sixthiterationlogs | 05 Trying her best [Open + 1 Closed]

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05 Trying her best [Open + 1 Closed]

WHO: Moana
WHERE: Cliffs & Inn
WHEN: March 17th - 18th
OPEN TO: Ned & ALL
WARNINGS: bruising, that's it.
STATUS: OPEN

Cliff – Closed for Ned

She stood at the bottom of the high cliff, her dark eyes scanning up towards the sky. It was the perfect place to begin her climb.

It wasn’t the greatest plan, Moana knew that, but that hasn’t stopped her before and it wasn’t going to stop her now. She was covered as best she could in clothing. If the fireflies returned, the only thing that she had to be careful of was her eyes which were fully exposed. Her hair was tied up and a rope that Moana had made was looped around her torso. The end of that rope was connected to her spear which was safely secured on her back. She was ready.

It would be difficult to climb in boots but Moana was determined to see her plan through to the end.

Climbing was second nature, at times she’d pause and have to search for a handhold or a place to put her boot but it wasn’t too difficult to make her way up the towering rock face. When she was about half way to her goal she paused and looked behind her. The valley expanded beneath her, there was no harsh brightness but she saw the heavy weight of the fog and the thick clouds that gathered ominously above them. It was beautiful in its own right; quiet, peaceful and still. As her eyes scanned the ground, she noticed that the walls circled the entire area. They really were stuck in a hole in the ground.

Before Moana was able to continue her ascent she spotted the flickering lights of the fireflies, rising up to meet her. She began to climb, faster than before, but there was no way for her to outrun the flying menace. Moana paused when they got closer. She waved a hand in front of her face, knowing that the rest of her frame was protected by several layers of clothing. Her fingers cramped as she struggled to keep herself flush against the rock face.

A first she felt weightless and then she was falling.

Moana screamed and then remembered that she had a plan B. She pulled the spear from her back, her muscles protesting as she twisted midair. She threw the spear upward; the rope unwinding around her torso as she continued her rapid decent. The pointed tip of the spear embedded into the rock face and the rope around her torso tightened. Her fall stopped with a sudden jolt, breaking her spear in half while dropping her the last 10 feet to the ground.

The hard impact of the ground vibrated uncomfortably through her while her spear landed somewhere to her right. Everything hurt but Moana wiggled her fingers and toes, as Jyn once told her too, confirming that she’d heal and it’d be fine.

"Ow..." She didn’t think she could stand but she knew it wasn’t safe to continue flying prone on the forest floor.

Inn – Open

Moana had decided take the time to heal after Ned found her at the base of the cliff. She was lucky that she didn’t get stung; however she was bruised from head to toe and sore. Her plan didn’t work, which was fine, because now she knew not to do that.

She spent the next day or so around the inn, wearing a tank top with the provided navy blue scrub bottoms. This gave anyone looking a clear view of the lightning scar across her shoulder and back as well as the dark purple and black bruises that trailed from the base of her neck, all the way down to the heel of her foot. Sitting was difficult but Moana could be found standing next to the fire, her arm leaning against the wall to keep her upright while she focused on the task in front of her.

She had decided to work on a new project. Making long strings, like nets and ropes, was boring. Instead, Moana started to work on something more complicated. She used the same milkweed fibers as before. Her fingers nimbly dipped and weaved with the threads creating a lace like pattern that she hoped to turn into a necklace, bracelet or anklet.

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Moana took both of the drinks offered. She wasn't sure which to actually drink and taking both seemed to solve that problem. She took a sip from both and found that the drink that wasn't water began to ease the pain twisting and shooting down her side. She kept her smile though Ned most likely recognized the stress in her features.

Seat sat away from the back of the chair, her back straight to alleviate the stress and pain in her sides. Her joints screamed with pain but that was easy to ignore with the ache that settled long her spine. Moana can safely say that getting struck by lighting hurt more but healed faster than falling off the side of a cliff.

"Yeah." At least she was able to reply. Moana had to focus on breathing, on drinking, each task was taxing in it's own way but she was stubborn. "Thank you for your help. I owe you." She didn't think she could repay him for his help. "I'm Moana."

"Water," Ned gestures to the mug, "And - ale, I believe. I asked for something relatively strong, and that is what I was given." He'd let the aroma of it infiltrate his nostrils as he'd walked back over, and the scent of fermentation had been incredibly potent. He imagines that, with enough of the liquid, she wouldn't need anything like milk of the poppy; the ale or whatever it might have been would be more than strong enough.

"There is nothing you owe me," Ned replies quietly, lips twitching into a faint, warm smile. "Though your thoughtfulness will not be soon forgotten." He sits comfortably in his chair, though perhaps a bit more erect and alert than he would normally, had he been only socializing or resting. He won't find the ability to be at ease until he knows she's found safety. "Moana," he repeats thoughtfully. "I am Lord Eddard of House Stark." His children had told them that the slew of titles that had followed his name for so many years was was no longer necessary, and he has to press the tip of his tongue to the roof of his mouth in order to stop himself from letting them escape. "Moana. It is not a name with which I am familiar. What is your family name?"

Moana slowly nodded her head, her dark brown eyes flicking between the two liquids. "They're good. Thank you." It was strange to think of water as good but it was one of the joys that she found in this place. Water, no matter where she went, more or less tasted the same.

She exhaled and looked up from her drinks. "No. I made a mistake. I shouldn't have tried to climb the cliff." Just like she shouldn't have tried to leave the island. Moana didn't really learn from her mistakes. "Yeah. I'm Moana Waialiki of the island of Motunui. Most haven't heard of my island but it really is a wonderful place." She smiled fondly.

She knew that they would be going on well without her but she couldn't help but be worried about her home.

"It certainly does not seem an activity befitting a young woman," Ned begins, images of his son, Bran, flashing across his mind. How surefooted he had been, how many hours he'd spend climbing the walls and garrisons of Winterfell. He wills the darker thoughts away, the ones that spoke of attempted murders and the Lannisters. "What was it you were hoping to find by climbing?" He thinks to ask whether she'd been looking for a way out of the town, but thinks it is too personal a subject for someone she has only just met.

"Forgive me," Ned replies with a quiet laugh, "In my failed attempts at pronouncing your family name. I am afraid my tongue is not acquainted with those sounds. Wai- Waiakali?" He shakes his head, knows he has pronounced it improperly. "I will learn it, soon enough."

"Don't worry about it. You can call me Moana if it's easier."

Moana exhaled, her smile falling and being replaced by a more serious stare. Her shoulders were straight and her figured exuded confidence though it's source wasn't entirely clear. "We're here for a reason." She began as she let her eyes lock with Ned's. "My village needs me but I think the people here do too." She sounded very sure of herself.

"There is more to life than surviving, you have to live and smile. I want to protect that. So I thought..." She exhales a long breath. "I thought I could do it. That I could find something out that might give people hope."

Except it hadn't worked.

"I will call you whatever you wish, but I will attempt to train my tongue in order to show your house the proper respect," Ned replies with a warm in his tone. Something little with which to distract himself, something concrete and measurable. Something to keep the demons and shadows at bay, at least for a little while.

"That is a noble mantle to carry on your own." There is something about her - her ferocity, her determination, perhaps - that reminds him of his own Arya. How little she had wanted to do with the ways of a "proper lady," how her fiery spirit and quick wit had leant themselves to refuse the expectations set upon her simply for her anatomy. "And what sort of hopeful thing were you hoping to discover?"

Moana's expression faltered. "I don't know." This place wasn't like her island, there was so much that she didn't understand. Basic things like the houses or the items in the kitchen. They were sometimes familiar but everything was different. The only thing that was the same was the earth, the sea, the sky. Just like her home they were alive and should be respected but that did little for her comfort in the village.

She shifted a bit before allowing her thoughts to form and press against her lips. "I thought I might see the ocean. What I saw were cliffs, all around us." She moved her hands in a circle bringing her finger tips together as she completed it. "I don't know where the river runs but we're really stuck here."

It didn't sit well with Moana. She felt the call in her chest, pulling her towards the ocean only she didn't know which direction to go. Her hand moved over her heat, listening to it's steady drum. "There has to be more out there. I feel it."

"Where does the river lead, if one were to follow it?" Ned asks, leaning in a fraction. He certainly has no intention of seeking an exit from a place that has allowed him to live out what he hopes is the rest of his days with his children. The town is not Winterfell, not by any means, but he knows better than the question what the Old Gods see fit; if they were keen to bless him with four out of his six children, then he would show his gratitude properly.

Still, Ned is but a mortal man - and his curiosity piques a bit at the mention of an untraceable river.

"And what if there is? What will you do if you find it? There are sayings about seeking out trouble that would be appropriate for me to echo here, I believe."

Moana shook her head slowly, displacing the thick black curls. "I couldn't see. It was too foggy." She might be able to try again but she had a feeling that she'd get yelled at if she climbed along her own.

"I..." He was about to sound like her father. "I don't know what I will find but haven't you thought you were made for something more? Something just beyond the horizon."

She wasn't seeking trouble. The ocean called to her.

There is a grimness in Ned's expression as he allows himself to fall back into the seat, his body pressing against the wood with purpose. He considers her in silence for a few moments, something in his eyes darker and more somber than what had been there previously. A part of him admires her spirit, her fervor, her child-like curiosity. It comes from a certain type of innocence, he knows, and he hates the thought of taking any of it away from her. Why not let her think in such idealistic (albeit naive) fantasies?

He sighs, trying to strike some sort of middle ground.

"One misses out on the realm of man if one's head is always amongst the gods, Moana."

Moana knew that she was idealistic and she tried hard to ground herself, more so when she was around her father. He didn't like her dream and it'd been a point of contention for so long. Speaking to Ned now, it felt like that again. Her tilted her chin up, looking more like the chief she was supposed to one day be. Her dark eyes gleamed with confidence and knowledge that reached into years beyond her age.

"I know. I have things to do here and things that I must do at home too." She had people who looked to her. "I'll keep going. Until I can see my home again." And see that others are home too.

"I should rest but-" Her lips pulled into a smile that was only a little forced. "Thank you for help me."

He wonders at her use of the word 'home,' how clearly she delineates between this town and the land from which she comes. This place seems to have not earned the same title, which is something he can certainly understand. No matter how hard he tried or how much of his family came to find him, it would never be Winterfell. It would never carry the same respect and adoration that their home - their true home - did.

"Forgive me for keeping you; are you well enough to move about?" he asks, leaning forward again, readying himself to assist her should she need it.

Moana shook her head. "I am the one who should be forgiven. You've only been kind to me." She pushed herself up from the chair, wincing once. "I'll be fine. My room is close. Thank you again for helping me."

She paused before turning to leave. "If you need anything please let me know." Not that she can do very much. "That's what friends are for, right?"

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05 Trying her best [Open + 1 Closed]

Cliff – Closed for Ned

Inn – Open

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