[OTA - MINGLE] Town Hall meeting

[markwatney]

WHO: Mark Watney
WHERE: Town Hall
WHEN: 10 Dec 2017, sundown
OPEN TO: All, mingle
WARNINGS: N/A

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Since that tense standoff in front of the peach trees, Kira and I have been waiting to see whether the promises in the letter he'd received would come to fruition. I'd actually left the stolen papers out there longer than I'd intended, not wanting to disrupt the process further if I hadn't already ruined it by catching him in the act. Now that he's confirmed to me the arrival of what, for most people here, would probably be a collection of true treasures, I can't put off the inevitable. We need to let everyone know what's happened, and find out if we're alone in being targets.

Because this morning, I received a "mission" of my own, in the form of a box filled with 3 vacuum-packed, single servings of ground coffee. Speaking of treasure.

Before the breakfast rush, I made a note on the blackboard in the Inn's front room, the writing big and bold enough that nobody should miss it:

VILLAGE MEETING TONIGHT, TOWN HALL, SUNDOWN

Fortunately, there's little enough to entertain a person in this place that plenty of people show. Kira's in the front row with his "gifts," presumably ready to back me up despite not seeming to like me much yet. I guess I can't blame him, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the rapport I had with Old Him.

"Hey, everyone," I call out, waving to get the small crowd's attention. "I asked everybody here tonight because we've had a development that I think we all need to know about. Kira here—" I pause, pointing. "Not too long ago, he got a letter. It asked him to steal something of value from someone and take it to the peach trees over on the East Side. It said if he did that, he would be rewarded. When he tried to get rid of the letter, another copy would always turn up. So, he did it. And putting aside that dubiousness for a moment, the reward was delivered. He found some items from his home that couldn't have gotten here without intervention from our hosts. Today, I actually got a box of coffee with a note asking me to take a portion and pass it on. Like a game or a chain letter. The note I got was threatening — If I don't do as asked, it says there will be a punishment. So."

I pull in a deep breath and spread my hands. "I know there's only so much we can realistically do about all of this, but has anybody else gotten anything like this?"



[If you want to thread with Mark directly, please say so in your subject line and let me know. Otherwise, this is a MINGLE and folks can jump around at will. Have at!]

Comments

[cleptes]

"I have come across a lot of strange things in my life, but I would never imagine coming to a place like this. Nor thought it was possible." Perhaps other villagers had experienced an alternative world or had proof of their existence. Bela's world was odd, just nothing like this place.

She knows that there are more questions to be asked. Bela wants to direct them to other people. Not just Margaery.

"A dream?" Bela replies, raising a brow. "Well. I suppose we could start with where you grew up. Whom you grew up with, and the place you were born."

The request wasn't too intrusive. She wasn't asking her for a detailed account of her past, and who she was. But she found it fascinating that Margaery seems to have gone through a change - maybe it was because of being in the village.

[thekittenqueen]

It was more than being in the village, it was the fact she died and needed to face the woman she once was, the choices she made and the path she took that lead her to here. Without the source of her ambition present, she had to find herself and the woman she was. She had never concentrated on her heart and her personal wants, not until she came here. Now, she actually existed beyond her desire for the crown.

It changed her memories of Westeros and High Garden, coloring her memories with sweetness and nostalgia. She might have been happier if she stayed there, never knowing what it was to have what she wanted but never able to keep it.

"I lived in Westeros, the Seven Kingdoms. My kingdom was known as 'The Reach', it was the most fertile and beautiful of the kingdoms. We provided the rest of the realm with food and resources, which made us a wealthy and powerful family. We had a castle called High Garden. It had gardens and high walls and a bramble maze to protect us from attackers. I grew up with my parents, grandmother and brother."

[cleptes]

Bela is quiet when Margaery speaks, listening to her carefully. At the same time she wonders what exactly she would share with her in return.

"It sounds lovely. And well-protected." Also like something out of the past which didn't surprise Bela because she was told that there were people here from different time periods. "A place like that, would have to be protected. Especially if it's a main source of food and other materials. Leaving it vulnerable and open to attack would not only hurt your resources, but also your wealth and power."

She didn't grow up in a castle, but she considered her wealth to be important. Bela worked hard to get to where she was and didn't want to let that go. There was another reason why she followed that particular career path, but she's reluctant to share it with anyone else here.

"I have never heard of Westeros before, but it seems similar to my country. Especially when you have an accent like that."

[thekittenqueen]

Well protected for those that wanted to remain home, but she had no illusions. All it would take was one great army and Highgarden would fall. It was possible it already happened and the Reach had been sacked. Knowing Cersei, she would want to seize every last resource and gold until they were in her possession. She wouldn't rely on an outside source again. The tragedy was, who would be there to stop her? House Tyrell was gone, save for her grandmother.

"We have never been the strongest army in Westeros, but our supplies and resources make us valuable. There are other keeps that are better protected. Ours thrives on beauty." She could admit the faults of her home and the sad truth was that they never planned for this eventuality. They let their pride and their confidence get the better of them.

"We do seem to have similar accents, but from the way you speak of your home, I don't think it has knights or queens or castles, does it?"

[cleptes]

Beauty wasn't enough to defend a great home, and Bela wonders if Margaery's place of birth had already been attacked. From the way she described it, it did sound lovely and somewhere that Bela would love to see for herself, if it was possible.

"We do have a Queen and a royal family. But the castles are not really occupied any more. They are preserved for historical reasons and some of them are even open to the public. Visitors can learn about their history, and the overall history of the country. No knights though. They are definitely a thing of the past."

Bela's knowledge of the history of her country only went so far. For the past few years she had focused her attention on the world of the supernatural and how it would benefit her.

"It should come as no surprise that my world is very different to yours. Modern." A pause. "However, I think that we could probably learn a lot from each other."

[thekittenqueen]

"That's heartbreaking. A queen that is a relic of the past, despite existing when knights do not. All of those empty castles and the history and families that occupied them gone. I can't imagine." It hit her harder than she wanted to admit. How long until Highgarden stood empty? What had been her family's pride was no susceptible to Cersei's greed. It hurt to think about.

"I have heard a bit about the modern world. I think it is similar to yours. It has technology, electricity and all of these other innovations." Things that would likely make her uncomfortable and uncertain. While it was made to make lives easier, she could only see it as a loss of control. It might be more difficult to chop wood and light fires, but at least it was done by her own hands.

She smiled, "I think so too. If it isn't too strange to say, I have noticed that we have a similar approach to new surroundings. You seem to have the same suspicions I do."

[cleptes]

There doesn't seem to be anything that Bela could say to her to offer as a form of assurance or comfort, but she will try. "That is how the world has progressed where I'm from. It does not mean that we forget about our history and how we got to where we are."

She nodded at Margaery's words, agreeing with her. It was understandable that the other woman may not feel as comfortable as Bela would be in a modern world. In fact, Bela was still coming to terms with being in the village where there weren't so many amenities.

"It isn't strange at all. I like being able to talk to someone who has a similar outlook to myself. And I think it is worth being cautious, especially in an odd place where just about anything could happen. Sometimes, without warning."

Bela returned the smile easily.

"I would like us to be friends."

[thekittenqueen]

"The past isn't so simple to leave behind, but knowing how time moves forward is somehow more painful." It was vague, she knew this, but the sentiment hit her forcefully, raising an ache in her chest. "There are some here that aren't able to return home. This place is their second chance."

And she was one of them, was her meaning. It wasn't so simple to say the words "I died", not when that statement could still cause her pain or raise nightmares. Or perhaps some measure of superstition existed in her. She had told others she had died, but they had been part of Westeros. Bela was a stranger in so many ways.

But the more she talked to her, the more Margaery felt that Bela was more like her than anyone else. She seemed to understand her outlook, voicing it before Margaery could. "It is wise to be on your guard, but be careful not to shut out the other villagers. There is safety in us banding together."

She smiled more easily, "I should like that as well."