aterat | Out and about

Entry tags:

Out and about

Who; Jon Snow and ota
What; Arrival and cherishment event
Where; All around the city
When; The month of February
Warnings; n/a (will update if needed)

Early February

Jon's been mostly keeping to himself since he arrived here, taking the time to get used to another new place, and learn something about it. He has decided that it's time to go farther afield now, so today he can be found just about anywhere in the city. He hasn't acquired any new clothing yet, so he's still wearing what he was wearing when he arrived: a silver tunic with a three-headed wolf embroidered in red, trousers, and boots. To keep off the chill he has a fur-trimmed cloak draped over his shoulders, and those who look closely will notice a knife at his belt. Much more noticeable is the large white wolf padding next to him through the streets.

He leaves Ghost sitting outside whenever he goes into a building, because this isn't Westeros and he's no longer seeing a threat around every corner (even if he won't fully let his guard down). Mostly he's familiarizing himself with this new city, but by the end of the day, he has also found himself a job with the city guard.

He just hopes that beyond this city's borders there aren't lurking anything like what turned out to be beyond the Wall. He's had enough of the reanimated dead for one lifetime.

Cherishment

Anyone who knew Jon in Westeros and then saw him here would hardly believe he's the same person. He's pretty much constantly smiling, and why shouldn't he? His life isn't almost constantly in danger because he's a brother of the Night's Watch, or a Stark, or just simply not dead yet. He's not losing family and friends to a war over who gets to sit on a throne that's guaranteed to make them lots of enemies. And, most importantly, he's just happy, which is something he hasn't been in he can't remember how long.

He's partaking of the festivities, complete with a flower crown, the brightness of the flowers contrasting with his dark curls. Even Ghost has a matching crown. He remembers that there had been something similar to this in the Sphere, so this isn't an entirely new celebration to him, and he's in the mood to celebrate it. He doesn't know many people here, but this seems like a good time to meet some.

He's already been to the bakery and bought some pastries to share with Inesa later when they're both home again, and now he's looking over some sets of jewelry. He has found two options that he likes and he can't decide which one he likes better, so he's looking for another opinion. Which is where who's closest to him in the shop comes in.

"Which one do you like better?"

[ooc: If we have a thread on the tdm, we can continue that instead of one of these options, too, or do something entirely different.]

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Llewellyn was constantly out and about. It was actually strange to not see him wandering around the city. Yes, he had his own desk and space at the gullwings office… But he did his best thinking and work out on the streets. He was just more comfortable outdoors and had been for a very long time. It was probably a habit he’d never quite break. Today he was actually out for other reasons, lunch being one as he had a bag of soft pretzels under one arm, and the other being to take a fuzzy hound by the same name for a good walk to tire him out a bit.

Humming to himself, he adjusted the collar of his new winter coat that Rhy had helped him pick out and done the detail work on. Dark turquoise, with embroidered detailing in complementary colours along the trim and sleeves, scrolling around the pockets where he then pulled out a pair of gloves to put on. His gray homburg settled snug over his curls and a scarf hanging loosely in a loop around his neck.

It was, all in all, a nice enough day. Almost relaxing compared to January’s chaos, and he was about to turn down a sidestreet with Pretzel when the dog caught a familiar scent. This had been happening a lot of late, what with a surprising influx of arrivals… All of them familiar, and all of them people they both were glad to see. But Pretzel’s nose tended to pick up on it first, and it set the dog to bounding off.

And where he was on a leash, it meant dragging Llewellyn along with him.

So John would be met with the comical sight of a basset hound (grown some since their last meeting, it had been a while) dragging a clumsily stumbling Llewellyn Watts-Maresh behind him. “Pretzel! Stop! Slow down, heel!” He spouted a few of the commands the dog knew well enough and usually listened to (when it suited him) to no avail.

Of course, when he spotted the large wolf and Jon? It didn’t take him long to realize what the pup was so excited about, and reacted rather quickly as he stumbled to a halt as the pup let out some eager barks. “Jon??” He blinked in surprise, before a smile in greeting crossed his face. It faltered a bit, though, as he tried to work out if he just made a mistake like he had with Enis again. She hadn’t remembered him and that had gotten awkward very fast. Hopefully Jon would be like Inesa, instead, and remember his time at the Sphere.

It's strange to him to hear canine companions make so much noise for any reason, given Ghost's almost total lack of any sound at all, and stranger still to think that such noises are on account of him. Ghost never reacts that way to him, after all, although he knows the direwolf is always happy to see him. Or maybe it's Ghost that the familiar dog is so happy to see? Either way, the barking get his attention before being addressed does.

It hasn't been as long for Jon as it has been for Llewellyn and Pretzel, and he still remembers them easily. "Llewellyn?" The name had never been hard to Jon to remember, due to its similarity to that of his childhood tutor, Maester Llewyn. The hardest part is remembering to add the extra syllable. "It's good to see you."

Pretzel could certainly be loud, especially when he was excited. Despite their shorter stature, basset hounds certainly had a very deep and resonating bark at times. Their howls were even more impressive for such a funny-looking creature, if Llewellyn had to say. He had been quite startled the first time Pretzel realized he could make that kind of noise.

Training, while improving, was still very much a work in progress.

While Pretzel was busy trying to greet both Ghost and John with the most delighted wiggles, tail wags and barks; Llewellyn found himself rather relieved by the recognition in the man’s expression and then his response. The detective’s shoulders sagged into a more relaxed slouch, relieved by the discovery. “Likewise! It’s been a while. This is a wonderful surprise!” It really was, Llewellyn been wondering about those left behind at the Sphere for quite some time. It was always nice to see another person above sea level and away from that place.

Sure… This world had its issues, but there were a lot of positives as well.

“How long have you been here? Have you seen Inesa yet?” He asked, almost rapid fire as soon as they came to mind. She had asked him about Jon, and at the time Llewellyn hadn’t known the man was there. So knowing how important they were to each other? He had to make sure.

As strange as it might seem to some, Jon hadn't minded his time at the Sphere terribly much. Sure, it had been an adjustment to being in underwater domes, and there had been aspects of the place that he really hadn't enjoyed (everyone in the place being able to see his memories comes to mind), but as a general experience, it had been better than Westeros. The Sphere had allowed him to see family he never thought he'd see again, and he had found happiness there.

Speaking of said happiness, Jon breaks into a smile when Llewellyn mentions Inesa's name. It's a natural response at this point. "I've seen her." He's done more than that; truthfully, he'd gone to her home and returned to the one he was assigned. "She mentioned that you were here."

Llewellyn felt his shoulders relax to hear that they’d already found each other here. Good, it would be something he’d darn well make happen if it hadn’t already. It was lucky that people had found one another in this world. With the fickle nature of these worlds, it was never a guarantee. “Excellent! I’m glad for you both, Jon. It’s… Nice to find those were had close connections to in the last world here.”

He grinned, though, at the mention that she’d said he was here as well. “Yes, there are actually a few of us who were at the Sphere who arrived? It seems… A bit staggered time wise, but I arrived with Rhy. It was… oh- shortly after our wedding that we found ourselves here.” He rubbed the side of his face lightly, thinking back on the last year. “And then a few others after us.” He hummed, thinking on it. “Harry, Ivy and Tommy. I’m not sure if you knew them, but they are here.” And now there were Inesa and Jon, which was a delightful turn of events. Even after all this time, it seemed that there were surprises left to be seen.

Most of those names are not familiar to him, though when he runs across them, their faces may turn out to be. The Sphere hadn't been that large, after all. Having found one more familiar face is enough for now.

"Wedding? I had heard about that." That is a strange concept to him, two men marrying each other. It would never happen in Westeros, where most marriages are business transactions entered into for the advantages to both sides. "I should congratulate you."

That gets a small, clumsy smile from the detective. “Oh, um- thank you!” It felt a little strange to be congratulated on it, if only because it was something he never would have thought to be congratulated on himself. It wasn't normal where he was from either. If Rhy hadn’t asked, it might never have crossed his mind more than an odd wistful thought.

“We were sorry you and Inesa didn’t get to attend. She’d done a lot to help before the day.” It had almost been a year now, and he was sorry that Jon and Inesa had both missed it… But they were here now, and that mattered more, he decided. Though it was rather odd still, he couldn’t help but puzzle over the gap in time between them, curious mind and all that.

So he pressed forward with a curious tone, “Where did you get placed for the uh- apartment buildings? I’ve been trying to puzzle out if there’s some kind of system for that when we arrive. I believe when I spoke to Inesa, she was in the green building.”

Edited 2022-02-23 05:05 (UTC)

"She is." Which he knows because he's basically moved in with her, ignoring his own assigned housing. Which he did keep the key for though, in case more space is necessary, or for some reason they should decide to stay there instead. "I'm in the gray building." Which still fits within his usual color scheme, but he doubts that's the connection.

“Ah, yes. I know a few people in that building.” He responded with a small nod before rubbing the back of his neck lightly. “I, uh- was placed in the blue building myself, while Rhy was placed in the red one.” Which was odd after the Sphere, where they’d already been living together, to say the least. The colour did suit Jon based on his usual attire, though Llewellyn was reasonably certain that wasn’t how they were sorted… He had a few ideas, based on interactions with people in his building or Rhy’s once he got to know them better.

With a vague gesture, he continued, though. “I confess, I’ve been living at his apartment and simply keeping mine for clutter and storage for my notes to avoid mm… making a mess in his space. At least, until we find a suitable home to move into.”

"I haven't used mine much either," he admits. "I still have access to it if I need it, but I've been staying with Inesa since discovering that she was here." Which had made sense for them, since they'd been living together in the Sphere too. "It's a good thing Ghost and Lancelot get along."

“Yes, I imagine it might be a bit complicated if they didn’t.” Llewellyn responded with a small rise of his brow, “But I’m glad you both came to a similar arrangement. It works out rather well, really.” And he was sure Jon could find some use for the storage space in the grey building. Maybe somewhere to keep all his… swords… or assorted weaponry… or something? Llewellyn really wasn’t entirely sure if the man had that many or not, but you never knew.

“I know Pretzel has been quite happy to mm… have some familiar creatures around. Hasn’t been particularly lucky at making friends.” It probably didn’t help that he hadn’t 1. seen wild animals before arriving here since there had been none at the sphere, and 2. his first attempt at friendship had been with Illyana’s imps… They weren’t particularly keen on hounds. Seemed to think he might try to eat them or some nonsense like that.

Llewellyn hummed thoughtfully, “Have you seen much of the city yet? It’s quite different from the sphere. I’d be happy to show you around if you like. I was just out for a bit of lunch and a walk to burn off the aforementioned Pretzel’s energy before going home.”

He may find a use for his apartment at some point, but he won't need it to store swords. He only has one, and that one fits well at his waist, when he wears it at all.

"Ghost isn't really the sort to make friends. Mostly he keeps an eye out for threats. He hasn't had much of an opportunity to make friends." Which is why he was so glad when Ghost had managed to make friends with Lancelot instead of hunting him like prey.

"I've seen a little. I could use someone to show me around."

See, he thought that it would make sense for knight-type people to have more than one. What if you needed a spare? If you lost one or it got broken or something? If your buddy left his sword at home and there was a fight? Emergency swords!

Llewellyn glanced at Ghost thoughtfully, “A watch-wolf, then.” He raised a brow lightly, an amusing thought crossing his mind. A friend had taken to calling Pretzel a ‘scent-beast,’ and it made him wonder what she’d call Ghost. “Well- if he’s around Pretzel enough, maybe they’ll get to know each other a little better. Stubborn little hound, I assure you.” Too stubborn sometimes. His head tilted slightly. “And very good at showing up in places he shouldn’t, if I’m being honest.” Pretzel had taken to slipping out without their knowledge to seek out familiar faces when he was bored. Little Houdini…

The confirmation that he could use a guide gets a nod though, and Llewellyn gestured lightly. “Then I’ll be happy to do so, uh- and have one of these while we go. As I said, it’s about lunchtime.” He held out the bag of pretzels absentmindedly after taking one for himself. Food. It was just an important part of this tour. At least it was to Llewellyn. “I’ll show you some of the best routes to get to the market, of course… And there are a few important locations for anyone to know, I think.”

One day Jon will have to tell Llewellyn about armories. But that day is not today.

"Ghost used to have litter mates, but they're all gone now." Dead or who knows where. "It would be nice for him to have some companionship."

He takes a pretzel from the bag with a nod of thanks. "Show me those important locations then."

Glancing at Pretzel as they started walking, he grinned a little as the dog seemed to be trying to keep close to Ghost, which was awkward considering he was on his leash. Llewellyn adjusted his gait slightly to make it easier.

“Important locations, yes! Right, then…” He altered their path slightly. Clearly, Jon knew about the market, but he did take the man down a row of shops. It was his usual route, and would take them near enough to the spots he wanted to show. “So this street has a lot of mm… the more frequented shops. Tailor shop, I’m sure you know about that if you’ve seen Inesa, I believe she’s joining Rhy there for work. There’s also an instrument shop and a very nice bakery on the left.” Bakeries were important in his books. So he gestured with the hand still holding a pretzel at it as they passed.

Shops covered, he turned down a road that would lead them by the gullwings office and eventually the city guard house would be a good stop too. He could see Jon working with the city guard, after all.

"I've seen a few of these places," he confirms. He'd had to venture out a bit when he first arrived, but he hadn't gone too far because he wanted to be able to find his way home again. "It's a lot to take in, and more than I'm used to."

“Thought you might have, but I wanted to be sure.” He smiled as they continued. “Now- uh…. This way is one of my jobs here. I work at the Gullwings as one of the detectives on staff.” He gestured to the large building, it was rather nice… He hadn’t been around when it was opened, but he knew there had been several others working there at one time, but they’d been sent home and left the business to Jagger to handle. “We take requests from people around the city when it comes to casework and situations that are outside the guard’s expertise. We also tend to look into the strange things that happen in this world, like the killer plants, a while back.”

… Weird things he never thought he’d say as though it were normal.

“Then if we continue down this road, there’s one of the guardhouses. We have a liaison with the guard that we see fairly often, actually- though he’s allergic to dogs.” So Llewellyn had to keep Pretzel away from the poor man. He supposed Ghost might pose a similar issue if they met, now that he thought about it.

Illyana had her own ghost following her around, so to speak. More accurately it was an imp. A single red one with a horn on it's head between its two pointed ears. It barely comes up to her ankles, being one of the smaller imps, but that hardly made it any less annoying. In fact, he was quite the annoyance. Especially with how he insisted upon talking in a strange language to Illyana as she looked around the celebration with a frown on her face.

It wasn't exactly her kind of celebration. She dressed almost exclusively in all black and ruled a demonic dimension. What use did she have for this kind of frivolity? Still...she was curious. Though she'd insist that the imp had been the curious one and she was simply following him so he didn't get into trouble.

Trouble was exactly what he was getting into. He'd run up to look at the sets of jewelry inquisitively picking them up and jumping up and down to get Illyana's attention.

"Stop that," she said with a much more exasperated than annoyed tone. It really was like dealing with children most of the time. She inclined her head at Jon's question and then gave him a shrug as the imp climbed down back down onto the ground.

"Are you asking me?"

It hadn't been too long ago that Jon's wardrobe consisted entirely of black, though that had nothing to do with his clothing choices. The introduction of color (especially the color red) into his wardrobe is almost entirely down to Sansa's influence, especially when she made him something and then just expected him to wear it. He's learned not to argue with Sansa.

Besides, he's left that part of his life behind, so he should start dressing like he's moved on.

"I suppose I am. I can't decide which one I like better, so I'm looking for opinions."

She gave a shrug at his inquiry. Truthfully, she was pretty terrible when it came to gifts. Perhaps it came from spending so much time in a weird hell dimension or perhaps it'd come from the crazy way she'd grown up. Or maybe she was just destined to be bad at it.

"I assume it's for a gift? Which do you think would fit them more?"

"It's for a gift," he confirms. Giving gifts appears to be part of this celebration, similarly to a celebration he had experienced in the Sphere, and it's one tradition from these new worlds that he can get behind. "Though she would like anything I give her." So really it's maybe not as big of a decision as he's making it.

"So then why does it matter which you pick?" She tilted her head curiously. Truth be told she had little experience with giving gifts. But she'd have thought that someone that would have liked anything given would be easy to shop for. "If she's so easily pleased, wouldn't either do?"w

"I suppose it doesn't." Which doesn't help him choose, really. It just helps him feel better about which choice he makes in the end. "Perhaps that one." He points at a set which contains elements in silver and red, both colors represented in his clothing. "It represents us the best, I think."

(OOC: Let me know if you'd like me to change anything, but I was just assuming they'd met briefly before? That way introductions can be avoided again.)

Evening was Drizzt's time, and he'd spent the days and weeks since his arrival here acquainting himself with his new home, at least the city around which it seemed to thrive. He knew there were forests beyond the walls, plains to the west and north, and even it was said mountains if one were to travel far enough. He may even stray that way at some point, but knowing the fulcrum of all this strangeness first was a necessity.

He'd found the Harbor District to be a partcularly interesting place, as such districts often were, and it saw even more excitement in the evening, when the taverns there were crawling with workers fresh of labor shifts. It was almost as lively as any other bustling harbor in a port town, which in itself was strange. To their knowledge, there was no other city with which to trade, wasn't there?

This night, though, Drizzt had taken to the side streets and darker alleys, and had pulled from his cloak a small onyx figurine of a pouncing tiger. The etherial spirit stalked beside him now, lending her preternatural senses to his exploration. By all appearances, she was a large black panther with shining yellow eyes, her shoulders breaking even with Drizzt's waist. He stilled when the hunter beside him froze, her hackles raising as they neared an entrance to the street proper. He followed the cat's attention, his gaze alighting first on the impressive wolf, then to its master and a slight smile tugged at his lips as he stepped from the shadows, the panther tense and prepared at his side.

"Well met, Jon Snow. How are you finding the harbor distict?"

He knows enough to be on his guard here, even if he's not constantly looking over his shoulder. He's alert enough to be aware of his surroundings, and with Ghost as a companion, he knows he'll be warned of any threat in enough time to meet it. It's Ghost who responds first, his hair bristling slightly at the presence of another predator. But when Jon turns to see who approaches and shows no sign of danger, Ghost settles down somewhat. He remains standing, but his hair returns to normal and he just watches the interaction with his red eyes.

"It's different from what I'm used to. I didn't have much call to see the sea at home, and the place where I was previously was under the water, not along the shore of it."

"Under the water?" It wasn't until this moment it even occurred to Drizzt that was possible. As their masters spoke, Guenwhyvar maintained a casual eye on Ghost, interested more than threatened given their body language as they chatted.

"I have only glimpsed the sea once, myself, as I made my way north. It truly is a marvelous thing, isn't it?"

"I'm not sure how it was possible, but the entire city was contained within a series of underwater domes. It was dark, but it did have impressive views in some areas." It was a great way to get to see the different creatures living in the water in a way that never would have been possible some other way.

"It's hard to believe that much water can exist in one place."

"Have you never seen the sea?" He had only recently, in his trek north. It was reasonable Jon had never had the opportunity. "But to live below it." He stroked his chin, though no stubble grew there. That was not a talent known to the elven people, growing facial hair.

"I wonder at its purpose."

"Once. I grew up inland." In the largest region of Westeros, in fact, and he had had no reason to go to the shore. "I haven't experienced most of it, though. I was only traveling to an island." Which had been a new experience for him.

"The city was in a series of domes under the water. I don't know what the point of it was."

"And it was a nearby island, then?" He nodded. Drizzt had never had opportunity to sail, save aboard boats fishing great lakes, but the ocean had a breath of its own, or so he'd heard, and he always dreamed of seeing it. "I grew up in a lightless place, miles below the surface. I too have had no chance to see the sea."

He frowned at the description, though. "...truly a marvel, isn't it?"

He nods. It is a marvel to have that much water in one place, and not even drinkable. "Not far off the coast." So it hadn't been a long trip, at least. He hadn't known his connection to the place at the time, not that it matters at this point. "I can't imagine never even seeing the land."

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "I had seen it once, before my ascent, but it was brief and under duress. I admit, I was overwhelmed by the enormity of it all at first."

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Out and about

Early February!

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Cherishment

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Early February - Harbor District

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