farsickness | (no subject)

(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.

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Eventually, there is a tall man with long hair, dressed in long flowing white and pale blue robes, almost - but not quite - easy to miss in the snow.

He watches the archer, and, after a moment, nods in approval. Definitely a good way to focus, when something is bothersome.

Jon doesn't notice the other man at first, paying attention only to the target in front of him. It's only when he goes to fetch the arrows to use them again that he becomes aware of someone else.

"Oh. Hello."

There weren't that many archers that she had seen. Coming back from hunting with a few rabbits tied to her belt, Juliel paused to watch Jon's skill. The bow was good quality and strong, fitting for someone of his stature and size. She watched as he hit the target again and again. He was talented enough to be a soldier and certainly gave away that sort of air. His serious features indicated there was something on his mind.

Feeling a bit amused and randomly deciding to tease him, she drew her sapphire bow and fired a shot at the target before he could loose another. When he turned, she smiled at him. "If you are going to look so grim, I might as well make this a competition and give you something to channel that seriousness towards."

He hadn't been expecting someone else to shoot at his target, but mostly only because he hadn't known there was anyone else out here. He misses Ghost, who had been good at alerting him to someone else's presence. The wyvern, even when he's nearby, isn't nearly as good at the same task.

"I haven't had anyone to compete against in awhile."

She had seen the wyvern in passing, and while it gave her pause, it wasn't the same as the dragons that reappeared in Skyrim. This was friendly and domesticated, hardly a threat to match Alduin. So long as it didn't attack her, she wouldn't pay it much mind aside from passing curiosity.

"It is time to change that then. Friendly wager?"

She's been hunting small things, honing skills she hasn't put to use in years but she'd been good then and she finds she's still good. Three fat rabbits for stew later are in her pouch along with two squirrels. It's enough meat to go along with the carefully maintained garden Arha's been growing out of season vegetables in. Herbs and flowers, vegetables, all dutifully cared for with a splash of magic. It meant carrots and potatoes today and a few things that she could trade for if necessary.

"Good shot, Jon!" she said, making sure she was noisy enough that her approach was not a surprise. "And hello again."

The wyvern, Surmund, seems hardly bothered at all that there's another person there (probably because he's such a friendly creature) and is currently occupied in rooting around in the dirt and fallen leaves in search of...Jon doesn't know what, but he's not causing a problem, so Jon leaves him be.

"What terms do you propose?"

His horse is grazing nearby, and there's a wyvern rooting around in the vegetation, too. Neither of the animals is bothered by her approach, though Jon appreciates knowing that someone is coming.

"Hello again," when he sees who it is. "It looks like you've been out exploring some of the area around here."

"I have. Caught some rabbit for stew tonight," she says with a soft laugh. "I see you found a wyvern friend."

"I did. I was out camping when I came across him, and he followed me back to town and just sort of...stayed." Not that Jon had tried that hard to get him to leave. In the absence of Ghost, it's nice to have a companion.

"Good," she said with a smile. "We all need new friends in this place." She sets her bag down and stretches for a moment, getting a longer view of the wyvern.

"He's lovely."

Jon watches him root through the fallen leaves for a moment, then, apparently having found an appetizing morsel, lift his head and swallow something with a shake of his head.

"He has a personality of his own, that's for sure."

"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.

"We could wager coin or we could wager other things. Food? Or simple bragging rights?" It didn't really matter in the end. She wasn't looking to win for winning's sake, but rather to have someone to play with. A bow needed practice and this was the best means.

"Which suit you?"

He doesn't really need coin, or care about bragging rights. What he could use most is company, which makes it easy to know what to suggest.

"Loser buys a round at the tavern?"

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."

"Sounds like a fair bet." She shook out her arms, loosening the muscles before the competition.

"I warn you, I have a thirst."

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