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[ Caer Scima had not been a place Ariadne had wanted to return to after the previous month. But when searching for the feathers and feather thief pointed the trail in that direction, Ariadne had returned both her mare and her bandersnatch to her manor. Bentley the imp would look after them, and with the offerings (offerings, of all things) being left at the gate, she doubted finding others to employ would be as difficult as she'd feared. She uses her ability to move through shadows again for the first time, and combined with the fairy ring, she is soon back at Caer Scima.

For the best, she supposes; she has to pick up Ser Pounce-a-lot anyway.

As she opens the locket, Ariadne twirls a blue feather in her fingers; another one she'll have to give back to the imps, though she wonders if perhaps she ought to see if she can turn into something decent at tracking. Catching thieves is hardly her strong suit. ]

I have a confession to make, [ she starts, forcing herself to look at the locket. The twirling of the feather is a nervous gesture. ] Last month, some of you encountered a large shadow creature -- horned, with giant claws. Some of you were injured by it.

[ Some saw others killed by it. ]

The creature attacked the Station, Caer Scima, and Caer Glaem. It was at Caer Glaem that it was brought down and returned to its true state.

[ She takes a breath. ]

Me. And I'd like to apologize for what I did as the creature; I didn't have any control over it, any conscious thought at all.

[ She would not, at least, have attacked the Station or Caer Scima or her friends. Caer Glaem... well, she had been there before because she had been ordered to. ]

I have already been punished for it; I was in the dungeons of Caer Glaem, and I'm sure I'd still be there now if things were different. [ If Razul of the Larks had not been sent for her. ] I just thought that I should explain.

So. Now you know.

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[The destruction was great, and she knows how much was lost. Still she would trust that Ariadne would not do any of that intentionally. While the two are not extremely close, her character is kind.]

Are you well now?

Now, yeah.

[ She sighs, lets one hand rub her face. ]

It- well, I definitely don't want to do it again.

Are you capable of doing it again or was it not fully dispelled?

No. Not unless I ended up inside one of the little shadow creatures again.

[ Or she asks for the power. ]

If that happens -- have a dog rip out my throat. That made the shadows fall away last time.

[Sounds violent.] I knew they were afraid of dogs. I had received a direwolf pup from my court for that reason.

[ Yeah, it's not an experience she wants to repeat. ]

Sounds adorable.

[ yes let's talk about puppies that's much happier ]

I have yet to meet her. She was given to me after I left, and... [How to explain Jon Snow...] someone I know from home is caring for her.

Well, when you meet her, I'm sure it'll be special. Do you have any names picked out?

I've not yet thought about it. Mayhaps an ancestor of mine or the Starks.

I suppose it'll help once you meet her and know her temperament. It took me ages to name my bandersnatch.

I'm not sure if Jon Snow has called her anything either.

Jon Snow - the person from home?

I guess you'll have to ask him.

Yes. There are many from my home, but he is bastard son of my liege lord. [Supposedly.]

Someone you can trust, then?

We don't really- uh, being a bastard isn't as big a deal where I'm from. People will use it as an insult, but it's not really a parentage thing anymore.

Edited (ffff keywords) 2014-09-26 02:40 (UTC)

Yes, very much so. I am protecting his younger brother back home.

Oh? The question of legitimacy is very important back home. It caused a faction of the War of Five Kings.

One of the boys you were with. I remember.

I'm sure it's still important sometimes? But typically the biggest problem people have is if the parent who isn't raising them is going to help support the child.

Some baseborn children aren't even acknowledged. I'm sure no one truly knows how many children King Robert Baratheon truly fathered.

[ Ariadne makes a slight face. ]

That's... a little gross. And sad.

For them, I'm sure. Baseborn children are often considered lower than servants.

That's awful. It's not their fault.

No. But when power and titles come into play, it sadly makes all the difference who is entitled to what. But mayhaps another ideal is coming into play. I have not heard of the war in the south in some time, but there was a claimant to thrown who was actually the youngest brother of King Robert. He claimed to title even it his older brother tried to by right.