two | video

[whichend]

[ Arya has gotten much better at using the camera on this thing since she arrived, and she's able to keep the camera focused on herself this time without much effort. Which is good, because she knows she needs to be taken seriously if this is going to work.

Arya is standing in the charred remains of what looks like was once a kitchen. The setting is on purpose -- it's a reminder to what happened, and what needs to be done because of it. ]

Hello, Hadriel.

You all know what happened last month. You know how the food was contaminated, and you saw the sickness that took many of us, and caused the sick to feed upon the healthy whether they liked it or not. This happened because we are too dependent on food from beings we do not see and do not fully understand.

[ She says, firmly. ]

We cannot afford to rely on the gods like we are children, and they are parents. There is enough of us here to survive on our own, all of us, if we work for it. We share one thing: whatever each person may think about this place, none of us were brought here willingly. That, I think, is enough to trust one another if not work together.

There are other ways to get food. There is a man named Newt here who knows how to grow it, and if that is your interest or specialty, it may be a good idea to talk to him. I can hunt, and I think there are a few more of us here who can as well. There is certainly enough of us to find food for everyone. Monsters can be meat, and more and more monsters are brought in every month. We need not go hungry, and we need not be helpless.

[ Arya swallows. Off-camera, she's digging her nails into her palms, not wanting to say her last piece, but knowing she can't keep hiding it forever. There's a brief pause before she gathers herself enough to continue. ]

My name is Arya Stark. If you would like to contact me. If you are interested in hunting, in learning, in teaching others, or even simply becoming independent as a city.

Comments

[whichend]

Thank you.

[ Arya says, a little shyly. She's not good at compliments. ]

There's more patience involved. You are the attacker, not the creature you are hunting, no matter how deadly the creature. Some techniques may be the same, but you must have a different mindset. The creature is in more danger than you are, but you will be in danger if you do not eat. But if done right, the hunt can be exhilarating.

[foundafamily]

I didn't realize we were in this for exhilaration.

[He laughs, joking. Though it does make him wonder what kind of a fighter she is--and what kind she thinks she is--if she's so quick to point out the excitement.]

Anything I should avoid hittin'? Like, that'll mess up the meat. Obviously it's not a problem in dealin' with humans, so...

[So he has no idea what precautions he may need to take with regards to cleanliness. And it's always nice to make it clear that he's not a cannibal.]

[whichend]

No, we are in it for survival and independence. I first learned how to fight for the exhilaration, and I have found that same feeling in the hunt, at times. It can be comforting.

[ Arya thinks for a moment. Most of her hunting experience has been in the body of a wolf, and wolves hunt much differently than humans. Still, some things carry over. ]

Quick, clean deaths are best. They are the most respectful too. Try to avoid winging a bird, for example, and letting it bleed to death. The meat will be tough if you do it that way.

*"what kind she thinks he is," oops

[foundafamily]

[Firo can't think of how killing and eating something isn't disrespectful in the first place, but doesn't seize on that detail. It's hardly important.]

Can do.

And were you planning on getting all this food together in one place? Like a grocery store or something?

[whichend]

I do not know what a grocery store is, but yes, collecting all the food in one place would be a good idea, to ensure everyone knows where it is. We can set up some kind of exchange, but we must still be careful that those who are hungry are not denied food.

[foundafamily]

It's basically like that--the exchange, not the helpin' people from goin' hungry part.

[He spends a second--at most--thinking about how that'd work before giving up.]

...Can't really make heads or tails of that organization stuff anyway, so I'll leave that all to you. But you can rely on me for the meat--just tell me where to bring it.

[whichend]

I shall. What is your name?

[ It's all for contact purposes, of course. ]

[foundafamily]

Firo Prochainezo. You?

[whichend]

[ Arya hesitates for a moment. The second time sharing her name isn't much easier than the first. ]

Arya Stark.

[foundafamily]

[Jokingly, he can't help but notice that hesitation:]

You sure about that?

[But he shouldn't let it interfere with a proper, polite introduction, so he moves right along.]

Nice meeting you. Or as nice as it can be here.

[whichend]

[ Of all the things to joke about, Arya's identity crisis probably isn't one of them. Her whole body stiffens, and her voice sounds as if it's made of ice. ]

No, Firo. I am not sure. You are lucky you still hold your own name. Take care not to lose it.

[foundafamily]

What's that?

[He's startled; that doesn't seem like the kind of thing to get angry over, and what she's talking about just doesn't make sense to him.]

Thanks, miss, but my memory's not that bad.

[whichend]

[ Arya sighs, just barely audible, but she's clearly irritated. Firo, she thinks, is extremely naive. ]

It is not a question of your memory, but of your will. Items are not the only thing that can be stolen. Guard yourself carefully.

[foundafamily]

...And you're saying this happened to you here?

[This has to be a joke. But it's an awfully weird joke--how could she expect anybody to believe it?]

[whichend]

Not here. Back in my own world. But it was the work of humans and desperation, not gods, and there is no reason why it can't happen here.

[foundafamily]

Well, you got it back, right? You just used a name. What'd you have to do for it?

[Kill the person who took it, maybe? With embarrassment, Firo realizes that's probably a little overboard. All you'd really need to do is start using it again, right? A name can't truly be stolen, he's sure.]

[whichend]

[ Arya shakes her head, visibly frustrated. This man doesn't get it. ]

By using it, I am trying to take it back. Calling myself Arya feels as strange to me as it would to you if you used that name, perhaps even more so, since it has been forbidden to me.

There is a lot of meaning in a name.

[foundafamily]

[He doesn't get it--not even close.]

A name's a word. There're important names, but power?

No offense, lady, but it sounds like something somebody'd make up to get at gullible people.

[Not that he has any idea how that'd work or why, but actually trying to figure that out would require critical instead of dismissive thinking.]

[whichend]

Perhaps they mean little in your world. They mean a great deal in mine.

[ Arya says, cooly, bordering on anger. ]

[foundafamily]

[He's undeterred by the undercurrent of anger; she's being a lot more civil than the mad people he's used to. And a lot of his own insensitivity is lost on him.]

In that case, you should just forget all about that stuff. Then you'd have an advantage over everybody else, wouldn't you?