ᴡɪɴᴛᴇʀ ʟɪᴠᴇs ɪɴ ᴍʏ ʙᴏɴᴇs

[wolfchild]

[ She stumbles into snow. The cold slices into her. Soaked, filthy, with travel-stained clothes turned almost to rags on her skinny frame and matted, tangled hair only just growing out again, she looks little like a girl, much less like the missing younger Stark daughter.

She sniffles and wipes her nose with the back of her hand. Her face is uncomfortably hot yet she's freezing. Her shivering near knocks her off her feet as she clambers up the steps. ]

My mother…

[ Arya feels her eyes fill with tears. She was going to find her mother and her brother. She was almost home. It wasn't fair. ]

Comments

[secondchances]

For you. Right now.

[wolfchild]

I want to be left alone.

[secondchances]

Arya. [That's the last thing Steph wants to do.] I can't do that. You're a mess. You don't have to tell me what happened, but let me at least get you to your room.

[wolfchild]

I don't remember which is my room.

[secondchances]

Then I can help you look. Is that alright?

[wolfchild]

…fine.

[secondchances]

Alright. [A smile.] Do you remember if it's on the main floors, or a tower?

[wolfchild]

[ She doesn't return it. ]

A tower.

[secondchances]

That makes it easier. Let's go.

[She turns, trusting Arya to follow.]

The hair is cute, by the way.

[wolfchild]

I had to have it cut so I wouldn't be raped.

[secondchances]

[Steph nearly stumbles over the stone in the floor, and turns to stare at Arya. She looks torn between angry and horrified.]

I said you didn't have to tell me what happened, but I've got to ask: what the hell was going on? What happened?

[wolfchild]

War makes men into animals.

[secondchances]

You went home.

[It takes a lot of effort to keep her blood from boiling over, but she manages it. Whatever is going on for Arya at home isn't something she can help, and that's frustrating. All she can do is do what she can right now, but she needs to keep calm to do so.]

I'm sorry. None of that is here. You're safe from it.

[wolfchild]

[ There's no such thing as safe. ]

I guess so.

[secondchances]

Your mom is here, right? [She pays attention, sometimes.] Does she live with you?

[wolfchild]

She was.

[secondchances]

[CAN'T

SAY

ANYTHING

RIGHT.]

She left?

[wolfchild]

I don't know. I don't think she'll be here. [ She's operating under the assumption a year at home means a year here. ]

[secondchances]

Alright. We'll just focus on getting you to your room, first. Maybe a bath, too.

[wolfchild]

[ Arya nods. ]

You're Stephanie. Right?

[secondchances]

You got it. [A tight smile. Right, the fuzzy memories.] Last time we met, you were tossing chairs into the pool, and you told me about how long winter lasts at home.

[wolfchild]

I remember. It's autumn now. It'll start snowing soon.

[secondchances]

You'll have to wait to see that first snowfall, looks like. We're still covered in snow, here. Obviously.

[Up a tower they go.]

Let me know if any of this sparks your memory.

[wolfchild]

Aren't all the rooms the same? They'll all have a bath.

[ She opens the first door without a name they reach. ]

[secondchances]

That works, too.

[The "default" rooms make her tense, after finding so many rooms of people she knew set back to this without warning, but she swallows it down and steps around Arya to head to the bathroom. She leans over the tub to turn on the faucet.]