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

[theladyofwinterfell]

I wonder if there's a way for the webs to determine innocence or guilt? I confess, I don't know enough about the art, but I bet a true Black Widow like Lady Abigail might. There has to be a way for innocents not to be caught in these or they wouldn't ask us to make them, would they?

( Sansa is far from naive in politics but she's over her head in Draega. She has only just begun to understand the dynamics of the Blood and landen and in Westeros, it'd taken her whole life to learn how the game was played. Now, she's having to learn very quickly with little information. )

[seeingscarlet]

I try to think of the kind of person I would want this to catch. Maybe it is like passing my power through things? But if one of the other Strangers who doesn't know any better looks too closely...I am not sure we can stop it.

[She doesn't like taking that risk. She doesn't like being asked to do this at all, really, but Wanda has no illusions about why she's here. They have different concepts of morality; a talent that people at home find horrifying is just...part of life in Draega. It's weird.

She can't help but wonder what they'd think if it ever got out that she doesn't need a web to do the exact same thing to someone, but Wanda's still resolved to keep that to herself as long as she can. If it isn't any different...well, that's not a path she needs to walk again.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I wish there was a way to put in some sort of safety, some sort of way to make it tell between good and bad. Then again, sometimes the line between those is so blurred you cannot tell the difference.

( Sansa frowns for a moment, deep in thought. There must be some way to do it. Wanda has said she thinks about the kind of person she wants to trap and Sansa thinks that might be the path to pursue. )

When dealing with people, everything is in shades of grey.

[seeingscarlet]

And my 'bad' may not be someone else's.

[Her eyes flicker red again. This web is really starting to take shape, for better or worse.]

Do you think it is worth the risk?

[She can see both arguments, but she's hardly a moral authority in matters like this. Wanda just hopes that her trust isn't misplaced this time.]

[theladyofwinterfell]

I think that sometimes there are casualties in battle. One has to weigh the risk of the greater good over the immediate harm, really, and sometimes those things can be hard to discern. I am no warrior, myself. I have planned for battle but I've never commanded in the field. What is acceptable loss? To a commander, losing four men in a battle might mean a true victory. To the families of those men? The cost was too high.

( Sansa watches as the web takes shape, watches to see how Wanda forms it. She has an inherent grace with it that Sansa hasn't yet mastered. )

We just have to decide if we are the commanders determining acceptable loss or if we're the families mourning what we've lost.

[seeingscarlet]

[The one thing Wanda has going for her is that shaping intent into power isn't new to her. This is just manifesting in a different way than she's used to, that's all.]

I have never been able to do that. Steve says that we can't save everyone...but I have to try.

[Wanda doesn't want to become the kind of person who's comfortable making that sort of cold calculation. She owes that to everyone who didn't survive the experiments - she just can't become like Strucker or the people in power who let them down in the first place.]

If our intent shapes it, I hope that will be enough.

[theladyofwinterfell]

I hope so as well. If it comforts you, at all, I try to save everyone as well. I do not think there is a such thing as acceptable loss. All loss is unacceptable.

( Sansa rather likes Wanda, even in the few times she's met her. She's a kind woman and seems to have the desire to help both Draega as well as those from her home. They seem to be of an accord on things that matter and Sansa knows that she needs allies in this place. )

I hope that our desire not to hurt anyone innocent is wrapped into these webs, that they know to leave them alone.

[seeingscarlet]

That is...usually how my powers work. I hope that this will listen too.

[Wanda manages a smile, finally seeming a little more at ease. Despite her caution, she really does want to make friends here and Sansa's been nothing but kind to her. It's a start.]

How is your web?

[theladyofwinterfell]

( Sansa pokes at it for a moment, testing the threads, and turns back to give Wanda a bit of a smile when she realizes she's actually gotten good enough at webs that this one doesn't need correction. )

For once, I've done it correctly the first time.