hadriel | Video 7 - Sewing Shop

Entry tags:

Video 7 - Sewing Shop

[the video opens on Margaery in the Sewing Shop, dressed of course to impress and show off her work. what is unusual is that she's holding a sword in her lap and that the Shop looks like it's been scrubbed from ceiling to floor and everything in between.

what may also be unusal to those who can notice such things, there have been magical wards placed around the Shop to deter violence and keep certain types of beings out.

Margaery smiles welcomingly at the camera, although those who know her well enough can tell that it's a little forced]

Hello, everyone! The Sewing Shop is open again to attend to your needs. Can you not find what you're looking for in the shops? Or are you just plain sick of wearing the same things day in, day out? Come in and request whatever you need. The only payment I require is a bolt of fabric from Tranquility.

I also give sewing lessons to those who wish to learn.

[to Washington and Kelson]

I have what you requested ready for you to pick up at any time. I hope to see you soon.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Kelson moved in closer as Margaery closes in on herself, leaning against him, the red of his top wetting against her tears. He takes a breath and ignore propriety in a moment of empathy, wrapping his other arm around her and holding her close. She felt good tucked against him.]

I'm glad you've learned. I don't stop being a friend because someone told me the truth, that they made a mistake, however horrible. It was a good start telling me, and Jon and Sansa. You made a mistake, you've learned here to correct them. That makes me happy, Margaery.

[But he wasn't the one she had to make happy. As for John, well he had been someone Kelson hadn't yet connected with House Stark. Clearly he needed genealogy scrolls]

Now, why don't you tell me what has you so upset. Is the thought of me being angry with you so frightening?

[and still she cries, hands going up to clutch his shoulders]

So am I, even though it was . . . hard to let go of old habits and build new ones in their places. And thank you for not turning your back on me. I would have been so hurt if you had. I--back home, I had allies. Here, I have friends. I much prefer friends.

[the idea of facing Sansa and Jon over this terrifies her, but she knows it must be done]

Yes. You're a good man and a good king. And you weren't here when I was a child, were you?

[Kelson wished he had a handkerchief, instead he wiped her tears as best he could with his fingers, holding her close, protectively with one arm.]

I prefer friends too. If you truly have changed Margaery, you have no reason to fear losing me. In Gwynedd, oaths are sworn between a king and his subjects, you are not my vassal, but if you do not lose faith in me, I will not lose faith if you.

[He reached out to gently stroke her hair, letting his fingers get lost in the strands.[

No, I wasn't. Were you safe here?

[her tears are slowing because of his reassurances, but she doesn't move her head]

I have changed. I swear it on my life. And I won't lose faith in you or give you cause to lose it in me.

[she sighs. she's always loved having her hair fussed with]

Well, another child threatened to kill me because he hated nobility, but a kind man named Ephemera taught me how to use a dagger. So then I was safe.

[Kelson meanwhile is quite enjoying having her head against him. Despite it being not exactly the best moment, he realized just how lonely he was, both here and in Gwynedd. He was used to being surrounded by men, but most of those men weren't kings and didn't understand the pressures. Margaery was as close to a companion as he was going to find. Until he found a wife. Maybe he was starting to understand a little, that running away wasn't the best option here.]

I believe you.[Although he didn't need to truth read her to know she was telling the truth, he did anyway, habit. It took very little effort and he was comforted knowing that she believed what she was saying. She had changed.]

People have many reasons to hate others, whether it's their rank, race, where they were born. I'm glad you found someone who was able to take care of you.

[The dagger he was less thrilled about, but that was acceptable. The sword less so.]

How old was the child?

[and she's still sniffling, so she's not likely to leave any time soon. and no one but another monarch can understand the pressures that come with wearing a crown]

Thank you. [under normal circumstances, she wouldn't be thrilled to know her mind was being read in a way, but now she'd be grateful that he believed her when she was telling the truth, that she was no longer the same fiercely ambitious young thing she'd been before her death]

Most people were kind to me. Just the one was cruel. And it was . . . nice seeing others as children and being able to compare it with who they are now.

[she's not getting rid of the sword]

I think around ten. Why?

[Kelson kept his arms wrapped around her, hoping it was comforting and made her feel safe as was his intention. One hand still wrapped itself in her hair, it was long and beautiful and soft, and he started to wonder if women in her world changed their hair styles when they got married. As for the magic, well, no one had yet told him that was impolite. He was so used to it being accepted, or at least he thought what people didn't know didn't hurt them.]

Ten years old. Not quite of age yet, but old enough to start royal page training at least. Old enough to know better.

[He paused.]

I'm sorry I made you cry.

[it is comforting and it does make her feel safe. she's had a hard time feeling safe these days. as for women changing their hair, Margaery hadn't. she usually just wore it down in curls if she worked at it, waves if she didn't with the sides pinned back. that might be one secret he might want to keep as it would prove itself very helpful]

Yes, I suppose so. I know the person as an adult, though, so I suppose I'm not surprised, looking back.

[she looks up at him]

It's all right.

[Kelson is quite enjoying having her in his arms, she feels good and soft and fits nicely around his arms. He played with the strands of her hair softly, letting them thread through his fingers, tips stroking her head.]

Is this an adult I should watch for?

[Kelson asked rather warily, not liking anyone who threatened nobility as children, he doubted they learned their lesson as adults.]

Are you alright?

[He wasn't letting go.]

[she burrows in a little closer. she really does enjoy having her hair played with and she's feeling nice and warm]

No. At least I don't think so. Our friendship has been--strained since the incident, but I don't think he means anyone any harm now. He's one of the healers at the Clinic.

[there are so many things to be wary of here. he shouldn't worry himself into making more of them]

I--I think so.

[she stays where she is]

[The clinic. Kelson hadn't even thought about that. He was so used to Morgan being able to heal any injuries he had now that he forgot that actual physicians are needed. Wait. She said healer. He kept his arms around her, sighing almost contentedly, fighting the part of him that wants to lift her head up and kiss those lips. Although he was quite sure that was taking emotional advantage of the woman and rather frowned upon. Forcing yourself upon a woman who you had just reduced to tears was not honorable.]

Healer? Or Physicians? Are there both here?

[This really wasn't the most honorable position to be in to begin with. Here he was, alone with the woman and holding her close, my god this was so improper. He traced his fingers along the small of her back.]

Good.

[and Margaery is too used to Maesters who study all subjects, not just medicine. she's still uncertain about modern medicine and psychotherapy, even if she really could use some of the latter. she stays where she is. she's a very tactile person, always taking the arm or hand of others or touching them in other ways. it's reassuring]

Both, I think? I've had no use of either as the only time I've been sick was the time the entire town was ill.

[quite improper. has she managed to seduce him by accident? if so, that would be a first]

Are you all right?

[Psychotherapy was something he was unfamiliar with as well, at least in its present form. In his experience, such things had always been relegated to the role of a confessor or priest. As for touching, Kelson was used to people touching him at home, he had his squires for regular occasions, multiple dressers for formal and state affairs. But touching other people? That got more complicated. He wasn't necessarily opposed to it, but there were the pesky issues of honor and chivalry to think about, not to mention potentially leaving a bunch of bastard children in his wake. It seemed easier, to, well, not too.

So for as much as Kelson wanted too, and he did want too, he forced himself to remove his hands and take a step back. Before his body and mind betrayed him.]

Your Grace, I apologize for my behavior. This is not height of propriety.

[Yes, poor boy was worried about your honor, Margaery. It was almost funny. As for seducing him? Kelson was an eighteen year old virgin. Seducing him probably wasn't that difficult. If you could get him to stop thinking.]

[in Westeros, such things weren't discussed at all. and of course Margaery was used to being touched by her handmaidens as they dressed or undressed her. she also experienced less gentle touches in her prison cell when she was held by the Faith. but she was used to friendly touching, taking the hand or the arm of a friend, giving them hugs, putting her arm around a waist. innocent or playful in intent.

she blinks as he lets her go and steps away. has she done something wrong?]

What? There was nothing wrong with what you did. I was--overwrought and you were comforting me.

[her honor is just fine. it endured taking a lover and living with a man who was not her husband here. and she honestly wouldn't mean to seduce him, that's the funny part]

[In Kelson's experience, such touch was usually done when people weren't looking (check), or in men and women of considerable less honor and virtue. But in many ways, Westeros was significantly less restrained than Gwynedd....not surprising considering how many of the Eleven Kingdoms consider Gwynedd occasionally backwards in some respects.]

There wasn't?

[Perhaps this was a cultural misunderstanding, as Kelson was sure he had put the lady's honor at risk. Maybe he should explain. And use proper titles.]

We are unchaperoned, alone in a building, Your Grace.

[Yes, he focused on that instead of other things. Like the curve of her breasts.]

[there are likely just as many in Essos and here (especially here) who feel the same about Westeros, that it's backwards and uncivilized. she tries to ignore such opinions. it bothers her too much otherwise]

No, absolutely not.

[Margaery has acclimated herself to Hadriel and its norms of behavior for the most part because she wants to go to 21st century Earth when she leaves. her honor is at no risk by those standards]

We are, but there was nothing wrong with what you did.

[hard to avoid noticing in that dress she wears]

[yes there were some he'd encountered here who were perplexed by his attitude, and thought Kelson quite confusing. Or confused. or just plain weird. Backwards.]

Are you not concerned for your honor?

[Kelson wasn't going to leave it that easily, he was also a little confused. Maybe it was different in her world? Either way, the boy was going to need it spelled out for him. As for her breasts, yes, her current clothing choice made the soft curve easily within view. Gwyneddian dress was a lot less close fitting and there was definitely more cloth. Margaery probably would not like it very much.]

[it never gets any easier, being considered backwards]

No. I've been wedded and bedded and now I'm a widow. None thought twice when I fell in love and lived with a man.

[she's going by Hadriel standards, not Westerosi standards. by Westerosi standards, she would be putting her honor at risk, but here it's not a concern. and no, she doesn't like clothing that's looser with more cloth to conceal. she had to wear it after her ordeal with the Faith and found it stifling]

[No it didn't. At least in Gwynedd he was gaining a reputation for trying to combat it. Here, well, he was up against 900 years of cultural progression. He was lucky he hadn't seen anyone in a bikini yet.

But hearing Margaery's tale of no one caring that she fell in love and lived with a man, unwedded, was bordering on horrifying. Although, as Kelson considered it, he saw little few options here, unless all the unmarried women lived together for security. There were enough here who did not believe in such things as well.]

It doesn't bother you?

[No, Margaery would not like Gwyneddian clothing. Margaery, Kelson noticed, enjoyed playing the cloth off her body. That was her weapon, just as much as the sword.]
]

[Westeros is peculiar. it can even be said to have backslid in terms of technology. after all, there are none alive in Westeros who could manage architectural feats like the Wall or Winterfell or Storm's End.

she's technically living with two other widows, Sansa and Daenerys, along with Jon Snow. and no, nobody cared that she lived with a man who was not her husband. most of those who knew her were happy for her, in fact]

No. Where I'm going, the rules of behavior are a lot more . . . forgiving. As they are here.

[it's what she'd been used to prior to her ordeal with the Faith, so after she could choose and make her own clothing again, she went with what she liked]

[Westeros and Gwynedd have that in common. Two centuries ago, Gwynedd had magic down to a science, schools and orders, lessons methodically planned out, magic and architecture feeding into eachother. Now, in Kelson's time, most didn't even know they could do magic, or if they could they were in hiding. The schools and orders had vanished, the books and teachings lost. If any,found the ruins of the magic infused architecture, they did not know what they were looking at, and if they did, no idea how to replicate it, or even what it was for. Most did not know the extent of what they could do, and those that had inklings did not share. ]

Perhaps I should try to adapt then as well.

[He did not want to adapt, but Kelson was clearly going to have to make some sacrifices if he was going to keep seeing women walking around in pants and some articles he wasn't even sure were actually clothing.]

[such terrible losses in knowledge and history. she's not sure what caused the decline in Westeros, other than perhaps once there was a time with giants of knowledge, all dwindled down to the brown mice known as Maesters. she would be curious to know what caused Gwynedd's fall, though]

Perhaps a little? But not too much. You don't have the option of going to another world. Your own world needs you.

[Margaery can understand why women wear pants here, but she's going to cleave to her dresses]

[Kelson would have been interested to compare what happened between their two lands. He knew exactly what happened to cause all the lack of knowledge. Prejudice, bigotry and wide spread slaughter. He'd love to tell her all about Gwynedd's history. It was something he was most passionate about. After all, he couldn't fix it without knowing what had happened before.]

No, I don't think Gwynedd could handle it if I did not return. I certainly could not handle it. I'm as much wed to my kingdom as I would any bride.

[He took a breath.]

I shall try to bend. Slightly.

[she would love to hear it. history is something she's genuinely interested in. and she would share Westeros' history in return]

You are a true king. [she considers for a moment] I love Westeros. I love its people. But I know there's no going back.

[she looks concerned] You shouldn't force yourself to change for the comfort of others.

[He would love to hear Westeros' history and the history of the different houses. Had they made some of the same mistakes Gwynedd had? What precipitated different chains of events?

Kelson gave her a small smile]

Death I'm afraid is rather permanent. As for changing, I've been ....moderating who I am for others my entire reign.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject