milliways_bar | (no subject)

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Marian has been stuck here weeks now. Longer than normal. She can feel it. Has counted it. The Door is keeping her longer than normal. With her father still jailed the otherside. 'Restless' does not begin to cover it.

One Lady, at the archery range,

Firing off arrows about as fast as she can reach for them.

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It's enough of a smile.

"I know that feeling, too," she says. "But I am not sure if practicing would help, or make it worse. For me, I mean."

Marian considered her. "What would you practice?"

"If I had them, the sword, knives. As it is I'd just be practicing hand-to-hand."

It's a very weighted, concerting thing, that look. "They do. In the stock, there are extras for practice. And Teja sells them, as well, when the forge is open."

Kait meets that look without flinching, partly her own pride, partly Marian is but a young human woman without power over her. She's faced worse, really.

"Buying implies money, which I don't have anymore. But I didn't know we could borrow. What style of swords?"

She has thick wrists, has Kait, thanks to years of sword-training.

The challenge and reminder in Kait's words doesn't go missed. That brittle edge where the changes circumstances of life still found raw, ripped, hard edges. Marian conceded to letting that one go.

"I haven't looked since Milliways had its recent shiftings." The whole world falling apart, no one spent their time concerned about the smallest details like that. Lives had been far more important. "They used to have blades for several universes across. It all depends on what has stayed."

Kait takes a deep breath, slides her eyes away.

She's cool and blue and calm, cool as tiles and still water, nothing red or angry or fire under her skin as her bones shift.

She's not restless, she's not.

"Fair enough. I'll...I should check when I'm in the mood for it." Again, words spoken lightly, the words of a lady who can pick and choose when she plays with weapons.

Not words that match her lean body, her perfect balance, or indeed much else except for the quality of her clothes and her polished voice.

"I'm..." A quick smile, directed at Marian. "Itchy. For something. But you know with itches, you scratch them and it only makes them worse."

Oh, Marian knew that feeling so well.

"What do you think it wants?"

She laughs faintly.

"A purpose, ultimately. I've...I've had various ones all my life. I'm not used to doing nothing, with no goal or aim."

Marian started walking for the target and her arrows, calling back louder so she wasn't ignoring her. "Do you think you would be for one of your old goals and aims, or in search of something entirely other and new?"

"I need something new," she says, finally. "My other aims were very...bound up in my old world."

She is a Falcon sworn, an oath taken to never take power that is not hers or not given freely, to minimize harm wherever she can. But swearing to be responsible with magic is not, exactly, a goal she can work towards.

Marian looked back at her words. Wondering how well they fit her about Nottingham, even. Before returning to picking up more of the arrows. Putting them in the quiver slung down from her shoulder for collecting.

"What do you like doing?"

She looks startled.

"'Like' doing?"

Edited 2012-04-05 00:05 (UTC)

"Yes." Marian said, shoving another in, and looking up at the girl. "What makes you happy?"

Edited 2012-04-05 00:07 (UTC)

"I'm happy when I'm Shifted. Elated, really. Happy doesn't...Well, I was raised for duty. That's how I was educated."

"A familiar story," Marian said with a nod as she headed back. "You will find no one to press upon you any duties you don't go looking for yourself, outside of the rules."

"I've worked that one out," she says, drily. "I suppose I'm just not used to being bored."

Edited 2012-04-05 00:36 (UTC)

"I would suggest trying a little of everything, until you find things you'd like to fill the time with, then." It can seem tedious when you are first bound, every time. All the minutes and hours and nothing to do with them.

"I think this is the part where I start wailing that my education is now completely useless, as I was trained for a diplomat in a world I cannot access."

Pause.

"Although I suppose I could catch up on my reading."

Marian tried not to laugh, but it did make her smile.

"Have you seen the library upstairs, yet?"

"I have not."

Marian considered the arrows in her hands.

Then looked back to the girl, "Would you like to?"

"I would, if you were not occupied by archery practice."

"I can be occupied with it later," Marian said, dropped the quiver next to the range bars. "As it and I, we shall both, still be here in a few hours."

Sympathetically, "You are Bound, too?"