(no subject)

[thekittenqueen]

WHO: Margaery Tyrell
WHERE: The Fountain
WHEN: July 21st
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: N/A
STATUS: Open

There had been green before her eyes and the rumble of the ground beneath her feet. A sudden roar and then it all disappeared, replaced by the sound of splashing and swirling water before her eyes. Margaery sputtered, liquid filling her eyes, nose and mouth, pulling her down into the depths as she struggled to understand what was happening and where she was.

Pressure grew in her chest, reminding her that she didn't have time to rest in a delirium. She needed air and needed to fight to the surface for it. Kicking and struggling, she swam fiercely, channeling all of her confusion and fear into her movements. It wasn't long before the light she chased was in reach and the surface surrounded her. She took a sharp ragged breath, scanning around her environment, on edge and waiting for more danger. Her limbs trembled, shock deeply rooted in her.

Slowly, she pulled herself from the fountain (was a fountain really so deep?) and fell against the ground. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her heartbeat returning to normal. She sputtered, spitting out the excess water that had found itself into her mouth.

That was done. She had survived, but where had she landed? What place was this and what waited for her? What nightmare had she woken to?

Comments

[lastofthekellys]

Kate had chosen a room at the inn with a view over the park and its strange, strange fountain, and this is the second reason why. She can see, if she's there, when people emerge. New ones, dressed in flimsy clothes and gasping when they'd so nearly been drowned.

The downside to being in the top storey of the inn is the time it takes to run down, get to the fountain, but she's always been fast. She's getting faster at it.

The young woman slows when she's in the fountain, purposefully makes her boots heard as she walks towards the drenched newcomer. She can light as a leaf when she wants, but she doesn't want to startle the new woman.

"Hey there," Kate says, crouching down. Not too close - Mr Becket had that right, for all she hissed at him. "Take it easy, miss. There's no immediate danger."

She knows what she'll look like when the woman looks up - young, slender, dark curly hair finger-combed into a plait as neat as she can, the buckles of her overalls showing through under the thin fabric of her red blouse. But all the social markers, all the ability to read a person, that, Kate has no idea. Just like she cannot look at this woman and guess anything.

Not yet, anyway.

[thekittenqueen]

Margaery sputtered again, feeling her stomach toss, threatening to empty itself and the water she digested. She glanced at the woman, the world still swimming around her. Her eyes still struggling to focus and adjust to the light and sound of this place. This was an unexpected and unpleasant wake up, if this were a dream at all. Somehow, it didn't feel like one.

"What is this place?" She gasped, her breath finally beginning to return to normal. "Where am I?"

[lastofthekellys]

Upper-class voice, an accent that is English but not exactly. Kate doesn't waste time wondering if the woman was raised in India or somewhere faraway like that, she just concentrates on the woman herself.

"None of us are really sure," she says, still calm as if she's talking to a spooked horse. "It's an empty village. The rest of us have been brought here like you, all comin' up from the fountain.

And no, it ain't a dream."

She's apologetic about it. It...

It isn't really what any of them wanted.

Yet here they are.

[thekittenqueen]

It seemed impossible, ridiculous even. How could they simply appear in a fountain without any idea of where they were. It was then that she felt the pack on her back, the supplies she had come with. Confused, she set them down, staring at the bag as though it were cursed.

Carefully, she opened it, examining briefly the clothes inside. All were strange and unfamiliar to her. Trousers, odd undergarments and colorless fabrics. Bleak, just as this place seemed to be.

"They seem to have brought me rather prepared." She sighed, pushing back stringy strands of hair. "Is there shelter nearby?"

[lastofthekellys]

"Only thing missin' would be some whiskey," Kate says with a sigh and a wry curl of her mouth. Of course, there are other things missing. Important things, even, such as an easy access to food they don't have to hunt. But she hopes her meaning gets across: wouldn't a drink be just wonderful right now?

"There is, miss. There's an inn, that's closest. No staff, but a few of us are stayin' there. If you'd like, there are also dozens of middle houses around. Some people have claimed a few."

She shrugs. "The inn's stable enough. And they have this contraption that pumps hot water straight to the baths."

If not running water was marvellous enough, but it is also hot. As long as the boiler is going.

[andrend]

Ren still wasn't convinced the fountain was a dead end. They arrived within its depths, and he had observed, from a distance, others doing the same. Always with a pack and always wearing the same style of soaked clothing, albeit in different colors.

It was only by chance that he had chosen that day to sit near the fountain. There was nothing predictable or regular about the timing of people sputtering and flailing their way out of its waters. Ren was not there to save anyone, or to ease them into their new home. He didn't care who showed up or what they did with themselves. He only cared about finding a way out and off this planet.

He had taken several swims in the fountain in the past couple weeks. He still had no idea how people were dropped in or released from the fountain, only that it seemed to be the only place they came from.

When Margarey sputtered her way to the surface, Ren took his boots and coat off and dove in to the side of her. He left her to keep sputtering on the ground, diving as deep as he could before his lungs demanded he resurface.

When he did, he sat back down on the edge of the fountain, drenched once again and just as frustrated as he had been every other time. The fountain kept seeming like a dead end, but he had yet to give up.

He looked down at the woman on the ground after a moment and then moved to pick his coat back up, pulling it on again over his dripping clothes. There are only a few things that would make her useful to him, and he shows no empathy when he stands in front of her.

"How did you end up in the fountain?"

[thekittenqueen]

His lack of concern or help earned him an eye roll and a cold look of disdain. The awakening she had, as well as the rather frightful entrance hadn't helped her suffer through the rudeness of others. She was dead and this place was unfamiliar to her. It was unnecessary for her to pull up her courtly mask and resume an air of sweetness and innocence.

She was in no mood for any of it. As she struggled to regain her composure and spit out the last of the water, she watched as he pulled on his jacket. His earlier behavior peculiar, but not difficult to understand. He was looking for a way out, but the frustration on his features answered any questions she might have.

There was no way out. It was a one way trip, no portal or door to lead back to her world.

Margaery sighed, laying back against the ground as she stared up at the sky. She would need a moment before she could move again. The sun, at least, might dry her. "If I knew the answer, I should be using that means to return home. I simply woke underwater."

[andrend]

Useless. She had no more information than anyone else. He could not fault her for that, but he was frustrated all the same. He was dripping from his dive, his coat slowly dampening from the clothing underneath. There was no call for it in the weather they had, but Ren was used to wearing more clothing in all temperatures and weather. He crouched down after a moment, not willing to sit and let down his guard, but lowering himself closer to her level while they were still speaking.

"Where where you before? What system?" He missed the mask, if only for the ease that came with it as opposed to forcibly masking his emotions in public. He was angry, but only mild irritation showed on his face.

[thekittenqueen]

She pulled the pack from her back and rested her head on it as she lay out on the ground, seeking any warmth from the sky. There was only the breeze, leaving her trembling and cold. Finally, she raised herself up, pulling her knees to her chest as he knelt to address her.

It was like she was in the Sept again, a prisoner in the cell and being interrogated by one of the Sparrows. There was no kindness in his features, only a quiet intensity that disturbed her, though she was careful not to let it show.

He was young, but that did not stop the ominous feeling she got whenever she looked at him. "I was in King's Landing at the Sept of Baelor the Blessed. We were waiting for the trial of the Queen Mother to commence." It wasn't what he was looking for, but she had no other answer to give.

[andrend]

The scar across his face did little to reassure most people of any kind of kindness. Ren worked hard to keep his expressions masked when it was possible to do so. He watched her intently, despite how unhelpful he found her answer. King's Landing, Sept, Baelor of the Blessed. Nothing she said was familiar to him and he couldn't help the slight frustrated breath that escaped him at her answer.

"I assume one of those is the name of a city. King's Landing?" The rest sounded like rulers or faith, both of which he intended to offer a solution to in the future. His future and the future of the galaxy. But that was beyond his reach for now.

"What is the most advanced form of travel your people have mastered?"

[seekingvinland]

Thorfinn had been out exploring once more. It had been his basic routine since he arrived, wake up explore and seek to figure out his own answers, go back to Jo's hall and repeat the next day. He was making his way once more back towards the inn. This took him past the fountain, since he used landmark to track where he came and went from.

As he made his way by the fountain, he noticed the wet foot prints. He assumed someone had already taken care of it like they had with him and Kate afterwards, but it was hard to ignore his instincts. The instincts which say follow the wet and drying footprints. Which he did. Not making much noise just quietly following the trail.

[thekittenqueen]

She wasn't far away, having deposited her bag at her new residence and running her fingers through her hair. She had taken a seat outside, leaning her back against the wall as she absorbed the day and all that had happened. She was finally becoming dry again, but the strange smell of fountain water lingered in her hair.

None of her gowns were here, only the colorless, unfriendly clothing provided. She didn't feel like herself and this place was certainly not home. It still seemed like a dream, but reality was sinking in with every passing hour.

[seekingvinland]

Thorfinn took his time following along the trail. In his youth when he used to hunt his food he had realized ways of following tracks even as they appeared to vanish. This was now a snowy tundra, but the same skills played into it as he followed the wet steps to a walkway.

He looked up from the nearly dried petite foot print to the beautiful woman sitting against the house. She looked like she was someone of noble breeding, or a high beauty that would have fetched a price if she had been sold. He never liked that kind of thing, but he knew well of how it worked.

"Halló, þú ert illa?"

His voice was heavily accented, and he appeared a bit worried for the pretty woman, but with his many reveiled scars thanks the tank top shirt, he was sure he didn't look the most welcoming. His english wasn't good, but he hoped maybe he would be able to communicate somehow.

[thekittenqueen]

She heard the approach of someone, shaking her from her thoughts. She had almost grown used to the silence. While Kate had helped her find a place to stay and an empty home to claim, she didn't know anyone else in this world. There was Jon, but she'd never met him before now. There was no reason for someone to seek her out. It was why it was such a shock to have a man speak to her now.

At least, she assumed he was speaking. The language was rough and foreign to her. Frowning, Margaery shook her head, uncertain what it was he was saying.

"I don't understand." She said softly, not wishing to be rude, but too tired to consider playing at guessing his meaning. She thought he said 'hello', but it wasn't quite clear.

[seekingvinland]

The blonde man was dressed in the same type of clothes everyone else arrived with. His pants were the gray scurbs and he had on the white tank top, his clothes were a little dirty but he was returning from hunting so honestly it was just a good thing he wasn't bloody. He was short, only around five foot four, but well built. Having many scars like a well seasoned warrior but he still looked young even with a beard.

He nodded at really nothing when she spoke. He could tell it was english, it seemed to be the most common here. He was an odd man out due to his strange language. "You ný?"

No that wasn't right. "New." he repeated the word in english. Jo was helping him learn the language. He was supposed to use his new words. "Help?" he spoke out, the word and tone were spoken more as an offer than him asking for help.

[tooktheblack]

Jon had made a habit of surveying the land on a daily basis. He walked along the edges of the village, he set snares and checked them to see if any game had wandered into his traps and he went to the fountain that they'd all arrived from to see if there was a way back through it to home. There were responsibilities that he had back in Westeros; who would protect Sansa from Ramsay Bolton if he was here? Ser Davos? Tormund?

Jon couldn't entrust the safety and security of his sister to anyone but himself. It was the duty to Sansa that drove him to check the fountain every day and he startled a bit when it bubbled and a woman struggled her way out. His natural inclination was to aid her in any way he could and he rushed to her side, checking her over.

"My lady, are you all right? Can you breathe?"

[thekittenqueen]

She sputtered, spitting out water and gasping for breath. While Margaery knew how to swim, it was the abrupt appearance in the water and the gasp of shock that had pulled so much liquid into her mouth. She felt choked, compressed and struggling to breathe. The sudden appearance of a man seemed small in comparison, no matter the familiarity of his accent and manner.

She was at least unhurt, only suffering from a foul mood rather than any lasting damage. "I'm well enough, given the means of my arrival to wherever I am." Where was she? It was far from the world she knew and the sights and smells of King's Landing. It looked like a place she might see across the Narrow Sea (as well as her mind could imagine it), but something didn't seem...familiar about this place.

"Where am I?"

[tooktheblack]

"That, I couldn't tell you, my lady," Jon said, wishing he had a better answer for her than that one. It was clear by her manner of speech that she was highborn, so far as he knew it to be, and he wondered if she might be from Westeros. There had been no others from there that he'd met in this place thus far but possibly she could be the first.

"It's not the Wall," he said, sending out a bit of a test to see if she recognized it. If she did, then possibly she could be someone he could ally himself with. "Nor is it the North. It's too warm and winter's already come."

[thekittenqueen]

She glanced up at him, scrutinizing his appearance. The only figures from the North she had known were Sansa and Lady Catelyn. Margaery had heard of Robb Stark and his father, but never had the honor to actually meet them. His accent, however, was enough for her to surmise he came from that world and must know the Starks in some capacity. Either as a son of one of Ned Stark's bannermen or simply a Northerner familiar with the Warden of the North.

"Has it?" She asked, pushing back her hair as she struggled to sit up. "We received no ravens to tell us that Winter had arrived." There had been too much activity with the coming trial to have noticed anyway. "All the crops in High Garden will perish. I can't imagine it will be a short Winter."

[thekittenqueen]

[ooc: Of course! I'd love that!]

[tobeclosetohim]

Jo doesn't like the fountain and, much as she can, she avoids being in the area. Aside from when she needs to be in the Inn & Pub to check on things there, see how people are doing and if anyone's learned anything new. It's a long story all told. Why she hate entrances or a short one that has a too much behind it. It doesn't mean she isn't keeping a close watch on when new people suddenly cross her path, though, since Thorfinn's appearance.

It had been only the small group of them before him.

There hadn't been any entrance way, life, time, fuckery until him, too.



The girl who appears definitely stand out, still dripping and not looking too pleased with much of anything, stopping Jo for her destination. "I'm guessing you just arrived."

[thekittenqueen]

Margaery pushed back her hair, trying to keep the wet strands from sending more droplets down her face. She felt like a drowned cat and probably looked like one as well. While she intended to find an empty house and keep away from the noise and activity at the inn, curiosity pushed her into at least exploring. Wherever she was brought to, she wouldn't learn anything about it just sitting around, and she was never an idle person to begin with.

Glancing at the pretty young woman, Margaery attempted a smile, pushing herself into a measure of friendliness that she didn't currently feel in her state. Who would after an arrival like that?

"I suppose it is easy to spot."

[tobeclosetohim]

"A little," Jo said, with a tilt of her head, but her smile wasn't entirely unsympathetic. It was kind of hard to be hard on any of the people who came out of that fountain like drowned rats, all of them looking about as unpleased and confused as anyone else had since she first popped out of that thing.

"It's probably the whole soaked to the skin thing." Her mouth curved a slight crooked curl. Aiming more for a little silly, a little sweet, more than any kind of smirk or mocking. "It is, I can tell you with confidence, at least until today's date so far--" She clarified, since nothing was absolutely certain in this crazy, backwards, aged place. "--the only reason you'll ever end up that drenched in town."

[thekittenqueen]

"It isn't what I would call the best entrances into a new city." If it can even be called a 'city.' She had warmer welcomes even in the camp of her enemies. This was a bit disorienting. If it wasn't for the kindness that others exhibited, Margaery would be in a fouler mood than she already was.

Jo's kindness helped soften her irritation.

"Unless I am caught out in the rain." Did it rain here? Everything seemed similar to the world she had left, save for the magic and the clothing. "I'd rather not smell like fountain again."