[OPEN] 🌿 And I see winter broken like lace

[ofwovenstone]

WHO: Cassandra de Rolo (ofwovenstone), Aella Tabris (fangoffenharel), Lyanna Stark (ylgr) and OPEN
WHEN: December 15th onward
WHAT: Winter shenanigans and general catch-all for the month.
WHERE: Gazin and the surrounding area.
WARNINGS: None other than the usual ones that come with Cassandra de Rolo (potential for talk of trauma, blood, near death, etc).
NOTES: starters in the comments

Comments

[king_inthenorth]

Jon is no stranger to winter weather himself, and had been outside enjoying himself all day. Then he, too, had come into the inn for some warmth and some food, the tavern being a better option for the latter than his own quarters above the stables.

He has no interest in being roped into a drinking contest (after the first couple of rounds, he knows better anyway) so he stays well out of the way until it's over, not paying attention to much beyond the fact that it's happening.

Once the challenges end and the crowd around the table disperses, he's able to slip past and go up to the bar for a refill. But on his way back to his own table a stray elbow comes his way and he has no choice but to move sideways. He manages to stop himself just before running into her table and spilling his drink everywhere.

"Pardon me," he says as he looks over...and into a familiar face.

[ylgr]

Lyanna looks up as someone almost runs right into her table, catching up her drink and looking up at... Gods, he looks like Brandon. It’s almost uncanny, how the stranger looks as though he could be a Stark. As though he could be family. It’s absurd; the only family she has here is Ned. It takes her a moment, to find her words.

“It’s all right,” she manages, the familiar sound of a Stark accent lacing her words. “It’s crowded tonight. A little jostling and stumbling is expected.” She indicates the empty chair on the other side of table. “You can sit down, if you’d like.”

[king_inthenorth]

"I've found that it's like this most nights." As tends to happen when alcohol is available in copious quantities. The addition of food has made the crowd larger and more rowdy. "If not quite this bad."

And when he speaks, she'll discover that he doesn't just look like a Stark. He sounds like one, too.

He pulls out the chair and takes a seat. "It reminds me of some places I've been back home."

[ylgr]

His voice cinches it. He is absolutely a Stark, between the looks and the voice. A cousin, maybe? She knows Brandon has fathered his fair share of bastards but it looks like he’s her age, if not older than she is and that would be impossible, she thinks. “It definitely hasn’t been this bad, since I arrived.” Which has been a little bit, now. “But it’s nice.”

She grins at him. “Likewise.” It reminds her a lot of home, honestly. The whole area. Especially now, with the weather. The celebrations. And having Ned here with her, she couldn’t ask for more. She has missed her family so much. And now this... strange potential cousin of hers.

[king_inthenorth]

"Sure, if what you want is to fleece them." He's amused though, not scolding her in any way. She reminds him a bit of Arya, if Arya worked with ale mugs instead of daggers. At least this is less lethal.

"Nowhere will ever be quite the same as Winterfell though."

[ylgr]

Lyanna is a little insulted, honestly, cousin or not. She’s not fleecing anyone. It’s not her fault that most of them taking her up on her challenge can’t hold their alcohol despite being bigger than her. It’s an honest challenge. “Or maybe I just like crowds,” she retorts, lifting a hand to get the bartender’s attention for another drink.

He all but confirms her theory, or so she thinks, with the mention of her home. Winterfell. There's no way for him to know it, unless he's a blood relation. Or something close. She grins at him because of it (despite the insult), attention turning just briefly away from him to take her drink, and to take a drink of it. “No. Winterfell is... something else.” It’s beautiful, her home, and she misses it fiercely. Even being with Rhaegar doesn’t ease the ache of how she misses it, no matter how much she loves him.