EVENT: MELPOMENE ▒ HOME

[ataraxites]

CHARACTERS: Ensemble production!
LOCATION: Corridors in the belly of the Tranquility
WARNINGS: Creepiness, disturbing imagery, violence, etc.
SUMMARY: Characters discover slices of sanctuary deep in the maze.
NOTES: Open to all! Covers Stage Four of the plot & Escape.

You've been running and fighting for what feels like weeks now. Exhausted and desperate, you find another door, stumbling through into— You're home, finally, far away and safe from monsters or spaceships. You're not alone, someone here who's been waiting for you, and they're so happy to see you. Relief overcomes you; you just want to rest, and there's no reason to believe anything here isn't what it seems, is there?

Comments

[northerner]

[ it's terrifying, the way this thing wearing their mother's face cuts her off, separates her. grey wind is snarling, the growls ripping out of him over and over, a counterpoint to robb's expression, cold and furious, worry amplifying everything. grey wind is the one to spring forward, meet nymeria's movements, blocking her off. ]

She's tricking you, Arya.

[ robb's voice has risen, frantic. he doesn't know where she's taking arya, or why, but he knows that he can't allow it. he looks at gendry, imploring, as if gendry would know a way to make her stay, would be able to persuade her better than robb could. ]

Step away from her. Please.

[ as robb takes a step forward, like he'd pull her away. ]

[bullshead]

[ gendry moves after nymeria, retracting only when grey wind blocks her way. he understands the urge, he wants nothing more than to go over there and rip arya away from that woman, fingers curl into fists as he tries to fights the urge.

meeting robb's gaze only makes his stomach sick further than it had already been, there is much he could say but in front of robb he doesn't dare. (gendry swore he would never tell.) he is not even certain words are going to work. ]

If it really is her why did she let you believe she was gone? Why didn't she find you? Or Bran, or Robb? [ robb steps closer and gendry moves slowly to the left, if they both focus on one of them perhaps the other will have a better chance of grabbing arya. that is what he hopes at least. ]

[wolfchild]

[ tricking? how? arya looks up at catelyn's face. lines bracket her eyes and mouth that had not been there in winterfell, but which arya had seen on the ship. her mother is older and more tired and still the most beautiful woman arya has known.

when arya pulls back a little, trying to find robb, catelyn's hand drifts from arya's shoulder to her wrist.

gendry is the first one she sees. arya casts a suspicious glare his way. gendry is being stupid again. her mother was lost. the comms do not work everywhere. that's all. if catelyn could have prevented it, she would never have left them. it's not safe in the hall.

arya bites her lip. the others' alarm is contagious. she shifts backward; catelyn's fingers tighten around her wrist. ]

— That hurts. [ when the hold does not relax, arya tries to push off her mother's hand. it's like scrabbling at stone. fear supplants confusion. ] Stop! Mother, it hurts — !

[northerner]

[ robb knows arya's expression, knows how to read suspicion and stubbornness on arya's face. it worries him, makes him fear they'll have to drag her away. arya may never forgive him, except--

except things shift. he isn't sure if gendry's what triggered it, the way he'd circled and moved closer, providing enough of a threat that something in the facade breaks. the grip turns into something else, restraining rather than loving, and robb is almost relieved by it. ]

That's not our mother, Arya! [ sharply, looking quickly at gendry, nodding at him to go ahead, to grab for her if he can. ] Leave this creature, come here. Come back with us.

[bullshead]

[ there is something in the woman's eyes that sets a chill down gendry's spine, something that hisses at him to flee. he doesn't, of course, gendry has never been a person to run. stubbornly he remains for arya's sake more so than anyone else. all that matters is getting her free and away from here.

even if it makes her hate him (again.)

he takes his chance suddenly, as robb speaks and focuses attention on him, crossing the space with a few swift strides to try and pull her free of catelyn- of the creature pretending to be catelyn stark. ]

We have to go!

[wolfchild]

[ several things happen at once: the creature meant to be catelyn stark swipes at gendry's face; arya, unable to strike at her mother, drops to the floor in a dead weight; nymeria dives around grey wind to jump the woman.

catelyn stark's screams pierce the cold, cold air, sounding more like a wolf's howls than a woman's cries. arya closes her eyes and slaps her free hand against her ear in a futile effort to stop the sound. she's freed a second later; though the pretender is strong enough to shove nymeria off her, she must let go of arya first.

arya doesn't think. confused and terrified, her wrist aching each time she puts weight on it, she scrambles away. she tastes earth when she slips. her hand flashes out blindly to find something to help her up and finds gendry's leg. the woman is still screaming. her mother is still screaming. arya sobs. ]

[bullshead]

[ pains sears from his cheek down to his throat and a flash of dark grey knocks him back. the creature screams and panic rises up in gendry's throat, every fiber of his being shouting at him run. blood seeps into his tunic but gendry doesn't notice, a hand grabs his leg and he all but jumps out of his skin.

arya. arya. (seven hells, she won't stop screaming.)

limbs move before his mind has a time to catch up, picking arya up with ease. he curls his fingers tightly around her to stop them trembling, feet instinctively moving back, moving away. they need to get out of here, they need to do it now. ] Robb─ [ shit, her wolf. arya won't forgive him if she gets hurt. his head snaps back to the creature─ ] Nymeria!

[northerner]

[ for all that robb knows it's a lie, its still horrifying to watch nymeria, to watch how grey wind rushes in after her. gendry is bleeding and arya is crying, and they cannot stay any longer. this is their moment. he whistles, high and sharp. ]

Grey Wind! Nymeria! To me, to me.

[ if they don't answer gendry, they'll answer him. and they do, coming with blood-streaked fur, the thing impersonating their mother unmoving on the ground. it turns robb's stomach. ]

Can you bear her weight?

[bullshead]

[ gendry doesn't hear robb, doesn't truly remember his presence, his eyes fixed on the prone form of the being pretending to be catelyn stark. before falling the creature looked at him, eyes boring deep, and changed. warm living flesh replaced with torn dead flesh of another. lady stark became lady stoneheart that with look alone set ice in his veins.

the bloodied fur of nymeria startles him out of it, jerking away to stare at robb with wide eyes. a startled and concerned animal. ]

A- Aye, I can.

idk what happens now DOES THE DREAM COLLAPSE

[northerner]

[ later is the time to consider this further. right now, everything in robb is determined to get them away safely. they cannot linger. he doesn't trust the tentative peace here, the prone figure on the ground. nothing works according to logical law, and robb wants to retreat as quickly as possible before something bigger and more threatening makes itself known. ]

Then let's go. Come, keep up with me.

[ and the illusion of adulthood and kingship shatters as robb reaches out to grab hold of gendry. it's a tight grip, terror betrayed by how he clutches like he's scared of them parting, of being left on his own and of losing them. ]

I GUESS SOO??? time to get the fuck out bro

[bullshead]

[ he doesn't feel like a knight now, he doesn't even feel like a man grown. he feels small and weak and he jumps at robb's grip, instincts screaming at him to pull away. he doesn't, it grounds him in place. ]

I will. [ and he will, stick as close as humanly possible. clinging like robb is a lifeline, the only thing keeping both him and arya afloat. following wherever he leads in a half-daze.

later when arya is safe he will breathe again. (and even later when he retreats to somewhere isolated he will tremble until exhaustion takes him.) ]