hadriel | two

[ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Okay. Cool, that's good.

[He means it; it's pretty obvious she didn't end up going somewhere safe, but at least she's not hurt. Ultimately that's the important part.]

And um... The rest of what you're saying is a good idea, yeah. I'm not sure how I could actually help, but...

[But he agrees on the whole 'not relying on the gods' thing.]

Participating is also useful. Show the gods that it works. That we do not need them, and they cannot use us.

[ Everyone is important here, in order to make this work. ]

Yeah, okay, that's true.

[Although...]

We should like, consider what might happen if we end up being totally successful, though. If we manage to somehow just do our own thing, without needing or supporting the gods any way, they may decide they don't want us here at all.

[Which could be a problem. He's not saying it outweighs the benefits of being more self-sufficient, but rather that they just might want to prepare for it.]

You bring up a good point.

[ Arya chews her lip a little, thinking. ]

There are a few ways to address that. We could speak to the gods ourselves, intervene and reach a kind of understanding before they decide we are not needed. Or, we can be sneaky. Give then just enough feeling to keep them hobbling along, so that they still need us, but not enough to make them all-powerful. .

I don't think we're gonna have too much trouble with Hope letting us do our own thing since like... The less he has to do for us the better, I think? For him, not just us. So I'm not sure we have to worry too much about what he'll do, or even like, working with him for some things.

[Because while he's all for not needing any of the gods, that doesn't mean they should completely shut themselves off from help from a possible ally.

The other two, though...]

It'd be a lot harder for us to like... Not feel fear or rage or whatever at all than to feel enough to give them some power. So the second plan's probably the best, though I'd be kind of... You know, worried if we're not giving them enough. They're already doing shit to us to make us give them more power anyway,

[He's not sure if he's more worried about them deciding none of the people here are worth dealing with and just killing them off, or that they'll pull out all the stops to gather more energy. He's not interested in a repeat--or worse--of the burial or wendigo events, especially since the latter seems like it wasn't even on purpose.]

All of us live with some fear, some rage. Some may feel it more than others. [ she gives Chris a rueful smile. ] I am one of those people. But some are better at hoping, and perhaps if we share in our emotions, we can all together produce enough to just barely sustain the gods.

[ Arya's tone turns darker, more ominous. ]

And then, we strike.

Yeah. Maybe.

[He's a little doubtful, but not at Arya in specific; this is just really complicated and risky, and he's not all that sure yet that it could be pulled off.

At that last part, he has to ask--]

Strike how? What's the endgame plan there?

Anything that lives can die. [ Arya's lips quirk up in an ominous half-smile. ] Including gods.

Valar morghulis, Chris.

[He'd figured this is where she was going with this, but doesn't look at all confident about the idea.]

Yeah, but just because they might be able to die doesn't mean anyone could manage to kill them.

[And he's more than a little afraid that they're paying attention to this conversation. He's distracted, though, by Arya's last comment.]

What's that mean?

It means whatever you need it to mean. I have used it in many different ways, over the years.

[ she's being purposefully cryptic, as a caution against snooping gods. ]

It is an expression of religion. Of power. Of comfort. Of death.

It is not in your language, and you may do with it what you will.

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