maskormenacelogs

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WHO: Robb Stark & everyone
WHERE: De Chima - School (around 11 o clock) & the ice cream parlour he works (in the late afternoon)
WHEN: 13th of March
WHAT: Being new, trying to understand this new place
WARNINGS: n/a

school/around school
Back home, at Winterfell, Robb is quite an obedient young man. He is always on time when it comes to attending the lessons maester Luwin gave him. But here he skips school early, too early. Of course he doesn't dare to tell anyone that he finds this overwhelming, that he does not really feel as if he fits in. He learns of history he does not know of and he needs to replace his with names and objects that are completely foreign to him. But maybe it is also because he is the only one attending the school wearing a pair of leather breeches and firm boots that go up to his knees.

Robb can be found crawling through a hole in the fence with a determined expression on his face. Maybe he would return tomorrow. When the lessons would be different. Right now he needs to find out more about cars and televisions. And get something to eat. Something that is made out of meat instead of bread without taste.

Hungry like the Wolf - ice cream parlour
"But how is this paper more worth than coin?"

Robb is looking at the costumer in front of him, holding out the ten dollar bill they just gave him.

"I do not think that this will suffice. If you wish to purchase this ice cream, pay in coin. I do not think this paper with a man on it will be worth the same."

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De Chima wasn't the city that Laurel was placed in but it didn't stop her from exploring other places. She hoped to learn more about the people there, to find out if any of them needed any legal advice and explain to those who did that she was trying to set up something to facilitate that.

She passes by the school on Monday morning, taking a few moments to look at the building. A sound catches her attention and Laurel glances down to see a person coming through a gap in the fence. Absolutely not strange at all.

Except it kinda was.

"You okay down there?"

It's asked in a soft yet curious tone.

Theon has recently spent a hellish two days being followed by the ghost of Robb: not as Theon wishes to remember him, but as his guilt forces him to remember. It all weighs very heavily on his shoulders, but he doesn’t know where to go from here. He’s been taking long, meandering walks in an attempt to clear his mind. When he runs across a familiar auburn head squeezing through the fence on one of these walks, he’s stunned.

“Robb?”

His voice is strangled and, for a moment, he looks looks as though he’s been struck by lightning. After the happenings of last week, this is not a Robb he ever expected to see again. This Robb is still very young, unharmed, and Theon can’t yet see the worries of a King beginning to weigh on him. It’s difficult not to smile, though there are several things to worry about now. Hesitating only slightly, he steps forward to help Robb through the fence.

“They've tried to lock you in there, have they?"

It seems like the kid working the register is new. Like, very new, based upon his outfit, and general confusion regarding paper money. Tara hasn't had any experience with time travel, or anything like that, but hey. The whole 'multiple worlds' thing certainly seems to support this guy's existence.

"Hey, uh, buddy. I don't know where you're from, but generally, that paper is worth more than, uh, 'coin.'" She grins, making air quotes with her gloved hands. "Did they not cover what dollars were in your employee training?"

After a pause, she adds another question.

"Do you guys have free samples?"

It had been a shock to see Robb as a child still, not yet the grown man that he had parted with when he left for the Wall. This was the boy he had played with in the crypts, scaring their sisters and sparring later under Ser Rodrick's watchful gaze. Robb had no beard, no stubble, no sign of manhood. He was near the same age as Arya in this world, which was both disconcerting and disappointing. He could have used the man's opinion and aid in looking after the family. Instead, Jon now had to look after and protect Robb as well.

It was Robb that should be head of the family.

Still, before he could be bogged down with regret and frustration, he would find his brother acting in the way they had when they were younger. It was hardly a surprise to find him crawling from underneath the fence of his school, escaping with all the grace of a newborn calf.

"You will get stuck, if you're not careful." Jon said, unable to keep the amusement out of his voice.

Lirael totally entered the store by mistake. Having grown up in a place called the Glacier (which is an actual glacier, thank you very much) naturally draws her towards somewhere that claims to sell ice...cream? She's not sure what's that supposed to mean, but once inside she's pretty sure someone got the terminology wrong.

She catches a part of the conversation on her way in, quickly realizing what's going on. Maybe she should chime in...would the Abhorsen chime in? Maybe.

"Um." It's a pretty weak start, but she gets the attention of both parties involved. "As a matter of a fact, people in these lands give a different value to these pieces of paper. It has to do with the trust the government gives to it, so both people and businesses use them as if it was money. You have to admit it is far more convenient than carrying coins around."

Just attend the nice lady, Robb.

Briefly he thinks about the consequences of his act. His lord father would probably frown at him and tell him that a true Stark does not walk away from matters like this. Learning something is not something he should run from. For a short moment in time he feels regret. Gods, the last thing he wants is put his father to shame.

Yet, it is the sound of her voice that make him snap out of it.

“Um...” He moves to stand on his feet, a shy smile appearing on his face. “I am well, my lady.” She isn’t asking about why he is crawling through fences, so he decides not to bring it up.

“I am glad it is not raining today.”

Otherwise his breeches would be wet and terribly muddy.

Robb thanks the gods that his clothes survived the fence and he rolls over to his back to sit. His bag is a little heavy, holding books and pencils and the remains of sandwich. He does not stand yet, he thinks about where he wants to go and looks around himself.

And there he is. He could pick that face out of a thousand faces. Theon. Theon!

“Gods be good!” Robb looks perplexed and blinks a couple of times before he finally starts to move. “Theon? Is that truly you?”

But when Theon reaches out and Robb can grab his hand he is absolutely sure about it. It is Theon. And that would mean he is not alone here anymore. Not so very lost.

“The lessons they give are odd...”

They probably assumed that he knew about the worth of paper in this world and he blinks at her words.

“Well, buddy,” he says carefully, eyes narrowing a little as he studies her face. Buddy must be some sort of title here. Like ser or lady back home. “I know that people call their coin a dollar here but it would be folly to write a ten on a piece of paper and call it ten dollars. What if I would write down a thousand dollars onto paper? Would that mean I own a thousand?”

Robb smiles after saying that. What world would deem parchment or paper worth more than gold, silver or coppers?

“Free samples of what?”

When he gets up, it gives Laurel a chance to take a better look at him. He must be around thirteen or fourteen years old, probably not older than that. Which only leads her to suspect that he was skipping class.

But Laurel isn't going to mention anything about it right now, feeling more concerned about his safety than him missing school.

"Good." She replies, offering Robb a smile. The 'my lady' part may come up in her questioning later. "Yeah, I'm glad that it isn't raining either. I like spring weather."

Just keeping the conversation casual.

"My name is Laurel by the way. Hi."

He calls her buddy, and the corner of her mouth twitches. Oh boy. This could be fun--very fun. She probably shouldn't make fun of him too much, though. That would be mean.

"No, see, the paper is printed a certain way that gives it the value. You should, uh, definitely give him his change. And--free samples are something that ice cream places do. Like, you have tiny little spoons, and put them in the flavors and then give them to the customer to help them decide what to order."

Tara surveys him for a moment, before surveying the flavors.

"Ya got rocky road?"

Sansa is standing quietly to the side, smiling faintly to herself, as Robb argues with a customer about paper and coins. She'd had the same issue after her arrival and there are times when she still doesn't quite understand how it all works but she has a better grasp of it now.

Smiling fondly when it is her turn to step up to the counter, she eyes her (big?) brother while tilting her head ever so slightly to the side. There are moments when she can't believe that Robb is back in their lives and that he is younger than she is now but she will take having him back in any way that she can.

"Having fun?" She asks, still smiling.

When Jon starts to speak to him Robb lies on his back, his bag of books on the right of him. The hole in the fence had been too small to walk through. Of course he had to crawl.

“Jon?” At first he frowns and after that he smiles. “Gods, you look like an old man from here.” To be honest, Jon looked like an old man overall. Since when did he grow a beard? Did that happen on the Wall? How bloody unfair. Unconsciously Robb slides his fingers over his own, smooth chin. Not one hair in sight.

“I’ll be fine.” He rolls over to his stomach and moves to stand. Gods be good, now Jon is taller as well.

Robb can be stubborn about a lot of matters, but the thought of paper being worth more than gold makes him laugh a little. Apparently this world is full of surprises and he should hold on to his paper then. Or draw numbers and the faces of these men onto it and claim it a thousand dollars.

“You have the right of that. But it is still strange, my lady.” Maybe Robb should inquire with his superior but when he looks to the right he sees the man standing with a glare in his eyes that does not mean well. Apparently he should not make a fuss about paper money and just accept it as it is.

This government is as weird as their paper money. They are not kings or lords. They are presidents and ministers and governors.

“At least it is not heavy. Yet when the wind blows hard enough all your valuables will be flying away.” He chuckles and starts to put the ten dollar bill away.

He rolls his shoulders a little and straightens his shirt, trying not to look like a guilty teen who just escaped the school he should be in. Gods, he wishes he had a beard, at least he could pass as a man grown if his cheeks showed some stubble.

Robb nods and smiles at her words. All he knows of is summer and fall but he knew, before he ended up here, that it would not take long for winter to arrive. Some men at Winterfell told him that the winter would be harsh and long and that they should brace themselves for it.

“I am more fond of summer.” He cannot picture spring or winter. Spring would be less summer but also less winter. And winter, winter would be piles of snow and excruciating cold.

“Well met, my lady. My name is Robb Stark, son of lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell.” He nods deeply after speaking those words.

“Is it printed on a rare sort of paper?” He glances down at the note and pulls a bit of a face. “These notes do smell bad. Is it the smell that makes it valuable?” This is a serious question from a puzzled medieval young man.

And, of course, there is still a costumer standing in front of him. Gods, he is probably not made for this sort of work. He is better with horses. After he has given the man his money (all paper bills) he turns to the blonde young woman.

"I do not think we have such things. I have to ask the innk... the manager."

Robb has no idea if they have rocky road. Why would they make ice out of a rocky road? Unless it is a name for something quite delicious that looks like a rocky road.

"I do not know. But I do know we have banana and orange."

"That seems to be the way of the land and as guests..." she stops there. They're not guests, but hey, it sounds better than kidnap victims. "As residents here w are to abide by their ways. I suppose." She's not quite sold on the paper money either, although Sabriel claims this is a thing back home too.

"Now, what is this ice in cream that I hear of? It makes no sense to me."

"You know you probably would have had better luck going over the fence." She'd been on a short walk after her shift at the wildlife center, giving both herself and Nymeria another opportunity to get a bit more used to the place they'd ended up in. It was then, direwolf padding along at her side that she spied Robb, making his grand escape. This was still something Arya needed to get used to. Robb is the oldest of the Stark children and yet here he was... the youngest?

Gods be good but it was odd.

Either way she still smiled in amusement, crossing from the sidewalk to catch hold of the links to tug the hole open a little wider for him. Nymeria dipped her head with a soft huff of noise to sniff curiously at him, nose mussing through his hair in the process.

Edited 2017-03-16 02:44 (UTC)

"Something like that. The way the government prints them makes them valuable, because random people can't just make their own. That way, the rare metals can be used for other things, I think," Tara says, trying to sound as confident as possible. That's how money works, here, right?

"Yeah, definitely ask your manager. Free samples are the best at ice cream places." She pauses, considering the flavors. "Dude, you have a hell of a lot more than banana and orange. Do you want me to, like, explain them to you?"

Maybe she can weasel her way into some free ice cream. Or, if not, at least she could help this poor guy readjust.

"And you look like Bran," save for the actual ability to climb. For once, the memory of his brother does not cause him a jolt of pain. He could at least look at Robb and think of better times.

He offered out his arm, helping Robb get back on his feet. He was so much smaller than him now, lacking the muscles of a warrior or the later image of a conquering king. Had they really been this young once?

"Maester Luwin wouldn't approve of you fleeing your lessons." He smiled, recalling when they had done that once before. "You might learn something useful." Something that could help Jon understand this world better.

She had seen notes like this before, though they were hardly as popular or as frequently used as they seemed to be in this world. The young man's confusion was evident, as was the customer's anger. Alice looked between them both before moving to diffuse the situation as calmly as possible. It wouldn't do for there to be a conflict in this place, not with so many people watching.

"I believe that is the currency used in this world." She offered, hesitant and unsure despite what she had seen. "The Americans have adopted the note as a form of payment. I'm certain your employer could help clarify this?"

“It’s truly me,” he replies with a somewhat halfhearted smirk as he helps to pull Robb to his feet. “You haven’t forgotten my face already, have you?”

In a way, perhaps it would hurt less if he had forgotten Theon’s face. Robb will have to learn the truth eventually: everything from his death to Theon’s betrayal, and nothing will sting more than inevitably losing his friendship. For now, maybe Theon can push those concerns aside. Robb is here, he’s alive, and that’s what matters most.

“This place doesn’t share the same histories as Westeros.”

He eyes the school over Robb’s shoulder. He’s old enough that he’s never even had to approach it, but he's seen teenagers go in, and not emerge until much later.

“Is it true that they try to keep you in there for hours on end?”

Robb is not sure if he likes this job. He does not mind working and he does not mind working for coin, but he is not cut out for being a merchant in ice cream flavors. When his sister comes up to the counter he smiles a tired smile.

“Not quite,” he admits with a soft voice. “I do not think my superior likes me much.”

But then again, what would they expect? Placing a young man from a medieval era in the middle of everything modern. And the explanation had gone so quick, as if the manager suspected him to fit right in and understand everything they told. Robb isn’t stupid but this isn’t the sort career he wanted for himself.

“I do like the ice cream. But I am not allowed to eat without paying for it. Gods, one might expect to get at least a little bit of ice cream for free, not?”

He whispers the words and throws in a lot of smiles. He does not want to give anyone the suspicion that he isn’t working and chatting with his sister instead.

To be fair, Robb likes the sound of guest better than resident. Resident sounds so final. As if there is no way back to the place he calls home.

“I prefer guest, my lady.” Even though guests do not have to work to get some coin. They are protected by guestright. But just like money and pretty much everything, guestright is different here as well.

“It did not make sense to me either until I tasted it. It is as if they have put snow and cream together and gave it flavors. Sometimes there are also chunks of...some things between the ice. It varies. But it is rather tasty.” After those words he points at the register. “You can give me some...coin or paper and I can give you some. One ball is 1 dollar coin, two balls are two...and so on...”

“Gods no,” he utters in reply, frowning a little. “If I would go over they’d see me.”

His sister’s help is definitely welcomed and he does make a mental note of the fact that she looks older. Not yet a woman grown, but close enough. It seems to be something here...they all looked older. More mature. As if years have passed and he stood still somewhere.

“I do not want to be caught. And I will attend again tomorrow.”

Speaking of schools.

While reaching out to get Nymeria’s snout out of his hair he says: “Why aren’t you at school, then?” The look on his face is more playful than serious when he asks that.

Well, that makes sense in a way. It could be that America was fond of jewelry and crowns. Why waste gold to coins then? Yet, people looked rather...normal here. Of course, he himself would not wear such clothes. Far to flimsy and useless against extreme weather.

“Mayhaps...” Robb shrugs lightly. “...The ladies are probably fond of jewelry then... Or they put it on their carriages...their...cars.”

At her second question he shakes his head fiercely. It would be quite embarrassing if a costumer should explain him about the wares he was selling.

“I will find you an ice cream that can be seen as a rocky road. It depends on if you want the road to be muddy or dry.”

There’s a difference in that, you know.

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At the school

around the school/fence

Hungry Like The Wolf

School

ice cream

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Ice Cream!

School

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School

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Ice Cream Parlour

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