driftfleet | Excuse You I Had Vows to Keep

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Excuse You I Had Vows to Keep

Who: Katie and you!
Broadcast: Yes!
Action: Vanquish / Iskaulit
When: Today!

[Last thing Katie remembers is literally dragging a troll's battleaxe through a town on the verge of rioting, a large collection of stray cats nipping at her heels. (Look, life is complicated. Don't ask.)

Waking up to absolute stillness after that? Disconcerting, to say the least.

There's a dreamcatcher above the bed she's lying on, crafted with familiar wool and laced with magic, and it's the familiarity that pulls at her memory before she rolls over to see a collection of woolen dolls. That she crafted, she remembers suddenly. She'd forgotten. When did she--?

Then she's out the door and into the hallway, wide-eyed and disoriented.] No, no, no--

[It's the Fleet. Worst possible timing, oh my god. Or someone's god, anyway. You can find her in the halls or in the blanket fort, much beloved and missed cat winding around her ankles as she... starts pulling the blankets down and folding them neatly into a pile. Goddammit.]

-----

[And much later, a video broadcast, cheerful British accent warped slightly by a little American influence--]

Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies. Do we still have a theatre? A fox park? If all else fails, I suppose people would consider me old enough to drink for once. [It's not a familiar face, except for the same bright green eyes.] I have all the time in the world to waste, and I'm new. Tell me where I can waste it?

[She'll be on the Iskaulit anyway, trying to match old-new memories with what she finds and feeling more than a little displaced. Find her pretty much anywhere. Later, she'll head out to the hotel and the planet, but that's a different post.]

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[Tsk, tsk. What did she say about asking questions? Katie's about to retort as such when her eyes narrow. The voice is vaguely familiar, but it's been so long--]

A terribly long time. Centuries to someone, I'm sure.

Are you shy?

Not shy, no. Only careful. [ ... ] It's no sin to be careful.

It's no fun, either. [But she says it gently, chewing over that hesitancy. It rings more bells, and reminds her of a sadder fairy tale she heard, a long time ago.]

By chance, have you a dress made with blue wool?

Yes. [ ... ] By any chance, were you ever named Dorothy?

[ it doesn't matter if the answer's a lie or not. the question is more signal than anything else. like a beacon fire. ]

That's the name my parents gave me, but I changed it when I was twelve. It's Katie now.

...Sansa?

-- You're older.

Only from a certain point of view. My parents despair that I shall always be a little girl on the inside.

[ ... ]

-- Did the Atroma cause it?

I did it to myself. Horrible mistake, really.

[...]

Is it all right that I'm older? It doesn't stop me building palaces of snow.

Depends, I believe, on whether you're happy to be older.

[ -- rather purposefully not asked as a question. ]

[There's a pause, then a thoughtful hum. How to put this?]

It's hard, isn't it? Wouldn't you like to believe all the things you used to be able to believe? But if I weren't a grown up, who would save all the captive princesses? It's a goal of mine, you know.

[People who know Katie tend to address her in statements as much as Katie addresses them in turn with questions. She thinks Sansa is at least half aware of her lies.]

[ fully aware, perhaps, but too careful to point them out. she'd hate to have her own lies examined too closely, after all. ]

An odd goal, I think.

[ not least of all because us captive princess are none too easy to save. but yes, sansa would love dearly to believe all the things she used to believe. growing up has ruined her, she fears, for hope and faith and idealism. ]

I'm a lover of odd goals. Means I don't have to compete with everyone else trying to obtain their more boring ones. Besides, someone has to look out for the princesses without wanting half a kingdom in exchange.

[She smiles a little, unseen on her end. And there's a pause before she adds--] A man with very curly hair told me a story about such a princess once. I liked him. Even if he looked nothing like my dad.

Was it a good story? [ there's a tension in her voice. not because she suspects anything about katie's tale, but because she feels the weight of her own life on her shoulders. ]

It wasn't finished yet. If it ends where it does, it's not very good at all. Stories need happy endings.

...is your brother still here?

[ there are no such things as happy endings... ]

Which brother? [ ... ] Jon and Bran are gone. Robb and I remain.

[Oh. Surprised-- she's met Bran, in passing, but she had no idea they were related, let alone knew each other.]

You had so many brothers here? I've not met Bran, though it seems like a young name. Certainly not old enough to lead an army. I imagine that's one of the other two. Jon, maybe.

Jon is the Lord Commander at the Wall -- but Robb. [ something sticks in her throat. ] Robb was a king, with an army to lead.

[ she cannot help herself: ] What story did he tell you, my lady?

[She'd not have noticed is and was when she was younger. Maybe not even before she went through the academy. Katie bites her lip, deliberately lets that go for a moment.]

A princess, sad and alone, trapped in a castle of terrible people.

I think I know the tale. [ a little hem. like a clearing of her throat. ] I think I heard an ending where the princess escaped.

Really? [She brightens.] That sounds like a much more interesting tale. Has she escaped to better places?

Yes. [ and no. ] Although she's only safe if she tells no one her proper name. She has to tell an awful lot of lies. And she tries to tell herself they're kindly said...

[ but she can't help but feel doubtful of it all. ]

There are many ways to tell lies. I would think protecting yourself is no crime. If giving my name away would hurt me, I would certainly give another. [Wryly.]

Do you get to stop lying eventually?

Here? Yes.

[ but the real truth is laid bare by omission: not back home. ]

[...]

What name do you give people?

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