When Winter Leaves.... (Private)

art by: still looking...
Maya Daltigar

Location: New King's Landing Port, The Black Mermaid
Interaction: Hawke Farwynd (@Ritual Lobotomy)
Mood: Concerned & Focused

The redhead heard him before she actually saw him. "Sounds like a compliment coming from the queen of big heads herself. The honor is mine, Your Grace" he countered moments later. "Sure, sure. However, my big head supports my big brain, what's your excuse?" She shot back with an amused grin. Bantering back and forth with him like this almost made her forget the state of urgency she was in. Maya wouldn't admit it but she felt comfortable around Hawke, especially after everything they shared, but she couldn't let that go to his head.

She watched as the tanned male descended the mast with all the grace and control of that of a cat. He even managed to stick the landing gracefully to which Maya gave him a brief look to show she was impressed and nothing more. "And good day to you too", he added cheekily before flashing a charming smile at her that briefly made the female blush. Rolling her eyes she crossed her arms across her chest and began. "Yeah yeah, long time no see and all that. We need to talk..." she started. "Anyway" Hawke began before he cut himself off as a trail of blood trickled from his nose down to his lip.

Maya's crimson eyes widened with concern as she watched him reach to wipe the blood away. "Fuck..." he mumbled to himself before trying to brush that all aside and get back to the conversation at hand. "Either the party was cut off before it started, or something is going on" Hawke mused before crossing his arms and turning his attention back to her. "So which one is it that brings you here so unexpectedly?" He continued, however, Maya was paying that no mind. All she could do was stare as the blood continued to flow from his nose.

Sighing the woman reached in her picked and pulled out a handkerchief, "That can wait, come here." her tone was slightly annoyed but one could tell she was worried. She quickly closed the distance between them and applied the cloth to his nose, wiping the blood trail away before folding the cloth and pressing it to his nose once more with added pressure.

"You've gotta add pressure to stop the bleeding." She spoke up again, her voice barley above a whisper since the conversation was just meant for his ears only. While Maya worked she stayed focus on his features, quickly finding herself scanning over his face before her eyes faltered to his lips, bringing back memories of that drunken night they shared to her mind once more. The woman felt the heat on her cheeks again as her body shook with embarrassment. "S-surely you can manage this," She spoke up again, gesturing he apply the pressure to his nose on his own.

Once he did Maya stepped away from him and sighed. "Are you alright?" She asked before crossing her arms across her chest again. "Because if you're not let me know and I'll be out of here. " She began before shaking her head an continuing, "You were right, something is going on, hence why I have no time to be playing doctor or babysitter with you. Hagen ordered me to come collect you however so I'm making good on that."

The woman sighed again before running her fingers through her hair, a sign that she was stressed. "This is serious, Kaylee and maybe even Hagen's lives might be in danger and we need to move quickly. I can't disclose the information I currently have to you here though. We need to speak somewhere private." She continued as she glanced around at all the crew still lingering around. "That is, if you're up to it." she offered the last bit as a challenge of sorts. She knew Hawke was capable but she wasn't sure if he was capable enough to deal with what they were about to experience. Above all else Maya needed him to focus and be quick on his feet should anything happen. Peoples lives were at stake after all.


 
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Arley Baratheon

As much as he had appreciated her interest in his well-being, the Stag was even more appreciative of Kaylee's ability to get the message; it was not a time nor place to discuss such matter, and he would rather keep his focus off the barrel of maggots eating away at his mind. The First Man of the Storm's End had a strict division of obligations in his life. So much so, that his mental state was always strictly divided into two equally cherished but never mixed halves; his private life and his politics. In the past he frequented both, kept them in a perfect balance and having his house in order brought him peace of mind he was taught to strive to. But then, a body fell dead in one of those halves and rotted away faster than he could handle and the rot soon took over, and the only life left was contained in a pile of maggots that he no longer managed to tolerate.

Politics were a purgatory between the seal shut doors to madness and nothing at all; the only safe space he knew. Whenever he'd hear a knock on the door from the other side, that mad rotten side of his mind, he was quick to pull back and burrow himself deeper within the other side of his psyche until it stopped. And they all meant well. If Kaylee couldn't help him, she certainly would not push him further down the slope. And yet, letting her in would mean facing the rot. Every once in a while, endlessly grateful for her support, he'd peek through the barrier just for a bit only to run at the first sight of chaos inside. Selfishly, for his own sake, he changed the subject just as smoothly as he pretended that he never faltered in the first place.

"Well I'm feeling something alright, I'm just not sure confidence is what I'd call it," lady Lannister confided her feelings to him and he welcomed it with a warm smile. "Well that is good then, isn't it? You will be able to pleasantly surprise yourself with what you can do when you least expect it", he nodded, straightening up in his seat once again, giving a large ring on his hand a twist, brushing his thumb over the stag on its front. "I believe you will do just fine, lady Lannister. I won't go easy on you, however," he jested before taking a sip out of his chalice. The wine was sweet and inviting. Truly the best there was throughout Westeros, Arbor masters' craft remained without a serious competition. Next to him, lady Lannister shifted in her seat quietly, saying nothing for a bit, but her brief silence was understandable. For all of them it was a lot to bear, and with Kaylee's already established political appearances, young woman had a lot on her plate so early in her life. Anyone with a single grain of salt in their mind would only be able to appreciate and respect her silence perhaps even more than her undoubtedly eloquent tongue and her graceful flatter. Kaylee Lannister always handled herself impressively well needing no hand to guide her through.

"What's the plan Lord Baratheon?" Kaylee finally spoke up again and he readily acknowledged her question. "The plan?" he asked back with a smirk.

"For both today and tomorrow," she explained further. "Surely you already have everything figured out? I'd love to hear your wise input on the matter." It provoked a generous laughter out of Arley. It surely stroked his ego but only in a benign manner. "Perhaps," he responded briefly. "I'd like to believe so myself but then again, it pains me to say that many of those due to be present tomorrow are quite predictable. I am looking forward to be pleasantly surprised but if you do not mind, I will keep my optimism low for the time being," Arley jested, sipping on his beverage.

"Unless our dear neighbors bring something on the table that would turn the tide significantly," he continued in a hushed tone, loud enough only for Kaylee to hear, in order to avoid any early misunderstandings. There would be plenty of time for those on the morrow. "I am worried this story will finish no differently than many other times before. We wish for progress and yet we refuse to learn. Starks will call upon their bloodline. Tarly will call upon their sacrifice and service, otherwise supporting Starks. Arryn will push their trading routes and the purity of their house, otherwise again, supporting Starks. The North stands strong yet again," he nodded as he casually and briefly referred to all of the representatives.

"Riverlands and Dorne seem unfortunately passive, but at the very least their alliance is open for discussion, and Greyjoy," he paused deliberately, drinking some more with an amused smirk. "I truly have no idea. But all things considered, I am looking forward to see what Iron Islands bring to the table. Having them participating is indeed creating a history and if nothing else, something tells me Westerlands may have their western neighbors guarding their back against all odds, thanks to you. Daring, if I may say" the Stag referred to Kaylee once again with playfully challenging smirk. "Should Stormlands be concerned?"

"Oh, dear gods almighty," sounded behind him, interrupting Arley's train of thoughts as he turned behind him, switching his attention to obviously shocked young squire. "Selmy, what is the meaning of that?" the Stag asked him in strict tone and yet to the squire would be known that no scolding was meant, only a well balanced curiosity of his lord. "My Lord I am sorry, I just--"

"What the hell--" coming from Kaylee interrupted the young boy and it alerted Arley further, but before he managed to ask more questions, his ears caught a wave of erratic whispers and gasps among those present, all of it too monotone and blended to be clearly understood, but as it always was, Tyne Selmy never left his lord hanging. "My Lord," the boy continued on his previous attempt. "There seemed to have been an issue between lord Greyjoy and lady Grimm. Unfortunate, my lord. The wine is a hard thing to wash..."

Clearly visible on his confused expression, all of that made no sense to Arley, but it seemed that Kaylee did not quite share the same sentiment.
"Interesting..." she mused to herself. "Right, with this crowd things are sure to be promising," lady Lannister mumbled, clearly unamused with whatever played out in the room that now seemed to be under control. Arley remained seated, his head turned towards her as he listened to her quickly finishing her drink before requesting for another one. Leaving her be for a bit, he quickly realized it would not stop any time soon and the confusion on his face quickly turned into mild concern. "You might consider taking it easy, lady Lannister," he suggested calmly at first.

"Lady Lannister," he repeated again with a light frown as he now heard whispered questions about that new vision of Lioness and chalice of wine disappearing all too quickly. Even then, her hasty movements showed no sign of subsiding. And just like that, Arley's never lost instinct of an older brother kicked in as his demeanor subtly changed to authoritative, and as soon as Kaylee's garments rustled as her arm reached after the wine, Arley reached out swiftly and dropped his left hand on Kaylee's forearm, pinning it gently against the table, her hand only inches away from her drink.

"Kaylee," he called out to her with her first name with strict tone but low volume in an attempt not to attract any more negative attention than they already had.

"Stop."

He only loosened up and removed his hand after he got her attention, light frown still lingering on his face as he narrowed in on where her own should be, as closest as he could.

"Focus. Whatever it is that is bothering you, there is a place and there is a time. This is not it."

Pausing briefly, the Stag fully ignored rather obvious quietness at their table, as the rest tried to make any sense of his reaction. Fixing his posture and his vest, Arley Baratheon cleared his throat and referred to the servant at Kaylee's side of the table, speaking clearly and with authority as he remained staring ahead of himself. "Lady Lannister will have no more wine for the time being. Thank you," he nodded dismissively, falling silent once the servant distanced himself as instructed.

@Sailor Arti - Kaylee Lannister
 
Hawke Farwynd


Instead of receiving an answer to his question, Hawke remained standing somewhat perplexed by Maya's absent glare at his face.

"Uh...I asked which--"

A sigh interrupted him and his attention switched to Maya's hand reaching after and pulling out a clean handkerchief. "That can wait, come here," she grumble mildly at him, and it quickly dawned on the Farwynd that there was no less than a hundred percent of chance that he is looking like an idiot with a busted snout, and shamefully enough, his appearances bothered him.

"Look, I am fine. This happens a lot more than you think," he attempted to justify it, lifting his palms up defensively, but it served nothing to stop Maya from lifting the cloth up to his face as he proceeded to speak in amidst of peculiarly well synchronized dance of her reaching out and him leaning back to maintain the distance. "There's really no need for th--"

Boop, as the handkerchief finally touched his face.

"--is..." he finished hesitantly, briefly stopping his breathing as he remained slightly leaned backwards. Letting out a sight of defeat, he relaxed shrugging it off. "Or... there is. Fine. What do I know, not like it's my face, you know? Never mind me..", he nagged with no malicious annoyance in his tone, as he straightened back up and leaned into the tapping of the cloth under his nose, rolling his eyes. What you don't know, can't hurt you, and she certainly didn't have to know he enjoyed the attention.

"You've gotta add pressure to stop the bleeding.", she spoke up again as she applied pressure to his nose, and Hawke's strategically wandering honey-colored eyes focused back down on the redhead. The pirate observed her features with an absent-minded expression on his face. Surely, he had seen her at her fullest at that one fortunate point in his life when for some reason stars aligned for him to have her warm his bed and no amount of alcohol would be enough for him not to remember it, but even so, her vivid face still sparked his curiosity the most. What was she thinking about?

He only reacted when her eyes met his, lingering for a moment. "You know, you can stare at me and speak at the same time," he jested with a smug lopsided smirk that remained even when she responded quickly as if she was zapped awake, while her cheeks took up the color he always pretended he hadn't notice. She was a proud woman, and pointing it out seemed unnecessarily cruel.

"S-surely you can manage this," she mustered quickly and Hawke chuckled under his breath, quickly humoring her attempt to remain professional. "Yes well, if you have listened you'd know my answer to that", he responded, reaching out to hold the cloth with one hand and gently push her arm away with the other. "Yeah, I got-- I got it. Get-- Get off", he groaned lazily, allowing her to make some distance between them before he turned his back on her and made few steps away, making sure the blood stopped for good with a little bit of privacy.

"Are you alright?" Maya asked him and he nodded with a light "Mh," while he still attended to his business with his back turned. "Because if you're not let me know and I'll be out of here. "

"No, no", he spoke up almost immediately, turning back to face her as he refolded bloodied handkerchief in his hand, not quite sure what to do with it. "I've told you quite clearly that I am fine," he stressed the last word to get his point through. "And thank you uh...", he spoke as he briefly lifted the handkerchief in his hand. "I'll uh... I'll get you a new one," he mumbled out and cleared his throat, sitting himself onto a nearby wooden trunk, focusing on the matter at hand.

"Now. You were saying?" He asked again.

"This is serious, Kaylee and maybe even Hagen's lives might be in danger and we need to move quickly." By the end of her sentence, it was quite clear she had Hawke's undivided attention as he sat up alerted, with a deep frown on his face.

"What the... Wait. Hold on. What are you saying, exactly?" he attempted to have her clarify. It certainly would not be a bad joke and yet his realistic nature required more information to assess the situation.

I can't disclose the information I currently have to you here though. We need to speak somewhere private," she explained hastily, looking around the ship.

"Right," Hawke nodded, still partially processing the information given to him.

"That is, if you're up to it." It immediately caused him to dart up and retaliate in a slightly annoyed tone while he paid mind to the volume of his voice. "No, I prefer sitting here and sunbathing. That is exactly why Hagen placed me here." Exhaling sharply, he shook his head, toning down at the sarcasm.

"Hagen's cabin", he suggested briefly, gesturing to Maya to follow him. Once in, Hawke secured the door behind them before he made his way towards the center of the cabin with his arms crossed and his attention undivided.

"What kind of danger?" he asked finally, patiently waiting for a detailed answer.

@Sailor Arti - Maya Daltigar
 
art by: still looking...
Maya Daltigar

Location: New King's Landing Port, The Black Mermaid
Interaction: Hawke Farwynd (@Ritual Lobotomy)
Mood: Focused

Hawke seemed to take the bait easily enough, jumping up from his seated position as his facial expression twisted in mild annoyance. "No, I prefer sitting here and sunbathing. That is exactly why Hagen placed me here." he quipped sarcastically. The redhead only shrugged before flashing him a look that said 'she'd believe it'.

"You're a pretty boy, wouldn't put it past you to care about appearances." She teased mildly before tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. Right, now was not the time for bantering, she needed to catch him up to speed quickly.

"Hagen's cabin" he whispered to her before brushing past and leading the way there. Maya glanced around shortly just to make sure people wouldn't snoop before following him herself. Once they were both inside Hawke locked the door behind them then moved to the center of the room. "What kind of danger?" he asked again as he focused fully on her.

Maya rolled her eyes and took a seat by a table that was in the room. "The life threatening kind." She mentioned again before sighing and running her fingers through her hair once more. "I'm not sure exactly but I can only assume the worst." She began, her voice dropping in volume and her facial expression becoming more pained.

"Earlier this evening Kaylee received a threat at her very doorstep." Maya's face twisted into a deep-seated frown as she recounted the earlier events. "It wasn't any 'ol kind of threat either." Before she continued she turned her sharp gaze back to him. "The information I'm about to disclose is of the upmost confidential. I'm trusting you with this Hawke." She warned again before sighing once more and continuing.


"You might know that Kaylee runs an information network, however what you might not know is simply how big that network is. To put it in easier terms Kaylee can have her nose in just about every political situation from this end all the way to Essos, and a bit beyond. Of course she doesn't just do this all on her own she has people that work for her. These individuals are called 'spiders' to make things easier."

As Maya went on to explain the background she leaned forward, clasping her hands together as she spoke. She was worried, extremely so for Kaylee. This was an outright declaration of war and here she was playing history teacher. "The identities of these 'spiders' is highly classified. I don't even know all who work for her."

Maya inhaled shakily as she proceeded, "With all that being said the threat Kaylee received was one of her very own 'spiders' being beaten nearly to death and dropped off on her doorstep." Even saying what happened again made her stomach turn. "You're a smart man," Maya began once more, "Surely you understand how big of a deal that is. Not to mention they managed to do this without alerting one guard that was posted and on duty. "

Maya slammed a fist down on the table in a fit of anger before shaking her head an continuing. "This can be considered a deceleration of war. The information Kaylee wields in itself can be considered a weapon of mass destruction. Within the wrong hands who knows what could take place. And the fact that this person knew to hit her in a spot when she was most vulnerable...right before tomorrow's meeting..." Maya mused before shaking her head once more and getting back on track.

"Theories aside, Hagen might be in danger simply by association at this point. And while I might trust the man's martial prowess, if we're up against an organized force, we're all going to be in trouble." Maya's facial expression shifted to something fierce as fire was lit within her eyes. "I'm determined to save them by whatever means necessary. And I will find out who's responsible for this and will deal with them accordingly. With, or without help. However, Hagen thought it best for me to work with you." Maya got up from her seat and made her way closer to him.

"All jokes aside, I don't have time to waste catching you up on my methods or what we're about to see. I need you to be with me. If we're going to be a team I'm prepared to trust you with everything. I expect you to have my back and most importantly not hold me back." She finally aired out what was on her chest to say.

She searched his gaze for something, anything, so she could know if he was following what she was saying. The crimson haired woman held out her hand to him before continuing. "So forgive me if I seem to ask this a lot, but are you sure you're ready for this? I have....a terrible feeling, about all of this." It was clear that Maya cared for Kaylee and Hagen deeply. Just by how serious she was taking all of this and how easily she was willing to risk her life for them. She'd never ask someone to put themselves in the same position she did which is why she wanted to be sure Hawke was alright with this. Should the worst happen after all.


 
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Hawke Farwynd


"The life threatening kind, yes that much I've figured, please elaborate," Hawke gestured hastily with his hand, while paying full attention to any and all of the information he would receive from Maya, and while there was a slight urgency audible in his voice, the tone of it remained smooth and relatively calm. "I'm not sure exactly but I can only assume the worst."

"Alright," he responded with an audible nasal exhale and a nod, approaching closer and leaning against Hagen's large wooden desk, propped up on his arms. "Then we are to treat it as the worst. If there will be any surprises along the way, I'd prefer them being positive." For the most part, Hawke was the realistic one, often dragging Hagen out of his chaotic suicidal ideas, but even so, he was also the one keeping in mind the most scenarios and solutions to them, no matter the low probability some of them had. Prepare for the worst so you never never fail or have a mediocre result.

"Earlier this evening Kaylee received a threat at her very doorstep," Maya proceeded to describe the events, and as she did, Hawke fell silent, staring at the wooden floor in front of him with an occasional nod as a sign that he was actively listening. "It wasn't any 'ol kind of threat either." As if he read her mind, he darted his glare back at her and he met hers; sharp and determinant, yet visibly troubled and concerned. "The information I'm about to disclose is of the utmost confidential. I'm trusting you with this Hawke." Although certainly a respectable and serious warning, it still fished out a meek smirk off of his face. Certainly she wouldn't know it was not the first big secret he was trusted with. Even when drinking, he had a tendency to remember why a secret was a secret. His mouth were sealed shut.

Breaking the deadly serious atmosphere for a brief moment, he shrugged his shoulders. "Well. I will do my best not to tell anyone," he chuckled briefly, studying her face for a reaction, before his tone dropped back to calm and trustworthy with his glare still meeting hers with an equal determination. "Maya, the reason Hagen sent you here first thing, goes beyond him hooking you up with some muscles. If that was the case, any other meathead available would do just fine. You can trust me with whatever you have to tell me."

Knowing it would be her first time possibly to rely on anyone in such way, painted to Hawke the severity of situation. Sighing lightly, she finally decided on taking her chance with him. It was only a slightly bit disappointing that she had little to no choice in the matter.

"You might know that Kaylee runs an information network," Maya started and he nodded in confirmation. "However what you might not know is simply how big that network is." Nodding once again, the pirate responded. "I am familiar. Details of the size and operations are lost on me, but if they weren't, then that'd be one crappy job she is doing. I merely had a hunch it was not your average book club gathering."

"To put it in easier terms," she proceeded. "Kaylee can have her nose in just about every political situation from this end all the way to Essos, and a bit beyond. Of course she doesn't just do this all on her own she has people that work for her. These individuals are called 'spiders' to make things easier." Hawke needed no effort to show his admiration with an impressed expression on his face.

"The identities of these 'spiders' is highly classified. I don't even know all who work for her." Understandably so, but did even Kaylee herself knew? He could not have began to imagine how hard it may have been to keep the track of such large informative network and how hard would it be to maintain its walls towards the outside influences. It was an unnerving thing to ponder about. It was a risky life to live, and it was only a matter of time when something would break.

And just as he had predicted, it had more than just a bit to do with the way Kaylee handled her politics. "With all that being said the threat Kaylee received was one of her very own 'spiders' being beaten nearly to death and dropped off on her doorstep." With her confirming his thought, Hawke let out a low groan as he rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Well," he sighed. "At the very least, they don't seem to be interested in playing silently. Which, arguably, is a relieving circumstance. To a degree."

"You're a smart man," Maya began once more, "Surely you understand how big of a deal that is."

"Of course," Hawke responded almost instantly. "When I said it is a relieving circumstance, I meant they will hopefully leave more tracks to follow. But the question is how long after will we be allowed to get a glimpse of them," he pondered further, rubbing the back of his neck. It was indeed a mess when one would sit and think about it. No one simply runs into a spy, busts them up and drop them off to their queen, and while it was more than obvious there was a deeper meaning behind it, what worried Hawke more is the time they've spent on it and the damage they've already managed to do until that very moment, unbeknownst to them.

"Not to mention they managed to do this without alerting one guard that was posted and on duty," she added with more anger in her voice, once again occupying Hawke's attention. He did not wince at her brief outrage, but his focus remained as proceeded to speak decisively, every once in a while attempting to say more than one word at the same time.
"Theories aside, Hagen might be in danger simply by association at this point. And while I might trust the man's martial prowess, if we're up against an organized force, we're all going to be in trouble," she concluded after a short pause. "Or the other way around," he added with a light frown.

"If they are striking to destroy from the inside, then Hagen's and Kaylee's involvement is a hazard, but even so at the very least, Hagen is the one that I know she can trust. Although others may be inclined to point their fingers. The rest, I would not put my coins on. If the girl simply appeared on her doorstep, then the executor is either a magician or someone familiar to the guards in Kaylee's estate. I'd suggest removing the guards for the time being. If they are corrupted or deceived, then having none at the very least will not provide her with the feeling of false security. That is when they strike," he theorized, stopping himself only when she spoke again.

"I'm determined to save them by whatever means necessary. And I will find out who's responsible for this and will deal with them accordingly."

"One step at a time," Hawke reminded her with a smirk. It was rather amusing how attractive her natural stubbornness and determination looked on her. "With, or without help. However, Hagen thought it best for me to work with you."

"Regardless of their abilities, nobody should go into something like this completely alone. He made the right call." He followed her with his gaze with mild amusement as she rose up from the chair and positioned herself dominantly in front of him.

"All jokes aside, I don't have time to waste catching you up on my methods or what we're about to see." Hawke rose his hands up defensively. "I do not recall asking."

"I need you to be with me. If we're going to be a team I'm prepared to trust you with everything. I expect you to have my back and most importantly not hold me back." Letting it sink in between them, Hawke remained silent, returning her inquisitive glare with a calm one. "You already trust me. Otherwise you would not be here in the first place," he responded to her claim, shifting his weight as he remained leaned against the table.

"So forgive me if I seem to ask this a lot, but are you sure you're ready for this? I have....a terrible feeling, about all of this." It was quickly followed by not so subtle eye roll coming from the pirate. "We have already established you hear only what you want to hear," he scoffed at her as he straightened up, lowering his gaze at her extended hand, before taking it into his with measured out but generous shake. "I am Greyjoy's second in command for quite some time now. Whatever you throw at me... Trust me, nothing will be as challenging," he jested on the account of Hagen's wild nature and persistence needed to handle him as his right hand but first and foremost, as his loyal friend.

"I've pledged to Hagen the same you pledged to Kaylee. Circumstances were such that our paths happened to cross and whether you want it or not, at this point, you and your mistress are one of us," he smirked reassuringly, releasing her hand. "I will not be convincing you of my abilities, that you will be able to see yourself. But what I can guarantee is that you and your mistress have an ally in me. I do however, have one request before we plan any further," he requested in a neutral tone and with a serious expression on his face, pausing briefly before he reached towards Maya and poked the middle of her forehead with his index finger.

"Clear your head, then I will let you get out of here and do something about all this." Whether she previously was able to read it from his face or not, he equally expected all of it to be a challenge. Keeping a cool head was perhaps the most important step in saving your own neck in order to save others. "I am not picking you out of god knows which hole because you didn't think about it first. That would be a shame," he concluded somewhat dramatically. "Pirates have hearts to be broken too, you know?" he jested but the truth was, he was silently grateful for being a part of it. At the very least, he trusted himself to do his best to keep her out of trouble. Grinning his dramatic joke away, Hawke cleared his throat before bringing his attention back to matter at hand. "So? What would be the plan?"


@Sailor Arti - Maya Daltigar
 
art by: still looking...
Maya Daltigar

Location: New King's Landing Port, The Black Mermaid
Interaction: Hawke Farwynd (@Ritual Lobotomy)
Mood: Focused

"You already trust me. Otherwise you would not be here in the first place," Those words still echoed in her mind while she maintained her focus on the male. Perhaps he had a point, he tended to have plenty, but she hadn't trusted him with everything just yet. But she was determined to before she left this room. "We have already established you hear only what you want to hear," he responded to her final question which only made the woman frown.

This wasn't a joke, she was being serious. She wanted to make sure that this wouldn't be something he would end up regretting in the end. She couldn't afford to play with Kaylee or Hagen's life because someone wasn't taking her seriously. Her piercing gaze followed him as the man rose to his full height. She didn't flinch from him but instead her gaze became sharpened, more narrowed, as she firmly stood her ground. This was always an automatic response to situations like this. Maya had to always be prepared to fight for her views tooth and nail. Or fight to be heard or taken seriously at all since she was a woman.

Hawke lowered his gaze to her hand before taking it his warm and solid grasp moments later, "I am Greyjoy's second in command for quite some time now. Whatever you throw at me... Trust me, nothing will be as challenging," he jested with a smirk that managed to coax out the smallest of smiles from Maya as well. She knew what he meant from having spent plenty of time with his Captain herself already. "I've pledged to Hagen the same you pledged to Kaylee. Circumstances were such that our paths happened to cross and whether you want it or not, at this point, you and your mistress are one of us," he smirked reassuringly, releasing her hand.

Maya's gaze finally softened on him as he continued to speak. Once more she found herself agreeing with what he had to say. Kaylee and Hagen had been involved with one another for years at this point, meaning Maya had also had years to get to know the Black Mermaid crew like the back of her hand. It's why she and Hawke butt heads so. Still, simply trusting was difficult for her, there was always a part of her that would second guess the decisions she's made. "I will not be convincing you of my abilities, that you will be able to see yourself. But what I can guarantee is that you and your mistress have an ally in me. I do however, have one request before we plan any further,"

The redhead tilted her head to the side as she raised an eyebrow at him. He was making requests of her now? How strange. She was curious what it was he wanted so she waited for him to finish. However, what came next she didn't expect. Instead of talking to her like a normal person he reached up and quickly poked her in the center of her forehead, startling the girl if she was honest. "Hawke what the he--" she began as she rubbed her the center of head. That was when he continued, "Clear your head, then I will let you get out of here and do something about all this." he interrupted her.

"Alright, alright. Just don't do that again." She said as she lowered her glare. Secretly she appreciated the man for taking the time to make sure she where she needed to before starting all of this. There were a lot of emotions boiling underneath the surface for Maya currently. She needed to keep a lid on them for now so that she could focus on their next steps. "I am not picking you out of god knows which hole because you didn't think about it first. That would be a shame," Hawke continued on his lecture dramatically. Maya couldn't help the grin that spread on her features because of it. "Pirates have hearts to be broken too, you know?" Hawke continued on with the theatrics which only egged Maya on.

"Did you just admit to caring for me Farwynd?" She jested as she reached up and caressed his cheek, "Aww, you'd miss me huh? How sweet. I'm flattered, truly," Maya continued before pulling away, a satisfied smirk ever present on her face. "So? What would be the plan?" Hawke spoke up again changing the subject rather quickly. Maya chuckled at that and reached up as she began to braid back her hair. "My strengths are in infiltration and assassination, if I'm being completely honest with you." She began.

It was true, ever since she'd been taken in by Yadon and Kaylee, espionage had become her life. Through that she honed her skills and learned she had a talent for being unseen and combat. Her skills translated into being an assassin which is how she handles some missions Kaylee gives her. "So the first step is to look into the Lannister's. As you mentioned the guards might be dirty or are being deceived. Regardless we can't remove them from their post, that'll draw suspicion." She said with a matter-of-fact tone as she finished braiding her hair.

"Kaylee won't be returning back to the manor. Hagen's taken care of that, so she's safe for now. That means we start investigating where the attack began. I want to search that place for any clues the attackers might have left behind, and to do that we need this," She said as she reached in her pocket and retrieved her glamour trinket. For a moment she held it close to her chest before showing it to him. "This is one of my most prized possessions. As well as my most closely guarded secret. With this, you can be sure I've actually, trusted you with everything." She said softly before looking up at him.

"We'll use this to move around relatively undetected." She explained as she moved to fasten the golden necklace around her neck once more. The moment it was secure her entire appearance shifted before Hawke's very eyes. Maya's distinguishable crimson locks and eyes to match melted and morphed into orange locks with bright green eyes.

Her once clear and pale skin turned sun kissed with freckles sprinkled across her nose. Even her voice sounded different now that she had changed. "No one knows about this, other than Kaylee of course," Maya admitted as she turned her gaze to Hawke once more. "This is...all of the plan I have for now. We'll have to figure things out as we investigate unfortunately." She concluded locking gazes with him once more. Unsure of how he would manage to take in all of this.


 
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Visenya sighed, but there was an amused smirk on her face. "Wine always brings things to the surface." She pointed out in agreement with him. "Whether they are good or bad depends on the drinker. I am tempted to say you should put your house in order before continuing further with my cousin, but that would be unfair." She continued further. She knew how messy previous one night affairs could get. She had encountered said mess herself one too many times. But he did not need to know that just yet. "At the risk of repeating myself. Do not drag her into this mess. I do not need to know what has happened between you and Lady Grimm, but I do need to know that my cousin will not have an additional headache because of tonight." She looked at him pointedly and grabbed a nearby pitcher and a cup, offering him some Dornish Red from the looks of it. With all the wine that seemed available throughout the Manor people would think that Catlyn was an alcoholic. Yet that was not the case, in fact wine was Catlyn's secret weapon for the night. It was a double edged sword, but that way the sober would be able to weed out the weaker characters before the talks and the scemes officialy beginned.

"That being said, I do feel for you. Though wine stains had never been an issue on my clothes." She chuckled and patted him on the back in an effort to light up the mood from her previous 'scolding'. She mostly needed him to calm down and cool his head off before they returned to the great hall and had to face the crowd and scorned Tamsyn once more. She knew from the things she had heard about Hagen Greyjoy, he was a man who didn't need much to take things seriously and understand the situation at hand. At least not when it came to threats and warnings.

Meanwhile Catlyn had inwardly sighed. Of course the first trouble for the evening had to involve the Greyjoys. Hate for the Iron Islands ran deep in Westeros despite the most favorable alliance that had shaped the continent during the events of the Long Night. Apparently Lord Greyjoy's hot temper was not well received by the various lords concerning this clear accident. Catlyn had hoped that tension would only arise later on, when the Lords and Ladies had one too many a drink and tongues got looser. However the Gods always laughed when she made plans. "Lord Greyjoy is no different than any mainland Lord when it comes to fineries being ruined." She replied jovially to Lord Manderly who had made such a comment about Kraken's temper. "Surely you would agree my Lord that you too would have been angered if your finest hunting cloak was ruined by such an unfortunate accident. After all, fine clothes are as useful tools as hunting cloaks when playing the great game are they not?" She took a sip of her own wine as she stared at Lord Manderly opening his mouth to protest but thinking better of it and growing an shade of red beyond his usual, wine loving one.

Sparing Lord Manderly the awkwardness of struggling for an appropriate response to her rhetorhical question, Catlyn excused herself to have a brief talk with the chief servant concerning Lord Greyjoy's new set of clothes. It was becoming difficult to find something appropriate for his status and for the occasion. As it turned out, most of the knight's had been of a significantly smaller physique or their wardrobe was not fine enough for the occasion. They couldn't risk belittling Lord of the Iron Islands right before the talks.

"You would think after Iron Islands became independent at the end of the Long Night, Greyjoys would be happy being Salt Kings and raiding Essos or simply sailing the High Seas. Does Hagen Greyjoy really think he has a claim over all the Seven Kingdoms?" Eddard Stark, second of his name, spoke as he approached Kaylee and Arley, young Lord Tristan Tully following him suit. Lord of the Riverlands was barely 20 years old and he had barely come of age when his father had passed away, victim to plague. Tristan seemed uncertain of how to reply to such a question. "Seems like he has Ironborn's typical brazeness my Lord." He finally spoke up hesitantly causing Eddard to let out a short but generous laugh. "Well said Lord Tristan."

Eddard came to a halt in front of Kaylee and Arley, raising his cup in greeting and bowing his head lightly "Lord Baratheon, Lady Lannister. It has been a long time since we last met, but I see time has been generous with both of you. I wonder what your take is on the matter? Do you really think Kraken wishes to rule over land as it rules the deep?" His tone was jovial, but such small talk also served the purpose of politics. Eddard Stark was not a born political mind, but practise and grooming had not left him oblivious to such matters. Yet amongst family it was well known that Catlyn was the better politician between the siblings.
---------------------------------------

His attention momentarily drawn away from his opponent and over to the girls escaping and Zea intervening to promptly trip their pursuer, Torsten had left himself open and the drunkard took his chance. The swing hit him hard on the jaw, forcing him to spin and he felt the metalic taste of blood in his mouth. He had stumbled lightly back from the force behind the blow and that's when the sand dog leapt at the drunkard, aiming to snap her jaws on the man's neck like she had done with so many rabbits and small game before. But the man was not small game and she was not a wardog. She missed and she was subsequently thrown on the wall hard. Nia yelped.

Spitting out blood, Torsten had recovered and Nia's yelp brought out a dangerous fire in his eyes. One that, if the man was not drunk enough to downplay it in his mind, would have led him to flee and probably kept his life. But that was not the case. "You should have ran." Torsten growled and that got the attention of the man that had been facing off against his comrade under Zea's influence. Torsten's face was speckled with blood and his axe was glistening red. Next to his feet, the body of the man who had punched him laid in the beginnings of a small bloody pool. The shoulder and chest cut open.
--------------------------------

Alvia was instantly returning the hug, silent sobs rocking her shoulders as she held onto Eloise tight. It was as if her friend was just a vision. Smoke that would flee from her arms if she let go. A brief, almost inaudible pitch in her breath being the only sign that she had laughed at the jest. While breathless from the effort and surprised by how good her lady had become in navigating the streets and avoiding attackers, the young maid was beyond herself with joy.

It would take a bit of coaxing for her to let go once more. There were so many questions going through her mind and no way to ask them properly. Her little board had fallen off her dress' pocket while they were on the run. So she mouthed a single word "How?" And there was a lot hiding behind that single word. How was this possible? How had she survived? What had happened? Why hadn't she returned sooner?
 
Hagen Greyjoy


Between his blood still boiling over the unfortunate encounter, and his mind racing over what Kaylee would think of him after all of it, while his little trip back to the Iron Islands was still fresh in their memory, Hagen chose to say nothing following Visenya's words, but instead, he briefly shot her a frowned glare as his response. He was far from holding her words against her. She had a point, and even though the order in his house was lost on her, he understood that she merely went by what has been offered for her to see.

"At the risk of repeating myself. Do not drag her into this mess," Visenya proceeded, and for the first time since she started her lecture, did she get a proper reaction from Hagen. Exhaling, he leaned back in his seat, shaking his head briefly. "It's a given," he managed to add in to the conversation, before she proceeded. "I do not need to know what has happened between you and Lady Grimm, but I do need to know that my cousin will not have an additional headache because of tonight."

Tapping his finger against his table, the ironborn though of his answer briefly, in order to make it as clear as possible. "What happened, happened many summers ago. The only reason it is an issue now is because Grimm decided to be--"

No. Stop that!

Upon realizing that his tone grew angrier and louder than he wanted it to, being carried away by the moment in which he felt upset, Hagen stopped himself mid-sentence, breaking it off with an inhale and a brief pause needed to collect his thoughts. What was he doing anyway? What in the bloody hell did he believe throwing blame over something so redundant would do? Although there was no question that he would have appreciated addressing it at a different time if there was still a need to, it was not a good enough reason to justify himself by blaming the other. After all, Tamsyn Grimm was a treat for some summers long ago Hagen, and not something that was forced upon him.

Once the storm in his mind calmed down, the ironborn spoke up again, calm and collected. "No. Let me rephrase that... It was left unaddressed for a while, and even though this is arguably not the best way to get my attention about it after so long," he jested, dropping his glare down at the mess on his garments. "It's been a long time coming. Good for her she got that out of her system."

It was somewhat a relief that Visenya's response was a light-hearted one with a generous tap on his back and he accepted it with a nod and a lopsided smirk. "That being said, I do feel for you," she directed her attention to the unfortunate wine smudge that now soaked into the fabric. "Though wine stains had never been an issue on my clothes." Hagen met her words with a brief chuckle as he got off the chair, giving the stain another assessment. "Well, you arguably have a better way of clearing the air in that case. Would have been useful to learn from you back then, but alas."

Pacing around the room, he swore under his breath over the ruined gift. "I would've appreciated if she had chosen a different garment to do this on. Do you think this has any chance of being fixed? It's... Important to me," he asked slightly insecure about his whining over a thing that in any other case would not have bothered him as much. "In the mean time, I will see to fresh garments being brought to me. Shouldn't take all too long." Albeit, annoying regardless. But he sure as hell wasn't going to return out there looking the way he did. Even though people's opinion of his presence there did not bother him at the slightest, lord Greyjoy was still a severely proud person, and Tamsyn Grimm, as much as he did not hold it against her, managed to struck bone-deep into it, and it was hard to simply brush off.

NOTE: I know Catlyn is arranging to get him something to change into but he doesnt :P

@Applo
@DayDreamer

Arley Baratheon


After the main event settled down with lord Greyjoy apparently being politely taken out of the room, and after his small scold towards Kaylee, Arley sat calmly, his head propped up by his arm in a pondering position as he listened to whispers and comments around him. Even if lady Lannister responded to him, it met the lord's silence as he Catlyn's witty response to lord Manderly, limiting the defiant smirk that briefly formed under the finger strategically placed across the bow of his mouth, hiding the movements of his lips just enough not give out wrong impression. It was not the worst situation, but certainly not the best either. whatever issue the two had in the first place, had no place to be resolved in that moment and in such manner.

Just on time, as if he waited for his sister to excuse herself form the table, Eddard Stark got up and off his seat right after, making his way down the table, paying no mind to the opinions and thoughts he had to share in the light of the recent event.
"You would think after Iron Islands became independent at the end of the Long Night, Greyjoys would be happy being Salt Kings and raiding Essos or simply sailing the High Seas." Being blind for the most of his life, Arley's ability to focus and sharpen his hearing was without competition. People tended to forget and a bit of a harmless eavesdropping always carried a benefit with it.

Tap. Tap. Tap...

Rhythmic tapping of Arley's finger against the armrest of his chair was the only sign of his annoyance, as his face usually calm and neutral in the light of the obligation he had towards their respectful hosts. "Does Hagen Greyjoy really think he has a claim over all the Seven Kingdoms?" The tapping stopped as the voice of the young man approached, and the stag concluded his pondering with a disappointed sigh. At that very point, Alrey Baratheon could not see himself fully supporting any of the sides willing to present their case in favor of Iron Throne, and the way young Stark took his heritage for granted and his belief for a fact troubled him deeply. It was hard to believe that Ned had few months more in his favor compared to Baratheon, and was yet to grow into them.

"Wonderful to see that the esteemed lord Stark hadn't changed a bit," Arley mumbled cynically and his voice sounded only to those close to him; young Selmy and Kaylee Lannister.

"Yes, my lord," the young squire responded with slight insecurity but with a brief smirk. As Arley's squire, he for the most part thought his duty to agree even though for the most part Arley encouraged his own thought process to be expressed. But if anything, he had learned to recognize the sound of sarcasms and witty cynical remarks from Arley's vast conversational opus.

"Seems like he has Ironborn's typical brazeness my Lord." The voice sounding in a response quickly revealed young Tully, a rather fond follower of Lord Stark, and it was a given why. The boy was still learning, but Arley had feared that the boy's ideals were directed all wrong.

"Well said Lord Tristan," Eddard laughed amused by his companion's jest, just before their steps halted in front of him and Kaylee. Almost immediately, Tyne Selmy bowed to the lords with a respectful greeting, before he made a few steps back, giving the lords more space while still remaining close in service to Lord Baratheon.

"Lord Baratheon, Lady Lannister," Eddard greeted them both, and as a response, Arley adjusted himself in his seat appropriately straight up with his clasped hands resting on the table. "Lord Stark, Lord Tully," the Stag greeted in a respectful, polished manner, content smirk on his face revealing naught of his inner thoughts.

"It has been a long time since we last met, but I see time has been generous with both of you."

"Flattering as it is, Lord Stark, I cannot possibly compete with lovely Lady Lannister keeping me company," Arley complimented with a cheereful grin, gesturing briefly towards Kaylee. "Man must be more than just blind not to appreciate her presence." By now, the Stag jested and refered to his impairment as a part of his life than he no longer considered a stain on his personal history. "But if I may, you sound rather healthy and strong yourself. I am truly happy if that is so," he returned the favour with a polite nod. Before he was able to refer to lord Tully, another highborn in their presence, Eddard rushed forth with the burning question. And indeed, judging by the eagerness in his voice, he was more than willing to build up on it just as well.

"I wonder what your take is on the matter? Do you really think Kraken wishes to rule over land as it rules the deep?" Lord Baratheon's face remained of an unchanging, polite expression. Eddard Stark had all the potential to be a good ruler, but sometimes in not so ideal of moments, his vanity peeked through in the most uncomfortable of ways, unknowingly putting those involved in just as awkward position. This time, it seemed to be Stag's turn to juggle it.

Unbeknownst to him, his young squire desperately attempted to maintain his position and his neutrality while his eyes darting quickly from his Lord to Lady Lannister and then to the lords that have approached. It was certainly not his place, but poor boy had a working pair of eyes and ears and a rather intelligent mind. It did not take long for Tyne Selmy to add up two and two and shyly pull himself more behind Arley's chair, smelling the potential storm in the air as lady Kaylee seemed like anything but pleased with her cousin's words. Unfortunately for him, he was not excused from the awkwardness and so all he could do is stand and wait for the things to go south.

"Interesting question," Arley interrupted the silence, lowering his glare ahead of himself as he tapped the top of his adorned cane leaning against his seat between him and Kaylee. Although he was well aware of a never-changing string of thoughts flowing across more or less all of the great houses of Westeros, it was also the bane of his existence and the never changing story of history repeating itself on same old mistakes he previously referred to while answering Kaylee's question. It was getting old, and even though neither of them were too long to see all of it, Arley was already tired of repetition. Perhaps even more so than many others. Spending his days with books being read to him, if anything was certain, it was that Arley saw the history of their vast kingdom from more sides than one. And no history of no house was as holy and as pure and for that reason, he himself often chose to set his prejudice aside for the sake of giving a chance. Gods knew he had many of those rising against him in the same manner.

But politics were politics. Saying things like those without nicely forging around them first were sure to mark you the way you did not want to be marked, and Eddard Stark almost certainly did not ask such question simply to pass time. No one has. And so, rather than sounding like favoritism, Arley resorted to a cryptic diplomatic response with his usual warm smile, while he was ever so vigilant of the reactions that may come from Kaylee, ready to interrupt anything she may come to rethink.

"If I may be honest, I am just as curious. Seeing how Wolf reached a long way down south from the vast North, I do not see why Kraken wouldn't be just as capable to conquer the ground as it conquers the vast sea." He allowed it to linger briefly, before he proceed in a light, optimistic tone, clasping his palms together.

"But I certainly believe new pair of hands at the table doesn't worry you, Lord Stark? I believe we will all get the ever so admirable North tomorrow. I am looking forward to it," he nodded respectfully, intertwining his fingers and turning his head lightly towards Kaylee with a knowing smirk. "I am certain Lady Kaylee shares the sentiment." At the very least, he had hoped to bring her back to the reality of those encounters and the need to play by the rules out of her light, wine-induced annoyance.

@Sailor Arti
 
Hawke Farwynd

There was quite a bit to be said about his inner pondering over certain things that may or may not involve the redhead in front of him, but even though he did his very best to maintain his smug and confident facial expression, he never really denied it either. He had no doubts it would slide as soon as he cut the jest short and Maya was soon to follow, albeit with a challenging chuckle that rose his eyebrow briefly.

"My strengths are in infiltration and assassination, if I'm being completely honest with you," Maya responded as she attended to her hair.

"You don't say..." Hawke retorted without much surprise. Even knowing only the bare minimum of what Maya did for and with Kaylee was more than enough to know that Kaylee did not confide in her so much because of her knitting skills. However, hearing her specify her abilities nevertheless sounded impressive. He stood calmly, listening to her plan, nodding as she spoke. "As long as Kaylee is safe, whatever is going on among the guards can arguably wait. However," he made his point, rubbing the back of his neck before he tilted his head enough for his neck to crack several times in a row in another attempt to relieve the stiffness that still bothered him, if only slightly. "While I do not fear for the Lannister as long as she is with Hagen, we have a very important witness in the 'spider'," he referred to the unfortunate spy simply being left for dead at Kaylee's doorstep. His thoughts wandered off for a moment as he attempted to start assembling the puzzle in his mind.

"I want to search that place for any clues the attackers might have left behind, and to do that we need this," Maya's voice brought his attention back to her. His gaze lingered on her pocket and then followed her closed fist curiously all the way upwards to her chest, and when she did not quite fully reveal it right away, a pair of honey-colored orbs lifted up to return her gaze with curiosity. Desperately curious about it, he still allowed her as much time as needed to show it. Even before she uttered words out loud, Hawke could already assume what she would say. It was an understandable concern. After all, above everything, the situation they found themselves in, he had found, was in many ways more intimate and personal to her than something as simple as drunk physical pleasures. He was glad to find that they were sharing such sentiment of burning priorities and things of unconventional importance.

"This is one of my most prized possessions. As well as my most closely guarded secret," Maya confirmed his assumption, and he nodded with understanding, now resting his eyes on a dangling golden chain and a small tastefully crafted trinket on its end.

"With this, you can be sure I've actually, trusted you with everything." Once again, Hawke's attention turned back to her, and he smirked confidently. "You have my word," he swore his silence once again. What good was a word of a pirate one might have asked. Perhaps a lot. Perhaps none at all. He knew his intentions, but for her it was a risk until proven differently and so, he did not push it unnecessarily deep. All in its time shall come to be realized.

"We'll use this to move around relatively undetected," she explained as she laid the chain around her neck. Now, being a traveler, Hawke saw and heard of this and wonders aplenty in the vast lands of Essos. Hagen himself had shown him inspiring, amazing things many times before. Naturally, being amazed by lady Lannister more than his pride allowed him to admit, Hagen mentioned him a thing or two about Maya's and Kaylee's venturing withing Essos. Nothing in particular that he could have grabbed on, but he could have assumed what such activities may have been. All things considered. Just as he could've assumed that whatever that thing was doing, was just as unusual.

The moment it started working caught him off guard, and he found himself staring in mediated surprise at the morphing taking place in front of him. As the change finalized itself, Hawke blinked several more times, studying the ginger-haired woman that took Maya's place. Well. Physically. Even with her voice significantly different from the velvety tone she usually had to it, her mannerism gave her away.

"That is..." he managed to muster as she studied her further while shaking his head in disbelief. "Impressive," he finished with an amused grin, approaching closer to study the details. "No one knows about this, other than Kaylee of course," she said as he was occupied with the investigation followed by a scoff and a smug smirk. "My personal preference is the previous form but I have to say, this is mind-boggling." Who would have thought? In a way, miss Daltigar changed her skin every once in a while as well. In her own way.

He returned the gaze to woman's green orbs, traces of amusement still lingering on his face. "This is...all of the plan I have for now. We'll have to figure things out as we investigate unfortunately." And there it was. He was now expected to react extensively. Perhaps even distancing himself from all of that mumbo-jumbo she simply threw in his face out of nowhere. But the truth was, being what he was, Hawke merely found it utterly amusing. Instead of attempting to mitigate his discomfort at the sight of it as she most likely expected him to, Hawke did his best not to seem too eager and happy about it either. Perhaps that would have perplex her even more.

Instead, he found a golden middle albeit perhaps a bit on a daring side. As she stared at him looking for a reaction she was expecting, Farwynd chuckles sincerely, lowering his hand against the top of her head and ruffling her now disobedient and curly ginger hair in amusement, lingering for a single moment, before he placed his hands into his pockets, shrugging it off.

"Seems like a solid start to me," he nodded, his face turning serious once more in the light of the obligation they had to fulfill. "Something is bothering me, however," Hawke admitted finally, no longer being able to hold his theory for himself. After all, he finally had someone willing to listen. After a brief pause, he proceeded. "If you were to send a message, or intimidate someone as Kaylee, at the very least knowing the surface of her networking then... wouldn't a dead body be just as efficient, if not more?" He at that point pondered to himself, out loud. "Why let the 'spider' live? An amateur most certainly could not have pulled something off, and I highly doubt they hoped something like that would simply terrify Kaylee so much that she'd falter. I'd imagine they'd know her better than that..."

Turning back to her on his heals, he shrugged his shoulders. "What if they are looking to bring the insecurity and fear withing her spies? Perhaps well enough for her own spies to falter enough to... let's say... forget where their allegiance is? I imagine at the very least for some of them, no matter the skill, it is a rather stressful job. Add in a pinch of inevitable suffering, and you've got yourself a solid plan to have them reconsider," he suggested with a meek smirk. If one would take out of the equation of emotional connections between the protagonists, such theory seemed like a rather clever way to take someone like lady Lannister inevitably down. But just how fast they had to act if that was the case?

"For starters, we are sticking to the plan. We will get back to the Lannister's residence and see what we can find. And in the meantime, just an idea, perhaps it would be a good thing to get the victim out of there as well. Perhaps none will come back to finish the job, in case the 'spider' wasn't meant to survive, but why take a chance? And perhaps not now, but there is certainly some piece of information the 'spider' can give us in case our investigation stalls. The rest would be threading as usual. Nothing unusual nor suspicious to raise further alarm. Kaylee understandably spends more time with lord Greyjoy. Other than a few juicy gossips, none would thing much of it. And as for her spy, they simply moved the girl to get more extensive care in an appropriate place," he suggested.

"The rest, as you say, we will figure out along the way." Smirking lightly , Hawke gestured towards the cabin door. "Whenever you feel ready, as long as it is as soon as possible," he jested in order to break the tension that still seemed to occupy her mind and understandably so. Never hurt to try, however.


@Sailor Arti - Maya Daltigar
 
Zea of Lys


The man grunted briefly after receiving the slap, spitting slurs at her as he recovered his stance, ready to resume his assault. At the very moment, a yelp briefly distracted Zea. Just as she dropped her gaze noticing the unfortunate dog, a loud shout reminded her of her mistake as the man landed his fist directly into his comrade's temple with fury, sending him limp to the ground.

"Well. That's...one way to do it."

Even with the entirety of the issue at hand, Zea's mouth had an issue with keeping shut and silent. It would not have been the first nor the last time her loud mouth got her in trouble but to be fair this time, it was not even her fault. Catching a glimpse of what was going on just behind the raven-haired nuisance of a woman, the man's face turned white with shock, before it turned red with fury.

"Uh-oh--" It was everything Zea managed to muster before the brute grabbed her by the front of her dress, yanking her sideways and into the wall only few steps from where the dog landed. the rest of her body hitting the stone first mitigated quite a bit of force with which her head followed in but even so, it hurt like hell.

"Qogralbar...,"* she swore loudly, half in anger half in pain, as she slid to the ground with her ears ringing and her head spinning. Focusing on chasing the pain away, she grabbed the back of head and leaned forward.

"Ye," she heard the man refer to Torsten. "Ye killed 'im you sonuva bitch!" He shouted on, approaching. Zea rubbed the back of her head once again as she somewhat regained her focus, noticing a trail of blood on the palm of her hand. Arguably, Zea was not the smartest of brawlers. Fort he most part, anger over being tossed around like a sack of shit aggrevated her to the point where she paid no mind to the size and strength of her oponent, before getting them back for it. Then again, looking like a frail woman had one unexpected advantage; no one took you seriously when they should have.

As the man made his way towards Torsten aiming to charge, Zea quickly rustled the bottom of her dress, searching. "Shit, shit, shit..." it sounded almost like a chant as she struggled to feel the elongated shape stuck against her thigh. The dress she was wearing was not the best one for fast access to it but regardless, she finally managed to reach under and feel the leather cover before she felt the knife's handle.

Picking herself of the ground, she took a deep breath to chase away a sudden vertigo, and without much thought to it, she stumbled forward with the blade cranked far above her head, rushing in behind the man with loud and angry shout.

"Ānogar syt ānogar!"**

Before the brute managed to switch his attention, the blade swung forward and with all her might, Zea jammed it in the middle of his back and although neither was the blade long enough nor her force was strong enough to make any more damage than that, she successfully distracted the man just enough as he shouted in pain and detached herself before he swung his arm behind him, falling backwards onto the ground, her eyes wide with excitement and rage.

"Do it!" She shouted to Torsten, with almost a maniacal grin on her face. "Do it now!"

NOTE:
*Qogralbar - Fuck
**Ānogar syt ānogar! - Blood for Blood!

@DayDreamer
 
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Reactions: Nemopedia
Cormorant Garamond; Metamorphous;
art by: Wlop
Kaylee Lannister

Location: New King's Landing, Political Party
Interaction: Arley Baratheon(@Ritual Lobotomy) & Eddard Stark (@DayDreamer)
Clothing: Kaylee's Outfit Here! & Kaylee's Hairstyle Here!
Mood: Annoyed yet Cautious

As the lioness continued to think about the events that unfolded or listened to the hushed whispers around her, she found herself becoming more and more agitated. This, is why she hated politics. Everyone here didn't care about one another, they were out for them and theirs. The was they gossiped was like married women at a dinner party. Smiles and sickeningly sweet words were on full display, a farce, just to 'play nice' before the ripping of throats began on the 'morrow.

Everyone always put their best on display, admitting weakness was equal to admitting defeat. Kaylee knew better, she had to play like the vipers if she wanted to win against them. All of this stuff, the glamour, the false air of security and fun times, she saw through that as if she were at the foot of the clearest bank of water. The real battle happened tonight, when the doors closed and those behind them conspired, ready to bring their full might to the table at the meeting tomorrow.

Yes, Kaylee saw through it all. How quickly she realized the days of her youth were behind her. When things were easier and she was more innocent, or ignorant, to the ways of nobles alike. It was just as Arley had described to her. If the individual didn't make the conscious effort to change history was doomed to repeat itself, and quite frankly Kaylee was tired. The very definition on insanity was to do the same things over and over and expect different results. Would anything of promise truly come from this summit? Kaylee was doubtful but she could only wait and see.

As she drowned herself in her inner thoughts she sought to do the same with her wine. If she was truly going to deal with the bigots at her feet she'd need to have a little bit more alcohol in her system to be able to tolerate them. If Kaylee was honest she hadn't paid attention to how many refills she'd been getting. As long as her cup was full she drank. Meanwhile her mind was off somewhere else trying to plan, or search for anything that would be of use to her tomorrow.

"Kaylee. Stop." Arley ordered beside her in a stern voice as he pinned her arm to the table. That was when she was brought back to reality. She glanced around the table to hear the hushed whispers directed at her now as those around her snuck glances at her just to judge her from their 'high throne'. Kaylee's temper flared for a moment before simmering down as Arley spoke to her once more, "Focus. Whatever it is that is bothering you, there is a place and there is a time. This is not it." He was right, of course, still Kaylee liked to think she had things under control. Would she have honestly let herself call upon the drunk stupor? No, she'd like to think she'd have more sense. Still, her irritation over everything didn't subside.

Perhaps it was the buzz she now felt that intensified her emotional state, regardless, everyone and everything was slowly becoming more of an annoyance around her. Even those she cared about. "Lady Lannister will have no more wine for the time being. Thank you," Arley dismissed the servant as she straightened himself back up again. Her voice barley above a whisper, meant only for Arley's ears she hissed, "I am not a child that needs to be looked after. I can handle myself," She retorted back to the stag stubbornly. Practically sulking she turned her attention to her cousin and her witty gloss over the recent turn of events. She appreciated how professional she seemed during all of this.

Catlyn dismissed herself and shortly after the annoying voice of another relative unfortunately graced the silver-haired lionesses ears. "You would think after Iron Islands became independent at the end of the Long Night, Greyjoys would be happy being Salt Kings and raiding Essos or simply sailing the High Seas." Kaylee's azure gaze became sharp and as cold as the very night-walkers their ancestors fought against upon hearing Ned's arrogant words. "Does Hagen Greyjoy really think he has a claim over all the Seven Kingdoms?" Her rage built up something fierce within her core. Searing, white hot rage bubbled and threatened to be overturned at a moments notice if she didn't focus on restraining herself. The woman's breaths became focused as she intensely breathed in and out.

"Wonderful to see that the esteemed lord Stark hadn't changed a bit," Arley replied sarcastically beside her, however Kaylee couldn't bring herself to offer a witty reply back for fear of acting on this anger instead. "Yes, my lord," Selmy, Arley's trusted squire sounded off beside him. "Seems like he has Ironborn's typical brazenness my Lord." Kaylee dug her nails deep into her palms as a second voice joined the fray. Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum, or Dumb and Dumber respectively was how she would identify the highborn pair before her. Ned and his loyal puppy Tristan Tully. When observing the two Kaylee often wondered if idiocy was developed or inherited and if she should honestly be concerned.

"Well said Lord Tristan," Eddard laughed amused by Tristan's poorly executed jest, just before their steps halted in front of Arley and Kaylee. She wasn't ready to deal with them just yet. If she looked at them now her eyes would tell the truth her mouth refused to spill, so instead she turned to focus on Arley for a moment. "Lord Baratheon, Lady Lannister," he said in greeting to them both. "Lord Stark, Lord Tully," Arley was quick to respond in like, which Kaylee was grateful for.

"It has been a long time since we last met, but I see time has been generous with both of you." His complement fell on deaf ears from the lioness. Thankfully Arley took the initiative, "Flattering as it is, Lord Stark, I cannot possibly compete with lovely Lady Lannister keeping me company," Arley complimented with a cheerful grin, gesturing briefly towards Kaylee. "Man must be more than just blind not to appreciate her presence." For a slight moment Kaylee's anger was suppressed by Arley's calming presence. "But if I may, you sound rather healthy and strong yourself. I am truly happy if that is so,"

That's more than the lioness could say, which is why she said nothing at all. "I wonder what your take is on the matter? Do you really think Kraken wishes to rule over land as it rules the deep?" Ned asked his incredibly rude question once more. This was it, this would be the straw that broke the camel's back she was sure. She felt her muscles tense as the vein in her hands flared from how hard she was digging into her palms. "Interesting question," Arley began and Kaylee couldn't help but wonder how Arley was going to attack this situation. It was taking everything in her power to remain seated and civil so she was totally relying on him.

"If I may be honest, I am just as curious. Seeing how Wolf reached a long way down south from the vast North, I do not see why Kraken wouldn't be just as capable to conquer the ground as it conquers the vast sea." Smart. Kaylee thought to herself as she opened her eyes to see Arley clasping his bands together before continuing, "But I certainly believe new pair of hands at the table doesn't worry you, Lord Stark? I believe we will all get the ever so admirable North tomorrow. I am looking forward to it," he nodded respectfully, intertwining his fingers and turning his head lightly towards Kaylee with a knowing smirk. "I am certain Lady Kaylee shares the sentiment."

That was her cue, Kaylee inhaled and put on her best winning smile as she finally turned to face the pair. "Certainly! But we can save all this talk for tomorrow. Goodness knows we'll be doing plenty of it." Kaylee changed the subject with a brief chuckle. "How have you been dear cousin?" Kaylee asked now turning the focus to Ned himself, "It's been so long, I've missed your....spontaneity." She flattered with a soft grin. She had to think about that last bit considering there wasn't much she really missed about Ned. "How's the love life?" She asked with a wicked grin, "Have any luck finding the perfect match yet?" The lioness continued to dig on a sore spot she was sure. "No? You're a smart man! Surely if you invested as much time into matchmaking as you do your career in politics you'd come back with...interesting results."

There it was, the viper's kiss. Her words presented in a flowery, gentle, yet authentic tone, yet laced with venom. Everyone knew Ned was the lesser sibling when it came to politics, in comparison with his sister. Kaylee struck the last nail in the coffin with that edition and she knew it. She let her words simmer for half a beat as soft audible gasps could be heard around the table. That's when she continued, "I only jest fair cousin." her voice rang out in a melodic laugh as she flashed a grin back up at Ned. "Come, catch me up on things going on in your life. I've missed you so, and I'd love to hear about them!" Kaylee concluded as she clasped her hands together.


 
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art by: still looking...
Maya Daltigar

Location: New King's Landing Port, The Black Mermaid
Interaction: Hawke Farwynd (@Ritual Lobotomy)
Glamour Active! : Maya's Current Appearance
Mood: Focused

Maya's emerald orbs scanned Hawke's amber ones as he took in the change in her appearance. It wasn't just simply that she looked different, glamour essentially made you into a new person. From the different color of her hair, skin and eyes, to even the way her body was shaped and built. Small details that people wouldn't even notice like the shape of her nails or her teeth even appeared different. So long as Maya dropped her own mannerisms, which she could do well, she could create an entirely different identity for herself. If she was still struggling to come to terms with that she could totally understand Hawke's reaction.

"Seems like a solid start to me," Hawke stated in response to her loosely put together 'plan', if it could even really be called that. "Something is bothering me, however," Hawke began which only caused Maya to raise an eyebrow at him. "Go on," she urged him as he seemed to ponder on his thoughts. "If you were to send a message, or intimidate someone as Kaylee, at the very least knowing the surface of her networking then... wouldn't a dead body be just as efficient, if not more?" Maya frowned before crossing her arms across her significantly smaller chest.

The now ginger-haired woman sighed. She'd thought about that point too. "Why let the 'spider' live? An amateur most certainly could not have pulled something off, and I highly doubt they hoped something like that would simply terrify Kaylee so much that she'd falter. I'd imagine they'd know her better than that..." Maya's frown deepened as he continued, he made good points. This whole thing smelled like a set up and Maya didn't appreciate this. Someone had been scheming in the background for a long time and now they were starting to get hit.

"What if they are looking to bring the insecurity and fear within her spies? Perhaps well enough for her own spies to falter enough to... let's say... forget where their allegiance is? I imagine at the very least for some of them, no matter the skill, it is a rather stressful job. Add in a pinch of inevitable suffering, and you've got yourself a solid plan to have them reconsider," Maya hummed before deciding to chime in. "I'd like to say that isn't likely considering those that I know have been roped in either have nothing left to lose or are indebted to her. Then again, one can never underestimate hysteria so your point could still be likely." She said absentmindedly. "Still to get such a train reaction they'd have to get in contact with several of her spiders which I simply don't see happening. It's hard enough to believe they managed to find one. That on it's own should be considered a miracle...unless..."

Maya stopped talking then. Could it be possible whoever was targeting them had breached their forces? The thought was terrifying alone. Maya's felt a chill run down her back as she seemed to pale. "Regardless, the girl is the key to us getting us some answers..." Maya thought out loud. Her voice was soft, she felt like she was going to be sick all of a sudden. "For starters, we are sticking to the plan. We will get back to the Lannister's residence and see what we can find. And in the meantime, just an idea, perhaps it would be a good thing to get the victim out of there as well." Hawke began focusing on her once more.

"Perhaps none will come back to finish the job, in case the 'spider' wasn't meant to survive, but why take a chance? And perhaps not now, but there is certainly some piece of information the 'spider' can give us in case our investigation stalls. The rest would be threading as usual. Nothing unusual nor suspicious to raise further alarm. Kaylee understandably spends more time with lord Greyjoy. Other than a few juicy gossips, none would thing much of it. And as for her spy, they simply moved the girl to get more extensive care in an appropriate place," he suggested.

"Yeah," Maya managed to croak out before inhaling and clearing her throat, "I've already have people looking after her currently but it wouldn't be a bad idea to get them to move her to a safer location. Even more reason for us to move quickly." she continued, locking gazes with Hawke once more. "The rest, as you say, we will figure out along the way." Smirking lightly , Hawke gestured towards the cabin door. "Whenever you feel ready, as long as it is as soon as possible," Without saying much Maya nodded and made her way for the door. They had already wasted enough time as is.

...

Nothing had went to shit yet, all things considered. Hawke could easily keep quick pace with Maya and didn't ask many questions. They arrived at Kaylee's temporary residence in record time, keeping to the shadows as the light began to dim from the sky. Maya found it hard to believe that all of the Lannister guards were compromised. The Captain for example was extremely loyal to Kaylee, looking after her as a grandfather would, or at least that's what she heard the servants say.

Maya motioned for Hawke to stop moving as she pointed in the direction of the secret entrance and exit to the manor. "We can get in through here, no one knows about it." Maya said in a hushed whisper before moving quickly to what looked like just a wall. She pushed a specific panel and watched as the wall caved in to be a doorway. She quickly ushered Hawke in to the room and closed the door shut behind her. "Let's get down to business then," she said softly with a smirk.


 
Visenya chuckled once more. "There will be time to learn Lord Greyjoy. As long as we all get to keep our heads after tomorrow's meeting." She jested at the metaphorical bloodbath that everybody knew and expected for tomorrow. Even though the North had significant history and family ties to support their claim to the Throne and to eliminate some candidates that were only such in name, like young Lord Tully, Visenya did not expect Eddard would go uncontested. And knowing his temperament..... Visenya hoped he would be able to keep his cool.

An inquisitive look crossed her face as he fretted over his clothes. From what she knew about him, he hardly seemed the man that would cry over destroyed finements. "Removing stains is not my specialty but I seem to recall the maids having a trick or two up their sleeves. However I am not sure the extend of the damage will be fully repaired. We would have to wait and see." She replied and her head turned towards the door as a knock followed the appearance of a servant holding a bundle of clothes. He bowed hastily and offered the items to Hagen. The clothes were of a more Northern Style, still influenced by Southern fashion. So they were fairly simple, but elegant. Catlyn had really pulled it off even though it had taken her longer than she would have liked. The quality was not lacking to what Lord Greyjoy was previously wearing and it should have fitted him almost as if tailor made. Almost.

"I will take my leave then. See you on the other side Lord Greyjoy." Visenya excused herself to allow Hagen to change in peace and to make sure no improper comments were made to complicate the situation even further. Not that Visenya minded, but the situation was already overly complicated. Entering back into the buzzing hall, she surveyed the area looking for a certain redhead Lady. Now that Hagen was calm enough to not make a scene, she needed to make sure Tamsyn was on the same page.

In the meantime, Tristan Tully had found himself just as awkward and willing to flee as young Selmy. Both had sensed the potential for a storm breaking up and both did not wish to be a part of it. Eddard had instinctively raised his chin just a tad bit higher than before. His standard response of defiance when something didn't go his way. Arley Baratheon had certainly not been willing to entertain his question with a direct answer. As much as Eddard was expecting it, it still annoyed him. Things would have been so much easier and would progress that much faster if people where being straightforward.

"How's the love life?" That question caught him off guard. Kaylee was as pleasant as always, but she had never really bothered much with him. In a way it was fair. Kaylee spent most of her time with Visenya and Eddard had always been off to one lesson or another hunt or soldier's training that he barely ever had enough time or interest in spending it with the girls. It was that moment of hesitation that Kaylee took full advantage on and continued to dig deeper.

Eddard's fist tightened around his goblet. He was certain he had done nothing to her to deserve such a comment, yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything about it. She had been so genuine in her response that for him to explode would have been a loss for tomorrow's game. He understood that. Catlyn had also warned him about it, but that didn't make it any less difficult and infuriating. "Last I heard you had no match yourself. Perhaps we ought to combine forces in the search for the person we wish to spend the rest of our lives with." He suggested in a lighthearted manner that was sounding very hollow.

"I have been busy." He admited and now his tone changed to a more serious and genuine one. "Preparing for the summit was one thing, but many of my people are getting restless. They long for the North and their ancestral seats. Following Lord Erick's disappearance, rumours have grown out of control. The memory of White Walkers is still fresh in memory and people demand answers. Visenya most of them all." He explained and frowned at his goblet before taking a long sip.
 
Hagen Greyjoy

His suggestion remained hanging mid-air, when the knock on the door occupied the brief silence falling between the two. Curious about the newcomer, Hagen caught himself peeking at the servant from his place at the table. As it changed hands and made its way towards him, he studied it with a bit of distrust and a bit of curiosity.

"Ah. I see", he nodded with a brief smirk, "I appreciate the thought..." It was relatively true that garments did not make for a man. Nevertheless, they helped and so was grateful to notice the garments had no excessive color patterns and shine to them that would make him look like a bloody clown.

"Yes", Hagen acknowledged Visenya making her way out of the room after she laid the garments onto the table in front of him. Being left alone with a pile of well-made cloth, the Kraken drummed his fingers over his thigh before he finally made a move towards the pile, separating the light shirt away from other heavier pieces and spreading it out on the table before getting up and proceeding to unbutton and loosen up his stained garments.

At his surprise, the look of the clothes he was presented with was tolerable. The shirt was relatively large and light, followed by a dark leather vest, compensating for all of the weight instead, that went relatively well with the remaining garments of his that were not destroyed in the process.

Just as he bared his torso out of the black material, the door to the room opened once again but he barely gave it a second thought, focused on setting up and putting on the shirt presented to him. "It is occupied and believe me, you will be more embarrassed than I will", he said calmly, putting the shirt over his head.

"That is debatable", the male voice responded with an evident sting in its tone as the door closed again after him.

"What do you want?" Hagen asked him after a brief pause in which he realized that he was already way too mentally tired to swoop in and give Maddock a piece of his mind, and so his words remained hanging somewhere in between anger and exhaustion. On both sides evidently giving out signals that Maddock was the last person he wanted to discuss anything with.

"I want to make sure you remember your position in all of this. You cannot afford this", he waved his arm around in slight frustration. "Whatever 'this' is. You've carved yourself a complicated road, now act like it."

Hagen's unwillingness to respond to him as he proceeded with dressing up in silence with his back turned, brought deep frown on Maddock's face. "I do not know what your business with lady Grimm is or was, but it needs to stop. Now."

"It was a business you should get into more often", Hagen mumbled lazily as he finally managed to pin the bronze kraken on his chest and outstretched and constricted his shoulders in order to test the shirt that fit snuggly against him, perhaps a bit tighter than he'd want and still in a decent manner. Facing Maddock's perplexed expression, Hagen waved off his dry joke, adjusting the vest. If there wasn't for his particular looks and the bronze pin on his chest, he could have easily been mistaken for a highborn northern, seemingly in favor of his sword and wild upbringing.

"And as usual, you're late for it. The matter has been resolved. Cousin", he squeezed out through his teeth, and the signal was enough for Maddock to understand the emotion behind it. Making Hagen even angrier did not seem to be the way to go either... Especially when there were no other eyes witnessing his cousin's oh so evident inability to control himself. It was a pity that the certain other meddled into proving Hagen himself wrong, but that was alright. Knowing he will not disappoint, as many times before, Hagen simply made even more mess for himself to resolve and in it, Maddock thrived.

Letting the tension linger for a bit, Maddock sighed, seemingly just as tired of the chase. "I am not your enemy, Hagen", he said emphasizing the important parts.

"Remains to be seen", his cousin fired right back at him, his tone barely changing its dynamic and briefly leaving Maddock speechless. "You cannot in Drowned One's name blame me for the mess you're in?! I've warned you, Hagen. I've insisted that you will bite into more than you can chew and what do you do? Make it worse", Maddock insisted, his voice audibly higher, but only for a brief moment. "You against what your father had planned, you divide the support to your own family and then? What then? You reject Harlaws. Harlaws, Hagen!"

"I did not reject them, Maddock!" Hagen shut the lid on it, asserting the dominance as his ideas and decisions were once again challenged by the Goodbrother. "I have merely proposed a different way of managing things and for the most part, they seem to be in agreement."

"And yet their sharp-tongued leader forgot a very important detail, did he not?"

"The details that most certainly do not concern them."

"But they do! Do they not, dear cousin? Out of all, you went with-"

"You leave her out of this", the Kraken finally barked out, fed up with the ideas planted in his head.

"You leave her out of this, and in the name of all that is of iron, Maddock", Hagen proceeded still managing to maintain a healthy level of control over his aggressive tone as he got into Maddock's face with a menacing growl, "You will. Stay. Away from her." Maddock did not flinch, returning the glare with just as much dare.

"And I swear on my ship and seas under it, my blood or not, if you do not leave her alone; I will truly be your problem, and we both want to avoid that". Unbeknownst to him, Maddock laughed triumphantly under all of that facade. Certainly, the way to make his honorable cousin tick was priceless. Especially when it was so easy to play with. Hagen Greyjoy was a risky pawn, but a highly rewarding one.

"Unlike you, Hagen", Maddock spoke up again after a bit, "plenty of noble souls on the Iron Islands are not ready to look beyond tradition and past. And what Harlaws went through with her kind... Will you truly downplay their suffering and blood spilled in favour of your own commodity? That is... disappointing".

Nowdays understanding the point where Maddock clearly asked for him to act out, Hagen let out a loud exhale, lifting his hand up as he passed him by. "I will hear no more of this. I've made myself clear and I expect of you to hear it well", he concluded on his way out. "And let us leave tomorrow's business for tomorrow, shall we?" Suggesting briefly, Hagen walked out, slamming the door behind him. With smug smirk on his face, Maddock paced slowly accross the room towards the stained clothes left behind to be attended to. A beautiful thing it was, he had to admit, but even more beautiful was the thought of red on all of the gold. Lost in thoughts that clearly amused him, he was slightly surprised when the door opened again, and the small maid he saw strolling down the hall just before walked in with a light startle, not expecting to meet anyone else in the room.

Quickly composing herself, she offered Maddock a deep bow and a hasty apology on which Maddock put his most mild and friendly face, apologizing for the intrusion, watching her keenly as she crossed the room and picked up the stained garments to take care of, once again occupied by his own thoughts.

***

While feeling somewhat more confident now that he was once more relatively presentable without hating himself over it, lord Greyjoy still had quite a bit on his mind to simply shrug it off and re-enter the buzzing hall with a fake confident on his face. It was something he had admired many about; ability to lie in the face of the others and wear it with pride.

Although handling himself, Hagen's slightly frowned face was enough for everyone to surely get out of his way once he made his way towards the nobility table with an even and determinant step. Otherwise seeming like an annoyance, the presence of two lords in front of Kaylee and lord Baratheon served him as a good distraction to slip back onto his seat on the other side of the table, leaning against his chair comfortably as he stared ahead of himself, deep in thought.


@DayDreamer
@Sailor Arti
 
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Crimson liquid sloshed back and forth against the walls of Tamsyn’s cup as she glowered over it. In her right hand a small fork was slowly chipping away at the polished surface of the table she sat at. She was ready to be done with this evening, this city and the whole tedious affair of selecting a new ruler for Westeros. This was not her business. Greyshield was her business. Who sat on the throne of the seven kingdoms mattered little there. The fellow houses of the western coast of Westeros were far more important and, with them Tamsyn felt confident she was in good standing. A fair few members of said houses from the Reach and a few from Dorne and the Westerlands as well had discreetly offered her congratulations on a good hunt well done as they happened to pass her by.

It was comforting to know that there were those who still remembered what the IronBorn truly were even if the Great Houses had chosen to forget but hardly enough to make her want to stay in the same room as that pirate scum. The only reason she hadn’t left was her Uncle knew her well enough to ask her to stay as a favour to him and it would be some time before he was drunk enough that she could slip away unnoticed. When she became aware of yet another person standing over her Tamsyn rolled her eyes and tried to end the conversation before it had begun.

“I’m afraid that that seat is tak-” As her eyes travelled up the body of the person standing over her Tamsyn quickly realized the person was none other than Visenya. Putting her cup and for down, she smiled thinly at the blonde northerner before gesturing to the empty seat they were standing near. “It isn’t actually taken I don’t think if you wish to sit. I must ask, did they find some suitable rags for the IronBorn after that terrible accident?”

 
It hadn't taken long to find Tamsyn. She had been sulking in a corner, clearly in a bad mood if the idle slosh of her drink and her fork attacks on the wood of the poor innocent table were any indication. And if that wasn't enough an indication, her quick attempt to dismiss Visenya without even looking at her sealed the entire deal. Tucking Lady Grimm's bizzare change in moods in mind for later, Visenya gracefully sat down on the empty chair. "It did take some time to find something his size, but I do believe my cousin managed to provide him with a proper Northern attire for the occasion." Visenya assured Tamsyn with a casual tone and nodded in thanks to a servant that had come over to provide her with a cup of wine.

"Though I do hope we will have no more unfortunate accidents for the rest of the evening. It would not to do if tomorrow's bloodshed starts early." She pointed out and took a sip from her cup. She was never one to sugarcoat things and she had always been best in using war, hunt and practical metaphors instead of flowery phrases. But if she was also honest with herself, she just wanted this to go as smoothly as possible. With the Throne's issue solved, she would have finally be able to leave for the North knowing that her family and people were safe and would not need her to defend them.

---------------------------------------------------------------
Being drunk really was not a good decision. A sober man would have turned tail and run. Yet the last of the men standing did exactly the oposite. Yes, drinking alcohol to the point of being drunk was not a good decision. However there was another kind of drunk as well and that was on blood. Torsten usually avoided fights compared to most Dornishmen and that was because he was easy to lose control in such situations. When he wasn't armed with steel, that usually wasn't a problem, but this time.... This time he held an axe.

Now with two persons important to him having been hurt by the drunk scum, his flame was burning as intensely as wildfire. "Ye killed 'im you sonuva bitch!" The man yelled as he charged. "He chose wrong." Torsten growled back in reply and lowered his posture as the man made his move. A move that was never finished as Zea stabbed him in the back. "And you didn't chose any better." He said in finality as Zea urged him to kill the man. His axe was swung and a second pool of blood began to form.

With all of their opponents now dead or incapacitated, Torsten rushed to Zea and Nia to check them for wounds and to help them. Nia had stood up, but her front right leg was limp. She whined in pain as she hopped her way over to Torsten and cautiously shook her tail, nuzzling his torso as he was sitting on the balls of his feet.

-------------
OOC: There we go. Sorry for the delay ^_^'
 
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“The bloodshed has been going on for centuries.” Tamsyn put her head in the hand that had recently been holding her wine cup. “All this won’t change a thing. Lords, great and small will still squabble and the Ironborn will leach off of us like that blood sucking parasites they are.”

Employing her free hand, Tamsyn gestured to the occupants of the great hall that surrounded the pair.

“How many of these people do you think would want to be here if there wasn’t a party being thrown at someone else’s expense. And how many actually need to be here anyway? The great families will decide amongst themselves; they might listen to a few of their subjects perhaps but mostly it will be their decision. Even then, likely only half of them at best will be satisfied. The rest of us could spend our time better doing almost anything than what we will do tomorrow.”

 
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Reactions: Ritual Lobotomy
Obvious importance of the task at hand aside, the execution of the plan started off with quite a bit of exiting to it. And while it would not have been the first time Farwynd sneaked around for one reason or the other, doing so with another person in charge was definitely the first. Now, he'd certainly be lying if he had said his pride screamed at him for being the one that follows, but his clear mind knew better than to let it dominate. All of this was not about him. Neither of them. There would be a time and a place for rivalry... he hoped.

Regardless of being the curious one by nature and investigating quite a few corners of the city upon arrival, the part of the New King's Landing Maya took him through was highly unfamiliar to him and so he obediently stuck behind her, attentively following her lead. Between his mind being occupied with the issue they were facing and attempting to memorize the roads they took, it felt like only a brief few minutes before they finally reached the Lannister residence.

Unsurprisingly, it was rather striking and impressive, nothing shy of a small castle. Wherever they went, it seemed, the Lions did not shy from flashing their coins. "Impressive," he finally spoke behind Maya as she observed the surrounding area before moving forward. "Not my cup of tea, but nevertheless, it's quite something," he complimented the flashy facility the best he could. While he did not mind the presentation of power and wealth, he didn't fail to think how unnecessarily overdone it was. Even for Lannisters.

Even that did not derail Maya for a single moment. "We can get in through here, no one knows about it," she said, pointing towards the manor's wall. Briefly confused about what exactly he was looking at, Hawke tilted his head aside lightly, narrowing his eyes at the row of bricks she was obviously pointing at. Before he managed to respond, she was already on the move again and without much thinking, he rushed to catch up, keeping himself close to the wall, slightly perplexed as he peeked behind the corner for any disturbances, mustering quietly. "The idea is all fine and dandy, but won't it take too long to-"

The light sound of bricks grinding against each other caught his attention and he turned back just on time to see an entrance appear in the wall. He briefly observed it, eyeing it up and down, before he looked back at Maya in the moment of obvious realization of how wrong his idea was. "Ah. Well. I suppose that works too," he agreed hastily, clearing his throat.

As soon as he approached the entrance and looked inside, Maya wasted no time to push him, making him trip on his way in. "Fucking hell, woman. You'll make me break my neck one of these days".

"Let's get down to business then," she responded casually, seemingly paying no mind to his complaint. Grunting and mumbling something briefly, Hawke stepped deeper into the room, looking around. "Of course but mind me asking, wouldn't we have it easier with you being 'Maya' instead? Since, you've already made sure the girl is safe enough, which I assume means two unfamiliar faces would fail at miserably..."

Regardless of his general intelligence, Hawke's experience in handling similar business was almost always a straight-forward one. All of the spy business and affairs were an absolutely new and perplexing experience. Something he was not necessarily proud of, but just as well eager to learn.

@Sailor Arti - Maya Daltigar
 
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And while the unexpected bloodshed revolved in front of her eyes, pained expression on Zea's face briefly changed into an amused one. There was something absolutely wonderful in raw strength clashing and spilling blood. So wonderful that she couldn't help but chuckle audibly when Torsten's axe hacked right through the large man in front of him, letting blood out of the body in thick streams that blessed him and the ground they were on. As the man stumbled backwards helplessly, life certainly leaving his body slowly and painfully, Zea straightened up slowly and was now kneeling as she held her arm wrapped around a painful point on her bruised ribs. Her chuckle over the situation was briefly interrupted by audible inhales and exhales, partially of excitement and partially of pain she felt as she breathed in against her bruised side.

With one more exhale to compose herself, she straightened up slowly and looked up at the blacksmith she hadn't seen lift his weapon in such deadly manner until that very moment. Her violet orbs studied his tense stance, his expression and all the life he was covered with profoundly. It was all so... amusing. Amusing enough for her face not to be able to resist another wide, almost maniacal grin, just before her shoulders and her core started to shake against the unwilling wave of unbearable laughter she tried to hold in, but only briefly.

"Hah... Hahaha..." she broke off her silence as she observed Torsten for a moment before she finally erupted in gradually louder and more persistent laughter, throwing her head back finally roaring with it so loud that the entire alley echoed with it. Even when the pain in her side forced her to lean forward against it, she still laughed violently, tears filling her eyes. The blood, the violence, the pain and the hopelessness of the situation. It was all so unbelievably funny. So beautiful.

Only when he approached to her did she make any effort to compose herself, albeit it still persisted in a form of brief snickers and deep interrupted breaths serving to put an end to the emotion. Breathing in, she cleared her throat finally able to speak through her throat violated with the outburst that happened just moments ago. "I sure as hell thought you didn't have it in you, Blondie", she grinned at him as she adjusted to the more comfortable sitting position, wincing slightly. "Surely, you've proved me wrong. And may I add, you never looked better while doing it. Don't give me ideas", she added nonchalantly, checking her own damage and concluding she'd live.

The dog did not take long to join the party. Dragging herself, she was quick to surrender herself to her owner's hands, waging her tail all the same, regardless of the pain she might have been in. Observing the two briefly, Zea still had a hard time wrapping her mind around the unquestionable loyalty that creature held for the blacksmith and the unquestionable love and affection he had for the beast. It was a bit fascinating and a bit pathetic at the same time. Nevertheless, she would be a fool not to be grateful for beast's efforts.

"She'll be fine," she spoke again, interrupting the silence. "We just need to get this crap done with and find the girl. I can help your beast later", she grunted lightly as she stood up slowly. "I will kill that brat when I find her," she growled under her breath with evident annoyance over the issues Eloise put them all in selfishly. Regardless of pain that still coursed through her torso, Zea straightened herself up as much as she was able to, and turned to walk in the direction where the rich brat ran off to. "Hope we can avoid any other tight alleys further from here", Zea mumbled as she moved forward stubbornly. "I don't wish for any more excitement today."

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There was only as much as lord Baratheon wished to involve himself into Stark and Lannister's family business. And while he was able to and willing to remind his friend of what was expected to all of them today, there was little to nothing he was willing to do to step on either of their toes during their personal banter. After all, he certainly never appreciate his own family business being interjected. The chuckle that Lioness offered to the Wolf was hardly that of enjoyment, however. Kaylee's words and tone, to an untrained ear, would sound slightly self-centered but relatively respectable. Arley on the other hand preemptively rubbed his temple, gesturing his squire to come closer.

"On second thought, Selmy. I'll have another chalice please," he requested with audible exhaust in his voice as he pushed his empty chalice to the boy that was quick to obey, immediately looking for servants with wine. And while the boy was away, the situation grew exponentially more heated. Cursed drink couldn't have reached him fast enough. No more, no less, Kaylee aimed to sting where Eddard would surely notice.

"You're a smart man! Surely if you invested as much time into matchmaking as you do your career in politics you'd come back with...interesting results." After what seemed to be awkwardly tense pause, lord Stark responded with a tone just as forcefully polite, although slightly less discreet.

"Last I heard you had no match yourself. Perhaps we ought to combine forces in the search for the person we wish to spend the rest of our lives with."

"Hm", Arley scoffed at it with mild amusement. With two perfectly healthy eyes, the man remained blind to something that arguably bared quite the significance. But in order to justify his subtle reaction to something less invasive, the Stag shifted in his chair with a lopsided smirk. "To leave me all alone with my single status would be quite the betrayal", he jested briefly just before his squire once again appeared behind him, lowering the lord's chalice back at it's respectable place on the table with a deep bow. "My lord, as you requested."

Truth be told, Arley's generous smile that followed was less of a courtesy and more a genuine gratefulness over Selmy's effort. "Lovely. Thank you, Tyne. I appreciate it." And perhaps the squire would never fully understand how true and honest those words were.

He took a sip of wine the first ting after Kaylee spoke again, requesting of her cousin to talk more of himself and his time well spent and he quickly humored her. "I have been busy," he responded genuinely. "Preparing for the summit was one thing, but many of my people are getting restless. They long for the North and their ancestral seats. Following Lord Erick's disappearance, rumors have grown out of control. The memory of White Walkers is still fresh in memory and people demand answers. Visenya most of them all." Now that was something the Stag truly understood as being a struggle all on its own. With tensions of their own growing and pulsating across the Stormlands, he could not help but to sympathize with the man.

"That is... rather unfortunate," he spoke with slight disappointment. People were strong only as much as their leaders were and the other way around. It was a symbiotic relationship that suffered no shortcuts and shortcomings. It said a lot about the state of North in the present day, but its representatives seemed to be stuck terrifyingly deep into the past to help the case. "I have no doubt however, that Visenya is aware of true priorities on her agenda. If anyone would be able to pull the horse out of the quicksand single-handedly, that would be her," he smirked at Eddard as he complimented lady Mormont in her absence. "I'd say you have nothing to worry about when it comes to that." It was an honest mention of Visenya's abilities. From all he was told and all he was able to witness, lady Mormont was among the most respectable highborns in his book. It was almost a shame her role was that of a runner-up. Unfair, even.

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