farsickness | (no subject)

Who: Jon SNow and OTA
Where: The area around Gazin
When: Anytime in January
What: Archery practice and horses
Warnings: Maybe spoilers for later seasons of Game of Thrones

Archery

One thing Jon figured out long ago was that when he can't make sense of what's in his head, what he needs is something to focus on. He had thought that when he arrived here, he would be able to leave Westeros behind and just enjoy this place for awhile. But Westeros keeps following him here.

Nothing can be done about that. All he can do is attempt to make sense of what's in his head. And today he's finding the necessary focus at the center of an archery target.

He's at the edge of the woods, not too far from town but still far enough out that there's no chance of people getting in the way. He props up the target against a tree and begins to practice a skill he'd let slide since leaving Winterfell. Draw. Focus. Release. Draw. Focus. Release.

Horses

It isn't just Jon who needs exercise. The horses he looks after need it too, and by now he's got a system. One day a week, two or three horses at a time, they get a chance to run. Not entirely free, of course. He rides one and leads the others by the reins, and once they reach the open plains outside the town, they break out into a run and are allowed to be the creatures they were born to be, under Jon's direction. Even Jon enjoys it, sitting on a horse, in the countryside, with no reason for doing it other than that he wants to.

Wild card

Find him on his way into or out of town, at the stables, at the tavern, or somewhere else.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Animals usually do have some of the best personalities," she murmurs. "I never did tell you I could turn into a small dragon, did I? Cat and crow, too, but those are much less impressive."

"No, I don't recall you mentioning that." That's a skill he hasn't heard of before. He knows about warging, has seen it happen, but actually shifting into an animal is a new one.

"Shortly before I came here, I discovered that my ancestors had once had a connection with dragons, when there were still dragons in Westeros."

"Not many mages can shift but I seem to be one of the ones who can." Her eyes fairly sparkle. "Now that's pretty awesome. Looks like that connection is very much with you. Does he have a name, your friend?"

The fact that Daenerys's dragons had let him close enough to touch should have been his first clue, now that he thinks about it, but he'd had no reason to suspect the truth of his parentage. "I've taken to calling him Surmund. Sometimes he listens."

"A fine name," she says with a grin. "Have you ridden him yet or do you think he's too small?"

She gave the wyvern a long appraising look and wondered if it would be worth a closer inspection and, of course, introduction. She reached out her mind to see if that was a wise idea.

"I think he'd be big enough." He's smaller than Daenerys's dragons, but still larger than a horse. "Although the last time I rode a dragon, I fell off, so I haven't been in much of a hurry to try again."

The wyvern is so intent on finding snacks that he doesn't even seem aware of another presence in his mind.

Edited 2021-02-07 20:10 (UTC)

"Mm, he looks strong enough, too." She brushes her mind against the wyvern's very gently, much like a pet, as she walks forward unafraid. Her voice is soft and low. "Not that I'd try. I'd have to go find my own friend for that."

And then she sits on a stump close by, offering him one of her very, very recently deceased rabbits.

"Hello, handsome," she murmurs to the wyvern. "Care to swing this way for a hello and snack?"

"They're easy enough to find." Considering this one had basically found him when he wasn't even looking. "Friendly enough, too."

Which is proven when Surmund stops rustling through the leaves and looks over at her, then moves sinuously forward, head outstretched for the rabbit.

She tosses the rabbit up a bit to make the catch more fun and smiles. Surmund is magnificent, really, and she enjoys watching him move.

"Would you like to come with me when I go looking?" she asks quietly. "I think it would be lovely to have company on such an outing."

This rabbit is a much better snack than whatever he had found under the leaves, and he settles in to enjoy it.

"I think he'd like that."

"Good," she says with a soft laugh. "We'll have to see when the next good day to go out will be. Looks like the rabbit is a hit."

"I haven't found anything yet that he won't eat." Which really isn't a problem. It makes him easy to feed. "You're going to be one of his favorite people now."

"Not a problem," she said, laughing brightly. "I can always find rabbits in these woods if that's a favourite snack. Good thing he's not picky about his food, though."

"His favorite snack is any. Which does make it easy to make sure he's got enough food." Usually Jon leaves him to that on his own anyway. Having him as a companion thankfully doesn't take up a lot of Jon's time.

"He's very self-sufficient. Good kind of companion, then," she says, nodding. "Do you have a nice place for him to curl up outside?"

Inside would be ridiculous unless it were a massive building even if he's just a small wyvern.

Ghost had been that sort of companion too, and it had worked well for both of them. So he has no doubts that this will work well, too.

"I live above the stables. He has the run of the paddock at night when the horses are all inside."

"That sounds like it's perfect," she says with a bit of a grin. "I hope he doesn't spook them any. That might be hard on them. Speaking of, I should probably buy a horse. Something sturdy that won't run from a fight, if need be."