

[ she feels foolish, now. having addressed him so casually. ] As you say, if I need anything. I'll ask.

[gordianknots]

Again - don't worry about it. You didn't know, and it wasn't relevant information.

[Waver really doesn't put too much stock in the whole title anyway, outside of when it serves him.] Although may I ask what your name is and the proper way to address you?

[steeledskin]

Alayne Stone does me well.

[ she cannot bring herself to be sansa when using the lockets -- even if it means any acquaintance she makes will never be able to properly find her using the devices. ]

[gordianknots]

Would that be a miss or lady in front of your surname? I have a feeling what I'd default to back home isn't correct.

[steeledskin]

[ neither. she wants to say neither. and yet... ]

My father is a lord. If it please you to therefore call me lady, then do so, my lord.

[gordianknots]

Got it, and noted for the future.

[steeledskin]

But -- tell me, what is chemistry?

[gordianknots]

Chemistry is the study about what makes up objects and gives them structure, and under what conditions those structures will change.

Er. Are you familiar with alchemy?

[steeledskin]

I know of alchemists. They make wildfire. But their arts have fallen out of favour, of late.

[gordianknots]

It's essentially the same thing, but with less magic.

...Hang on. Wildfire?

[steeledskin]

A liquid, my lord. The pyromancers are the only ones who make it; it burns green. And it burns hot.

[ and that's about all she knows of wildfire, except that to watch it burn across the blackwater was truly dreadful. ]

[gordianknots]

Oh, that sounds like Greek fire. Aside from the green, I suppose, but that's probably just the magic involved.

Anyway, point being: chemistry's pretty much the same study as alchemy. They're just different names, and one has a bit more magic mixed in it.

[steeledskin]

And this is something you know well? This...chemistry?

[gordianknots]

I'd hope - I teach it.

[steeledskin]

Does that make you a...

[ give her a moment! she can figure this out. if someone who does alchemy is an alchemist. then someone who does chemistry must be...] Chemist?

[gordianknots]

Technically, you'd be right. But since I mostly teach at a university level, professor of chemistry is a bit more accurate.

[steeledskin]

I'm sorry. I seem to be asking you so much. But what is a university?

[gordianknots]

Lady Stone, please, don't apologise for asking questions. I don't mind answering, and while I'm rather resentful about the circumstances of being here, learning about other places is fascinating.

A university is a formalized school system back home, designed to teach students about selected topics at an advanced level. They grant degrees, which are proof of education, which are seen as a way to show one's achievement and prove one's skills. Usually students pick one field to study, although the categories are really broad: history, arts, medicine, law, science (which my own field falls under), and business are all just examples.

[steeledskin]

[ it sounds like the citadel. only, perhaps, spread across some grander scope. ]

Who might attend these...universities?

[gordianknots]

Most used to be men or women only, but these days - baring precious few exceptions - they're co-educational. Economically they also used to be very closed off, but if you're willing to pay (and it is expensive, so loans aren't uncommon) you're perfectly permitted to apply to the school. If you're accepted, you're in.

[steeledskin]

Ladies go, my lord?

[gordianknots]

Yes, absolutely.

--I take it that'd be unconventional back home?

[steeledskin]

Very. I was given lessons at home, of course. But I cannot imagine going elsewhere to learn more.