» 3rd lemoncake

[steeledskin]

Who: Sansa Stark and YOU.
Broadcast: Fleetwide video.
Action: Come find her on the Blue Fish!
When: Today!

[ the first time nyssa al ghul misses their weekly appointment, sansa chalks it up to circumstance. something came up; she must be a busy woman, and cannot be in all places at all times. but then a second week goes by with no notice, and when sansa attempts to reach her on nyssa's frequency, all she gets is static. then, dead air.

it takes her a few days to talk herself into addressing the fleet at large, but reasons that should anything have happened to her friend -- well, someone ought to know. so a solemn-faced young woman with copper roots showing flickers onto the communications devices. ]

Nyssa al Ghul hasn't answered any messages -- not for some time, I don't think. [ she swallows. her mouth feels dry. like she can guess the reason already, but refuses to believe it. her words are suffused with worry and sadness. ] I-is she well? Has something happened to her? It might be the crew of the Red Fish have some knowledge of where she is. Please, has anyone spoken to her of late? Seen her?

[ today, she wears the gold bracelets and the intricate hair-pins nyssa once gifted to her. sansa tries to persuade herself she's not wearing them in memory of a lost friend. ]

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[bryces_pup]

[Riona saw the post earlier, and her heart went out to her crewmate. Hopefully her friend had just fallen out of contact, or perhaps fell ill. Anything but the suspicion that roiled in her gut.

She waits awhile before she comes to check on her. While they're not particularly close or anything, they are crewmates and Riona worries. It takes a minute before she locates Sansa. When she does, she knocks gently on the doorframe.]

Have you heard anything about your friend?

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[steeledskin]

[ it's only been within the last week or so that sansa has begun to leave the door leading to her 'office' open. she doesn't really understand why she has an office, or how it should be used. but she finds it easier to sit in this room with an open door than in her own quarters. so here is where riona finds her -- sitting alone behind her desk and organizing coloured thread.

when she glances up, her eyes are red-rimmed. ]

I'm afraid not. By all accounts, she has left this fleet.

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[bryces_pup]

[Riona's heart sinks at the news. She's not entirely surprised at the news, but it's still awful to hear. And clearly it's hit Sansa rather hard.]

Oh, Sansa. I am so sorry.

[For a moment she's at a loss as to what to do. She only spoke with Nyssa once, and she's never gone through this herself, so she has no insight she can offer.]

Is there anything I can do? I can make you some tea, if you drink it.

[When all else fails, try tea.]

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[grounds]

[Yeah, it sucks. Octavia addresses the broadcast, a sympathetic look on her own face.]

She's left the Fleet, I'm sorry. [She pauses.] You were a friend of hers, too?

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[steeledskin]

[ it takes her a handful of heartbeats to answer. and when she does, her voice is small and crumpled. ] She is -- she was kind to me, my lady. So kind.

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[enshields]

[Knowing you'll never see someone again, regardless of the way you lost them, never hurts any less. So Steve's expression flickers once - grimly - and then settles into something neutral. He's skimmed the rest of the messages, enough to confirm the sorry truth, and so--]

I'm sorry for your loss.

[It's a platitude, but a genuine one. He'll miss her too.]

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[steeledskin]

[ he isn't the first strange to reach out but -- but he's a strong-looking man. and sansa first attempts to decode the sincerity in his reply.

still guarded, she asks: ] Do you know her? Are you friends?

[ -- she cannot wrap her tongue around the past tense. ]

[action]

[honorbends]

[ zuko has been keeping to himself for the past couple of days, but he just happens to find sansa in the kitchen. he's seen the post, and there's a faint tug of sympathy -- having been through adstringendum, he knows how painful it is for people to leave, especially when they might come back.

so he waits until sansa has heard the news from other people (that nyssa has probably gone home), before he wanders over with tea, and he gently slides a cup toward her. ]

I'm sorry, about your friend.

[ it's said genuinely ]

[action]

[steeledskin]

[ -- she stares at the cup. its steam curls on the air, and dances its pretty dance. with a gentle gesture, she cuts her fingers between the steam and watches it dissipate. the warmth is welcome.

sansa raises her attention to zuko. although she doesn't smile, she at least looks grateful. ]

Your sympathy is appreciated. [ ... ] And so is the tea. Thank you.

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[percolates]

[Ciri's heard that people come and go, but it's unfortunate to see what's left in the wake.]

I'm sorry. I didn't know this woman, but I hope you find some solace in her crew mates.

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[steeledskin]

It seems she is gone. [ sansa tries to draw herself to her full height. to be stiff and brave in the face of loss. ] I was told that people leave unexpectedly, but I never anticipated how that felt. Thank you.

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[collegedropout]

[Sam hates to be the additional voice of confirmation, but...]

I'm one of her crew mates. She hasn't been around lately — and it looks like she's been taken off our roster. Do you know anything about where she's returning to?

[private]

[steeledskin]

[ -- oh. it's sam. dorothy'skatie's friend. and the gallant deliverer of wool. he may yet be something of a stranger, but she feels a little more prepared to speak with him. ]

Nanda Parbat. She loved it there, I think. Her home means a lot to her.

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[theoniongirl]

[it is later that evening when Jilly makes her way to Sansa's door with a folded piece of paper in hand. She knocks lightly, not wanting to interrupt or wake her if she's indisposed]

Sansa?

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[steeledskin]

[ -- it's such a hassle to braid one's own hair. and her frustration is multiplied by the grief she feels. losing nyssa isn't only about nyssa, but about the inevitable countdown until her brothers disappear from her life. and then what will she do without them? again, she tries to coax her fingers to make the plaits in her hair, but it's so much harder to style one's own. she nearly cries beneath the wait of it all.

that's when the knock arrives. alone, she jumps. just a little -- regardless of how light the knock has been. knowing their ship is securely locked, sansa answers the know under the understanding that it will likely be a familiar face. her eyes are red-rimmed when she looks at jilly. ]

O-oh. [ fastidious, she finger-combs the failed braid out of her hair and lets it all sit like waves on her shoulders. ] Good day. I -- I'm sorry, can I help you?

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[intelligently]

Did she say anything about planning to escape?

( Had she been successful? Or was 'randomly being sent away' just as common here as in Asgard? )

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[steeledskin]

Not to me.

[ but then again, she and nyssa never spoke of such things. not directly. ]

But she may have to someone else. I do not know who all of her friends are.

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[tallasaking]

[Tyrion pressed his lips together at this message, because he had been looking for Nyssa -- but he had not found her. He pressed his hands together before he responded.]

My Lady ... Have you heard anything?

[steeledskin]

[ why does lord tyrion care? sansa never knew of the burgeoning friendship between the two, and so she mistakes his inquiry for concern over her own state.

careful: ] She is gone, my lord. A member of her crew has confirmed it.

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[stefanged]

I'm sorry. I don't think she's on the Fleet anymore.

[Not exactly a platitude - he misses Nyssa a great deal. Stefan feels bad being one more person to confirm all of this, so he'll add,] I hope she's safe, wherever she is.

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[steeledskin]

[ with a twinge of sadness: ] She is brave. And doubtless strong. Wherever she is, she will make it safe.

[ as she did with the fleet. before robb came, sansa felt compelled to depend on nyssa for safety. ]

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[alwayscomeback]

[This part never gets any easier. It's even less so, not knowing if their loved ones parted from here are even back home. He tries not to voice that worry, though. It's not the time. Instead, he seeks her out, offering a small, comforting smile. ]

Hey. Any news about your friend?

[steeledskin]

[ his seeking finds her in her office -- the one with her name so starkly (hah!) printed upon the door. it makes her nervous and she has (at times) felt persuaded to scratch the letters away. mar them, and make them gone. but the ship isn't hers to possess and therefore it isn't hers to ruin. so she endures it.

upon his arrival (her door had been open -- an uncommon invitation, but she might have been waiting for a brother) sansa rises immediately to her feet. ]

I spoke with one of her late crewmates. She's gone. [ but sansa's face is brave. ] Returned home, I imagine.

[ thank you for asking. ]

[voice : private]

[misterprongs]

I'm afraid I can't come on board the Blue Fish until you let me in.

[ mildly

because he totally came to just see her rather than this conversation nonsense ]

[voice : private]

[steeledskin]

James! [ surprise -- and perhaps a low pedal note of relief. ] A-are you already here?

[ she stands; she does not rush. ]