ataraxion | 006 ♕ video

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006 ♕ video | action

[ For once, Alayne Stone — Sansa Stark to some already — does not greet the Tranquility with her usual politesse and poise. Where usually she would arrange herself carefully, hands folded and not a hair out of place, she sits in the frame of the picture lopsidedly and sideways, the whole of it shaking as the dull sound of a fist flat upon metal rings in the background. ]

Lady! Lady—! [ Alayne calls and the answer is a muffled howl, coupled with another bang and the indistinct sound of another voice. ] —Petyr, I—

—I will call for aid, just please— [ Another howl, more dire this time. ] —look to keep her calm.

[ Only now does the image right itself, Alayne's expression pinched with worry though she does her best to smooth her hair back (and with it, some of her fluster). Still, Alayne's speech is quick and worried. ] My dear Tranquility, I beg the question: is there no way to unlock the doors? No matter of mechantry or— or magic that may give us passage back to our rooms?

I was not mindful of the warnings made by others and— only thought to bring warm clothing to those unaccustomed to such bitter climes. But in doing so, I have made my room a cage for my guardian and my animals. [ Again, a howl pierces the air and Alayne flinches visibly. ] Lady howls to be so bereft of me. I am fearful she will harm him or the birds in frustration if salvation does not come quick. So please, I beg you: send aid, if there is any aid to send.

[ Off-screen that muted voice calls out, though it is unclear if it is meant as a response to Alayne's words. She turns when she hears it, reaching for the door, before the video cuts out again. ]

—

[ ooc note; Alayne is locked outside her room at 003 » 005. Other people on the same floor are welcome to note/comment/investigate the sound of a very upset direwolf howling in one of the rooms. It probably sounds pretty disturbing since Lady almost never howls and she sounds equal parts sad and angry.

Action threads welcome, though Isaac Lahey has first dibs to take Alayne away to join her family. ]

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[ It's the howling that sets his nerves on edge. Isaac understands the fear of being locked in all too well, but it's not something he actively tries to engage if he could help it. But a wolf's howl calls to something deep-settled in him now, and it makes him want to answer, makes the wolf that sits dormant inside his ribcage rattle its teeth at the distress. ]

Alayne? Miss Alayne, tell me which floor you're on. I'll come down.

[ There is a strange bond that exists between a Stark child and their direwolf. A reflection of self, like mirrors reflected between man or beast; or perhaps even more profound than that like parts of a much greater whole. Alayne says help me and that is what Lady howls in kind — a single voice, split between two bodies.

It takes her a moment to recognize his voice, given the sound of Lady in her ears. ] —Isaac? Isaac, is that you?

It's Lady, Isaac, she's so very upset and I'm not certain what to do. [ No, wait. That isn't the answer to his question. ] The third floor. Left and down the fifth corridor from the lift.

[ He remembers the impressions he'd gotten from her and her wolf from before - how much like pack they were, how the wolf seemed part of the man, and how mirrored they were. Werewolves are both man and wolf, but not all of them are attuned with both aspects of themselves — Isaac himself knows how hard it is to be overwhelmed by the wolf, has had Derek teach him the dangers of losing grasp of it and letting it loose.

Alayne and her kin don't have to be werewolves for Isaac to get it. ]

I'm coming down to help. I've— but you should try not to be too upset, it's probably upsetting Lady further. Is there anything you need that I can bring down with me? Are you hurt anywhere?

[ A smile, brief but present, finds Alayne's face; its sentiment is obvious, albeit strained. Thank the gods for you, the smile says before disappearing again. Alayne dips once in a hurried bow as if in agreement, though her voice is still laced with worry. ] I am in need of nothing save your help.

[ Again, Lady howls, more plaintive than the last. ] It is not my intention to upset her. [ There's a however there, poised on the very tip of her tongue. ] But separation suits her poorly. The last time—

[ The last time they were apart, Lady was taken with such a sudden anger that she mauled Petyr in the process. Although Alayne doesn't say it, some of that truth shows in her eyes. ] No wolf takes well to a cage.

No wolf survives alone, either.

[ He's Derek's beta for all that Isaac is worth anything; he came back, and he stayed, and he'll stay for as long as there's someone for him to— what?

"I came to win."

He came to win over himself, but victory without purpose is a hollow victory. ]

We'll get Lady out. I'm coming down.

[ Conveniently forgetting a father in his statement? Possibly. But fathers are men of authority, surely they can take care of themselves for a while. ]

[ Fathers are men of authority and, in truth, Petyr Baelish continues to have the advantage over Alayne in many things. But when it comes to wolves — both the beastly and the Stark kind — Alayne holds the higher ground. Lord Baelish is a man best suited to court; whether he would survive a night in the wolfswood has yet to be seen.

Alayne sends only the briefest responses: a yes; I shall be waiting written out in text. When Isaac finds her, she is lost in thought and pacing back and forth outside her chamber door, a pale blue cloak lined with fur hung from her shoulders and a pile of her belongings — another cloak, some clothes, a pair of hose — folded neatly beside the door. She had intended to bring these things to Lucrezia before gathering her animals and finding Jon Snow, but now—

Inside, Lady howls and Alayne pauses in her pacing, pressing one hand to the door and shushing quietly: ] Shhhh, shhh.

[ He'd taken a small amount of time to pack his backpack with some of the things he came on board with - the water bottle, a couple spare shirts, some basic first aid he took from the free-access area of the med bay, his lacrosse glove that he keeps forgetting to take out of the bag, and an emergency stash of candy that running suicides taught him is essential for keeping your energy going during a game.

He was on his way for a run when the alarms sounded. He's getting to run for different reasons today, it turns out. Swiftly he makes his way down to the lifts, hating that actually running would take much longer to get anywhere on this ship.

When the lift doors open Isaac doesn't breathe in right away - the smell of distress darkens the scent of the air even on this floor - but he does make his way out and running, slowing to a hurried walk when he comes clear of Alayne's form pressing hands against the door. He hears her shushing before he recognizes her, and suddenly he's completely unsure of himself. ]

Miss Alayne?

[ Hush now, she thinks as her fingers splay against the cold metal of the door and, to her credit, that seems to help. Lady stops howling and whimpers instead, the sound barely audible but somehowtangible nevertheless. Alayne feels it more than she actually hears it and it comforts her (the ties that bind a direwolf and companion run both ways, each effecting the other).

It is but a modicum of calm amidst greater storms but Alayne is thankful for it regardless; quickly, though, it evaporates at the sound of Isaac's voice. He calls her name and she is jostled from her thoughts back into the red chill of the corridor. Shivering once (it's fear that touches her, not the cold), she turns and feels the back of her neck prickle in an animal way — the way a bird must feel in the moment it decides between standing its ground or flying away.

A hesitation, then she goes to him, her black woolen skirts swishing about her. ] Isaac — are you well?

Alayne-- look, are you all right? Do you need help? I can come down if you need, if-- Lady won't hurt me, not really, not any worse than I've already been hurt.

[ She doesn't sound alright, though Alayne does her best to look it. ] The last thing I would ever wish is for you to be hurt on my account, Remus. But Lady—

Can magic not help us? Surely if you can bring the snows, you can conjure a door open.

A girl tried to make some open. [Your sister was trying to get her breaking and entering on 8|]

It didn't work. [And though she's trying to sound calm and maybe a little detached, there's a note of worry and uncertainty in her voice. It's bad that Alayne should be separated from Lady again. It's wrong.]

[ Normally Alayne would frown with disapproval, but the concern is too deeply etched in her features to be chased so easily away. ] Is Nymeria with you?

[ She may be separated from her wolf, but so long as her sister is with hers— ]

Yes. [She even puts the comm closer to Nymeria's mouth, so Alayne can hear her breathing.] She's here.

You calm down she'll calm down.

alyne.
where are you

[ Shorthand. Rosella's on the move, likely typing one-handed as she goes. ]

i wll go to petyr
rm nmbr confrm 003 005?

[ oh goddamnit petyr you ruin everything. ]

Kirk and Tyke have both said there is no way to open the doors, Sansa. They are most like safer within than outside it.

You are to stay with her. [ A girl does what she likes but a girl is also mindful when her friend — sister? — speaks, on occasion. ] And Jon and I — we shall come to you, together.

[ Sansa. Alayne feels the name bite quick. In the background, Lady howls anew. ]

She will tear at the walls and at Petyr too if we do not see her free.

[She doesn't say anything at first; she told Bran that she would not see him, and now she's considering letting Jon and Alayne come to her. Unseen, she catches her lip between her teeth, and chews.]

Where's Bran?

Never mind me, how are you holding up?

[ He drops his backpack near her door and abortively reaches out to her, thinking to grip her shoulder in reassurance like Derek had once done - but he's not certain of its welcome, and he doesn't want to overstep a boundary here. ]

How long has she been inside?

[ He asks this instead, checking with Alayne for permission before feeling along the edges of the sliding door in search of some purchase, something to grip onto. First attempt: by hand.

Maybe the red light will camouflage the bright yellow of his eyes as he tries to pull the door just an inch. ]

My sweet Alayne, dear kindred soul, please calm down. You shall become ill with distress if you will not.

[ this alarms her. Lady seemed sweet and serene but the howls are frightening and Lucrezia thinks, if I was locked in a cage without the one I trust most, I would be cross as well. ]

She trusts you above all, does she not? Speak to her and perhaps if you shall be serene it shall affect her as well. My brother used to say so of horses; he said an ill-tempered rider makes the horse ill-tempered as well.

Help is on it's way, Miss Alayne. In the interim, it would be wise to calm yourself, lest your beast turn it's temper on the man she is trapped with.

[he's aware she has been told this many times]

Have you a jacket, my dear?

[HERE COMES THE BEST BANNERMAN EVER.

He sounds so awkward right now.]

I don't know anything about animals, but if you're upset and she can't get to you... That might have something to do with her losing it.

[ Whereas the threat that seems to haunt the ship entire is not a manifest, visible thing, the increasing agitation of the direwolf with whom Petyr is now trapped isn't easy to ignore.

The birds, for their part, immediately take perch in the highest parts of the room. That luxury is one lost to Petyr, a fact that Lady's pacing makes ever more apparent. His voice, usually soft, holds a rougher, sharper tone as he tries to make himself heard, knuckles rapping sharply against the cold metal of the door.

Lady has grown accustomed to him with time, yes, but he possesses no particular art in the field of animals; there is no one, he thinks, to calm the beast but her master. ]

—Alayne?

If no one else can get them out or calm her down, let me know. I can get away from the gardens if I have to and I can get in through the vents.

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006 ♕ video | action

( v o i c e ) !!!

( v o i c e ) MISS ALAYNE ,__,

( v o i c e : a c t i o n ) the werewolf handbook doesn't teach how to handle these situations

( v i d e o : a c t i o n ) it's okay isaac WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT TOGETHER

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voice;

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( a c t i o n ) hoop this got late

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