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» 3rd lemoncake

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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[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.]

[ silently, she acknowledges how this experience will prime her for the pain that follows. some day, her kin will leave as well. it will hurt a hundredfold more. so she breathes in this hurt and makes it a part of herself. absorbs it. ]

Tea would be lovely. [ she nods. ] But let me join you in the kitchens while it's made.

Of course. [She steps back and waits for Sansa to join her, rather than just plodding off straight to the kitchen without her.] You can tell me how you like your tea that way. That and perhaps supervise me. I haven't quite yet mastered making tea with the ... machines they have in the kitchen. [She smiles sardonically at herself, hoping to lighten the mood just a touch. Though there is truth to her words; she hasn't been in the fleet even a month, so she's still getting used to a lot, including the modernized kitchen.]

[ she moves with utter care. sansa first pushes back her chair, and then stands. she uses the heels of her palms to brush any creases out of her skirts. however frightening the station has been, it's at least allowed her to diversify her wardrobe. she needn't boomerang between gaudy overalls and her single dress. now, she has a full complement of gowns suitably for everyday wear.

she unhooks her shawl from the chair's back and wraps it around her shoulders before joining riona by the doorway. ]

We have lemon. Not real lemon -- but something quite like it. Do you like lemon in your tea?

[It's quite a lovely dress, and Riona takes a moment to admire it as Sansa gets up and composes her appearance. Riona's stuck with two outfits currently, as Sansa was, as she directed her coin either towards the food fund or towards getting a weapon. As much as she'd love new outfits, she prioritizes safety over fashion. Who knows when Zuko's sister may strike?

When Sansa joins her, Riona steps to the side to make room so they can walk down the hallway side by side.]

I do! Lemon and honey is my favorite, but I enjoy each separately as well. [She sighs a little wistfully as she walks down the hallway towards the galley.] It's been too long since I've had them. I don't suppose we have honey, do we?

We do.

[ and real honey at that. sansa vastly prefers it to this sugar some of the other people use. it's too sweet. it makes her teeth ache. ]

I pity the other ships -- at least, the ones that might not be so well stocked.

[The news makes her grin..]

Excellent. I need to raid the lard - kitchen more often.

[She nods in agreement.]

As do I. Can you imagine having to eat that mush all the time? And thank the Maker we have a cook now. It seems our kitchen has improved with her arrival. Not to mention making Sokka extremely happy.

[As she says that, they come upon the kitchen and galley. Riona moves ahead to start digging out what's needed for the tea.]

She's nice, isn't she? [ jilly, the new cook. ] We have so many people aboard. I'm glad it's someone nice.

She is! Such a sweet person. [She rummages through the cabinets, pulling out tea packets and the other ingredients they need for their tea.] And she's a very good artist. I envy her skill. She captures people's likeness so well. I'm lucky if I can manage stick figures.

[She looks back over her shoulder at Sansa.] Just lemon? Would you like anything else with your tea?

I never knew.

[ soft surprise. sansa keeps to herself, even aboard the blue fish. so much so that she somehow managed to miss the fact that their new crewmate liked to draw. although sansa isn't herself any great artist, sketching and painting is considered a feminine grace. to do them is to be ladylike, and she's been no slouch in that part of her life.

but now she realizes she's quite neglected to know her fellows aboard this boat. first, she'd been ignorant of sokka's happiness. and now of lady jilly's skill. it shames her. ]

Only the lemon, please. [ ... ] H-how do you take yours?

[ pure curiousity, kindled by a desire to learn about those around her. to open her eyes. ]

All right. One lemon tea, coming up. [Once everything is out, she fills up the pot with water before setting it up on the stove to start heating it up.

The question does mildly surprise Riona, as Sansa always did seem to keep to herself. She never necessarily minded it; she simply thought Sansa as shy.]

Usually rather strong, depending on what I put in it. Usually honey and or lemon. Cinnamon, too, when I'm able to get my hands on it.

-- Is cinnamon a rare spice in [ she tries to recall the kingdom riona had named, once upon a time ] Thedas?

[ cinnamon isn't common in westeros, either. but she's always had the benefit of being well-positioned to partake in it. daughter of a great house, and hostage of the crown. ]

It is in the part of Thedas I live in. It's too hard to grow in Ferelden; we have to have it imported from Orlais. And given our rivalry with the Orlesians, many merchants at home don't stock it on principle. It's rather ridiculous, honestly.

[She shrugs. Such is Ferelden.]

I take it it's a bit easier to obtain it where you're from?

It's sourced across the Narrow Sea, I think. [ she chews her bottom lip. these aren't matters she knows well, but she knows them a little. ] And King's Landing never had trouble obtaining it while I lived there.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume King's Landing is the capital of the kingdom you live in? Were you born there, or did you move there at a later time?

[ she fidgets. these are easy questions with easy answers, but she thinks before every one. she needs to decide how her replies might prompt other questions, and which of those branching conversations does she most want to avoid? ]

Later. [ she confirms. ] I was born in the North, where the Starks held sway as Wardens and Lord Protectors.

[ and kings, once upon a time. ]

[That's a conundrum Riona knows all too well. She doesn't seem to mind as Sansa considers her answers, though it admittedly does make her curious as to what she may be hiding.

The use of past tense isn't lost on her, either, but that is something she will tread carefully around. This conversation isn't meant to pry open old wounds.]

So your family is nobility that govern a territory for your sovereign? Just so I understand correctly. It sounds very similar to how it is in Ferelden.

[ a slow nod. ]

The Iron Throne governs Seven Kingdoms. Or it did, before the war. The North encompasses the northern most part of Westeros before the Wall. It is large -- and it is cold. Where I grew up, it snows even in Summer.

[Snow in the summer? How could a writer a climate be so cruel?]

Maker, and I thought Ferelden was cold. Snow in the summer... I can't even imagine. Your winters must be awful.

But I digress. Your kingdom has seen civil war, as well?

Often enough. [ she nods. there are the wars happening now, of course. but then there were wars in her childhood, too. the greyjoy rebellion that brought theon to her family's castle. and before her birth, there'd been robert's rebellion. ] This last one is called the War of Five Kings.

[ but baelish referred to three queens instead. ]

That's unfortunate. Everyone pays dearly during such upheavals. [Usually the lower classes, but the nobility didn't always come out unscathed, either. Especially depending on what the conflict entailed.] "War of Five Kings"? That-

[She's cut off as the hot water signals that it's finished. Whatever question she had will wait a moment as she pours both of them cups of tea. She's careful to not slosh it or spill it; admittedly, it's been some time since she had to pour it for herself or another. She places a single tea bag in each, letting them steep. The lemon and honey is gathered before she gently lifts up the two cups and walks slowly over to Sansa.]

Here we are.

[She sets the cups down, placing Sansa's right in front of her. She lays out the lemon next to Sansa's so she can prepare it as she likes. Meanwhile, she scoops a bit of honey into hers.]

[ -- she's glad she doesn't have to explain it. instead, their attention switches towards tea. and sansa watches the process with mild interest. using teabags is a strange sort of practice, but she appreciates the innovation. she even prefers them, now. so tidy by comparison.

with gentle fingers, she lifts the a scoop of artificial lemon flavouring. then -- in a fit of informality -- she licks her fingers clean. the sharp tart taste is welcome. ]

Thank you. I...it's good to have company in moments like these.

I am happy to be of some help, even if it isn't much. Though I suppose there's very little anyone can do in these sorts of situations.

[It's grief, the loss of someone dear and will (probably) never get back. She's known it all to well in the past several months. What she wouldn't have given to be able to sit down and drink some tea.]

I only spoke with her once, but she seemed a very capable sort. Were you two close? [She's sure they were, given Sansa's reaction, but it allows an opening if Sansa wishes to talk and get anything off of her chest.]

She visited me often. [ sansa drinks. small sips, punctuating her phrases. ] And brought sweets. Gifts.

[ sansa raises her arm, showing a beautiful golden bangle. ] She gave me this. Isn't it lovely?

She sounds like quite the doting friend.

[She blows gently on her tea to cool it off a little. When Sansa shows her the bangle, her eyes widen in admiration as she leans in a bit to get a closer look.] Maker, that is really quite pretty! Very good taste. Was it usually jewelry she brought you?

» 3rd lemoncake

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