uncledad: (Default)
Jaime Lannister ([personal profile] uncledad) wrote in [community profile] maskormenacelogs2017-05-05 06:21 pm

gold+fish, bread+salt

WHO: Catelyn Stark + Jaime Lannister
WHERE: some cute cafe in Nonah
WHEN: backdated to some evening last month
WHAT: old friends reuniting over dinner! just like you do in Westeros. it's all going to go well, no trouble at all.
WARNINGS: usual Game of Thrones language and possible sensitive topics; will update with specificity if necessary



[It is a very long walk, and one that Jaime does not enjoy. Even once he's reached the outskirts of civilization, he has sand crunching in his boots and a stale dry taste in his mouth, a man who has walked too long beside the shores of an unfamiliar ocean. He didn't even have the benefit of following tracks in the sand, lest he find himself trailing too close behind Jorah bloody Mormont.

But he has, at last, reached the city, and turned his steps toward the porter. By now it is well on into the evening, and the lamps that light the streets of Nonah have flickered to life in their curious warm way. The air is pleasant enough, and people are coming in and out of taverns and shops whose doors have not yet been closed for the night. It would be a pleasant sight, perhaps, but Jaime is sour in spirit and bone tired--though he has, of course, been more tired, during battle, after battle, on the road with Brienne, who he thinks of for a moment, without real cause other than the fact that his feet hurt. The Maid of Tarth was known more for her piggish silence. It was Jaime who voiced all the complaints on the road. Until they lopped my hand off, and then I had less to say.

He darts a glance down at the stump, and a frown twists at his face. When I meet Mormont next, I'll be sure to have that godsgifted hand. A true match will not sponge away the bitterness of that dismissal entirely, but Gods, it will help. As for the Targaryen queen, Jaime is just now reaching for his communicator when his gaze catches on the figure of a woman as he passes beside the large window of a tavern: Lady Catelyn Stark.

It is not quite like seeing a ghost. The sight does arrest Jaime momentarily. Then he pushes his communicator back into the pocket of his trousers and turns around to enter the cafe.

It takes only a few words to convince the hostess that he is meant to be meeting the lady. The rime of saltwater on his cheeks and in the rough bristle of his beard, the slight stench of the road--she hesitates, but not for very long, and then she waves Jaime back to the table.

He approaches without hailing Lady Stark, almost as if he's going to pass her by. Then he stops, places his one good hand on the back of the chair opposite of her.]


It's remarkable to see you, Lady Stark.

[She will recognize him once he's spoken, even in these queer clothes: the button-front shirt and the red scarf knotted about his neck, the black vest and black stiff trousers and strange pointed boots, remnants of the costumes worn at the swearing-in ceremony.]

I was briefly a prisoner, not a few hours ago. Then I was freed. And now here you are. Curious coincidences. I wonder if I'm meant to make something of them.

You're looking well.

[Surprisingly. He pulls the chair out slightly, clearly intending to sit.]
onlyvengeance: (castamere)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-06 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ She hadn't been expecting company of any sort. And least of all, would she have expected Jaime Lannister. Perhaps he intended to go unnoticed in his strange new attire, but she would have recognized him all the same. That face, that needed another rock in it... Such a shame the gods had made him so pretty on the outside, and so vile on the inside.

She gives him a look just shy of the sort she might turn on something she had stepped in, and about that friendly, too. ]


A pity I cannot say the same.

[ He does look like he's been chewed on and then spit out. If she knew about Dany yet, she would have made some remark about being a dragon's chew toy. But he'll be spared that. For now. ]

Have you been here long enough to make new enemies?
onlyvengeance: (shock)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-10 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
[ She is a little startled, it must be said, to note that missing hand. I don't think she should have known about that, if I'm wrong feel free to correct me friend . When last she saw him, he still had it. Along with all his sharp-edged words. ]

How did you come to lose your sword hand, Kingslayer?

[ She gives the word a little more of a bark than it needs, to counterbalance the twist of pity she unwillingly feels for him. For any man to lose a hand is bad enough; for a warrior like him... ]
onlyvengeance: (but I'm not giving in)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-12 12:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ She sets her mouth into a thin line. This, she has not missed either, yet it is easy enough to slip back into old habits, hiding truth in plain sight amongst a pack of lies. She has never been overly skilled at the game herself, yet she will try. The gods cursed her with an aversion to deceit, and bade her live in a world full of liars and betrayers.

She catches their server's eye, asks for the wine list and barely so much as glances at it before stabbing a finger toward one of the unfamiliar names. She will soon discover that she has chosen something better suited to celebration than....whatever this airing of grievances is. Yet she is too proud to admit her mistake. Not now. Let him laugh if he will. Likely he will be none the wiser himself.

Once the bottle has been opened....really, was there such call for theatrics?...and she has taken a sip of the sweet, bubbly champagne, only then does she speak. As though this means nothing. And yet...and yet. She much wants the true answer, even if he is unlikely to give it to her.
]

Interesting that you would choose to speak of allegiances, I know not the man you speak of, yet it is simple enough to claim to act in another's name.

[ A breath, a measuring look, the spring of a trap, the truth clear as bells in her tone if only he had the ear for it. ]

When Roose Bolton drove a blade into my son's heart, he claimed to be acting for you and yours. Was there truth in that?
onlyvengeance: (numb)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-15 02:56 am (UTC)(link)
[ She lets him speak, and she watches him with the focus one would give a poisonous snake, wary and cautious. She wrinkles her nose slightly at the thought of the barbarity of men to one another. But such is the way of the world they have come from, and she is hardly surprised anymore by the terrible ways men have found to make each other suffer.

She sips the champagne and wishes she could find it in herself to enjoy even this small thing more. But he has brought up the specter of the past, and the wine tastes like ashes in her mouth. Ash, and blood. ]


My brother Edmure wed one of Walder Frey's daughters in place of Robb.

[ It is the barest shadow of the truth of the tale, but it will do. ]

All seemed well, and then the musicians began to play the Rains of Castamere. The doors were locked, and the crossbows appeared.

Have you not heard this tale? It is the last I can relate from personal experience. It seems dying is the easy part. Living is the challenge.
onlyvengeance: (reflective)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-17 01:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ Strange as it may seem, she believes him. He has been careful with his truths, as they all are, but he has never lied when asked a direct question. It may not be much, but it will do. She takes a sip from her glass before she speaks. ]

The wedding was a poor choice, yet it was the one Robb left us. He and I did not agree on his choices, as you may imagine. I suppose it is likely your father was not overly pleased with you joining the Kingsguard.

[ Imagine. He was to be wed to Lysa. What a bewildering thought indeed. ]

You see, all seemed to be normal, and I thought perhaps Walder Frey's pride had been appeased. It all happened so quickly. Then the musicians played the Rains of Castamere. I could not shake a premonition. That is no song for a wedding. The doors were closed. Lord Walder proclaimed that he had yet to offer Robb a wedding gift. And Roose Bolton turned to me and smiled. He was wearing mail beneath his finery, I saw with my own eyes. I hit him with all I had across the face for betraying us and screamed for Robb, but it was too late. Robb's queen Talisa was stabbed and she fell dying. The musicians began firing crossbows at all of us. I fell. Robb fell. But he could not be stopped by just that.

[ Such pride still in her boy. ]

He crawled to Talisa's side, and held her as she died. This brought Walder Frey no end of malicious joy, as I'm sure you may imagine. I had crawled beneath a table, and who should I see nearby, also sheltered, but Joyuese, the newest unlucky Frey bride. I took a knife in hand, and pulled her into the light, promising to open her throat if my son was not allowed to leave. I begged him to get up, to walk away. I offered myself as hostage. I tried all I could think of. But Roose, the Stranger take him, proclaimed that the Lannisters sent their regards, right before he stabbed Robb in the heart. I watched him fall, I knew he was gone. Joyuese was not far behind him. I kept that promise. And I no longer cared when they cut my throat. What was left?
Edited (spacing wtfery) 2017-05-17 01:07 (UTC)
onlyvengeance: (thinkety)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-20 07:03 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She has accepted a refill of her own, and she is looking deep into the wine's light-colored depths, as if perhaps some great secret lies hidden within. There is aught there, aside from the wine itself, and she knew that, though she has become somewhat accustomed to seeing people in still waters, as much as one can. Another strangeness of this place. ]

I believe you, foolish as that may prove to be. You may be somewhat given to breaking oaths, yet I have never heard your nor your brother speak an outright lie. It is tiresome to secondguess every word another speaks. I have no taste for politics, no moreso than Ned did. Though we should have learned...

[ She lifts the glass to her lips and drinks, futilely wishing for a little less clarity of thought. ]

Roose did not name you, only your family. I daresay it is more the work of your sister. Perhaps along with your father. Still, it was a question that must be asked.

Did you discover my daughters along your travels? And what of Brienne? Does she yet live?

[ It is a test again of sorts, as she pins him with another look as cleanly as an entomologist might pin a butterfly against a board. She knew where Arya and Sansa were, here at least. But she would know what tale he would spin, and weigh it against the truths they had spoken to her. Brienne she has sworn to shelter and care for, in return for her honorable service, and so she will, if ever given opportunity. ]
onlyvengeance: (explain a thing)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-26 01:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ He is easily one of, if not the most breathtakingly annoying people she has ever interacted with. And she considers reminding him that part of his conditional freedom had been the welfare of her daughters. But why trust a promise wrung from an oathbreaker at sword's point? So she only lifts the glass to her lips and drinks again, barely tasting the sweet, bubbly stuff anymore. Why did she care? If what he said was true, and why would he lie to her, then what happened here mattered little. ]

I know not for what purpose I live again. If it is meant as consolation or merely some jape of the gods. Their ways are, as always, unknowable and beyond my understanding at least.

But I have been given a second chance.

[ Despite her better intentions, she is being far more vulnerable than it is wise to be around such an unknown quantity as he is. And yet....it is her honest nature to be guileless and truthful. ]

And I will not waste it. I owe that to my children and to myself.

Perhaps we will always be at crosspoints with each other. The gods alone know the answer to that as well.

And yet I would test you out, to see what you are now. What metal are you at your core?
onlyvengeance: (taken broken up to the mountain)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-05-26 10:46 pm (UTC)(link)
[She settles back against the chair, lifting her chin slightly as she does so. She may have been born in Riverrun, yet she has spent most of her life learning northern reserve and this is not a posture in keeping with that. But the alcohol buzzing through her veins sees no fault here, and she gives him a smile he might be used to seeing on Cersei. Not flirtatious, no, not in the least, but maliciously amused. ]

To cleanse impurities, gold is put to the fire and comes out much the better for it, a stronger, purer metal. Have you been so refined, ser?

[ And to his chiding, she will take that bait, though she does not feel her cause is hopeless. ]

I often hope the Mother has seen fit to guide me when I needed her mercy and understanding. Yet these days I feel more inclined to ask for help and guidance from the Warrior or perhaps the Stranger. A voice for darker paths.

What of you? Do you seek the gods in prayer? Or are you your own god, answerable to yourself alone? How do you think they will deal with you, when you hold your life in your hands and lift it up for them to weigh?

forgive me, I think I stole a little inspiration from Egypt and Ma'at for this
onlyvengeance: (moody)

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-06-03 09:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She arches a brow; while she too feels the alcohol's effects, she will not betray herself with it. Her hands are steady and so is her voice. ]

It is not my judgement you should fear, but that of the gods. I know you have outgrown your belief in them; you said so yourself in one of our last conversations. But though you may have given up on them, ser, they have not given up on you.

[She lifts her glass to her lips and drains its remaining drops without breaking eye contact. She stares him down, as much a challenge as any bared blade in her eyes. She is not afraid of him. She returns the glass to the table with just a touch more force than strictly necessary, and adds to it more than enough of this place's strange currency to cover the cost of the bottle. ]

Need I remind you that you were the one who started this conversation? Though I would say I have never met another warrior who was afraid of a look from anyone. Keep your feet from my path, Jaime Lannister, else I tangle your feet and bring you to the ground.

alley fight, y or y?
onlyvengeance: (get out)

get outside, lion boy

[personal profile] onlyvengeance 2017-06-18 05:32 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She literally sees red for a moment, her temper raging through her like a wildfire, and instead of tamping it down as she so frequently does, she gives it absolutely free rein, and he is lucky she has no powers that are based on fire, because surely he would have burst into flames from the heat of her anger. She snaps her teeth together with a sharp click , very canine for one born a fish. She does not let the anger consume her...no, it is rage now, a shade hotter than mere anger. But she will use it as fuel, let its momentum carry her on its wings.

She snaps out a hand; though its flexibility and range of use have been restored, still scarred across the palms by the blade meant for Bran's throat; digs her nails into his collar and propels him toward the door and into the street. The street is too civilized, so it is the alley between the buildings she chooses. In their time it would likely be rank with refuse and unspeakable puddles of filth; here there is only mud and the faint, sickly sweet scent of decay from a nearby but unseen dumpster.

No doubt she has taken him by surprise, and she has a brief moment to wonder if the somewhat parental gesture strikes some childhood memory, but this is no time for that. She flicks her wrist and sends him nearer the brick wall across the way. He will soon enough recover and he will not be like to spare her whatever damage he can still dish out because she is female, and she cares not. Still she has not spoken another word; she is certain that her voice will be more a growl than it should be.

She has seen battle enough in her life; practice for men and boys, the real thing fought in earnest, more duels than she cares to think of. Westeros is a violent place. But rarely has she been as close to it as she feels she now is; rarer still has she started it. On the surface it seems no contest at all. He, though one-handed, has been a warrior since he could barely stand, and she is smaller, lighter, a mother of five more often lifting a needle than even a kitchen knife. And yet what lessons she has gleaned are this: every fight is unpredictable. Dogged determination and the will to be oneself a weapon may carry one farther than the sharpest blade. Witness Bronn at the Eyrie; a born loser if ever there were one. And yet he had been the one to walk away, and not through the Moon Door either. She has her own strange new abilities; likely he does as well. Who will win? It remains to be seen. But she will bleed him before she is done, even if it but a scratch.]


The Starks will hold the North, ser, when the oceans have turned Casterly Rock into sand, mark my words. Even my husband's bastard boy is more fit than any your House can claim. And the Tullys have held Riverrun before Lan the Lucky drew breath, and no lion trickery will take it from us. That you may depend on, no matter the gods' meddling.

[It is a mark of just how upset she is that she would dare speak so close a thing to sacrilege. Reckless, perhaps. ]

I may be bones in the river alongside my fathers and mothers when I am taken from here, and there is aught I can do about that. Yet here I live and breathe, and I will not be so insulted by you, or anyone else.

[Tl;dr : come at me bro, and put your money where your mouth is. Be honest. Have you ever got to drunk fight anyone in an alley? I feel like the Kingsguard feels itself a little above brawls, and ya'll aren't supposed to drink. ]