Video - Seelie/Unseelie

[teenyoda]

[The image that comes onto the lockets is an almost peaceful one. The blue sky and white fluffy clouds that bob a little from the POV of the locket. A little movement shows that that's because the transmission is clearly coming from a boat. The locket, with a little more jostling, is shown to be resting in fabric on what appears to be the deck of the boat. One might be curious as to why a transmission was coming suddenly from seemingly nowhere on a boat, but the answer shows itself soon enough in the form of one suckered tentacle flipping the locket around. If it was ever possible for an octopus to look both pissed off and surprised out of its mind, this one was doing a very good job. One of its many arms clutched at a small feather, the other limbs flopping around and smacking at the deck as the thing clearly tried to actually go somewhere. It couldn't walk to save its life and wound up rolling out of the pile of clothes, taking the locket with it.

Heavy stomps could be heard as boots came closer across the deck to the cephalopod, a shadow coming between the sun and the locket as a large man loomed over it. "Well then. What's this? How's you get aboard, ye slippery little thing. Back to the sea with you."

A hand bent down to try to pick up the octopus and there was a flurry of lashing arms as it latched onto the man and refused to let go. Curses were spat and the man called out for a fellow sailor, but before the other man could come closer with the knife it held to free his shipmate, a third voice joined. One others might find a bit familiar. A naked seventeen year old was clutching the man's arm and looking up at him with fear and horror. It took Stiles about five second to remember about the locket and he dropped to the deck, scrambling for both his clothes and to turn the locket off.]

~*~

[It was about twenty minutes later when a red-faced Stiles showed himself on the network.]

Um, about that...

Sorry? I... have no idea what happened. One minute I was standing looking over the rails and the next... um... aha. Let's just pretend that didn't happen, okay? Okay. But, if anyone can tell me what just happened, that would be really, really helpful. Especially in making sure it doesn't happen again.

Comments

[extramural]

Perhaps you are over-thinking it all.

[baseborne]

[Except when they all get murdered or married off to monsters tbh.

Jon hesitates, not sure if he can bring himself to speak of Robb now without getting more emotional than he's entirely comfortable with so--]

--Bran, he was one of my little brothers. He'd have been ten now, if he hadn't- [You know, had his head chopped off by Theon Turncloak and his corpse hung from the walls of Winterfell.] He always wanted to be a knight out of the songs, it was all he'd talk about. He wanted on the Kingsguard, in truth, but there's only seven men in all of Westeros that get to hold that title at a time. [For the seven southron gods or the seven kingdoms, Jon isn't sure, because he'd never truly been interested in anything but the Night's Watch.] He liked the sort of scary stories that Old Nan used to tell, he'd have been beside himself if he heard I'd killed a wight and gave a giant guest right. [Jon actually smiles, just a little bit, then.] He could climb anything. Straight up stone walls, sometimes, I don't know how he did it. There were days you'd look up to see the sky and he'd just be standing atop the highest tower waving down. It drove his lady mother mad with worry.

[Jon's smile fades, then.] I suppose it ought to have. One day he fell, and he could never walk again after that.

[teenyoda]

A pirate name? I didn't name the guy.

[teenyoda]

[Stiles is a gentleman and a scholar. Okay, well, he's none of those, but he does look away from the locket when she starts to change back. It's not until she talks again that he looks back and grins.]

Try having eight arms and not knowing how to control any of them. No bones, man. Nothing.

[teenyoda]

...

[A moment of silence, then a vehement shake of his head.]

Nope. Don't think so.

[teenyoda]

[It was nice to hear Jon talking without that hint of sadness -- until it all came crashing back in again and Stiles shook his head.]

Jesus. Can't your family catch a break? Is one of your gods the god of luck? Did he piss on you guys at birth or something?

[Way to ruin the burgeoning warm fuzzies, Jon.]

[mesmerism]

I should. We're on the last leg of our journey so I need something to do to pass the time.

[ She looks up at a voice and nods. ]

Actually, I'd better saddle up now. It was nice talking to you, and I'm glad to see you're over your, uh, eight-legged problem?

[teenyoda]

Yeah, me too. Kind of nice to be able to, you know, control my appendages. Enjoy your trip, Piper.

[truesight]

I know, I saw. It was hard to miss the flailing.

[ veryvery amusing, but at least it's the goodnatured kind and not the... genuinely trying to tease him for turning into an octopus. that's not really her style. eventually she stands back up, adjusting the locket so it's on her face again ]

So, what was I? I still couldn't really tell. Some kind of rodent, but that's about all I could wrap my head around like that.

[teenyoda]

You were a hedgehog. A tiny little spiky hedgehog. Kind of cute, for a rodent.

[truesight]

Oh. Oh, that makes sense. I couldn't think of an animal that could hide, like, in itself, besides armadillos, but I knew I wasn't an armadillo. Aw. Wow, I was really little, then.

That's kind of scary.

But kind of great?

I wouldn't mind being able to change into an animal anytime I want.

[ which is why she's looking at that feather all yes, I am going to keep you ]

[teenyoda]

What if you turn into like... a pill bug? And someone steps on you?

[Worst Case Scenario Man here to save the day.]

[truesight]

[ and she's totally just making a "why would you ever say that" face. yep. ]

[teenyoda]

What? It's possible. Don't give me that look.

[truesight]

I will give you that look, that was pretty morbid of you to say. Gods.

I was worried about being crushed the first time I changed, into a- hedgehog, I guess, if it was the same as this time. But I can't even imagine how disorienting it would be to be a bug-

And I can't believe you would squish me if I did turn into a bug.

[ she knows that's not what he really said but well now she's feeling silly. better than feeling freaked out? ]

[teenyoda]

I live in a very morbid world. But hey, I never said I'd squish you. I just said you could be squished. I can't squish you because I'm on a boat. Far away. On the water.

[truesight]

You didn't have to say it, I could tell you were thinking it. "What if you change into a bug? I would definitely not think twice about stepping on you."

[ a beat, and she grins ]

Good thing you clarified, I had this mental image of you riding around on one of those land boats that are so popular here.

[teenyoda]

Oho... I see turning into a hedgehog has suddenly made you think you're a funny person.

[truesight]

I've always been a funny person. It's part of my undeniable charm.

[teenyoda]

Is that something you've deluded yourself into thinking, or is that something you found in a fortune cookie?

[truesight]

It's the truth.

Fortune cookies only ever speak the truth.

[teenyoda]

They'd be a lot better if there were flavor to them. And maybe if they were mini. And came in a cereal box...

[truesight]

Fortune cookie cereal? But then they couldn't have any fortunes in them. What would be the point?

[baseborne]

[What was it that Lord Tyrion had said? If a man is going to be a cripple, it's better to be a rich cripple?. But money can hardly be said to make death any sweeter.]

It's men who are cruel, not gods. [He frowns, looking at Stiles for a moment.] I'm sorry. You wanted something more cheerful. [That much is plain.]

[teenyoda]

No, no. This isn't about me, bro. Just... I don't know. I would have hoped you'd have some good memories about your family. It's the good memories you're supposed to cling to, not the crappy ones.