paradisa | (no subject)

[Jon Snow went to the kitchen with Catelyn Stark to get something to eat. No, not because they are magically friends, or because she finally accepted him as a son. They went together because they had to. As in, their hands are cuffed together.

At least the castle had had the decency to make the chain long, but they were still forced to be in the same room. After being kidnapped by a castle, attacked by a demon, and smooched by another demon, Jon truly hated the castle. And this just made him loathe it all the more.
He is in the kitchen, rummaging around in that frozen box. He turns from it quickly with food in hand, pulling the chain.

Catelyn makes a little irritated sound as her hand is yanked toward him. Really, this was unacceptable. Winterfell was not large enough for her to comfortably bear his presence. And now it was so much worse- his face now a constant reminder of the husband she had lost as well as old wounds.]

Mind yourself.

[Her tone had started out as merely icy, but the longer they were stuck together, the more open hostility crept into it.

Jon looks up in surprise. He glances down at the chain, realizing his mistake. He mumbles the following response.]

Forgive me, Lady Stark.

[He walks over to the table, setting down a plate of food on the table and two empty plates beside it. He takes a plate, glancing up at her to see if she’ll join him.

Catelyn hesitates. She still doesn’t want to be friendly with him. But a few simple gestures on her part will make this more bearable for the both of them. She sits at the place he has set, looking for all the world like she’s swallowed something distasteful.]

[ooc: Loss start! Catelyn Stark is green and Jon Snow is blue. Open! Please bother them and listen to awkward silences!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh yeah, manners. He puts his piece of bread down.]

Very well, thank you. As is Ghost.

I have also been well. [Such great conversationalists, these three.]

Hmn. [ The very best. Who needs words? His head tilts a tiny bit at the bread being put down. ]

Not here, though. [ An unsaid 'pity'. He likes Ghost. ]

.... [ Aha. He found something he's interested in eating. ]

[And Ghost likes Duke, but Catelyn and Jon together is uncomfortable, even for a direwolf.]

No, he hasn't been very sociable lately. He's asleep in my room.

Ah...would you care to join us, Duke?

Please. [And she'll gesture at an empty seat (possibly jerking the chain in the process). Please come make this less awkward, Duke.]

[ Duke lifts his head and looks ... more or less in the right direction. ]

..... [ quietly gathering up what he plans to use for a sandwich, standing, and turning in place after closing the door. ]

..... Seat nearest unused?

Yes. Please, sit down.

[He pulls the chair out for Duke.]

[ Ah. His head moves to face more or less directly at that moved chair. He can find that. And he does so - moving carefully and stopping a bit early rather than knock his leg into the chair. Some careful sitting - making sure he's all of the way on the seat before he attempts to put all of his weight there.

Not so very awkward? Right?

A slight nod of his head - trying to be somewhat polite here - and he'll start making his sandwich. ]

[Jon waits for a bit. No one speaks. All right, he'll try. He turns to Catelyn.]

Lady Stark, did you know Duke speaks to animals?

[Well, that catches her interest.]

I did not.

[ Even if both of them know that he can't see, he's still going to do some habits like he can.

Like glancing up from his sandwich making when his name is mentioned and what -

.. oh. ]

.... Can. [ He really has nothing to add other than an indication that Jon was right. If Catelyn mentions that he's a mage, he's going to be somewhat amused. And the cheese is a bit too large of a chunk for his sandwich. Breaking an edge of now. ]

[Whoa, yeah! A conversation! Sorry, Duke. Subject stays on you.]

Yes, actually, he spoke to Ghost on my first day here. It was rather remarkable. I think you told Ghost you could speak to other animals, am I right?

The direwolves have always been more intelligent than most animals. [She won't forget how Summer saved Bran.]

... no 'Dire' wolves, where I am from. Black, yes. Aersick, but most things can get so. A Fenrir, living among the Erealumen Crystalands. I have interacted with a dragon here, and found him as easy to understand as I did both wildlife and the beings known as monsters. [ Can he. Start eating and avoid answering questions about how he mentioned monsters. ]

Monsters? What do you mean, 'monsters'?

[Not getting off that easy, Duke.]

I would like to hear more of the dragons as well. [Sorry, Duke. This is what you get for providing an interesting distraction.]

[ He's not going to get to eat his sandwich for a little while, is he.

Just. setting that down. ]

From common creatures such as ratwigle - rodents with no hind legs - to rarer being such as the Giganto - a few of them - Griffin; a mix of eagle and some four legged beast, Brucis; something that resembles a Mountico but for wings upon its head and scales like those of that classification, and Fenrir; a white-and-black wolf that stands tall enough that my head would be knock against the deepest point of its chest. The population of such creatures dwarfs that of humans and Kritya upon Terca Lumireis. [ Yes. He can speak for more than a sentence or two at a time. ]

As for the dragon - I have encountered it only a few times - but it is not a being of rough scales and edges; one can leave a hand on upon one side while the dragon is in motion and not gain cut palms. He smells little of fire, but enough that I can assume he does breath it, and seems to be designed best for flight. [ A pause, and tilting his head slightly toward Catelyn. ]

Seems more like an overlarge cat than anything interested in burning buildings.

So many creatures I have not heard of...

[He's sitting there, taking all that information in.]

They say the last dragons of Westros were no larger than a small dog.

.... Small dog? Shoulder to ground, head to start of tail? [ Brief indication of the sizes - something that might stand at mid-thigh, counting its head, about three foot long in body. ] The one I have encountered here - I think once, he was of a size easily carried. Perhaps a 'loss', but other times of a size to easily carry a human.

I have encountered perhaps some 223 different types of monsters - some that are breeds, others that are one of a kind. The growth of human civilization upon Terca Lumireis is limited due to them; partially because humans do not seem to be particularly intelligent in their chosen locations for building, and partially because most monsters would prefer to attack most humans.