tushanshu | [Handset] (Audio) ❅ The Third

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[Handset] (Audio) ❅ The Third

(Encrypted to Valdis)

May I speak with you privately about a certain matter...? (Her voice is prim, proper and to the point. She is hiding her hope in case she is destined for disappointment.)

(/)

What stories are common in your world? Were you raised with tales of adventure? Romance? Or tales meant for teaching?

(Books were an important part of her life at Winterfell - and she passed much of her time in King's Landing and the Eyrie with them as well. When Joffrey and Sweetrobin weren't bothering her, that is.)

Do you believe them true? I used to believe heroes existed and that all evil was punished. (Her tone is heavy with satire, though it is directed at herself.) Children are foolish.

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I read stories of all genres when I was small. [ not a whole lot else to do when you're kept locked up, and books are great company! ] I liked to believe they were true, even though I knew they weren't.

But there are such things as heroes! Maybe not knights in shining armour, or a prince to rescue you from a dragon, but people who put others before themselves and do everything they can to make the world a better place.

As did I. (Winterfell is a fortress, but it becomes a cage of its own when the snows are cold and icy.) You liked to believe. That isn't quite the same as actually believing them to be true.

(She lets out a little sigh.) I know of such people. I wish there were more of them.

I never had any reason to believe in them. [ when you're kept locked in a cage for years, you kind of lose hope of being rescued by a handsome prince. now that he's free, and older, he likes to believe in fairy tales. ] I think that every person should have the chance to believe in fairy tales while growing up.

Become one yourself! Make others want to become heroes, too.

You questioned them from such a young age? (That is impressive. She is someone who believed what she read or heard naively - without question most of the time. But that's probably due to the environment in which she was raised. Her cage didn't close around her until she moved to King's Landing.)

Isn't it cruel, though, to believe in them only to have them crushed?

(Her...as a hero?)

...could I?

Mhmm~ [ being surrounded by people trained and meant to help people like him - in trouble; hurt and scared - but everyone turning a blind eye, just because his father was their commander. it's enough to make even the most cheerful of kids lose their faith in fairy tales. ]

They teach things to children, and give them good memories of their childhood. You can't make it through the bad times without something good to hold onto. Even if they're crushed in the end, they'll be strong enough to get back up.

Un! Why not? Anyone who wants to be and tries to be could do it.

(Abuse, neglect and all of the horrible things that somehow fall in between are definitely more than enough to break someone's dreams. Alayne didn't fall so far as Sansa, but there is still a bitter taste of what could have been in the back of her mind.)

You sound like you have experience in...being crushed. (She isn't sure how else to phrase it.) I am not strong - not physically. Ladies are meant to be rescued; not do the rescuing.

(But that's a lonely, desolate situation to be in too.)

It would be nice to be dependable.

I guess you could say that! [ he admits it easily, with a laugh that is admirably not strained in the least. but is tone is clearly more than just a bit surprised at what Alayne tells him next. ]

Who says that? All the girls at home are the strongest people I know! Rika-nee beats up the boys all of the time! So do all of her sisters, and Benkei-san - even after she lost her leg! And Ine-san, and Emily, and Nakayama... Anyone can be as strong as they let themselves believe!

[ if he seems to take a very strong personal interest... well. it's easy enough to assume from his voice that he's a girl as well, and therefore has reason to. but really, he'd spent so long waiting to be rescued and saved and thinking he was weak, when he was actually much stronger than he thought. it took him far too long to realize he can rely on himself ]

Anyone who says girls are meant to be anything less than a man is needs a kick to the skull.

I'm sorry. You seem like a kind person. (But that's how many worlds roll. The kind are crushed and the cruel are lifted up onto lofty thrones.)

The tales from my world say that. (She smiles in wonder at the girls he names.) They all sound incredibly brave. I wish I could be more like them.

(Arya is someone she has come to admire over time. That fierce drive to fight and keep fighting is something she lacks. However, despite the odds, she does survive.)

... (She can't hold back a surprised giggle.) I think I would like to see that.

It's okay - it's not like that now, ne?

Why can't you? If you want to be strong, you can be!

[ he will see your giggle and add a giggle of his own. ] It was pretty fun to watch.

Tu Shanshu is a nicer place in that regard. (Her brow furrows and she clenches her hands in her lap.) Maybe I'm not worthy of it?

(Robb, Arya, Bran and even Rickon had been born strong.)

I am learning self-defense thanks to Mister Shudder.

Why do you want to be strong?

...Ah! That's cool! Have you learned much yet?

I am tired of being weak; of being preyed upon.

(There is a long story behind that.)

I have learned that I do not care for weapons. Mister Shudder is teaching me a more physical form of defense because of it.

Then never doubt that you're worthy of it, because you definitely are.

I use mixed martial arts for my hand-to-hand combat. It mixes together a bunch of different physical fighting styles, so I can take what works best for me from each discipline and not worry about what doesn't work well! After you learn the basics from Mister Anton, you should ask him about it! I always found it more fun to learn than the rest, so you might enjoy it a bit more too.

(There is a small "oh!" from her end and it's clear his words touch her.)

I would like to see you fight. Perhaps not another person, but...a...a dummy? (Is that what those strange, soft statues she sometimes uses to practice are called?) I think I enjoy watching those who are skilled far more than learning myself.

(But she will learn. She has to.)

I've considered what it would feel like to save someone or defend them. I imagine it's a nice feeling.

I can ask Gene if he'll spar with me! It's more fun to spar with a friend. Plus I need to beat him up a little bit for something he did a while ago...

It's... It is one of the best feelings in the world! I don't like violence, but sometimes it's necessary to keep people safe. It's always worth it when you save a life, no matter how small it is.

So you know Gene? (Of course he does. The Turtle isn't that big.) He is very strong and capable. A spar between you two would interest more than me, I'm sure.

(Akito is far more kind (and chivalrous!) than ninety eight percent of the King's Guard - and he's not even a Knight!)

Would you save the life of a mouse?

If other people want to watch they can, I guess.

[ it would be enough that even just Alayne would want to watch, because he thinks it would be good for her to see that even someone tiny like him can hold his own in a fight.

then, confused: ] Why wouldn't I save a mouse?

Most would consider mice lowly pests worthy of extermination. If you would truly save one then it speaks highly of your character.

(It is an honorable thing to do (i.e. to look beyond the disgust/difficulties of being human and seeing life through such a small animal's eyes).)

A life is a life. Unless there's no other way, I wouldn't end one.

[ a pause. ]

Um, except for mosquitoes and ants and things like that that leave bites.

I believe you can be forgiven for killing insects. (She isn't fond of them either.) Perhaps snakes can be added to that list, though I have never encountered one.

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[Handset] (Audio) ❅ The Third

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