002 A Dream of Spring

[theladyofwinterfell]

Who: Sansa Stark
When: throughout May
Where: Queen's Residence, around Draega + slums
What: Palate Cleanser & Street Rats for Influence, open prompt to commission sewing/clothing.
Warnings: TBD

( starters in comments )

Comments

palate cleanser

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa is wary of webs after having been caught in one of the nightmare webs last moon but when Lady Abigail offers to teach some of the strangers how to make their own webs, she decides that learning how to craft a web might be the best way to get over her fear of it.

She wears Purple Dusk, so there are people darker than she both among the court and among the strangers, but Sansa wants to do her best job anyway. She's gotten used to probing webs to see what strength they are before going into them blindly, at least, and she tries to pull away from herself a bit and see the strands for what they are instead of getting lost in the memories. She's not very good at cleansing webs, not at all, but she's gotten a knack for the trap webs. Perhaps she just has too much practical experience. )

Do be careful - I've woven a trap into that one and I don't want you triggering it on accident. It's not entirely pleasant, I can assure you.

[mollymocked]

[Molly pulls his hand away from where he was about to inspect the strands, remembering the web he pulled her out of and how her memories entwined with it. These are nasty fucking things, and he doesn't have any particular skill in weaving them, even with a darker Jewel.

Cleansing, however, is fairly easy.]

Well, if a Black Widow stumbles into it, they're gonna have a bad day. I'm still hoping they've gone back to their swamp and plan to stay there after those three got executed.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Quite. I've experienced a great many things that lend themselves to cruelty. There's plenty to be woven into those trap webs. The cleansing, though, I'm not very good at that.

( Molly is one of her favorite people so she doesn't want him to wind up in one of her traps - he doesn't deserve that in the least. )

I'd still rather heal than frighten, though.

[mollymocked]

Well, it works out in our favor, then. I'm shite at the trap ones, but the cleansing ones I do all right with. I'm hoping we need more of the latter, anyway. I don't want any more needless fighting between groups for awhile.

[He steps away from her trap and finds himself at a more comfortable distance. A wry grin creeps across his face with sharp fangs but too much childish glee to be a threat.] I spread joy wherever I go. The webs just makes it easier.

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa laughs quite suddenly, amused at the idea of Molly spreading joy wherever he goes. He's certainly brought joy to her life and she can at least agree with him so far as that goes. )

Well, you've certainly brought me joy. Let's work as a team, then, and put up cleansing webs and a few traps? Hopefully we won't need as much of the latter and you can help me with the former.

[seeingscarlet]

[Darkly, Wanda finds that the trap webs are easier to pick up, or maybe circumstances are simply more in her favor this time. There are no longer burns on her neck to bother her and the Residence is a much nicer place to work than the amphitheater. She knows there is probably a perfectly logical reason for it.

But it's hard not to think of what she'd done to the Avengers and countless other people she'd seen as her enemies at the time without feeling a stab of guilt. Wanda's certain that not everyone who's good at this is a monster...but it can't hurt, can it?

She can't even say that there aren't very good reasons to be afraid of her.]

I don't like that we need these. If someone gets caught in them accidentally...

[theladyofwinterfell]

They could be trapped in a very unpleasant memory. I have quite a few to pull upon and I think that's why I find the traps easier than the cleansing. I wouldn't want anyone to have to experience my memories for very long.

( The trap she'd just woven had been watching an execution. For Sansa, it's her lord father, but she has no idea what form it might take for the target who unwittingly stepped into it. )

I suppose it's a necessary evil, though. I am glad to see you've healed clean, Wanda. It seems I didn't do a terrible job of it.

[seeingscarlet]

I don't want to make it worse. It sounds like everyone has been through so much already.

[Wanda frowns and sets her completed trap web beside Sansa's. Hers is a little different - Wanda has no shortage of nightmares, hers and otherwise, to draw upon, but this web preys upon its victim's worst fear. In practice, it's not terribly different from Wanda being there herself to inflict it upon them.

And she has no idea what it might show...or what might happen afterwards. If they're lucky, it will never be triggered at all, but Wanda would still rather weave cleansing webs. There's little chance of those backfiring and causing more trouble, at least.]

You helped a lot. I was sure it was going to scar.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Scars are nothing to be ashamed of but it would have been a pity if it had. I'm glad it did not. It means I'm getting better at my craft.

( Sansa weaves another web, this one alongside Wanda's. It's another trap, a subsequent one to follow Wanda's, and she doesn't think a person could get through both of them with their sanity intact. )

I hope this catches anyone else who means to bring harm to the city. I don't...sometimes dark deeds must be done for right causes but I don't necessarily like being a weapon to be wielded.

[breadmuffs]

[Caleb, conversely, is steering clear of even attempting a trap web. He has no doubt that he could, but he fears putting too much of himself into one. Though, certainly, Caleb has horrors enough to wield.

No. Thank you. It's enough of a puzzle and meditative enough to work on the cleansing webs.

He tires more quickly than he'd like, still, and in a pause in his work he's been - visually - inspecting other webs. Not physically, of course. Even still, Sansa's warning causes him to take several steps back from the web that she's indicating.]

Thank you.

[For the warning, he means, even if he hadn't had any intention of getting close enough to touch it.]

They are, ah, fascinating constructions, aren't they?

[theladyofwinterfell]

Quite fascinating, I suppose, if you're not trapped within one. Now that I have some idea how they work, I think I could get out of one, but I couldn't do it when I walked into one a few weeks ago.

( Sansa tips her head a bit and offers her hand. This is someone she doesn't know other than recognizing he's another Stranger brought by the Queen. )

I am Lady Sansa. It is my pleasure to meet you.

[breadmuffs]

[Caleb takes her hand gently - almost gingerly - and bows over it slightly. He hopes that's enough deference. You never can tell with nobles. (Which tends to make him antsy, though it only really shows in the way that he holds himself, the way his movements are very precise.)

And the way that his voice is a little softer, when he speaks again, raising his head.]

Lady Sansa. It's a pleasure. My name is Caleb Widogast.

[He lets go of her hand, turning his head to look her web again.]

I'm...sorry to hear that you were trapped in one. The one we were shown by Queen Fayura was...quite enough for me. And not the same, I gather.

[theladyofwinterfell]

No, it wasn't quite the same but it was awful in its own right, to see the one Fayura showed us. No one should have to endure that. I am loathe to even have my enemies walk through one.

( Sansa nods a bit at the mention of his name, dedicating it to her memory. She's learned most of the Strangers faces, at least, even if she hasn't had names to attach just yet. )

It's my pleasure to meet you, Caleb. How long have you been in Draega? I know your face from the palace.

street rats

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Even though Draega can be dangerous, especially in the poorer areas, Sansa simply cannot let people go hungry. She has any number of men she can rely upon to escort her and feel safe with and so she's made many trips to the poorer parts of the city to deliver food and to get to know the men and women who live in Draega. Just as she had with the warming spells, she wants to make her face known and show people she's here to help, not to harm. Margaery Tyrell had been a clever tutor, even if she hadn't intended to pass this lesson on to Sansa, and she knows well how quickly the tide can turn against someone when their people are desperate.

Today she has a covered basket of warm bread and fruit that isn't quite the freshest but more fresh than they've had lately. The street she's in currently is one where Blood live, but not aristo Blood like closer to where the Queen resides. She sees a child on the street and kneels down a bit, offering her a heel of bread. )

Here you are, sweetling. Go, send the rest of your family here. I have more.

embroidery and embellishments

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa spends most of her evenings in the Queen's Residence working on her sewing. She's been in Draega long enough to accumulate a fair bit of coin and while spending the marks for supplies had been painful, at first, she knows she'll be able to sell what she sews to others. She's put a few things in the market for herself but she's also taking commission work, wanting to help the strangers in the palace who are likely in need of new clothes themselves.

Currently, she's working on a cloak and embroidering the edges of it with crowned direwolves. Traitorous, likely, but since Cersei Lannister and Daenerys Targaryen aren't in Draega, Sansa doesn't think anyone will notice or care that she's declaring herself Queen in the North via needle. When she hears someone draw up close, she looks up and smiles. )

Did you need something made? This is my personal work but if you want to commission something, I give good prices to strangers. We all need the help.

[garmr]

That looks like it took a while.

[Guts is a bit too ignorant on the fine details of embroidering to say more than that, but he can recognize the care put into each of the little figures. Crowned wolves - nobles certainly did have their way with making statements. He'd already asked Sansa about making a cloak of his own, something plain and practical was all he needed. A sturdy robe that could weather the heavy rains and rigors of travel. Consequently, he had come to her with a little pouch of money to pay up front, and leaves it on her work table.

Getting a fitting isn't an entirely new concept to him. Being friends with Godo meant he's gotten his measurements taken for plate mail, but he never expected an extensive one to be needed for a cloak. What more could she need beyond his height? Still, he wasn't going to fuss; he didn't mind her company at all. In fact, this visit to Sansa would be one of the few occasions he was out of his armor, and the wear of two years would be plainly visible on his tunic. His garments had been dragged through mud, gore (both apostle and human), rains, and other rough terrain before he even arrived here. It was a bit disgusting, frankly, but he'd done his best to keep clean through his travels.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa arches a brow at the state of Guts' tunic. She'd not realized it was in such poor condition considering he usually wears armor around her and so she realizes he's going to need a good deal more than just a cloak before all is said and done. He's left money on the table and Sansa has decided no matter what it is, she'll accept it and make whatever he needs regardless. )

It's taken a little while, yes, but mostly because I'm embroidering it. The cloak itself doesn't take so very long. You, ser, are in need of more than just a cloak, though.

[garmr]

[Sansa gets an arched brow back.]

...Like what?

[The question is earnest - not that Guts is not entirely unaware of how worn his stuff is - he just doesn't see a need to replace something that isn't broken.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

Your shirt is worn as well, Guts. You'd likely serve well to have to new pair of breeches, too, if we got down to it. I'll have to get measurements for everything, though.

( Sansa gives him a once over, trying to make her best guesses at length for him. It won't be exact without measurements, yes, but she can use her eyes for just this moment. )

[illequipped]

[Emil has made... poor choices with his stipend, to be sure - that is, he's spent most of the money he's been given on clothes since arriving here months ago, but at least he isn't wearing the same clothes day in and day out. Still, Sansa is a friendly face, and when he peers at her embroidery, it's sooo... intricate. He's never sewn a single thread in his life.

So, of course, he's immediately ready to ask if she'll make him something when she speaks up first and offers. Aha. He clears his throat, remembering to, like, not be a demanding brat.]

Oh, well... [gee, what an offer.... okay yes he wants fifty commissions] If I drew a pattern, could you put it on a vest or something?

[theladyofwinterfell]

I could certainly do that. I have no problems working from patterns or, if you aren't quite sure how to draw it out, I'm a fair artist on my own. We could work together.

( Sansa grins at him. She hasn't had a chance to make pretty things in a long time and the idea of being able to embroider a pattern is a pleasing one - it will be nice to have something to do other than utilitarian sewing. )

What did you have in mind?

[illequipped]

I can draw... uh, probably.

[He can draw perfectly round cats, but probably a more intricate pattern is something he can manage. He'll try.]

I was thinking something like... [He holds up his hands, like he's going to gesture this pattern somehow, but then he just stands there and thinks about it. Hmm.] Kind of like flowers?

[theladyofwinterfell]

Oh, flowers? I can do any sort of things with flowers or vines. Was there a particular sort of flower that you liked? Roses or snowdrops or tulips?

( Sansa is entirely too excited about the prospect of this project, honestly, because she so desperately wants to make pretty things. )

crashes in here a billion years late

[ilves]

[Lalli has seen, like, things that have already been embroidered, but he's never actually seen someone embroidering. It's similar to sewing, he supposes? And he's definitely seen people sewing before, but this is different enough to capture his attention; it's why he sidles up to Sansa, only giving her the briefest of looks when he's addressed—like, why?—before he shifts his attention back down to the cloak. Does he need anything...]

No.

[He's obviously great with people, but look at his worn, grimy tunic, Sansa. Gosh. The boy needs help, even though he seems totally unconcerned with his own appearance as he tilts his head to the side, eyes narrowing as he hones in on her handiwork.]

...Wolves?

[What a choice? He's curious.]

wow lalli let her help you

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa looks up from her work and that's when she sees the state of his tunic. It's a mess, truly, and she imagines he'll need at least one new one so he'll be able to switch them out and not wear them out so very quickly. She shows him some of the completed wolves on the edge of her cloak. )

They are the sigil of my house. House Stark has always used the direwolf as their mark and symbol.