❈ | 031 | Video

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

[With all these people graduating lately and all her wardens gone off, Arya has been doing a lot of thinking. She's wormed her way into the CES - she always seems to find a way - and is sitting against Nymeria, using the direwolf as a pillow. She's wearing a modern looking zipper hoodie over her usual threadbare attire; the zipper is open, but the hood is up, and on its top are two fuzzy, gray wolf ears. There's dirt on her face when she clicks the feed on, in a swoop from her cheek to her jaw; on the other side she's managed to accumulate a couple scratches. She doesn't seem to notice either.]

There's no one left from Westeros, besides me. Tyrion's gone. Viserys used to be here; I don't think there are a lot who remember him. Jon Snow was here, too. But he left.

[They all left is what she doesn't say out loud. She scratches at her jaw, somehow missing the dirt.]

I've been here a long time, though. I checked - it's two years, now. [She doesn't pause; she's already let that sink in.] Your worlds are all different from mine. You treat people like babies till they're old; you call them kids until they're eighteen, twenty. In Westeros, and Essos, and all over in my world - a girl is grown when she's flowered. [She makes a face, because it's a dumb euphemism, but it's ingrained.] My brother was a king when he was fifteen. He wasn't a boy, he had a beard and led men and killed his enemies. [And he died.

She pauses for a moment, looking up as a shadow passes over her, presumably a cloud.]

When I was littler, I wanted to know if I could build castles, or be a High Septon, or be a councilor to a king. He said I could marry a king, and my sons could be Septons and builders and knights and lords. Well I'm not getting married, and I'm not having sons, not ever.

Is that what it's like in your worlds, too? I don't mean, do they say no and you do it anyway, that's not any different. Are girls allowed to be rulers and builders and fighters where you all are from?

Comments

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

You'd look stupid in one.

[mistconduct]

Shut up, I would not. Seriously, did you sew it or buy it? I feel like this could be a look for us.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

It was a gift, last winter. For some holiday from your world.

And it's my look!

[mistconduct]

Oh my god, Arya, it's not like you fucking invented the Coach bag! See, this is why knock-offs exist; fucking greedy assholes who won't share designs!

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

...What's a coach bag?

[mistconduct]

It's like a top of the line leather purse. Chicks go crazy for them, they're worth hundreds of dollars.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

Why?

[mistconduct]

If you were a chick you'd get it. It's like a status symbol. It says "I'm wealthy enough to drop hundreds of dollars on a purse or goodlooking enough to get a man to buy it for me, so all of you can straight up fuck off."

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

That's so stupid.

[mistconduct]

Well, when you're rich you can afford to be stupid.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

When you're rich, you can't afford to be stupid.

[mistconduct]

I'm rich. I know about being rich. Are you?

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

Nobody's rich here.

[mistconduct]

Jesus fuck, Arya! I'm rich at home.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

And my family was rich, and they were stupid, and now they're dead.

[mistconduct]

Well, same with mine, okay?

Also some extenuating circumstances but what the fuck.

Are you bringing them back?

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

So, when you're rich you can't afford to be stupid.

Bring who back?

[mistconduct]

My dad didn't die because he was rich or because he was stupid. He died because he was an asshole to people and it came back. Shit does that sometimes.


Your family.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

That's part of not being stupid, Chris.

[No she does not want to have this conversation.] I'm an inmate.

[mistconduct]

...Fair enough.

Yeah, but not forever.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

I have been for two years.

[mistconduct]

Wow. I must be way smarter than you to have graduated way earlier.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

Or you give up easier.

[mistconduct]

Sorry, did you want to graduate or not? Because I wasn't sure if this was some sort of bullshit poser stand.

[fearcutsdeeperthanswords]

I want justice.